Top 10: Stars of this GENERATION (21st Century)

 
Pics after the cut



10. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
There’s no doubting Ibrahimovic’s star quality. The Sweden international is one of the most gifted strikers of the last 13 years; he’s won titles at every big club he’s played for – and he’s played for quite a few.
Since the turn of the century he’s won league titles with Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan and PSG.

 

9. Kaka
Kaka, who won the 2007 Ballon d’Or ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, was outstanding during his first spell with AC Milan.
 
8. Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry was simply untouchable for a couple of years with Arsenal in the Premier League.
He won the European Golden Boot twice – in 2004 and 2005 – and would destroy defences on his own.

7. Ronaldo
The Brazilian would have been higher in this list had we taken the 1990s into consideration – that one season he enjoyed at Barcelona, Ronaldo was simply on a different planet to everyone else – but he was still a wonderful player after the turn of the century.
Winner of two Ballon d’Or awards – in 1997 and 2002 – Ronaldo remains the highest goalscorer in the history of World Cup finals.
 
6. Andres Iniesta
One of the most technically-gifted footballers of all time, Andres Iniesta was a key cog in Pep Guardiola’s legendary Barcelona side as well as the Spain team which continues to dominate the international scene.
 
5. Xavi
It’s virtually impossible to mention Iniesta without talking about his midfield teammate Xavi, who has also been incredibly important for Barcelona and Spain over the past decade.
 
4. Ronaldinho
The man who brought joy to millions of football fans across the world, Ronaldinho was – and still is – a genius.

 
3. Zinedine Zidane
The former France international is one of the most gifted footballers of all time and ended his career having won the lot.
 
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s come an awful long way since arriving at Manchester United as that skinny and raw yet supremely talented winger.
 
1. Lionel Messi
There is no superlative in existence that hasn’t been attached to Lionel Messi over the past five or six years.