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Two of the more baffling omissions from ESPN's list.

9 amazing players who missed out on ESPN’s Top 25 Men’s Footballers of the 21st Century

ESPN have ranked their 25 best footballers since 2000 with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Zinedine Zidane all featuring – but which legendary players have missed out?

You can find the full list here and it’s truly hard to argue any of the selected 25 footballers don’t deserve their inclusion – but we will anyway.

We’ve picked out nine amazing players who had their own valid claims to be included in ESPN’s shortlist.

Eden Hazard

He may have lacked the longevity of his compatriots and a disastrous spell at Real Madrid cost him part of his legacy, but Hazard was one of the best players of his generation.

An elite dribbler blessed with an eye for the spectacular, Hazard helped Chelsea win two Premier League titles, two Europa Leagues, the FA Cup and League Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge.

The playmaker was also instrumental in helping Belgium reach the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. Fans at Stamford Bridge would have Hazard in their top 10, for sure.

Kevin De Bruyne

Another of Belgium’s Golden Generation, De Bruyne has been the best creative midfielder in the Premier League for much of the past decade.

Able to pass the ball into places beyond the conception of mere mortals, the Manchester City legend has registered 112 assists in England’s top flight – only Ryan Giggs has more.

And that’s without mentioning all the trophies and individual accolades. Some player.

Gareth Bale

Perhaps the unfair perception that Bale’s spell at Real Madrid was ultimately underwhelming has denied the proud Welshman a place in ESPN’s top 25. It would have been fully deserved.

After destroying Maicon during a Champions League tie for Tottenham in 2010, Bale never looked back and produced such breathtaking form that an £85million move to Spain followed three years later.

He would win four European Cups at Madrid and his goal against Liverpool in the 2018 final will live long in the memory, even if Madridistas eventually turned against him.

Blessed with power, pace and missile of a shot, Bale also dragged Wales to the semis of Euro 2016. Wales.

Arjen Robben

Every defender knew Robben would cut in from the right wing and shoot with his left foot – but that knowledge did nothing to prevent the flying Dutchman from scoring again and again.

In fact, Robben was so proficient at this that he arguably popularised the trend of inverted wingers from around 2010 onwards. Some legacy.

Gerard Pique

While Carles Puyol made ESPN’s shortlist (alongside fellow World Cup-winning defender Sergio Ramos), there was surprisingly no place for Pique considering the man won everything.

Re-signed from Manchester United in 2008, Pique was an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona side and his ability to play out from the back changed what was required of modern centre-backs.

He would make 616 appearances for Barca between 2008 and 2022, given a straight red card from the bench at half-time of his final match after arguing with the referee. Brilliant.


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Phillip Lahm

Puyol and Ramos were the only two defenders who made ESPN’s list. While the bias towards attackers is not uncommon, it does mean the likes of Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Virgil van Dijk and Pepe all missed out.

But we take the greatest exception with Lahm’s exclusion. The Bayern Munich and Germany star revolutionised the art of being a full-back with his intelligence and technique, winning countless trophies at club level and the 2014 World Cup.

“[He] is perhaps the most intelligent player I have ever trained in my career,” Guardiola said after converting him into a defensive midfielder at Bayern

“He is at another level.” We won’t argue with that.

Mohamed Salah

No African players were included in ESPN’s list with Samuel Eto’o and Sadio Mane just two who could be feeling a grievance at their choices.

But the claims of two African stars stand above the rest; Salah has scored 211 goals in 349 appearances for Liverpool and won the lot at club level with the Anfield club.

An icon in his native Egypt and beyond, Salah’s impact makes him one of the best Premier League players of all time. Get him on the list.

You should be able to name this guy...

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Didier Drogba

Drogba may have scored fewer goals than you might expect, but few players enjoyed the impact the Ivorian did on the big occasion.

Stick him on the Wembley pitch and the big man was a trophy-winning cheat code with winning goals in three separate FA Cup finals – and that’s before we talk about Munich and the 2012 Champions League final…

The guy basically invented the word ‘clutch’. Hero.

Andriy Shevchenko

While Robert Lewandowski made the list for his jaw-dropping goal record at Bayern Munich and (less so) Barcelona, another Eastern European hotshot missed the cut.

Shevchenko was a beast during the 2000s, scoring at will for AC Milan and winning the Ballon d’Or in 2004.

The Ukrainian won the Golden Boot in both Serie A and the Champions League during the decade, alongside helping his country reach the World Cup quarter-finals on their tournament debut in 2006.

Arguably the greatest player to come from Ukraine or any of the former Soviet countries, Shevchenko would have been a worthy inclusion and a shoo-in if the list was longer.