GAJ 2. Patrick Vieira was the beating heart of every side he led, winning the Euros with France, a double and unbeaten title with Arsenal and covering more grass than just about any other teammate. THE NUMBERS: 30 disposals, 7 clearances, 1 goal But Pirlo still found time and he never failed to discover space. 245 games as captain, the most games as captain, the most wins as captain. You will receive a verification email shortly. AFL 2020: Toughest players, Gladiator 20 years on, top ten footy gladiators, Jonathan Brown, Luke Hodge, Joel Selwood HOME AFL Yes, we are entertained: The AFL's top 10 gladiators since 2000 20 years on from the release of Gladiator, we rank the AFL's top ten hard men. 23 jumper Franklin did, wrote in the Herald Sun during that season that Franklin was drawing people to the football again for the first time since Gary Ablett Sr. Cristiano Ronaldo named best player of the 21st century at Globe Soccer Awards | Marca Globe Soccer Awards Beat out Messi, Ronaldinho and Salah Cristiano Ronaldo named best player of the. Pictures: Getty Images Defining the greats of any sporting era is a tough ask - but with the AFL on hiatus for. 1 pick Sam Walsh with the Blues confirming he's a certain starter against Richmond. Every now and then, you get caught on YouTube watching freakish Judd highlights from the mid-2000s. Luis Gonzalez Matt Kemp Jason Kendall Mike Lowell Hideki Matsui Brandon Phillips Gary Sheffield Grady Sizemore Jason Varitek Vernon Wells Pitchers Bronson Arroyo A.J. He shows real poise and is able to scan and find targets, Hawthorn assistant coach Chris Newman said. Inducted in 1987: Rod McGregor - 1905-1920 One of the brightest stars of his era, Rod McGregor was a four-time Premiership player for the Navy Blues in a 236-game career that stood as a club record for more than half a century. Franklin 3. "In his prime; Falcao looked absolutely unstoppable: Chelsea fans still have traumatic memories of his impressive prone-trick in the first half of a 4-1 victory in the UEFA Super Cup for Atleti in 2012, he completed a report that carried some of the best things. A powerhouse of the 21st century that hauled in four premierships in the Alastair Clarkson era (including three in a row from 2013-2015), the Hawks last played finals in 2018. Both Matthew Richardson and Luke Hodge have serious fears for Hawthorn in the 2023 season. Lee McCulloch. And fair to say there is some big names on this one! The two-time Norm Smith medalist has reached unparalleled feats and continues to prove to be a one in a generation-type player. We offer our respect to the Elders of these traditional . But from that effervescent starlet grew a dependable leader: Spain's reliable backbone through three consecutive international trophies. Former AFL forward Daniel Menzel has ranked his top seven AFL captains of the 21st century. Gerard Healy thinks Richmond superstar Dustin Martin is already a "certainty" to be named the AFL player of the 21st century. Birthdate: June 24, 1987. Comparing different eras in football is a thankless task . BA1 1UA. Premier League and Champions League victories have been the reward, while at international level the winger captained Egypt to their first World Cup in 28 years in 2018 and runners-up finishes in two Africa Cup of Nations. The midfielder is quiet, understated and perhaps the ultimate German footballer. Franais. Lots of goals. No player has won more MVP awards. 2010 - Collingwood vs St. Kilda. Reserved. I dont want to put any pressure on the kids shoulders, but his debut is one of great anticipation, with some dubbing him a Brownlow chance (keep a lid on it) before the season has even begun. Pic: Getty. And there's no doubt about it. San Iker still holds the clean sheet record in the Champions League and racked up over 1,000 professional matches in a two-decade career. 38 Hawthorn jumper for all the trivia buffs playing along at home the Buddy nickname stuck. Share, or vent, your thoughts on Facebook or tweet us @FOXFOOTY. Eight current AFL players, including Andrew McLeod and Adam Goodes, have been included in the league's indigenous team of the century, announced today. Two Crows but which Hawks icon missed the cut? Hawthorn have won 11 wooden spoons in their history but the last time they ended up on the bottom of the ladder was in 1965. Pictures: AFL Photos THEY'RE the stars who drive your club to glory. Few have put the fear of God into quite so many defenders. Gold Coast Suns also have a big contingent with Noah Anderson, Connor Budarick, Caleb Graham, Ben King and Matt Rowell who although played only five games before his season-ending injury in 2020 had already shown the depth of his talent. But the trait that defined Voss career was his ferocity at the contest. The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 60-41, The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 80-61, The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 40-26, The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 100-81, The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 25-11, The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 10-1, Roberto Firmino makes stunning choice on Liverpool future: 'It's decided', Liverpool signing Mason Mount from Chelsea could be a LOT more realistic than you realise, Why Sir Alex Ferguson thinks Anfield has the best atmosphere in the country, Father of Manchester United's potential new owner Sheikh Jassim criticises bid for club: 'I dont like this investment', Manchester United target Victor Osimhen openly reveals that a dream Premier League move is his 'ambition'. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Inside or outside, left boot or right boot, in the air or on the ground, short kick or long kick, overhead or on the ground, in front of the goals or on the last line of defence, Geelong or Gold Coast he could do it all and has done it all, wherever hes played. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Pies recruits sizzle in pre-season clash with Hawthorn. Picture: Annette Dew, There are few better sights in footy than Lance Franklin in full flight. Reckon you can pick the best team? He was also a dangerous goalkicker, punctuated by his 36-goal season in 2002 and a seven-goal haul against Adelaide in early 2004. AFL Premier Partners. The 19-year-old - pick No.7 in the 2022 draft - provided a pinpoint kick inside 50 in the third term for Fergus Greene, who topped the goal count with three. Personally, the late, long-range snap goal from a stoppage in the 2007 preliminary final against Collingwood stands out. The criteria incorporates consistency at an elite level, match-winning ability, contribution to team success and influence during their playing stints across the past two decades. At the very start of the 21st Century, Luis Figo committed the most controversial transfer that football had ever seen. The Civil Rights Movement displayed how the African Americans fought against the tremendous alienation that they had faced for centuries. They also had to have played at least one game at . Cameron Smith and Billy Slater were a key part of one the greatest NRL teams of the 21st century. His first game against the Eagles who picked up Dalziell a few short years later was something to marvel at though recording more touches than then teammates and greats of the game like Luke Power and Simon Black in his first pro outing. Burnett Bartolo Colon Dan. These are the top seven captains that you would love to play for, he said on SENs Sportsday SA. Luke Hodge is as hard as they come, as much of a leader you want to play for out of anyone and I found it hard not to put him at no.1. More importantly, three premierships, and I think he changed the way he was as a leader. At his peak, Falcao looked utterly unstoppable - Chelsea fans might still have traumatic flashbacks to his stunning first half hat-trick in a 4-1 UEFA Super Cup victory for Atleti in 2012. Francesco Totti retired with 307 goals in 786 Roma appearances. Best Performance: Chanderpaul scored five hundreds against Australia including one remarkable out-of-the-box effort - the fifth-fastest Test ton of all time, from just 69 balls as West Indies chased down a world record 418 in Antigua, 2003. Nedved also captained his country to the final of Euro 2004, where they lost to Greece, and he opted to stay with Juve following their demotion to Serie B in the wake of the Calciopoli match fixing scandal, helping them go straight back up at the first attempt. A two-time Golden Boot winner, Salah holds the record for the most goals scored in a Premier League season with 32 and has been astonishingly prolific at Anfield, notching more than 20 goals in each of his five seasons. These players have all played at some point throughout 21st century, however based on their entire . The Top 20 players of the past 20 years have been revealed. Judd . Thats why the likes of Wayne Carey and Robert Harvey arent on the list. Falling just short of the best player of the century, Franklin deserves a podium finish for his astounding career-to-date. After drawing in the first game, at 68 points each, St. Kilda and Collingwood met again a week later to determine a winner. Hawthorn are bracing for a world of pain in the 2023 AFL season, according to two of their most decorated players. As if scoring that goal wouldn't endear himself to the Manchester City faithful, the Argentinian became the all-time overseas Premier League hitman, the club's record scorer and one of the greatest forwards of all time. All rights reserved. Four Brownlow Medallists and the fifth deserves one, Four game-changing freaks and a controversial legend, The 12 AFL legends brutally snubbed from top-20 list. The Czech sensation won a league and cup double with Lazio in 2000, before replacing Zinedine Zidane at Juventus and firing the Turin club to two league titles and the Champions League final, achievements that helped him clinch the 2003 Ballon dOr. Best known for spells at Wigan and Rangers, Scotsman Lee McCulloch is the definition of a utility man, playing defence, midfield and up front. He is electric. The Victorian Football League-Australian Football League (VFL/AFL) Italian Team of the Century was announced in June 2007. (Weve also collated a 12-man list of snubbed players, which you can check out here.). The criteria was a player had to play more than 50 games from 2000 onwards. Hes Buddy brilliant. Login. Hawthorn 400-game champion Michael Tuck recently made a bold call, telling Channel 7 he thinks the Hawks can play finals despite having one of the youngest playing lists in the competition. Ribery was vital to Bayern Munich's ascension to becoming a superpower once more and at his peak, there have been few wingers as beguiling to watch since 2000. Franck Ribery more than lived up to the billing. This devalues names like Robert Harvey, Scott West and Stephen Silvagni. He got awarded the AFLPA best captain four times that just shows what his peers thought about him. Nat Fyfe deserves his position in our best AFL players of the modern era list, with the dual Brownlow Medallist still among the absolute top echelon of stars in 2020. One of only four players to win two Norm Smith medals, Hodge was another match winner and showcase player, lighting up the biggest of stages with his professionalism alone. A combination of icy cold finishing and red-hot drive through the centre of the pitch made him utterly unstoppable at his best. AFL Club Essendon Other Teams Coburg Lions, All Boston sides Dec 19, 2022 #352 1. Aged 24, Mbappe is already a World Cup winner, only the second player to net a hat-trick in the final, a Golden Boot winner as well as being widely considered among the best current players in the world. Get insight to top players, instructions & drills and extensive coverage of equipment. It shouldnt take away from his outstanding Blues stint, which netted him a second Brownlow Medal and three best and fairests. The versatile forwards creativity and reliable goal return - hes hit double figures in eight of the last nine La Liga seasons for Real Sociedad, Atleti and Barcelona - have helped him earn domestic accolades like La Liga Best Player in 2015/16. After spending a few seasons on Richmonds list Polo finally broke through for his debut match in the famous Dreamtime at the G clash against the Bombers during the 2006 season. He was a key contributor in the Giants first AFL season, illustrating his talents from day one as he tied for the second most touches for his side in an expectedly ugly loss to the Swans. The club also lost its much-loved captain and No.1 ruck Ben McEvoy, who decided to hang up the boots, and 255-game veteran Liam Shiels also retired (but then found his way to North Melbourne). Western Bulldogs acknowledge that we reside on traditional lands of the Kulin Nation. Ablett in full flight in the trademark words of Fox Footy caller Dwayne Russell is as good as it gets. Regarded as one of the best big-game players in the game's history, Martin has his eye on more team and individual honours with the Tigers premiership window still wide open. The top-scoring midfielder in Premier League history only tells a fraction of the story of Frank Lampard who incredibly had to be defended by his uncle Harry from disbelieving West Ham fans as a youngster getting into the first team. Horrie Clover - 1920-1924 & 1926-1931 Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina. The Belgian was one of the most imperious centre-backs in Europe at his peak, adored by every manager who worked with him. Random. UNLUCKY DOZEN: The 12 AFL legends brutally snubbed from top-20 list, *Odds are current as of 4th March 2023, 6:03pm AEST. 13-min read. His 2016 campaign will go down as one of the greatest seasons in recent history, collecting a then-record 35 Brownlow votes, both AFLPA and AFLCA awards and a Carji Greeves medal to cap off a record breaking debut season with Geelong. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.