The Greatest Player of the 00s: The Final Score

21 ballots were received, comprising
421 votes cast, for
116 different individuals.
And it went right to the wire.

Top 30 coming up.

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/3152/30makelele.jpg

30. Claude Makelele
64 points, four votes

So good they named a position after him....let's ignore the fact that he didn't actually invent said position. Madrid's best player according to Zizou, and if he's good enough for Zizou..

Great player, seems like a thoroughly decent guy as well. So good he actually made people care about an unglamorous job. Madrid were insane to let him go.

Did he come back for France's run to the 2006 World Cup Final?

He did, but I don't remember him being there. There can have been few more anonymous elite players - I even had a bit of trouble finding a picture of him actually playing football, rather than hanging on the arm of his ex-missus.

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/2997/29xabialonso.jpg

29. Xabi Alonso
67 points, four votes, one first-placed vote

For some reason I didn't vote for any LFC players. But if I had done it would have been Xabi or Didi. He was mediocore for a season and a half until Rafa flirted with Gareth Barry but otherwise he was brilliant and Liverpool miss the hell out of him and so do Madrid when he doesn't play.

Didi and Xabi were the only two LFCs I voted for - I do like me a good midfielder, and they are proper good midfielders. I think I underrated them both on my list though.

Best Liverpool midfielder of the 00s.

I was in Madrid this time last year and saw him play against Malaga - he was terrible! Misplaced everything, was hitting short passes over teammates' heads for throw-ins, the lot. It was comically out-of-character.

Matt DC OTM

Liking the graphics by the way Ismael.

Thank you. I've got fifteen ready to go, so I'll most likely split the countdown over two or three days to have time to prepare the others.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/941/27rivaldo.jpg

27. Rivaldo
71 points, four votes

27th is a tie, that's not an error. There are two ties but I'm not using tiebreakers because I didn't set any, and also because the usual ways of doing it (#1s or no. of votes) were already taken into account in the vote weighting. So there are two 27s.

Always remember his hat trick goal in the last minute of the final game of the season to secure a Champions League spot for Barca. Tbh he played in an era when I didn't watch La Liga as much as I do now so mainly remember him from Champions League games against Man Utd and World Cups. Probably a lot better than I give him credit for and definitely worthy of the list.

Considering how good he was and what he achieved, Rivaldo's position is arguably all wrong and he should be top ten at least. I think he suffers for being linked to the 90s somehow (i.e. glory days long ago), having dragged out his career into mediocrity, and through having done bad things (cheating, following the money).

Next up is a young 'un who hasn't done any of these things yet.

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/2479/27fabregas.jpg

27. Cesc Fabregas
71 points, six votes

nice

thanks to ismael

Loving your work, but are you going to put up individual voting records so we know who to blame for what is already being described in some quarters (eg SE24) as a sham and a travesty (Makelele below no-marks Fabregas and Alonso, for shame!)?

On 6 out of 21 ballots. Not bad. Not on mine mind you. Having said that if LFC could have any other Premier League player for the next 5 years I'd take Cesc I think.

I may do xp, typing fingers permitting. I'll put up a full rundown of the 116 at least.

I can, however, already reveal useless chamber's shamelessness in sneaking through a ballot of 21 names, which I didn't pick up until counting - his 21st guy got 5 points, which thankfully proved not to be the clinching factor between #1 and #2.

Yeah, my chief memories of Rivaldo at this point consist of him falling over, not being able to run anymore, and suddenly becoming incredibly old with approximately no warning.

Great player, seems like a thoroughly decent guy as well. So good he actually made people care about an unglamorous job. Madrid were insane to let him go.

― Matt DC, Monday, 28 February 2011 12:13 (1 hour ago)

didn't he cheat on noemie

makalele deserves inclusion on merit and longevity, but i didn't include him cuz he has probably had the worst influence on football of any player in this time period -- every shitty pl side needs its own shitty makalele, or two

incidentally i think he was an attacking midfielder at celta vigo, but that's before my time

fabregas and alonso are both far better 'players' and accomplished enough to be included

rivaldo was second on my list cuz he was still an awesome player until 2002

i just loved watching him play

i voted rivaldo but think i put him outside my top 10, for reasons mentioned. his 90's career was still better than his 00 iirc?

yeah but that's only by virtue of his age, born 71 iirc

I had Rivaldo stupidly high. No 3 or something.

Oh, and I did vote for Fabregas after all, above Lampard even. What was I drinking?

Next up is possibly the guy whose presence here pleases me the most.

didi rite

http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/2418/26zanetti.jpg

26. Javier Zanetti
74 points, six votes

He just looks happy to be here.

It occurred to me yesterday, watching Scott Parker charge around yet managing to maintain both immaculate and sensible hair, that he may well base his personal style on Zanetti.

I forgot he existed, for shame (xpost about Rivaldo). Please don't put individual ballots up, basically because I don't want people pointing and laughing at me any more than is strictly necessary.

didn't include him cuz about half my list was argentinian

like makalele, deserves it for longevity etc

the best utility player of the decade?

First one of mine to make it. Has had a ridiculously successful career in a variety of positions.There are those players which ever team needs, your Denis Irwin types, who you can pencil in for 7/10 performances week in week out and they're essential. But then there is someone like Zanetti who you can pencil in for 8-9/10 performances week in week out for over a decade. Phenomenal player and leader (goes all McNulty)

I can, however, already reveal useless chamber's shamelessness in sneaking through a ballot of 21 names, which I didn't pick up until counting - his 21st guy got 5 points, which thankfully proved not to be the clinching factor between #1 and #2.

shit, sorry about that. no idea how that happened. have been thinking i need an eye-test all weekend and this is some sort of confirmation. Also after the 1st 9 words of that post I thought the next words would be either 'ridiculous LFC boostering' or 'basing most of these on people who are quite good on PES4'.

xpost - ailsa otm

didn't put zanetti on mine for some reason i forgot but he deserves to be there. maradona is an idiot.

I think he was high on my list, I don't know how much out of general fondness for him and his career and how much for the actual player he's been. Fuckin Maradona. Coulda been a World Cup winner if not for him.

and pekerman in 2006

picked lionel scaloni above zanetti

In that picture, is Zanetti showing off how many votes he got? I voted for him, would have loved him in my team at virtually any point in the last few years.

this seems like time for

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2456/25riquelme.jpg

25. Juan Roman Riquelme
76 points, five votes, one first-place vote

TOO LOW.

Argh 2006 World Cup Arg-Germany. Why was he subbed?? WHY???? Think I remember Ledley King attempting to man mark him in an England friendly to not much success.

Bit surprised only 5 of us voted for him tbh.

Riquelme really could have been a World Cup winner had it not been for Peckerman taking him off against Germany in 2006. I remember England successfully played Ledley King in defensive midfield for a few games and then he came up against Riquelme and 'Makaledley' was swiftly forgotten.

goalies don't get in the top tier.

"if they were any good they'd be playing outfield anyway"-ron atkinson.

looking at the age distribution of this list would maybe be an interesting thing to do. It kind of seems that it's for the most part in the extremes of old guys whose peak is decisively past and young guys who have plenty of it left, less of the players who are tailing away right now.

the young turks on the list have reached amazing peaks early on, where yr zidanes etc seemed to build to unquestioned greatness, is maybe another angle?

Yeah, I was wondering that about Zidane today - what did he do with the first half of his career? He was already about 28 by the time he won the world cup I think.

he was a left wing back in cm2 just saying

feel like totti's mad overrated, like many a italian post-baggio /trequartista/

#pollsarelame but would've had henke p.high. no pippo inzaghi either?! my ctrl+f must be broke

can we do one for the 90s now?

hell yes

that's where all the *great* players lived anyway

larsson to top that one obv

hierro
sammer
karembeu
baggio
romario
djorkaeff
nilis
batistuta
signori
shev/reb
bierhoff

van basten
klinsmann

cantona tbf

le tis would mobilise the challops bloc

Darragh it you who voted for Gomes or do we have a secret PSV fan in here?

― Matt DC, Wednesday, 2 March 2011 15:58 (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Would have liked to have seen Darragh's reaction if Carra had made the top 30.

― Paulo Odd Futre (pandemic), Wednesday, 2 March 2011 15:59 (Yesterday) Bookmark

carra ahead of hyypia would be a travesty for a start

i dont think gomes has been anywhere good enough to merit a placing, even tho some of his saves are breathtaking. so no.

gascoigne, matthaus, hagi, riedle, seedorf, del piero, keane, veron ... 90s poll would be mouthwatering alright

dare I say it... shearer

yeah, for sure ... would need a nominations process there as a refresher I think

who would the celtic bloc catapult up the charts? hooijdonk? di canio? thom? cadete?

all from the second half of the decade I see

larsson

wtf at le tiss as 'challops'

if gazza is a legit nom then le tiss is a legit winner

BARESI

Mcstay.

ronny johnsen

Never saw enough to really say Papin but Papin. And Weah. And Rui Costa. And that Ajax/Dutch side. And Romario, Stoichkov and Enrique. And the Laudrups. The 90s were the best.

marco simone and papin were the best subs of the decade probably.

lentini

...

......

yr antonio contes, yr torricellis

gullit

le tis was a mercurial big man with a hook nose

like the 00s regularly fêted, and most divisive player, he's the proto-ibra

mercurial, but neither quick nor silver

ali dia

bergkamp, costacurta, stam, litmanen, schmeichel, redondo, suker, thuram, asprilla, desailly, vialli, albertini, zola, boban

Lubo Moravcik for the Celtic vote. I mostly hated the 90s though, no-one really worth rating on a worldwide basis. Might chuck in a lol Harald Brattbakk vote (not really).

Le Tiss is totally non-challops. Cantona ftw. Dragan Stojkovic for the 80s/90s straddler nostalgia win.

boban might be the personal pick

Schmeichel, Parker, Pallister
Irwin, Bruce, Sharpe and Ince
Hughes, McClair, Keane and Cantona
Robson, Kanchelskis and Giggs
Come on you reds, come on you reds
Just keep your bottle and use your heads, etc.

all ok except giggs

Yeah, I was wondering that about Zidane today - what did he do with the first half of his career? He was already about 28 by the time he won the world cup I think.

nah, he was 26. before that he went to semi finals of the euro 96, won some cups (european and national leagues) or got to finals with juventus (and even bordeaux !) in 95, 96 and 97, award for best player in france in 94 and best foreign player in italy in 97...

no premier league player of the month awards though?

See, now I look stupid. I first became aware of him with Bordeaux's run to the UEFA final, which was 96 I think. Players do seem to peak younger these days though, all the same.

PS I do think the 90s poll is a goer, but someone else will have to do it - this one wasn't all-consuming, but I still had difficulty getting the countdown up quickly what with real life getting in the way. Fwiw I thought 20 picks each, and the points system I used, worked really well in terms of getting a proper list. I do think a nominations thread will probably be necessary though, both as a reminder and because the further back you go the less obvious the elite consensus will be

i'll wait to read a nomination thread this time

Players do seem to peak younger these days though, all the same.

yeah, I think part of that is due to much heavier media coverage/pressure to find/make new stars. there was more time to develop back in the days !

don't think it's necessarily, just that recent gens have seen a lot of hyped prodigies that never really got thee (rooney, robinho), temperemental inadequates (ronaldinho, adriano) and actually really precocious talents (messi, aguero, pato)

drogba, lúcio, samuel, milito, xavi have arguably peaked after thirty

All my man crushes come to roost in the 90s with Hagi, Stoichkov and Zidane.

Plus Frank Sinclair.

yr letchkovs, yr raducioius

actually having a look at his wiki now, seems florin raducioiu was a changeable type. 1990-2000 he averaged two clubs a year if I'm parsing correctly

actually no, scratch that. I'm being dense

Darragh it you who voted for Gomes or do we have a secret PSV fan in here?

― Matt DC, woensdag 2 maart 2011 16:58 (3 days ago) Bookmark

*Raises hand* (voted for and [not so secret] PSV fan)

oh, and:

91. Gerald SIBON (11 points, one vote)

Is there something I don't know about this feller? Cos I remember him as a lumbering forward whose enormous wages played a major factor in Sheffield Wednesday -

Wait a second.

CAEK.

MY OFFICE.

NAOW.

― William Bloody Swygart, woensdag 2 maart 2011 17:42 (3 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Hehe, that was me William, he was my sympathy vote. He did alright at Heerenveen and did dick all at PSV tbh, but he made my ballot on the sole basis of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5egDevf4kw

The night of PSV championship, he (drunkenly) takes a young and extremely shy (and Aquarius drinking) Afellay (now Barca) under his wing, and gives him some great advice ("You should smile some more" being one of them). I know it's Dutch, consider it an eternal shame that you can't understand this all time classic video of Dutch football.

Oh, also: fuck me for not having noticed this thread jesus christ ;_;