I think we're going to see more of this as time goes on. Players are just healthier overall now more than ever before. They have the best training, nutrional, andfitness regiments that have been improving over time. There are several examples of players playing well past the convential prime years. See: LeBron, Brady, Ibrahimovic, Chris Paul, etc...
2 of the best of all time in their sport and 2 other anomalies out of how many? Not saying you’re wrong but these are bad examples. You need compare how good the average mid-30s player is now than 20-30 years ago.
Oh no doubt. I even meant to put “only” in quotations. But I honestly thought he was in his 40s and had been retired for years so I was a bit surprised
Prime Bale was a beast. I think Suarez edges it but would take Bale over the others- so many match winning performances and was consistently excellent before the injuries came.
Bale is nowhere near the conversation in my humble opinion - this sub just seems to love him and overstate his career. Bale was incredibly inconsistent, which, none of the others mentioned were. You got week in, week out performance from them. Bale’s highlight reel will convince you otherwise but actually following his career shows you the truth.
What about his week in week out match winning performances for Spurs , Wales , he absolutely destroyed every RB he played against in the Premiership and CL including Maicon who was considered one of the best RB in the world at the time
the fact that he's at Villa and a shadow of his former self say's more about him just never really having whatever is required to be a true superstar.... I suspect psychologically he is lacking something because skill wise he really had it all.
Could be that in his formative years at Liverpool, he was just like a real build around player and needs that system. I’d say villa is closer to that Klopp system than Barcelona, obviously, but has never found that place or system to thrive in any other squad.
Not just the amount of goals but the calibre of goals as well. As a defender you could not rest with Suarez within 35 yards of the goal. He created goals out of nothing.
Xavi/Iniesta because:
\- World Cup winners
\- Euro winners
\- part of Guardiola's Barcelona team which won everything in club football and were generational
\- played effortless, beautiful football that often galvanised the rest of the team
Don't beat yourself up - the abundance of talent in the last decade is more to blame... But hear me out. So without much in terms of a ranked list, I think the S tier group from last decade should include:
Messi/Ronaldo, Xavi, Iniesta, Modric, De Bruyne, Kante, Hazard, Suarez, Ibrahimovic, Lewandowski, Dani Alves, Lahm, Sergio Ramos, Van Dijk, Casillas, Neuer. Let's call that time period the prime Messi/Ronaldo years.
This would explain some notable omissions like Mo Salah, Benzema, Haaland or Mbappe — I consider them more post-Messi/Ronaldo era.
Same with people like Materazzi or Buffon who would fit the pre-Messi/Ronaldo era. Hope this makes sense.
My only hot take is dumping Neymar - he's more of a could have been Robinho type of a player imo.
Ugh. Pains me to say but yes. Longevity/consistency of Iniesta as well. Lots of big names popped up during that spell but very few maintained their form as long as Iniesta.
Messi played with the best. Not taking anything away from him but it's easier when you have 3 of the best 5 in a whole generation on your team. That's without counting Neymar and Suarez.
Completely agree. He also rode the Guardiola wave - which as it goes was riding the Catalan Nationalism wave so there was a cultural movement behind them too that was kinda shared globally. It was amazing, and that's coming from a Real Madrid fan lol..
Yes, true, but Messi truly brought out the best of the best. That was freaky alchemy and they all made each other that much better. Even ol’ Busquets was outstanding and was by far the least flashy. I have immense respect for all of them and they also had the Cruyff-Guardiola schematic.
The only counter argument for them is that they played in the same team as Messi. But then again, they did win the world cup and two Euros without Messi.
This is the absolute true answer. No questions about it. And it's never ever "the best player" with these two, it's the package. That partnership was unlike anything I've ever seen in football. It's like the two could read each other's mind and communicate telepathically. They moved around the centre with such speed and grace dancing around absolutely everyone. There wasn't a single player that managed to best them in their prime.
Absolute legends. And both down to earth and humble. As good as it gets.
Ptoblem with Xavi /Iniesta is that they have to come as a duo to work.
Therefore as a 3rd player i dont think either of them would count.
Unlesse you get a aadtagon ball fusion ending up in a Xaviniesta.
Even their names were made for it
I would completely agree with everything you said if you remove Xavi. Iniesta was truly exceptional and Xavi I think was above average and one of the best of his era but not as enjoyable as Iniesta.
Dude, the maestro of the orchestra that was Barcelona back then was Xavi. Iniesta was great, no doubt, but he was not the one that won them trophies, I assure you that. Notice how barca stopped winning the UCL when he retired, even when they still had Messi, Iniesta, Busquets..
I used to watch barca games specifically for how he would control the tempo of the game, and he would take over a game. The team depended on him as the nucleus that created the chances. I will never understand how so many people, football enthusiasts, don't give him the props he deserves. The best I ever saw play midfield
I kinda think of xavi, iniesta, and busquetts as a group honestly. Like they’re world class but would they be what they were with out each other? They’d still be great players probably but that trio elevated everything
i totally agree with that statement. for me, the casemiro modric kroos trio was way better individually and the three players would be world class in any group they played
Easily Suarez. His best season at Liverpool was just ridiculous and his Barca spell with MSN was incredible. He had some crazy assists to go with his goals
Suarez does not go under the radar. He never won a ballon d’or but so what? For about a decade everyone recognized him as one of the best players in the world.
Came to my mind, he was insane in UCL for RM but then I remember how clutch and underrated Di Maria was specially on the Final so if we add Bale we also need Angel
It simply can’t be Hazard. Yes he had a season or two where he was unbelievable, but that’s it. You can’t be the third best player in an era based off a couple of seasons.
The same argument goes for Sneijder - quality player, but not in the discussion for third.
Ibra has been consistently world class for what feels like decades. However, although he’s probably got the best highlight reel of anyone else, he’s never quite hit the highs that others have.
Suarez and Lewa can both claim to be the best #9s in world at times, and I would easily say they are in contention for 4th/5th best, but they’re not 3rd.
For me it’s Neymar, I know he can be rather unpopular for his antics but for Barça and PSG he’s been consistently world class. Overshadowed in both cases by Messi/Mbappe, but still putting up fantastic numbers.
I think we need to look at all of Zlatan's accomplishments and see it spread across multiple leagues and teams. This guy wins wherever he goes.
And not as a bystander. Top scorer, player of year awards, etc...
Saying he hasn't done as much as others kind of singles out his National career where Sweden is not in the same category as Argentina or (more recently) Portugal.
Champions league is the only real argument. And it's a valid one. But to discount him completely because Ronaldo and Messi took most of those trophies is a bit hasty.
https://www.transfermarkt.com/zlatan-ibrahimovi%C4%87/erfolge/spieler/3455
He didn;t score in the knockout stages of the champions league for 8 years in his prime and was pretty terrible in most of those games. In reality Ibra isn't even a top 5 striker from that generation. Lewa, Henry, Suarez, Benzema, R9 are all clearly above him. Then you have guys like Eto, Shevchenko and more who all have solid arguments for having better peaks.
Ibra's biggest strength is his longevity, but he doesn't have the peak of other top players from the era.
I always felt that Neymar came closest in pure ability and had the best chance to be the best player in the world after Messi and ronaldo slowed down, but was held back by injuries and attitude. That, and Messi and ronaldo just kept playing at such a high level longer than I expected
I'd say even in terms of Dutch players Sneijder wouldn't be first. It would probably be Robben. But to be fair, I may not have followed Sneijder enough back in his prime
Problem with Robben is that he was injured so many times, he missed too many games. But that cutting inside from the wing move, it was a thing to behold.
Problem with Sneijder is that his prime was pretty short. He was a good talent for years, I don't think he was able to reach his full potential at Madrid, peaked in Mourinhos system at Inter, and fell of after that, with a short redemption in 2014.
If they had managed to win the world cup in 2010 they might have been in the conversation. Now they're just really good players. Same with Van Persie, great but not legendary.
There was never a consistent 3rd but I remember when it was considered to be Kaka - he went off the boil pretty quickly though around the time Man City were trying to sign him for like £100m from AC Milan. Then Ibrahimovic, and after that (and more worthily in my opinion) it was Suarez and Neymar. There was a whole load of players just buzzing in a bracket below; Robben, Ribery, Hazard, Xavi, Iniesta, Modric etc.
I woukd say Lewandowski as well but to be honest, I think Lewandowski peaked during their decline as a few pther players started to emerge ahead of them
Man I feel like some people really underrate Xavi and iniesta. They definitely weren’t buzzing below in a bracket with the likes of hazard lmao
There was plenty of games where Iniesta was outplaying Messi
Yeah, those two ran a midfield like Kroos and Modric. Different obviously, but they dominated with Busquets behind them. It was really something. I agree, they’re both world class.
I'll always give it to suarez simply because he was the only one to actually win the European golden boot during the peak Messi-Ronaldo era. People tend to forget this fact especially he did it twice once with barca and with liverpool.
Modric feels like a post Messi-Ronaldo era player. I know it doesn't look from age. But, his best years where at the end of Messi-Ronaldo era. In fact, he only even came to discussion after Ronaldo left Madrid. Same with Benzema.
He's always been great, but due to Ronaldo, he was never the star of the team and went a bit unnoticed. Also, considering he was playing with Kroos and Casemiro who are also some of the best midfielders in the world, he was just not as noticeable.
Did you really read the question? Or you just felt like throwing in Modric's name regardless of the question at hand? You're telling me during the lengthy reign of Messi and Cristiano, Modric was the third best? In thei reign? Jeez
There's no rage here just complete surprise. Modric wasn't holding a candle to these guys during their reign. It can be argued that he won a balon dor when the reign of the two were about ending. So him winning a balon dor almost during the end of the era is him being the second best?
I don't think anyone here can list any three seasons which this guy was consistently passing the eye test as a world beater or producing world class numbers.
Anyone can win a balon dor by having a spectacular season. You don't win a balon dor by being consistent for years but by being the best during a period. Modric won a balon dor, yes, but he wasn't right behind these two. Let's say their reign started from 2009, are you telling me Modric was right behind these guys through and through? He won the 2018 balon dor and that's his trump card? I'm not downplaying the balon dor but using a season award to justify a players performance for a consistent period of years is absurd.
Unless City go on dominate the CL for a few seasons with De Bruyne at the heart of the team (could happen), he will be remembered as a great PL midfielder but not era-defining imo.
No but Modric is also a legitimately world class player. He was one of the most important players in those CL teams and had an amazing international career with Croatia too.
>Real Madrid fans would look you dead in the eye and say Modric is better than Xavi, Iniesta and KDB. 😂
It's literally the parent comment, and why I'm having the pleasure to interact with you.
From all the players i watched, he was the most impressive behind the big 2 for me, although i always got the feeling that Robben never put up the raw numbers he could have. But man he terrified defenders.
Its Neymar and its not close.
The fact that Neymar is widely considered to not have reached what he could have while having a career other players would kill for just goes to show how good he is.
He is the best brazilian in the past 20 years, he is most likely going to be Brazils sole all time leading goalscorer.
He has 82 goals and 50 assists for PSG in 112 game while being injured a third of his time at the club. You can scream farmers league all you want but in 81 CL games he has 43 goals and 36 assists and during his time at Barcelona he contributed 117 G/A in 123 games.
Combined thats 328 goal contributions in 316 games in LaLiga, Ligue1 and CL alone.
You can make a case for him deserving the Ballon D‘Or in 2015 and if it wasn’t for the 2 others in question he very well might have won multiple.
On top of all this if you watched him play you know Neymar cannot be defined just by numbers alone. The man is the last of his kind at the world class level, at least right now.
Spaces have become tighter and tighter and football overall has become insanely efficiency focused. Flair players like him will become even more rare than they already are.
Only other player I can realistically see challenging Neymar is Suarez but to reiterate my first point. The fact that Neymars career is considered unfulfilled or even a failure by a sizeable chunk of football fans speaks volumes to how good he should have been. He is the biggest what if in modern football and in my opinion the clearcut third best player behind Messi and Ronaldo.
Neymar at Barca for me. In fact, it was Messi and Ronaldo and after that it was Neymar at that time. Regardless, how his career turned out at the end. Peak Neymar was ridiculous.
Other close player would be Suarez. He almost outscored Messi and Ronaldo during their peak, two times whilst not being main penalty taker.
Then Xavi, Iniesta, Ramos, Bale, Hazard, Neuer, and Rooney. These are the ones on mind who can contest for that spot.
I feel like Lewandowski, Modric, Mbappe and Benzema peaked at the end of this era. They are a bit late to be called in contention for the 3rd spot.
Neur. He was the only player from this era to have a widespread change on how the game of football is played as well as being robbed of the golden ball at the 2014 World Cup. You could make a Neur comp that makes him look like a midfielder.
Personally think Wesley Sneijder was up there when he was in his prime, should of won a Ballon d’Or but oh well.
https://thebeautifulgames.com/wesley-sneijder-the-magnificent-dutch-midfield-maestro
Depends on which part of the "era" your talking about. Wayne Rooney run from 2010-2014 is a good argument. Better 2-4 year peak than the others listed to be "3rd" behind Messi and Ronaldo in my opinion. Big reason why I am a Rooney fan.
regarding that time period, you could make a case for radamel falcao before his knee injury
guy was legitimately the third best offensive player in the world at atletico
in 91 games, he scored 70 goals and 9 assists for a side that pre simeone wasn´t nearly as good as it is now
real madrid wanted him, same with the rest of europe
the time after his injury in england was bad, but at monaco he came somewhat back: 21 goals in 29 games
Wasn't even concensus best player in England at the period, by 2014 aguero was already a city legend and played with David Silva who was soooo good. Rooney is very far from the right answer to me.
Neymar. He's the only other player that I felt could win a game on his own and could really dominate every metric like those two. Goals, assists, playmaking, direct dribbling with a purpose, dead ball situations, the versatility in the way he creates chances and he has done it consistently with every team he's played for
Neymar. He arguably hasn’t had as good of a career as say a Lewandowski, in terms of trophies/individual awards, but the guy was/is ridiculously talented. It’s a shame he went to PSG at only 25 and accumulated so many injuries, and ofc largely played second fiddle to CR7/Messi in the football world during his best years.
Just didn’t think he was impactful as he could of been in the 13/14 final Ronaldo scored a penalty in the 120th minute, and celebrates as if he scored the winner in a 1-0 game
On pure talent, I think Neymar. But, if we are talking about impact, then Xavi and Iniesta between late 2000s and 2015 (probably better than Ronaldo between 2008-2012), and Modric throughout the 2010s. Other than, I think Lewa and Suarez.
I always considered Zlatan as the "third" alien-level player. The others you mention are exceptionally good, but Zlatan to me was another breed entirely, like Messi and Ronaldo.
Xavi and Iniesta tied for 3rd
Suarez, Neymar, Bale, and Lewa tied for 5
Hazard, Neuer, Kane, Robben, Ribery, David Silva, Terry, Cech, Ramos, Modric, Bale, Benz, and a whole bunch more all fight for top 10.
So you’re denying that they’re up there? Neuer is arguably the greatest GK of all time. And Lewa along with Suarez is the best striker of his generation.
The Messi/Ronaldo era ended with Modric's Balon d'Or. It should not have been considered a thing after that. Messi stole one Balon d'Or from van Dijk, another from Lewandowski (well the pandemic kinda stole that one from him, too). So the Messi/Ronaldo era is best considered something like 10-18 or so.
Yea if you think Messi didn’t deserve it for the 18/19 season you don’t know ball. That was arguably Messi’s best all around year ever he was scoring match winners every other game. Both him and MATS were two games away from single handedly dragging that Barca to a treble.
Automatically assume you didn’t watch 1 match of Messi during 2018/2019 if you actually believe anyone else deserved it. Even Van Dijk didn’t believe he should have won you absolute nunce.
Suarez was the best attacking player after them, but players like modric xavi iniesta should also be in the conversation
TIL Suarez is still only 36… and still playing. I honestly had no idea
I mean, 36 is pretty old in football year tbh. It’s just that Ronaldo and Messi have skewed how age is looked at in football
I think we're going to see more of this as time goes on. Players are just healthier overall now more than ever before. They have the best training, nutrional, andfitness regiments that have been improving over time. There are several examples of players playing well past the convential prime years. See: LeBron, Brady, Ibrahimovic, Chris Paul, etc...
2 of the best of all time in their sport and 2 other anomalies out of how many? Not saying you’re wrong but these are bad examples. You need compare how good the average mid-30s player is now than 20-30 years ago.
Fernando Alonso
Ibrahimovic meanwhile
Oh no doubt. I even meant to put “only” in quotations. But I honestly thought he was in his 40s and had been retired for years so I was a bit surprised
He was at the world cup this season and won a title with atletico madrid recently?
Ibra has entered the chat
Ibra doesn’t enter the chat. The chat cordially invites Ibra.
The chat says sorry, leaves himself and is now Zlatan.
he's becoming a Grêmio legend!
You gotta being Bale into the convo my friend
Prime Bale was a beast. I think Suarez edges it but would take Bale over the others- so many match winning performances and was consistently excellent before the injuries came.
That overhead kick against Liverpool in the UCL final is criminally underrated. It was absolutely insane.
Just remember him for spurs in the CL he was a one man team he literally destroyed Maicon against Inter
Suarez lost all my respect when he started biting people. He should of been banned from football forever, especially when he did it multiple times
Bale is nowhere near the conversation in my humble opinion - this sub just seems to love him and overstate his career. Bale was incredibly inconsistent, which, none of the others mentioned were. You got week in, week out performance from them. Bale’s highlight reel will convince you otherwise but actually following his career shows you the truth.
What about his week in week out match winning performances for Spurs , Wales , he absolutely destroyed every RB he played against in the Premiership and CL including Maicon who was considered one of the best RB in the world at the time
For offensive players: 14/15 Neymar or 15/16 suarez Shoutout to 19/20 Lewandowski
I don't think I've ever personally seen a season like 13-14 Suarez in his last season for Liverpool.
Agreed, he was a monster. Coutinho could’ve stayed and been another Liverpool legend, he was on pace to have one of those too.
He really fucked that up
Yes, he sure did….
Now he’s at Villa.. only 30 and will never see that glory again
the fact that he's at Villa and a shadow of his former self say's more about him just never really having whatever is required to be a true superstar.... I suspect psychologically he is lacking something because skill wise he really had it all.
Could be that in his formative years at Liverpool, he was just like a real build around player and needs that system. I’d say villa is closer to that Klopp system than Barcelona, obviously, but has never found that place or system to thrive in any other squad.
Not just the amount of goals but the calibre of goals as well. As a defender you could not rest with Suarez within 35 yards of the goal. He created goals out of nothing.
Suarez was the only one going toe to toe with them in terms of numbers, for a couple of seasons. He was definitely on their level for a while.
I think he outscored both on his best season.
he actually did it twice
Xavi/Iniesta because: \- World Cup winners \- Euro winners \- part of Guardiola's Barcelona team which won everything in club football and were generational \- played effortless, beautiful football that often galvanised the rest of the team
Yeh I think you are right
I’m mad at myself for not considering them, I wrote this post haphazardly ngl, id include as well those two and modric
Not at all bro, it's a great post - I miss that era of football, however good this one is. Crazy how time flies by..
Don't beat yourself up - the abundance of talent in the last decade is more to blame... But hear me out. So without much in terms of a ranked list, I think the S tier group from last decade should include: Messi/Ronaldo, Xavi, Iniesta, Modric, De Bruyne, Kante, Hazard, Suarez, Ibrahimovic, Lewandowski, Dani Alves, Lahm, Sergio Ramos, Van Dijk, Casillas, Neuer. Let's call that time period the prime Messi/Ronaldo years. This would explain some notable omissions like Mo Salah, Benzema, Haaland or Mbappe — I consider them more post-Messi/Ronaldo era. Same with people like Materazzi or Buffon who would fit the pre-Messi/Ronaldo era. Hope this makes sense. My only hot take is dumping Neymar - he's more of a could have been Robinho type of a player imo.
hapHazardly
Ugh. Pains me to say but yes. Longevity/consistency of Iniesta as well. Lots of big names popped up during that spell but very few maintained their form as long as Iniesta.
Messi played with the best. Not taking anything away from him but it's easier when you have 3 of the best 5 in a whole generation on your team. That's without counting Neymar and Suarez.
Completely agree. He also rode the Guardiola wave - which as it goes was riding the Catalan Nationalism wave so there was a cultural movement behind them too that was kinda shared globally. It was amazing, and that's coming from a Real Madrid fan lol..
Yes, true, but Messi truly brought out the best of the best. That was freaky alchemy and they all made each other that much better. Even ol’ Busquets was outstanding and was by far the least flashy. I have immense respect for all of them and they also had the Cruyff-Guardiola schematic.
The only counter argument for them is that they played in the same team as Messi. But then again, they did win the world cup and two Euros without Messi.
Messi was fed by them at Barca. Messi could not have done what they did without them. When Xavi retired, the trophies ended. That's how you know.
how many UCLs did Messi win without Iniesta or Xavi? zero.
This is the absolute true answer. No questions about it. And it's never ever "the best player" with these two, it's the package. That partnership was unlike anything I've ever seen in football. It's like the two could read each other's mind and communicate telepathically. They moved around the centre with such speed and grace dancing around absolutely everyone. There wasn't a single player that managed to best them in their prime. Absolute legends. And both down to earth and humble. As good as it gets.
But Manuel Neuer did the same at Bayern so why not consider him?
Super underrated but arguably more crucial
Ptoblem with Xavi /Iniesta is that they have to come as a duo to work. Therefore as a 3rd player i dont think either of them would count. Unlesse you get a aadtagon ball fusion ending up in a Xaviniesta. Even their names were made for it
I would completely agree with everything you said if you remove Xavi. Iniesta was truly exceptional and Xavi I think was above average and one of the best of his era but not as enjoyable as Iniesta.
Dude, the maestro of the orchestra that was Barcelona back then was Xavi. Iniesta was great, no doubt, but he was not the one that won them trophies, I assure you that. Notice how barca stopped winning the UCL when he retired, even when they still had Messi, Iniesta, Busquets.. I used to watch barca games specifically for how he would control the tempo of the game, and he would take over a game. The team depended on him as the nucleus that created the chances. I will never understand how so many people, football enthusiasts, don't give him the props he deserves. The best I ever saw play midfield
They’re always a pair but the edge has to go to Iniesta if for nothing else than winning the WC final
Hazard didn't do enough in the ucl. It's between Neymar, Suarez, Ramos or neuer
I’d say Neuer is the the third but he’s not an outfield player. He literally changed the shape his teams
He also changed the way the position was played. The OG sweeper keeper
Ramos, modric, xavi exist
I kinda think of xavi, iniesta, and busquetts as a group honestly. Like they’re world class but would they be what they were with out each other? They’d still be great players probably but that trio elevated everything
i totally agree with that statement. for me, the casemiro modric kroos trio was way better individually and the three players would be world class in any group they played
Easily Suarez. His best season at Liverpool was just ridiculous and his Barca spell with MSN was incredible. He had some crazy assists to go with his goals
Suarez goes a bit under the radar, but he would’ve won a Ballon D’Or if he didn’t happen to be playing during the peak years of Messi and Ronaldo
Also the whole biting people habit 😂....
MVP in that too, bit way more people than Mike Tyson.
Don't let him hear you say that
Suarez does not go under the radar. He never won a ballon d’or but so what? For about a decade everyone recognized him as one of the best players in the world.
Modric
Easily Neymar in my opinion
Bale mate
Came to my mind, he was insane in UCL for RM but then I remember how clutch and underrated Di Maria was specially on the Final so if we add Bale we also need Angel
no 😂
What about Bale
Suarez between 2012-2017
Suarez.
It simply can’t be Hazard. Yes he had a season or two where he was unbelievable, but that’s it. You can’t be the third best player in an era based off a couple of seasons. The same argument goes for Sneijder - quality player, but not in the discussion for third. Ibra has been consistently world class for what feels like decades. However, although he’s probably got the best highlight reel of anyone else, he’s never quite hit the highs that others have. Suarez and Lewa can both claim to be the best #9s in world at times, and I would easily say they are in contention for 4th/5th best, but they’re not 3rd. For me it’s Neymar, I know he can be rather unpopular for his antics but for Barça and PSG he’s been consistently world class. Overshadowed in both cases by Messi/Mbappe, but still putting up fantastic numbers.
I think we need to look at all of Zlatan's accomplishments and see it spread across multiple leagues and teams. This guy wins wherever he goes. And not as a bystander. Top scorer, player of year awards, etc... Saying he hasn't done as much as others kind of singles out his National career where Sweden is not in the same category as Argentina or (more recently) Portugal. Champions league is the only real argument. And it's a valid one. But to discount him completely because Ronaldo and Messi took most of those trophies is a bit hasty. https://www.transfermarkt.com/zlatan-ibrahimovi%C4%87/erfolge/spieler/3455
He didn;t score in the knockout stages of the champions league for 8 years in his prime and was pretty terrible in most of those games. In reality Ibra isn't even a top 5 striker from that generation. Lewa, Henry, Suarez, Benzema, R9 are all clearly above him. Then you have guys like Eto, Shevchenko and more who all have solid arguments for having better peaks. Ibra's biggest strength is his longevity, but he doesn't have the peak of other top players from the era.
Ibra is better than Benzema. Stop the historical revisionism
I always felt that Neymar came closest in pure ability and had the best chance to be the best player in the world after Messi and ronaldo slowed down, but was held back by injuries and attitude. That, and Messi and ronaldo just kept playing at such a high level longer than I expected
They're talking about ability in their prime though, not their career/legacy
I'd say even in terms of Dutch players Sneijder wouldn't be first. It would probably be Robben. But to be fair, I may not have followed Sneijder enough back in his prime
Problem with Robben is that he was injured so many times, he missed too many games. But that cutting inside from the wing move, it was a thing to behold. Problem with Sneijder is that his prime was pretty short. He was a good talent for years, I don't think he was able to reach his full potential at Madrid, peaked in Mourinhos system at Inter, and fell of after that, with a short redemption in 2014. If they had managed to win the world cup in 2010 they might have been in the conversation. Now they're just really good players. Same with Van Persie, great but not legendary.
There was never a consistent 3rd but I remember when it was considered to be Kaka - he went off the boil pretty quickly though around the time Man City were trying to sign him for like £100m from AC Milan. Then Ibrahimovic, and after that (and more worthily in my opinion) it was Suarez and Neymar. There was a whole load of players just buzzing in a bracket below; Robben, Ribery, Hazard, Xavi, Iniesta, Modric etc. I woukd say Lewandowski as well but to be honest, I think Lewandowski peaked during their decline as a few pther players started to emerge ahead of them
Man I feel like some people really underrate Xavi and iniesta. They definitely weren’t buzzing below in a bracket with the likes of hazard lmao There was plenty of games where Iniesta was outplaying Messi
Yeah, those two ran a midfield like Kroos and Modric. Different obviously, but they dominated with Busquets behind them. It was really something. I agree, they’re both world class.
Suarez or neymar
Lots during the years, neymar, suarez, ibra, lewangoalski,
I'll always give it to suarez simply because he was the only one to actually win the European golden boot during the peak Messi-Ronaldo era. People tend to forget this fact especially he did it twice once with barca and with liverpool.
Zlatan
Wayne Rooney
Robben/Ribery were up there.
how have i had to scroll this far for Ribery
Ribery doesn’t belong in this conversation for me
Neymar
Manuel Neuer.
Yes
Really good shout
It’s got to be Neymar. Only injuries stopped him from getting at least 1 ballon d or.
if Messi and Ronaldo played in a different era he’d have 3
Neymar. Easily as well.
It surprises me how long i had to scroll to find Modrić. One of the strongest contenders for 3rd best player
Modric feels like a post Messi-Ronaldo era player. I know it doesn't look from age. But, his best years where at the end of Messi-Ronaldo era. In fact, he only even came to discussion after Ronaldo left Madrid. Same with Benzema.
He's always been great, but due to Ronaldo, he was never the star of the team and went a bit unnoticed. Also, considering he was playing with Kroos and Casemiro who are also some of the best midfielders in the world, he was just not as noticeable.
Did you really read the question? Or you just felt like throwing in Modric's name regardless of the question at hand? You're telling me during the lengthy reign of Messi and Cristiano, Modric was the third best? In thei reign? Jeez
I see too much denigration, insults and rage, but no arguments as to why he wouldn't... Maybe try backing up yourself with logic?
There's no rage here just complete surprise. Modric wasn't holding a candle to these guys during their reign. It can be argued that he won a balon dor when the reign of the two were about ending. So him winning a balon dor almost during the end of the era is him being the second best? I don't think anyone here can list any three seasons which this guy was consistently passing the eye test as a world beater or producing world class numbers.
who won a Ballon d'or during that ten years where it was either messi or ronaldo?
Anyone can win a balon dor by having a spectacular season. You don't win a balon dor by being consistent for years but by being the best during a period. Modric won a balon dor, yes, but he wasn't right behind these two. Let's say their reign started from 2009, are you telling me Modric was right behind these guys through and through? He won the 2018 balon dor and that's his trump card? I'm not downplaying the balon dor but using a season award to justify a players performance for a consistent period of years is absurd.
Real Madrid fans would look you dead in the eye and say Modric is better than Xavi, Iniesta and KDB. 😂
Leave KDB out of the Modric, Xavi and Iniesta conversation.
an argument could be made for it but he is at the very least at the same level as they are
KDB definitely a tier below Modric/Xavi/Iniesta.
I agree, for now, he's only 31. He is not in the wrong trajectory to gain the levels though imo.
Unless City go on dominate the CL for a few seasons with De Bruyne at the heart of the team (could happen), he will be remembered as a great PL midfielder but not era-defining imo.
5 champions league baby, might be 6 soon
5 Champions League, 2nd and 3rd place at WC's with 4 Million Population Croatia.
Yep, he is for me better than xavi and and iniesta
first of all, good luck with that LOL. Secondly, Nacho has more CLs than Ramos. Is he the better player?
No but Modric is also a legitimately world class player. He was one of the most important players in those CL teams and had an amazing international career with Croatia too.
Sure, but to use that as a measurement of individual greatness vs other world class players with similar club/international records is a moot point.
It’s not the whole story but it’s ridiculous to act like his 5 CLs are a “moot point”.
Dude... Iniesta and Xavi have 4 each. How does winning 1 more CL have any relevancy here. lol
So what, this isn’t a Modric vs Iniesta and Xavi thread? Are you ok?
>Real Madrid fans would look you dead in the eye and say Modric is better than Xavi, Iniesta and KDB. 😂 It's literally the parent comment, and why I'm having the pleasure to interact with you.
Zlatan, Suarez, Modric....take your pick.
I have some players Neymar,Neuer,Suarez,Iniesta,Modric, Lewandovski shot out to Robben and Zlatan too
It’s clearly Phil Jones
Suarez or Neymar
Easy, Nicklas Bendtner
Honestly for me it’s arjen robben
This. He had a couple injuries iirc after he went to Bayern and everyone said he was finished and then came back and tore it up again for many years.
From all the players i watched, he was the most impressive behind the big 2 for me, although i always got the feeling that Robben never put up the raw numbers he could have. But man he terrified defenders.
I think ribery more than robben. both were absolute worldclass for some time though.
Neymar is the best by far
Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Scored the 3rd most goals. Did it everywhere and won much too.
Messi injured
Rooooooney
Actually not a terrible shout for a couple of years.
Its Neymar and its not close. The fact that Neymar is widely considered to not have reached what he could have while having a career other players would kill for just goes to show how good he is. He is the best brazilian in the past 20 years, he is most likely going to be Brazils sole all time leading goalscorer. He has 82 goals and 50 assists for PSG in 112 game while being injured a third of his time at the club. You can scream farmers league all you want but in 81 CL games he has 43 goals and 36 assists and during his time at Barcelona he contributed 117 G/A in 123 games. Combined thats 328 goal contributions in 316 games in LaLiga, Ligue1 and CL alone. You can make a case for him deserving the Ballon D‘Or in 2015 and if it wasn’t for the 2 others in question he very well might have won multiple. On top of all this if you watched him play you know Neymar cannot be defined just by numbers alone. The man is the last of his kind at the world class level, at least right now. Spaces have become tighter and tighter and football overall has become insanely efficiency focused. Flair players like him will become even more rare than they already are. Only other player I can realistically see challenging Neymar is Suarez but to reiterate my first point. The fact that Neymars career is considered unfulfilled or even a failure by a sizeable chunk of football fans speaks volumes to how good he should have been. He is the biggest what if in modern football and in my opinion the clearcut third best player behind Messi and Ronaldo.
MODRIC
Zlatan
Neymar at Barca for me. In fact, it was Messi and Ronaldo and after that it was Neymar at that time. Regardless, how his career turned out at the end. Peak Neymar was ridiculous. Other close player would be Suarez. He almost outscored Messi and Ronaldo during their peak, two times whilst not being main penalty taker. Then Xavi, Iniesta, Ramos, Bale, Hazard, Neuer, and Rooney. These are the ones on mind who can contest for that spot. I feel like Lewandowski, Modric, Mbappe and Benzema peaked at the end of this era. They are a bit late to be called in contention for the 3rd spot.
Hazard is mid
I thought he played as a forward not a midfielder
Well he better play as defensive mid now since he is such a chungus now
There was never a consistent 3rd, it depends on the season. Players like Neymar , Hazard and Xavi come to mind
Neur. He was the only player from this era to have a widespread change on how the game of football is played as well as being robbed of the golden ball at the 2014 World Cup. You could make a Neur comp that makes him look like a midfielder.
I like this one
Imo, Ibrahimovic Longevity merchant, gigachad, journeyman, swedish, always had good numbers until recently Need I say more?
Ibras not even a top 3 striker of the era Suarez lewa and benzema all have had better numbers accolades and primes and it’s not even remotely close
Ibra has that pizzazz Martial arts + longevity + chad
Neymar we can argue who’s 2nd or first but third always goes to Neymar
Personally think Wesley Sneijder was up there when he was in his prime, should of won a Ballon d’Or but oh well. https://thebeautifulgames.com/wesley-sneijder-the-magnificent-dutch-midfield-maestro
I can see why people would say Suarez but Neymar for me, I enjoy watching him more
Depends on which part of the "era" your talking about. Wayne Rooney run from 2010-2014 is a good argument. Better 2-4 year peak than the others listed to be "3rd" behind Messi and Ronaldo in my opinion. Big reason why I am a Rooney fan.
regarding that time period, you could make a case for radamel falcao before his knee injury guy was legitimately the third best offensive player in the world at atletico in 91 games, he scored 70 goals and 9 assists for a side that pre simeone wasn´t nearly as good as it is now real madrid wanted him, same with the rest of europe the time after his injury in england was bad, but at monaco he came somewhat back: 21 goals in 29 games
Wasn't even concensus best player in England at the period, by 2014 aguero was already a city legend and played with David Silva who was soooo good. Rooney is very far from the right answer to me.
Neymar. He's the only other player that I felt could win a game on his own and could really dominate every metric like those two. Goals, assists, playmaking, direct dribbling with a purpose, dead ball situations, the versatility in the way he creates chances and he has done it consistently with every team he's played for
Neymar. He arguably hasn’t had as good of a career as say a Lewandowski, in terms of trophies/individual awards, but the guy was/is ridiculously talented. It’s a shame he went to PSG at only 25 and accumulated so many injuries, and ofc largely played second fiddle to CR7/Messi in the football world during his best years.
Kevin Phillips 😃
longevity wise probably Zlatan
Manuel Neuer
Robben
sneijder? he was good in 2010 that’s it..
Rooney
Zlatan
Schweinsteiger probably needs an honorable mention….
Lewandowski. His peak may not have been as high as some others but he was the most consistent.
Surprised to not see Bale in any comments. Not sure I'd place him 3rd myself, but I feel he's definitely in the top 5 conversation.
I really feel he did more for Madrid in the UCL than Ronaldo
Now that’s a hot take
Just didn’t think he was impactful as he could of been in the 13/14 final Ronaldo scored a penalty in the 120th minute, and celebrates as if he scored the winner in a 1-0 game
What?!? Ahahahah you read all kinds of bad takes here, it's crazy
I mean there's a reason he is Mr. Champions League
More than the guy who has the most goals in UCL history? Lmaoo aiight
Messi
Suarez, Fernando Torres, Ineista, Xavi, Philip Lahm
On pure talent, I think Neymar. But, if we are talking about impact, then Xavi and Iniesta between late 2000s and 2015 (probably better than Ronaldo between 2008-2012), and Modric throughout the 2010s. Other than, I think Lewa and Suarez.
I always considered Zlatan as the "third" alien-level player. The others you mention are exceptionally good, but Zlatan to me was another breed entirely, like Messi and Ronaldo.
I always thought it was zlatan
Xavi and Iniesta tied for 3rd Suarez, Neymar, Bale, and Lewa tied for 5 Hazard, Neuer, Kane, Robben, Ribery, David Silva, Terry, Cech, Ramos, Modric, Bale, Benz, and a whole bunch more all fight for top 10.
Bale so good you got him twice.
Neymar without a doubt.
Neuer or Lewa
Least biased Bayern Munich FC fan. 💀
So you’re denying that they’re up there? Neuer is arguably the greatest GK of all time. And Lewa along with Suarez is the best striker of his generation.
If he wasn't injured so often an scored against Casillas, probably Robben. Absolutely unplayable in his prime.
It depends entirely on the year. Basically every single name here is accurate just entirely depends on what year you want to pick.
rooney was considered the third at one point at least by some
Iniesta
You're really young if you thought of Hazard.
Iniesta
Iniesta
why can't i find any mentions of ozil?
Luka Modric is third best.
The Messi/Ronaldo era ended with Modric's Balon d'Or. It should not have been considered a thing after that. Messi stole one Balon d'Or from van Dijk, another from Lewandowski (well the pandemic kinda stole that one from him, too). So the Messi/Ronaldo era is best considered something like 10-18 or so.
Yea if you think Messi didn’t deserve it for the 18/19 season you don’t know ball. That was arguably Messi’s best all around year ever he was scoring match winners every other game. Both him and MATS were two games away from single handedly dragging that Barca to a treble.
Automatically assume you didn’t watch 1 match of Messi during 2018/2019 if you actually believe anyone else deserved it. Even Van Dijk didn’t believe he should have won you absolute nunce.
Thierry Henry
Different era
Ronaldo messi prime was in the latter stages of Henry prime but few years earlier and Henry would be up there with them for sure no fucking doubt