best afl players of the 21st century

From the moment he graced an AFL field wearing a No. Note that players must have played at least five seasons in the 21st century to meet the criteria and their body of work during the century is also key. The Collingwood great will go down in history as one of the clubs greatest onballers. Smith, Kelly, Hird, Fyfe, Mitchell and Bedford may take the AFL trophy this century and Coleman, Young, Carroll and Rowell may be leading goal-kickers and what supporter would not want another Rioli, King, Stephens, Weightman, West, Neale, Walsh, Hamill, Serong, Clark or Evans playing again? Dean Polo is one such player. The 'Little Master' had it all. Reckon you can pick the best team? If you havent, do yourself a favour. Get the best features, fun and footballing frolics straight to your inbox every week. The eight-time All-Australian and six-time Best and Fairest is deep into the twilight of his career, meaning he is a further step closer to being crowned an AFL legend and perhaps the greatest ever. The most anticipated AFL home-and-away games of the 21st century Jackson Mansell Roar Rookie 19th August, 2022 A A A 2 Join the conversation Advertisement Write for The Roar Anyone can contribute to The Roar and have their work featured alongside some of Australia's most prominent sports journalists. 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. Ballack was the complete package as a central midfielder, capable of bossing opponents physically, spreading passes around the pitch with both feet and scoring goals. He got awarded the AFLPA best captain four times that just shows what his peers thought about him. THE NUMBERS: 30 disposals, 7 clearances, 1 goal Chris Judd, Adam Goodes and Nat Fyfe are all among the AFL's best since 2000. That he's managed to force himself into conversations alongside the great Gerd Muller is testament to what a phenomenon he's become: that he's managed to break records Der Bomber set is scarcely believable. His decision to throw his Norm Smith Medal an award won for his scintillating 32-disposal display during the 2002 Grand Final in his sock immediately after the Magpies loss to Brisbane proved just how highly he valued the ultimate AFL honour. Stay tuned, and check out the other runners and riders. Contents 1 Top 10 AFL Players Right Now 1.1 Dustin Martin - Richmond 1.2 Christian Petracca - Melbourne 1.3 Max Gawn - Melbourne 1.4 Jack Steele - St. Kilda 1.5 Toby Greene - GWS 1.6 Lachie Neale - Brisbane 1.7 Marcus Bontempelli - Bulldogs 1.8 Jack Macrae - Bulldogs 1.9 Nic Naitanui - West Coast 1.10 Zach Merrett - Essendon Hes Buddy brilliant. 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. Login. It shouldnt take away from his outstanding Blues stint, which netted him a second Brownlow Medal and three best and fairests. Footballers of Franklins size arent supposed to cover the ground as quickly and athletically as he does. Hawthorn are bracing for a world of pain in the 2023 AFL season, according to two of their most decorated players. Sachin Tendulkar (cricket) 17. 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. Create Account. GAJ 2. 2010 - Collingwood vs St. Kilda. 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. Here are the 25 of the greatest players to ever play the great Australian game ranked from one to 25: 1. Bulldogs welcoming Darcy dilemma, Old habits die hard as Buckley backs Blues to miss finals. The Ivorian was one of the most fearsome strikers ever. AFL Premier Partners. Hazard captained Belgium to a third-place finish and won the Silver Ball at the 2018 World Cup, his countrys best-ever finish. 100 greatest NFL players of the 21st century Aug 21, 2020 at 11:05 am Expand Autoplay 1 of 100 100. The Brownlows, All-Australians, best and fairests and flags flowed, even after he sensationally walked away from the Cats at the end of 2010 to become new club Gold Coasts marquee player. 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. The Top 20 players of the past 20 years have been revealed. It has been a drastic reset under former premiership hero Sam Mitchell, who took the coaching reins from Clarkson at the end of the 2021 season in what was a messy handover. 0. Who is your club's best ruck of the 21st century? No player has polled more Brownlow Medal votes. Its no coincidence that in his three years at an increasingly galactic Real Madrid, he picked up two La Liga titles and a Champions League, while the club had to wait another four years to lift another domestic title and 11 years to lift a European title once he left for Chelsea. The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 40-26. Menu . Pendlebury Good top 5. . Originally a striker, Roberto Carlos bombing runs, fierce shot and bending free-kicks made him possibly the most entertaining left-back the game has ever seen. The Belgian was the youngest Ligue 1 Player of the Year winner ever in 2011, aged 20, after helping Lille win a league and cup double. The most experienced millennium at the end of 2020 was Western Bulldogs Bailey Smith, who had played 41 games and starred in his 42nd game in the season opener against Collingwood, followed by Carltons Sam Walsh (39) and Gold Coasts Jack Lukosius (38). Michael Voss The star of the Lions three-peat dynasty, Voss would add to his already stellar career with record breaking season after season following the conclusion of the 20th century. And boy was this a tough job! Years active: 2010 - current. There were seasons in which Didier Drogba didn't live up to his humongous hype but that big game record alone is reason to see him as one of the greatest African players of all time. When you consider Franklin has kicked 944 goals as a key forward in an era where goals have never been harder to kick, its a truly remarkable feat. FourFourTwo is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Catch up and settle in with no installation & no lock-in contract. Sit back and relax, as we take a look at the greatest, the best, the most iconic, the most memorable, the most spectacular and the most sensational . At Madrid, he has scored one of the greatest goals in Clasico history a winner during the 2014 Copa del Rey final as well as one of the greatest goals in a Champions League final one of three Champions League final goals hes nabbed, while totting up four winners medals. AFL Club Essendon Other Teams Coburg Lions, All Boston sides Dec 19, 2022 #352 1. Van Dijks 75m move to Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018 has often been pointed to as the moment Jurgen Klopp added the final piece to his Reds jigsaw, and you can see why. Heres how it works. Thank you for signing up to Four Four Two. Share, or vent, your thoughts on Facebook or tweet us @FOXFOOTY. All players have been selected and ranked based on their 21st century performances only, so any seasons prior to 2000 havent been considered. This devalues names like Robert Harvey, Scott West and Stephen Silvagni. Random. Dangerfield has won seven All-Austrlian selections in the past eight seasons and is a proven threat within the middle and deep forward. Menzel, who played 80 AFL games across stints with both Geelong and Sydney in a career spanning a decade, ranked the leaders based on who he'd want to follow into the field. He was the Adelaide captain between 2001-2007, he won the AFLPAs best captain in 2005 and 2006. Naming the 10 best AFL players of all-time is a thankless task when you consider the talent the competition has had in its long history. 2 was the easiest part of the gig. Welcome. 5. The argument for Bale falls into three categories: his astonishing rise at Tottenham, his performances in finals for Real Madrid, and his unwavering commitment to Wales. Heres how it works. He captained Brisbane to the 2001, 2002, 2003 premierships and even in the 2004 Grand Final. Wherever El Tigre has gone, goals have followed. We offer our respect to the Elders of these traditional . The 100 best players of the 21st Century: the greatest Ballon d'Or hoggers, serial winners and cult heroes since the turn of the millennium. Thats why the likes of Wayne Carey and Robert Harvey arent on the list. 1 pick Sam Walsh with the Blues confirming he's a certain starter against Richmond. Statistically, Black is one of the greatest midfielders to grace the game, leading the all-time count for games, disposals, tackles, inside 50's, clearances,contested possessions and Brownlow votes for the Lions alone. The 21st century has provided a stage for new evolutions in the game of basketball. (We've also collated a 12-man list of snubbed players, which you can check out here.) Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. That is the reason I gave him the best captain of the last 23 years., 2023, SEN All Rights Arguably the game's greatest ever full-back, Matthew Scarlett's dominance over the league is yet to be reached by any there player since his retirement. (Mackenzie) is a great kid. The four-time premiership Hawk added three All-Australian selections and two Best and Fairests during his 18-year, 346-game career with the Hawks and Lions. With the NRL season shut down and no footy to . He was a fast skilful, accurate, hungry and strong onballer for both the Cats and Suns, proving he can lead a team of stars and one with next-to none. In 2000, Rio Ferdinand became the most expensive defender in the world and the most expensive British footballer ever when he moved to Leeds for 18m. CHRIS JUDD (WEST COAST EAGLES/CARLTON), 2000-2020 stats: 279 games, 228 goals, 210 Brownlow votes, averaged 22.9 disposals, 2000-2020 CV: Eagles premiership captain, Norm Smith Medallist, two-time Brownlow Medallist, two-time AFLPA MVP, six-time All-All Australian (one as captain), five-time best and fairest. 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. Judd . Powerful yet graceful, explosive yet incredibly footy smart, Buckley at his best was the perfect midfielder. THE NUMBERS: 26 disposals, 9 marks, 4 tackles, 1 Brownlow vote The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 40-26, (Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images), (Image credit: (Photo by Pawel Andrachiewicz/PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images), The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 60-41, The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 25-11, The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 100-81, The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 80-61, 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'. AFL: The home of Australian rules football on Reddit, including the Australian Football Thank you for signing up to Four Four Two. 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. Over the past few days, foxfooty.com.au has been counting down the Top 20 of the Past 20. He was acrobatic, dramatic and exciting to watch. The Western Bulldogs Official App is your one stop shop for all your latest team News, Videos, Player Profiles, Scores and Stats delivered LIVE to your smartphone or tablet! Already the number of players eligible if we include the category A and B rookies is 215 but obviously, a lot of these have not yet had the opportunity to show their skills in the hot cauldron of Australias finest football competition. The cousin of 200+ game Brisbane veteran Ash, Martins AFL career lasted just four games, but his first match was something special. Hodge's consistency in both midfield and defensive roles were vital to his side's prolonged successes between 2008 and 2015, with Hodge a key name in every contest. Judd 4. After three previous top-five finishes, he finally broke through to claim a maiden Brownlow Medal. 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. Lining up in attack Rutten is part of a unique club having managed to kick three goals with the first three kicks of his career. Gavin Brown, a 254-game champion of the club, was added in 2002 five years after the league had extended the standard interchange bench . This varies slightly from the Last Word On Baseball All-Decade teams list which took the best individual seasons. View All Partners 12 votes, 77 comments. The issue for his opponents, though, was he was anything but buddy-like to them on the field. Today, we reveal the top five. It recognises the role of Italian Australian players in the sport. Whatever way you slice and dice the numbers, weve never seen a player like Ablett and that includes his father Gary Sr, who might still be the greatest player in VFL/AFL history yet had nothing on his sons insane, unprecedented ball-winning ability. Port Adelaide, who lead the competition from go to whoa during the home-and-away season last season have managed to blood three quality millenniums who in 2021 should all bring up their half-century of games: Connor Rozee (38 games), Zac Butters (36) and Xavier Duursma (35) while at Collingwood, rising star Isaac Quaynor played 15 games but only three other millenniums played only a handful between them. The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 100-81 The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 80-61 The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 60-41 The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 40-26 The . After spending a few seasons on Richmond's list Polo. But any suggestions the unprecedented long-term deal has been failure are off the mark, as his influence at the Swans has gone beyond footy. 236K subscribers in the AFL community. Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina. Click here to subscribe on iTunes To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. That's why the likes of Wayne Carey and Robert . Burnett Bartolo Colon Dan. It's the toughest, hardest, most athletic game on the planet. He is electric. Tonight, AFL and Carlton fans alike will get their first look at prized No. Cameron Smith and Billy Slater were a key part of one the greatest NRL teams of the 21st century. Provides a lot of energy. Martin boasts two best and fairest honours, three All-Australian selections and 251 goals from his 225 game career. That's 22.5% of the greatest sluggers of this century, even with testing in place for 17 of the 21 seasons. Sidney Crosby (ice hockey) Credit: PA 20. New customers only. At the age of 36, McCulloch scored 17 goals in the 2013-14 season to bring Rangers back into the Scottish Premiership. 10 goals, 10 finals, 10 trophies at club level. He kicked 113.88 which included nine bags of six goals or more in a stunning solo campaign. Hird lived for the big games, winning Norm Smith honours in the club's 2000 Premiership victory as Captain as well as three ANZAC Day Medals. Western Bulldogs acknowledge that we reside on traditional lands of the Kulin Nation. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Arsene Wenger once claimed that he only really won the Arsenal players' trust when he arrived in England because they could see he'd brought a top player with him. Mine are Gary Ablett Junior Buddy Juddy Dusty Unlucky Hodge Selwood England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Puyol was part of Spains triumphant sides at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, and it was his headed goal against Germany that sent them through to the final of the latter tournament. King Kun arrived in the Premier League with promise: he left a hero. Enjoy! No one will ever forget the exhaustion and disappointment of the players as the final siren rang and neither team could claim victory. Week by week Scarlett would claim a new scalp from the oppositions best forward, using his high-level footballing IQ and unrivalled consistently to do so. With his technical ability and intelligence, he would still slot into elite teams in the modern game, many years after he left his six-Premier League title-winning career behind him. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. Oops! All these players are shoo-ins for the early call of the team of the century as are Sydneys Nick Blakey, James Rowbottom and Justin McInerney. The star of the Lions three-peat dynasty, Voss would add to his already stellar career with record breaking season after season following the conclusion of the 20th century.

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