Shortly after ranking the 100 greatest athletes of the 21st century, with Lionel Messi above Cristiano Ronaldo, ESPN has now published its ranking with the 20 best soccer players since 2000 based on thousands of votes.
The Argentine star has once again been placed higher than the Portuguese striker, with Messi leading the list as Ronaldo follows him in second place. But perhaps the most surprising pick came in third place, with neither Neymar nor Kylian Mbappe making the podium.
Instead, ESPN has chosen Thierry Henry as the third best soccer player of the century behind Messi and Ronaldo. The Frenchman has succeeded both on the international and club stage, leaving an indelible mark at Arsenal while playing a pivotal role for Les Bleus.
The article claims Henry “revolutionized the role of the number 9 in soccer,” which may explain why he was ranked above many other big names. Still, many are surprised Thierry was deemed better than Neymar or Mbappe.
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="576" width="1024" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
ESPN explains why neither Neymar nor Mbappe make podium with Messi, Ronaldo
Even though he still has plenty to prove, Mbappe is seen as the new face in European soccer after the Messi-Ronaldo era. Now that he joined Real Madrid, all eyes are on the French star, who helped his country win the World Cup at only 19.
ESPN acknowledged this, but the striker was still ranked sixth: “His move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid this summer will take him to new heights and will strengthen even more his status as the heir of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Neymar, on the other hand, was considered the world’s best behind Messi and Ronaldo in their prime. In fact, many believe the Brazilian would’ve won the Ballon d’Or at least once if he hadn’t played in the same era as these stars. Surprisingly, Ney barely made the ESPN ranking, as he was mentioned in 20th place.
“The boy prince has never quite grown into the king of the game; the World Player of the Year award, always seen as an objective, has proved elusive, and he has yet to win a major title with his country,” the article reads.
The 20 best soccer players of the 21st century according to ESPN
- Lionel Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Thierry Henry
- Zinedine Zidane
- Luka Modric
- Kylian Mbappe
- Andres Iniesta
- Xavi Hernandez
- Ronaldo Nazário
- Ronaldinho
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Toni Kroos
- Sergio Ramos
- Carles Puyol
- Karim Benzema
- Sergio Busquets
- Robert Lewandowski
- Kaká
- Neymar