His ability to dominate within the middle of the ground as well as lead as a key target in the Bombers forward line gave Hird the label as one of the best utility players to stop foot on a footy field. 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. Share 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. 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). Playing Career: 1982, 1984-96 (Haw 1982, Geel 1984-96) Games: 248. They (will) have a lot of youth and enthusiasm, Tuck said. Pic: Getty. As we are now a fifth of the way through the new millennium and the babies born in the first few years of the 2000s are beginning to make a name for themselves on the players lists at all 18 AFL clubs. 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. [1] Players and/or at least one of the player's parents or grandparents had to have been born in Italy. Another natural leader and star utility, Luke Hodge revolutionised the half-back position during the Hawks' first several years as one of the century's best sides. Watch Foxtel in an instant. My Top 5 players drafted since 2000. Footballers of Franklins size arent supposed to cover the ground as quickly and athletically as he does. If his body holds up for another year or two, hes a huge chance to become just the sixth player in VFL/AFL history to reach 1000 goals. Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. 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 (opens in new tab) Page 4 of 6: Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Provides a lot of energy. 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. Changkuoth Jiath had some solid moments in defence for Hawthorn in his first pre-season appearance and rising midfielder Jai Newcombe was also among the best with 27 disposals. Alonsos debut season at Liverpool couldnt have ended any better, as the Spaniard scored the equaliser in the 3-3 Miracle of Istanbul Champions League final against AC Milan before the Reds eventual penalty shoot-out victory. Share, or vent, your thoughts on Facebook or tweet us @FOXFOOTY. Mahendra Singh Dhoni. While most AFL fans will remember Ben Truck Rutten for his All-Australian defensive days his debut match in 2003 was something quite the opposite. 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. He is the very embodiment of the football club. 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. After drawing in the first game, at 68 points each, St. Kilda and Collingwood met again a week later to determine a winner. Espaol. JESSE HOGAN. The shaggy-haired Spaniard captained Barcelona to an incredible 18 major titles, including six La Liga crowns and three Champions Leagues, and his magnetic effect on trophies extended to international level too. THE NUMBERS: 30 disposals, 7 clearances, 1 goal 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 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. Whether it is high flying marks, bone jarring tackles or freakish goals, Australian Rules has it all. Haselby himself could hold his head high though with the former No. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, 1 pick Sam Walsh with the Blues confirming he's a certain starter against Richmond. All rights reserved. The greatest player of the last 20 years. 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? Debate about the best players of the 21st Century goes . LANCE FRANKLIN (HAWTHORN/SYDNEY SWANS), 2000-2020 stats: 300 games, 944 goals, 170 Brownlow votes, averaged 15.5 disposals, 2000-2020 CV: Two-time premiership Hawk, eight-time All-Australian (one as captain), one best and fairest, four-time Coleman medallist, 11-time club leading goalkicker. 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. Last-gasp wins, mouth-watering match-ups, inspirational individual performances; this is the stuff that memorable Grand Final moments are made of. BA1 1UA. Its remarkable to reflect on what Mbappe has already achieved in his short career so far - and consider what might still be to come. Judd 4. The Top 20 players of the past 20 years have been revealed. Italiano . 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. Pryor is of course known as one of the best running quarterbacks in OSU history, but check out his passing stats in 2010: 2,772 passing yards, a crisp completion percentage of 65.0, and 27 . There arent many players that can claim they were the best player on the field in their first AFL game. But Pirlo still found time and he never failed to discover space. (One of the Greatest Football Players of All Time) 1096. Personally, the late, long-range snap goal from a stoppage in the 2007 preliminary final against Collingwood stands out. 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. Trent Cotchin captained Richmond to nearly 200 games and in that time they won two thirds of those games, 130 of those 200 they won. 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 . 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. He won the Scudetto in 2001 before a World Cup in 2006, reinventing himself from a false nine, second striker and attacking midfielder along the way. You will receive a verification email shortly. 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. Thank you for signing up to Four Four Two. The Manchester United legend ranks among the greatest English midfielders of all time, and has earned praise from illustrious quarters. I think that holds a lot of weight, if your players and your peers vote you as the best captain it shows what they think about you. The club's CEO at the time, John Anderson acted as non-voting chairman of the panel. The Victorian Football League-Australian Football League (VFL/AFL) Italian Team of the Century was announced in June 2007. A key figure in the side's maiden AFL premiership success, Cornes is the club's only 300-game AFL player, won four best and fairests in seven years and was named in two All-Australian sides. In their predictions for the 2023 season, both Hodge and Burgoyne believe Hawthorn will finish rock bottom. As a 21-year-old, Franklins 2008 season was the stuff of legend. He is PSGs all-time top assist provider, while at Real Madrid his ability to morph into a central midfielder under Carlo Ancelotti helped the club win La Decima - their long-awaited 10th Champions League title. Create. The Collingwood great will go down in history as one of the clubs greatest onballers. Reserved. The team at AFL.com.au has dissected every club's records to name the best forward at each since the turn of the century. New York, The three-time German Footballer of the Year starred in Bayer Leverkusens remarkable runners-up treble of 2001/02, when they finished second in the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, before losing the World Cup final to Brazil that summer. The high-flying forward who was taken second overall had to wait until Round 5 to make his AFL debut, but he wasted no time playing a pivotal role in the Blues second win of the season. 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 Analysis, local footy and the biggest moments, Seven and 7plus are the home of footy shows for every fan. 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. 21st century accolades: One NBA title, one-time Finals MVP, one-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, four-time 1st Team All-NBA, five-time 2nd Team All-NBA, three-time 3rd Team All-NBA, three-point. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. On the other hand, Jason Carter, born 11 days into the new millennium has already been delisted by Fremantle after two games in 2019. Hall of Fame legend Barry Cable and Norm Smith medal winners, Michael Long and Peter Matera, were invited to join Mark Robinson in picking the best team of players. THE NUMBERS: 7 disposals, 4 marks, 3 goals Champions League and La Liga titles with barcelona are also on his honours list, while he captained the Ivory Coast to long-awaited Africa Cup of Nations glory in 2015 after twice finishing as a runner-up. Gerard Healy thinks Richmond superstar Dustin Martin is already a "certainty" to be named the AFL player of the 21st century. New customers only. Dane Swan (Collingwood) Now we present the top five ranked players in foxfooty.com.au's Top 20 of the Past 20. FourFourTwo is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access, Enjoy your first month for just 1 / $1 / 1, *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription, Current page: But the trait that defined Voss career was his ferocity at the contest. Hes played with some of the best midfielder of any generation Xavi, Iniesta and Yaya Toure, to name a few and while his contributions may be less eye-catching, theres a reason he has spent more than a decade at the heart of Barcelonas midfield. Randomn but heading into the 2023 season I was thinking who would be stop the AFL Mt Rushmore of the 21st Century. 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 . Amazing to think Ablett would have even gotten close to the level of his father when he first arrived at Kardinia Park, but now we could argue he has surpassed his senior. 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. Not only was he playing the first game of his career, but his debut coincided with the first game in GWS Giants history. 236K subscribers in the AFL community. Debate about the best players of the 21st Century goes .