Top 10 Best Soccer Players of the 2010s

1. Luka Modrić

2. Lionel Messi

   

   Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi, born June 24, 1987, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer. Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won eight Ballon d'Or awards and numerous domestic and international titles. He... read more

   Just a pointer, some people incorrectly said he scored 96 in a season. It wasn't a season. It was a calendar year, which spans parts of two different seasons. He scored 46 goals in one season and 50 in another.

   Anyway, he has two FIFA World Best Player of the Year awards, four Champions League titles, and twelve league titles. The reason why he's second is because of a lack of international trophies, domestic trophies, and physicality and confidence. But he is still a great player.

   How is Lionel Messi second? He scored 96 goals in one season. Let's see Ronaldo top that.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

   

   Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (born February 5, 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and captains the Portugal national team. He has collected five prestigious Ballon d'Or awards and countless major trophies over his storied career... read more

   With a better national career as well as a better Champions League career than Lionel Messi, Ronaldo has scored the most important goals of the decade. His dribbling ability, pace, and long-distance shooting make him the GOAT for a lot of people. Whether Ronaldo is better than Messi is not a simple question and thus cannot be easily answered. If I could vote for both, I would.

   But since everyone seems to think it's necessary to have a winner, in my opinion, Ronaldo, playing in three of the biggest leagues in the world and earning success, makes him just slightly higher than Messi.

   He is the most skillful player ever, has won the second most individual trophies, 5 Ballon d'Ors, 5 FIFA The Best awards, 4 Golden Boots, and so much more. He has the most Champions League goals, the most Champions League titles, 5 league titles, 10 domestic cups, and more. He can shoot from anywhere and has the most goals in a season with 61.

4. Zlatan Ibrahimović

   

   Zlatan Ibrahimović (born October 3, 1981) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker for multiple clubs during his career, including Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), FC Barcelona, and Manchester United. He scored over 500 career goals for club and country while winning league titles... read more

5. Andrés Iniesta

   

   Andrés Iniesta Luján is a retired Spanish professional footballer who most notably played for FC Barcelona and the Spain national team. He won the FIFA World Cup with Spain in 2010, scoring the winning goal in the final against the Netherlands. The legendary midfielder also secured four Champions League... read more

   The top two in either order are pretty obvious, but I think Andres Iniesta was a better player than Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His style of play may not have been as spectacular, but I think it was more effective. He also doesn't have the same name recognition because he has a quieter personality and played on teams like Barcelona and Spain that had several other star players.

   This makes people more reluctant to consider him one of the absolute greats, although he could hardly have done any better.

   Definitely one of the best players of the decade. I think he is a little bit overlooked compared to players who have a more showy style, such as Neymar or Zlatan. Also, the British media helps exaggerate the greatness of players like Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale.

   Personally, I don't think any of them are better than Andrés Iniesta, although they are close.

6. Neymar

   

   Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born February 5, 1992), commonly known as Neymar or Neymar Jr, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Brazil national team.

   He is the all-time top goalscorer for the Brazil national team.... read more

   He just started. In years to come, we will see how complete he becomes, just like Messi. But the current best is Messi. This is his time. No matter who comes next, nobody could ever threaten the defense line and keeper the way Ronaldo (Brazilian Ronaldo) has done for every single team he played against.

7. Wayne Rooney

   

   Wayne Mark Rooney is a former English professional footballer who played for and captained both Manchester United and the England national team. He remains Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer and was England's record goalscorer until 2023. Following his illustrious playing career, he transitioned... read more

8. Arjen Robben

   

   Arjen Robben is a retired Dutch professional footballer who played for Bayern Munich and the Netherlands national team. He won the UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2013 and was a runner-up in the 2010 FIFA World Cup with the Netherlands. Known for his trademark move of cutting inside from... read more

   It is really fun to watch him going with the ball.

9. Luis Suárez

   

   Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz, born on January 24, 1987, is a Uruguayan professional footballer. He currently plays as a striker for Inter Miami CF, an American club competing in Major League Soccer (MLS).

   Suárez retired from international football in September 2024, concluding his tenure as Uruguay's... read more

   When he's not biting people's ears, that is!

10. Gareth Bale

    

    Gareth Frank Bale is a retired Welsh professional footballer who played as a winger for the English club Tottenham Hotspur, the Spanish club Real Madrid, and the Wales national team. He captured a staggering five UEFA Champions League titles during his historic tenure in Spain. The explosive forward... read more

    Greatest player for Wales, balancing his club and country very well!

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Ronaldinho

    

    Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, born March 21, 1980, is better known by his nickname Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho. He is a Brazilian former professional footballer and a current ambassador for FC Barcelona... read more

12. ?

    Toni Kroos

    

    Toni Kroos is a retired German professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Real Madrid and the German national team. While primarily a central midfielder, he was also known for operating as a deep-lying playmaker.... read more

The Contenders

13. Franck Ribéry

    

    Franck Henry Pierre Ribéry is a former French professional footballer who played for German club Bayern Munich. He finished third in the 2013 Ballon d'Or rankings, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The electrifying winger secured nine Bundesliga titles and a Champions League trophy during his... read more

14. Sergio Ramos

    

    Sergio Ramos García is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Liga MX club Monterrey. He previously had a long and successful career with Real Madrid, where he won numerous domestic and international titles. Ramos also represented the Spain national football team from 2005... read more

15. Robert Lewandowski

    

    Robert Lewandowski, born August 21, 1988, is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation. Lewandowski has won numerous individual awards and league titles in Germany and Spain... read more

16. Mohamed Salah

    

    Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly (born June 15, 1992) is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Egypt national team. Known for his speed, dribbling, and goal-scoring abilities, Salah has won multiple Premier League Golden Boots and... read more

    Greatest season of any Premier League attacker. Truly remarkable. Scoring more goals than Shearer, Suarez, and CR7 in one season, in one of the toughest leagues in the world, cannot go unrecognized.

17. Kevin De Bruyne

    

    Kevin De Bruyne (born June 28, 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for English Premier League club Manchester City and the Belgium national team. He is known for his passing, vision, and playmaking abilities. De Bruyne has won multiple Premier League titles... read more

18. Carles Puyol

    

    Carles Puyol Saforcada is a retired Spanish professional footballer who played as a central defender. He spent his entire senior career at FC Barcelona from 1999 to 2014, where he served as team captain for many years. Puyol was also a key part of Spain's national team during its golden era, winning... read more

    One of the best defenders of this decade.

19. Mesut Özil

    

    Mesut Özil is a German professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Known for his technical skill, creativity, agility, and finesse, he earned the nickname "The Assist King" due to his playmaking abilities. Özil played for major clubs including Real Madrid and Arsenal before joining... read more

    Come on! He is the best midfielder. He was the second-best player after Ronaldo during his spell at Real Madrid. I think a man of such quality should be at least in the top 10.

20. David De Gea

    

    David de Gea Quintana is a Spanish professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Manchester United and the Spain national team. De Gea has been recognized as one of the top goalkeepers in the world during his time with Manchester United.

21. Ricardo Kaká

22. Manuel Neuer

    

    Manuel Peter Neuer is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, known for his sweeper-keeper playing style. Neuer has won numerous domestic and international titles,... read more

23. Fernando Torres

    

    Fernando Jose Torres Sanz (born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He's currently the manager of Atletico Madrid B. Due to his consistent goalscoring as a young player, Torres earned the nickname El Nino (The Kid), which remained with him throughout... read more

24. Frank Lampard

    

    Frank James Lampard is a retired English professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made over 600 club appearances, most notably with Chelsea, where he became the club's all-time leading scorer. He earned 106 caps for England and later became a manager for clubs including Derby County, Chelsea,... read more

25. Sergio Agüero

    

    Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero is a former professional footballer who played as a striker for the Argentina national team and clubs such as Manchester City and FC Barcelona. He retired from football in December 2021 due to a heart condition, specifically cardiac arrhythmia, which was diagnosed after he... read more

26. Eden Hazard

    

    Eden Michael Hazard, born January 7, 1991, is a retired Belgian professional footballer. He last played for Real Madrid CF and was the captain of the Belgium national team. Hazard officially announced his retirement from football in October 2023.