Player of the Decade

evil_seed

Well lads and ladies it's 6 weeks until the start of a new decade. I thought I'd kick things off and have a vote/discussion of who people think is the best player from the 1st decade of the millenium aka the noughties. Admins please add any I forget.

Now with poll

Paul Tergat

Zinedine Zidane

My first instinct was Henry.

postalservice

Zinedine Zidane

My first instinct was Ronaldinho

Paul Tergat

Zinedine Zidane

postalservice wrote: »

My first instinct was Ronaldinho

I guess I was just thinking about a player who has been consistently good over the whole decade.

While Ronaldinho was without a doubt the best in the world at some point he's had quite a few 'average' years

Mad_Max

Surely Kaka should be on the list?

postalservice

Zinedine Zidane

p_larkin99 wrote: »

I guess I was just thinking about a player who has been consistently good over the whole decade.

While Ronaldinho was without a doubt the best in the world at some point he's had quite a few 'average' years

Bergkamp?
Ronaldo?
Maldini?
Shearer?

They hardly had the best of 2009's

Im not trying to argue btw!
I just know theres gonna be a few more names added to the list

p.s I posted thinking you were the o.p.

evil_seed

Thierry Henry

I knew I'd forget someone

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Zinedine Zidane

If Beckham and Shearer are there then why isn't Roy Keane there?

emc2

Stevie G?

killwill

Ronaldo

I personally would not vote for him but would Rio Ferdinand not get a chance to be on the list? He has been top notch for at least 6 seasons. Ryan Giggs another one.
Edit: Stevie G too.

eZe^

Zinedine Zidane

Henry for me. Figo should probably be involved too. Although I'd prefer if he wasn't. Pirlo/ Nesta should also probably make an appearance. Aswell as Gerard/ Lampard. Del Piero too, and maybe a bit of Raul/ Nedved.. Hahaha

Mad_Max

Dwight Yorke?

Frisbee

Zinedine Zidane

Yes I'm massively biased in my decision but he was just so awesome...

fillmore jive

Zinedine Zidane

Ali Dia?

eZe^

Zinedine Zidane

Not that biased Frisbee, only player on that list who has been consistently awesome from 2000 and is still awesome to this day really. He has only failed to score twenty goals twice since 1999, once in his final injury plagued season at Arsenal, and then when he scored 19 in his opening season at Barca.

mike65

Too many of that lot are 90s vintage to my mind!

I'll say Henry of those listed.

flahavaj

Dennis Bergkamp

Zidane may have had soem great years at the end of the nineties but he did plenty on the 2000's as well and thats plenty to make him my unhesitating pick.

Paul Tergat

Zinedine Zidane

eZe^ wrote: »

Not that biased Frisbee, only player on that list who has been consistently awesome from 2000 and is still awesome to this day really. He has only failed to score twenty goals twice since 1999, once in his final injury plagued season at Arsenal, and then when he scored 19 in his opening season at Barca.

Totally agree. In terms of the 10 years in question it has to be him imo.

There are a lot of players who maybe from like 95-05 would be in with a better shout but thats only covering 5 years of the decade in question

mike65 wrote: »

Too many of that lot are 90s vintage to my mind!

I'll say Henry of those listed.

Ture. Id love to have say giggsy there but some of this decade he went off the boil a bit.

Has to be Henry. He's won pretty much everything (just not a WC in this decade)

GLaDOS

Zinedine Zidane

Henry for me, consistantly mazing the whole of this decade

Bubs101

Paulo Maldini

Gigi Buffon? Has been the World's best goalkeeper or in the top 3 for the whole decade which I don't think anybody else has maintained that standard in their position and he is still playing as well now as he was in his best season with Parma and arguably even better. Easy choice for me

Paul Tergat

Zinedine Zidane

postalservice wrote: »

Bergkamp?
Ronaldo?
Maldini?
Shearer?

They hardly had the best of 2009's

Im not trying to argue btw!
I just know theres gonna be a few more names added to the list

p.s I posted thinking you were the o.p.

Well Bergkamp Shearer imo were amazing players but they havent played a significant portion of this decade and so shouldnt be there imo. I guess a bit of it is luck as over a calendar decade (not just any 10 year period) will mean certain players peaking before/after etc.

Ronaldo (assuming you mean fat one) has had a lot of bad years in this decade and Maldini, well hes just been a rock throughout and is the best of teh 4 you mentioned.

Again, for pure consistency over these 10 years has to be Henry for me. Frightening player.

keane2097

Zinedine Zidane

Tbh with the various problems people have with the poll this would be better if people just made their choice in their posts and the results were added up that way at the end.

Some of the players in/missing from the poll make the whole thing slightly redundant at the moment imo...

Reganio 2

Dennis Bergkamp

God's brother and currently disguising himeslf as a 7ft boxer. Its got to be Zidane.

Paulo Di Canio would have got my vote but he wasn't there.

postalservice

Zinedine Zidane

p_larkin99 wrote: »

Well Bergkamp Shearer imo were amazing players but they havent played a significant portion of this decade and so shouldnt be there imo. I guess a bit of it is luck as over a calendar decade (not just any 10 year period) will mean certain players peaking before/after etc.

Ronaldo (assuming you mean fat one) has had a lot of bad years in this decade and Maldini, well hes just been a rock throughout and is the best of teh 4 you mentioned.

Again, for pure consistency over these 10 years has to be Henry for me. Frightening player.

Thats what i was saying.
As post says i thought you were the OP
You said Ronaldinho hadnt been consistent enough over the decade and i was like....he was better than (insert the list i gave here)

Misunderstanding:D:D

tdv

Dennis Bergkamp

LOL & Shearer in the poll & people who think Gerrard,Ferdinand & Giggs should be in the poll.

Another than Ronaldo & Maldini absolutley nobody comes close to Zidane. The most technically gifted footballer since Maradona. A genius is the only word to describe to him. And if you want to judge this by how well players have peformed in big games well Zidane has pretty much done it against every single big club around Europe & every top country on the international stage.

In the build to the last World Cup everyone was talking about how great Henry,Gerrard,Ronaldinho etc... would be in it & that Zidane hadnt got the legs anymore. What did Zidane do? He out perfomed all these guys & gave the Brazilians a lesson in how to play football.

CHD

Thierry Henry

Put Ferdinand up? LOL

If Maldini doesn't win we riot

Chucky the tree

Zinedine Zidane

tdv wrote: »

LOL & Shearer in the poll & people who think Gerrard,Ferdinand & Giggs should be in the poll.

Another than Ronaldo & Maldini absolutley nobody comes close to Zidane. The most technically gifted footballer since Maradona. A genius is the only word to describe to him. And if you want to judge this by how well players have peformed in big games well Zidane has pretty much done it against every single big club around Europe & every top country on the international stage.

In the build to the last World Cup everyone was talking about how great Henry,Gerrard,Ronaldinho etc... would be in it & that Zidane hadnt got the legs anymore. What did Zidane do? He out perfomed all these guys & gave the Brazilians a lesson in how to play football.

Not to sure how you can use the last WC as a great example, I mean he single handedly lost it for france in the final by acting like a 12 yr old knacker.

SlickRic

Zinedine Zidane

thierry henry or maldini. it's a straight choice for me really.

henry takes it by a gee hair.

Bubs101

Paulo Maldini

tdv wrote: »

In the build to the last World Cup everyone was talking about how great Henry,Gerrard,Ronaldinho etc... would be in it & that Zidane hadnt got the legs anymore. What did Zidane do? He out perfomed all these guys & gave the Brazilians a lesson in how to play football.

Cannavaro was the best player in that World Cup. He played great in every game and was an absolute rock while France looked lost in the group as Zizou floundered

Paul Tergat

Zinedine Zidane

My only problem with Zidane being there is that for a large part of this decade he hasnt played! Sure hes amazing but for that reason I think it has to be Henry

Pro. F

Dennis Bergkamp

Zidane easily imo. Henry or Maldini would win it if it was about consistency but that's not the way i judge these things personally. At the top of his game, which he regularly was, every other footballer on the planet was in his shadow.

clickhere

Dennis Bergkamp

From the list Zinedine Zidane is the tops followed closely by henry. I hope he dosent come up with another bit of magic on saturday.

Hank Scorpio

zidane or henry for me, i cant choose between either of them

they`ve won bloody everything at club level and international

they`re a level above world class

eZe^

Zinedine Zidane

nuxxx wrote: »

they`re a level above world class

Solar system class?

applehunter

Zinedine Zidane

IMO this thread should be closed.

Only 1 player on that list has been consistently at top of his game throughout the decade.

Helix

Zinedine Zidane

henry for me

Pighead

Henry without a shadow of a doubt for me. Absolutely loved watching him play when he was at his peak at Arsenal. He just made the game look so easy.

bUILDERtHEbOB

Thierry Henry

Zidane or Maldini for me, randomly my two favorite players of all time, Ronaldinoh and Buffon should be on the list though, maybe Messi too, and possibly Xavi, and so on, but yeah, I'll go with Maldini.

tdv

Dennis Bergkamp

Chucky the tree wrote: »

Not to sure how you can use the last WC as a great example, I mean he single handedly lost it for france in the final by acting like a 12 yr old knacker.

Well they wouldnt havent been in the final if it wasnt for Zidane. You just have to look at Frances recent form to see how much they miss him.

Headshot

tdv wrote: »

Well they wouldnt havent been in the final if it wasnt for Zidane. You just have to look at Frances recent form to see how much they miss him.

ah no

maybe if they had a proper manager

_____________________________________________________

I would have Roy Keane ahead of any of the above

tdv

Dennis Bergkamp

Headshot wrote: »

ah no

maybe if they had a proper manager

_____________________________________________________

I would have Roy Keane ahead of any of the above

Well thats just presuming if they had a proper manager they'd play better thats not a given that they would play better.

Yeah Keane has never let his country down by acting like a 12 year old knacker has he?

Headshot

tdv wrote: »

Well thats just presuming if they had a proper manager they'd play better thats not a given that they would play better.

Yeah Keane has never let his country down by acting like a 12 year old knacker has he?

very grown up response there

tdv

Dennis Bergkamp

Headshot wrote: »

very grown up response there

I agree.

gosplan

Zinedine Zidane

Just to pre-empt the inevitable backlash - Maldini's a legend.

But he wasn't performing at a really high level for the last few years of his career IMO.

If it was best player of the last two decades then there's no argument but he wasn't really that great since about 2005/2006.

gosplan

Zinedine Zidane

tdv wrote: »

Well thats just presuming if they had a proper manager they'd play better thats not a given that they would play better.

LOL - is this just a reworded 'Well - that's what you think'

orourkeda

Dessie Baker

tdv

Dennis Bergkamp

gosplan wrote: »

LOL - is this just a reworded 'Well - that's what you think'

Yes, I suppose it is. Is that a problem?

Headshot

tdv wrote: »

I agree.

next time ill add the sarcastic smilie

I hate defending the french but they have an outstanding squad but they have a Staunton wannabe in charged, of course Zidane would improve the squad but Domenech would still **** up that team up. nothing wrong with the individuals in the french team, just the manager who's at fault

Pighead

orourkeda wrote: »

Dessie Baker

Nah, Dessie ruined any chance he had of surpassing Henry as player of the decade when he had that diabolical spell playing with Dundalk.

tdv

Dennis Bergkamp

Headshot wrote: »

next time ill add the sarcastic smilie

I hate defending the french but they have an outstanding squad but they have a Staunton wannabe in charged, of course Zidane would improve the squad but Domenech would still **** up that team up. nothing wrong with the individuals in the french team, just the manager who's at fault

Well theres alot managers latley who have a good background but are finding out its alot more difficult than it looks to get a group of world class players together & to make them play world class football.

They clearly miss Zidane more than any other top nation has missed a player since Pele left left Brazil in 1970 & it took them 24 years to get to another WC final.

mink_man

Ronaldo

wheres giggsy??