Greatest XI of the 21st century
A plethora of world-class players across positions have graced the game since the turn of the century, winning big titles for club and country.
While most have etched their names as some of the finest in their respective positions, few have displayed impressive consistency for a sustained period as well.
Some notable examples in this regard would be Gianluigi Buffon, Carles Puyol, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Luis Figo, and more recently Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Robert Lewandowski, to name a few.
So, without further ado, here's a look at the best XI of the 21st century.
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas has arguably been the best goalkeeper since the turn of the century, as he won several big titles for club and country to narrowly edge out Italy's Gianluigi Buffon.
Though both men starred in FIFA World Cup triumphs for their respective teams and won multiple league titles, Casillas gets the nod, as he also won two European Championships and three UEFA Champions League titles.
A shot-stopper par excellence, Casillas kept an impressive century of clean sheets in 168 appearances for Spain and 264 in over 700 appearances for his boyhood club Real Madrid. He was Spain's captain as they won the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 and also played a starring role for La Roja in their FIFA World Cup triumph in 2010.
Casillas retired after winding down his illustrious career at Portuguese giants Porto in the 2018-19 season.
Left-back: Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos is arguably the best left-back to have graced the sport. During an illustrious two-decade-long playing career, Carlos enjoyed the most success with Real Madrid, with whom he won three Champions League titles and four La Liga crowns.
The left-back also enjoyed success with Brazil, winning two Copa America titles in the 90s and the FIFA World Cup in 2002. A tireless runner down the flanks, Carlos was also equally adept going forward.
In fact, he is the highest-scoring defender in UEFA Champions League history, famously providing the assist to Zinedine Zidane for Real Madrid's winner in the 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen in Glasgow.
Carlos, who was also renowned for his long-range shots and jaw-dropping free-kicks, ended his nine-season-long stint with Real Madrid with an impressive haul of 70 goals and 90 assists in over 500 appearances. He also made over a century of appearances for Brazil, scoring 11 times and assisting 12.
Center-back: Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos has etched his name in football history as one of the highest-scoring defenders and has an illustrious trophy cabinet. He won five La Liga titles and four Champions League titles with Real Madrid, while he also won the FIFA World Cup once and the European Championships twice with Spain.
Initially starting out as a right-back, Ramos made his name as a no-nonsense, hard-tackling center-back. Although his disciplinary record is questionable - Ramos has seen more red cards than any player in La Liga or the Champions League - there is no denying the 35-year-old's potency at both ends of the field, especially his aerial prowess.
After the departure of Real Madrid's all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2018, Ramos also assumed penalty-taking responsibilities at his club. Now at PSG, after missing Euro 2020, the veteran defender will look to prove that he is far from being finished at the top level.
Center-back: Giorgio Chiellini
Like Ramos, Giorgio Chiellini is also renowned for his aerial prowess and has been a standout performer for club and country since the turn of the century.
Though he is not a prolific goalscorer like his Spanish counterpart, Chiellini more than does his job at the back. Although he is not the fastest mover on the field, Italy's Euro 2020-winning captain more than makes up for that with his impeccable positional awareness and ball-winning prowess.
During Italy's triumphant Euro 2020 campaign, Chiellini, along with his defensive partner Leonardo Bonucci, wasn't dribbled past once.
Chiellini is the only player to feature in each of the Bianconeri's nine consecutive Serie A winning seasons between 2012 and 2020. Now 37, he will look to lead Juventus back to title-winning ways after Inter Milan ended their near-decade-long Serie A stranglehold last season.
Right-back: Dani Alves
Dani Alves, much like his compatriot Roberto Carlos on the other flank, redefined the way modern full-backs play the game.
One of the best right-backs in football history, Alves has won the most titles (40) of any player and has won league titles in three different countries - Spain, Italy and France. Of course, it was at Barcelona, where he made his name as a world-class full-back, winning 25 titles at the club including two continental trebles.
In 940 career appearances for club and country, Alves has tallied close to 200 assists, an impressive number for a defensive player, while also scoring 67 times.