Top 10 players with the most wins in football since 2000
Football, as it is known, changed quite radically in 2000s following the emergence of a group of greatly talented players all over the world. Clubs began their golden eras as players shattered records that stood for decades.
Clubs such as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich have dominated the club football scene in the 2000s. In the same vein, Spain and Portugal emerged as powerhouses on the international scene, claiming multiple titles.
Arguably the two greatest players to play the game, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi made their professional bows after 2000. They vastly increased the significance of the 2000s in the sport.
As compiled by Transfermarkt, here is a list of football stars who have won the most matches since 2000.
#10 Pepe Reina
Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina has had a long and eventful career since making his professional debut in December 2000. The 39-year-old Spain ex-international started his career at FC Barcelona as a teenager. He made a handful of appearances before moving to Villarreal in 2002.
Reina joined Liverpool in the summer of 2005 and immediately established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper for the side. After eight seasons on Merseyside, Reina moved abroad and played for Napoli, Bayern Munich and AC Milan. He was sent on loan to Aston Villa in 2020 and then moved to Lazio in the summer of 2020.
20 - Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy kept his 20th Premier League clean sheet in this game (38th start) – only Petr Cech (26), Pepe Reina (32), Alisson (36) and Roy Carroll (37) have needed fewer starts to reach 20 shut outs in the competition’s history. Saviour. https://t.co/KT14xlFoAG
Now at Lazio, Reina has played 852 matches in his career and won 450 of those, a 52.8% win ratio. He won the FIFA World Cup with Spain in 2010 and the UEFA Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, as well.
#9 Sergio Busquets
33-year-old midfielder Sergio Busquets has come a long way from the fresh-faced youngster who was handed his first-team debut at Barcelona. He was given the opportunity in 2008 by Pep Guardiola. The defensive midfielder is widely regarded as the best-ever in his position.
Busquets has played for only one club throughout his senior career. He was part of the FC Barcelona side that won the treble in 2008-09 and 2014-15, playing a key role in both seasons. Busquets helped Spain win the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2012. He also captained Spain to second-place at Euro 2020.
@LaComputadora14 Meanwhile Sergio Busquets is starting at FC Barcelona in 2021 for the 14th consecutive season.
Now captain of club and country, Busquets has played 650 matches in his career, winning 453 times, a 69.7% win ratio.
#8 Xavi Hernandez
FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez enjoyed a long and successful career at the club as a player. He held the record for the most appearances (767) in the club's history until Lionel Messi broke his record in March 2021.
The Spaniard made his professional bow for FC Barcelona in 1998. However, he fully established himself as a first-team star in 1999-2000 after Pep Guardiola picked up an injury. Xavi played 767 times for FC Barcelona before moving to Al Sadd, and won 32 major honors throughout his career.
21 year old Xavi giving Pep instructions midgame. https://t.co/chMAqM2BBL
Xavi played in and won the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Spain as well as Euro 2008 and 2012. The midfield maestro, identified as one of the greatest midfielders ever, was part of the FC Barcelona side that won two trebles in 2009 and 2015. He won 454 of the 729 matches he played in between 2000 and 2019, when he retired, a win ratio of 62%.