Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney surprisingly failed to make the top 20 best players in the 21st century, according to a list compiled by ESPN.
Wayne Rooney is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the modern era after a prolific playing career both at club level and on the international stage.
The 38-year-old former striker burst onto the scene at Everton in 2002 and caught the attention of legendary ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Sir Alex Ferguson snapped up Rooney from Everton in 2004 in a deal worth £27m at the time, with the former Toffees star enjoying incredible success at Old Trafford.
Rooney lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League, a Europa League, an FA Cup and three League Cups during a legendary spell at United.
The former Everton striker also went on to eclipse United legend Sir Bobby Charlton as the Red Devils’ all-time leading scorer.
Rooney was also England’s record scorer for a time after he surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton, but Harry Kane has since eclipsed the former United striker in the chart.
Where did Rooney rank in the ESPN list?
Wayne Rooney called it time on his spell at Old Trafford in 2017 and briefly played for Everton for a second time, DC United and Derby County before retiring.
The Manchester United legend, who retired in 2021, has since entered the world of coaching and is currently the manager of Plymouth Argyle.
ESPN produced a list compiling the 25 best players of the 21st century, with Rooney narrowly missing out on a place in the top 20.
Rooney had to settle for a place at No 22 in the rankings, with Juventus and AC Milan legend Andrea Pirlo finishing ahead of him in 21st place.
For Rooney’s ranking, ESPN’s SherShah Atif wrote: “Widely regarded as one of the most complete strikers to grace modern soccer, Rooney looked the full package upon scoring in his Premier League debut at just 16 years old.
“He went on to display grit, power and finishing ability over a stellar career for club and country.”
Who made the top 10 of ESPN’s rankings?
The rankings from 10 to 20 featured a star-studded roster of current and former players, including the likes of ex-United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Barcelona legends Sergio Busquets and Carles Puyol finished 15th and 17th respectively, while former Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar ranked 20th.
Rooney’s former United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo finished second on the list, with none other than Barcelona legend Lionel Messi coming out on top.
Posted below are the top 10 players of the 21st century, according to ESPN.
- 10. Ronaldinho
- 9. Ronaldo
- 8. Xavi
- 7. Andres Iniesta
- 6. Kylian Mbappe
- 5. Luka Modric
- 4. Zinedine Zidane
- 3. Thierry Henry
- 2. Cristiano Ronaldo
- 1. Lionel Messi
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