ESPN reveals the list of the 25 best footballers of the 21st century, led by Messi.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar are just some of the names that come up in the discussion for the best football players of the 21st century.

Then there are the young stars like Kylian Mbappé and players from another era like Ronaldinho. Where do they stand?

This debate could be endless. How can you rank football legends – some of the best we’ve ever seen – against each other?

It was not an easy task (and disagreements will certainly follow), but after gathering thousands of votes, ESPN has presented the ranking of the 20 best male football players of the 21st century – and five others who almost made the list.

1. Lionel Messi
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
3. Thierry Henry
4. Zinedine Zidane
5. Luka Modric
6. Kylian Mbappe
7. Andres Iniesta
8. Xavi Hernandez
9. Ronaldo Nazario
10. Ronaldinho
11. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
12. Kevin De Bruyne
13. Toni Kroos
14. Sergio Ramos
15. Carles Puyol
16. Karim Benzema
17. Sergio Busquets
18. Robert Lewandowski
19. Kaka
20. Neymar
21. Andrea Pirlo
22. Wayne Rooney
23. Patrick Vieira
24. Luis Suarez
25. Gianluigi Buffon