Premier League best players of the 2000s

Originally from Wikipedia · Est. Jan 2026

The 2000s (2000–2009) era of the Premier League featured a number of players widely regarded as among the greatest in the competition’s history. Based on individual awards, team success, statistics, and retrospective rankings by major football media, the following players are commonly cited as the standout performers of the decade.

Goalkeepers

  • Petr Čech

Defenders

  • John Terry
  • Rio Ferdinand
  • Nemanja Vidić
  • Ashley Cole
  • Sol Campbell

Midfielders

  • Steven Gerrard
  • Frank Lampard
  • Patrick Vieira
  • Paul Scholes
  • Ryan Giggs
  • Claude Makélélé

Forwards

  • Thierry Henry
  • Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Wayne Rooney
  • Didier Drogba
  • Alan Shearer
  • Dennis Bergkamp
  • Ruud van Nistelrooy
  • Michael Owen

Premier League Best XI of the 2000s

  • GK: Petr Čech
  • DF: John Terry
  • DF: Rio Ferdinand
  • DF: Ashley Cole
  • MF: Patrick Vieira
  • MF: Frank Lampard
  • MF: Steven Gerrard
  • MF: Ryan Giggs
  • FW: Cristiano Ronaldo
  • FW: Thierry Henry
  • FW: Didier Drogba

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