Every year there are fewer of them in the field.

Football is played by three absolute legends

Football needs a Hall of Fame. Moreover, it was worth creating at the beginning of the twenty-first century, so that Cruyff, Maradona and Pele could receive awards and applause, like so many other legends who left this world in the new century. And if we talk about those who are on the field now, then it is ridiculous to dispute the status of Messi and Ronaldo. These are the undisputed legends of football. Besides, it makes no sense to argue about Buffon for a long time. World champion, legend of Juventus and the Italian national team. He didn’t win the Champions League, but that doesn’t change Gianluigi’s importance. He is the Italian who is closest than all other goalkeepers to real competition with Yashin for the title of the best goalkeeper in the history of football. The thirst for football highlights Buffon, he still plays for Parma. He helped the team climb to fourth place in the second league. It didn’t take much to return to the elite, but Gigi, even at 45, is at the base.

Iniesta, Modric, Busquets and Kroos are also great

Modric loves performance football so much that he has pulled out of a €120m salary deal in Saudi Arabia. With his contract with Real Madrid extended, he will hand over the reins of midfield to Bellingham and the rest of the young midfielders. Luka and Toni Kroos were surprised a year ago that Casemiro (also a legendary candidate) went to unstable Manchester United. But they themselves have remained in Madrid, where there will also be many changes. Perhaps Mbappé will arrive, and Zidane will also welcome the light, which suggests the resumption of his coaching career. Zinedine can replace Ancelotti if Carlo leads Brazil now, and not in a year’s time. The Italian will be a little closer to Busquets, who became Messi’s teammate in Miami. Sergio has many enemies who will prove he is no football legend, but the critics are wrong. This is one of the strongest central midfielders in the history of football. Like Iniesta, although fame here, on the contrary, helps to distinguish the Spanish. Andres played in Japan for many years but has now left Vissel Kobe. He dreams of being in the Barcelona squad. And if it doesn’t work out, he will finish his career and become a manager at a Catalan club. But since this is an active player right now, let’s not forget to mention him in the list as well.

Benzema, Lewandowski and Suarez have proven their worth

Let’s move on to the big snipers. Ibrahimovic is definitely a football legend but he retired and fell off the list. Now next to Messi and Ronaldo in the list of the most productive current players are Lewandowski, Suarez and Benzema. Karim lags behind his colleagues, but in Saudi Arabia he can catch up with his colleagues. Thanks to the Ballon d’Or, not to mention the number of victories in the Champions League, the Frenchman stands out. About seven years ago, many would have doubted that Benzema, a notorious brawler and miss master at the time, would be able to play so well after thirty years. But the pressure did him good. The forward worked on his implementation. As a result, he has turned out to be a legend not only of Real Madrid, but of football in general. He has retired, but has the right to be included in that list.

Ramos, Alves and Neuer among the legendary thugs

“He always does what he wants.” Kahn accurately described Neuer, who went skiing after the World Cup and was seriously injured. Dani Alves is now in prison, he too is used to doing what he wants. But Ramos tries to be a hooligan exclusively in the field. And he’s doing quite well, the Spaniard is among the most hated players in football history. But the number of haters doesn’t stop us from celebrating the Real Madrid and Spanish national champion. Sergio, like Alves, of course, did not always play perfectly in defense, but together with Neuer, the world champion and winner of the Champions League, they have the right to enter the World Football Hall of Fame.

Muller, De Bruyne and Mbappé on the threshold of greatness

Thomas is definitely a football legend. There is less talk of Müller than Neymar, but the German is a lump. It’s almost impossible to repeat his football, you have to be born like this. Manager Neymar said that if football was an individual sport, it would have proved great a long time ago and would have become the first. The Brazilian is wrong. There is not enough talent, more stability is needed. But the Brazilian has phenomenal statistics, no worse than Ronaldinho. This is also a great player, although one can speculate about his legendary status. And there is no doubt that Mbappé is the first of the young players after two World Cup finals closer to legend status.

Kilian is an incredibly cool football player, although he could have treated him more humanely. PSG and go to Real Madrid, where they keep his number, without scandal. I would also like to mention De Bruyne, because Kevin is one of the best dispatchers in the history of football. It is clear that at this stage the list can be expanded. Add Griezmann, Bale, Hazard, Di Maria, Salah, Kane, Marcelo, Courtois, Thiago Silva and so on. You can argue about individual candidates, but it’s a shame to complain about everyone on the list. There are only great players here, so it’s not just the extinction of the era of Messi and Ronaldo.

The beginning of the twenty-first century proved to be rich in fantasy football. Zidane, Lam, Pirlo, Nedved, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Henry, Kakà, Eto’o, Shevchenko, Rooney, Gerrard, Robben, Pique, Ibrahimovic, Drogba, Ribery, Totti, Vieira, Lampard and Makelele delighted in a incredible match. Ferdinand, Casillas, Roberto Carlos, Scholes, Ballack, Cech, Xabi Alonso, Puyol, Toure and Ozil entered the field for the titles. Among the legends also Sneijder, Cannavaro, Raul, Cafu, Terry, Beckham, Maldini, Vidic, Villa, Klose, Rivaldo, Zanetti, Figo, Torres and Nesta. So did Riquelme, whose farewell match happened the day before. The five dozen players listed have completed their careers. And while new stars are always emerging, with Haaland catching up with the legends after Mbappé, there are actually few football legends right now. It is all the more valuable that Modric and Kroos remain at Real Madrid, because Benzema, Ronaldo and Messi will spend next season outside Europe.