Making 100 caps (or more) for your country is still one of the biggest achievements in the game.
Even
though it isn’t quite the pinnacle of the sport like it used to be,
international football presents challenges and rewards unlike many other
things in the modern game and players clearly value it very highly.
Those who become centurions are held in special esteem.
It
would be interesting to look back over this century’s international
centurions and see how they compared to each other. We’ve come up with a
top 10 and just see who are in it.
10. Diego Forlan
Uruguay
112 caps
36 goals
2011 Copa América winner
The
fabulous Diego Forlan, the master of the Jabulani ball that so vexed
the world’s top strikers in the 2010 World Cup. Forlan led Uruguay to an
impressive fourth-placed finish and then did even better the next year;
when he was the star of the show as La Celeste crushed everyone before
them to win the 2011 Copa América. Forlan’s set-pieces and shooting were
crucial to Uruguay’s triumph.
9. Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal
164 caps
99 goals
Euro 2016, Nations League 2019 winner
Cristiano
Ronaldo has scored more international goals than any other European
ever has and he’s closing in on the world record too. He was a huge
figure for Portugal (as much off the field as on it) as they won Euro
2016 and has matured into a great leader. The only reason he’s at the
bottom of the list rather than near the top is because, bar one game
against Spain, he’s been bland and forgettable at four World Cups.
8. Gianluigi Buffon
Italy
176 caps
0 goals
2006 World Cup winner
The
anthem singing machine, Gigi Buffon has been an absolute legend and is
the only currently active player on this list who was also playing as
the century began. Buffon’s peak came in 2006 as he shut out five of
seven opponents (conceding just twice; a own goal and a penalty) en
route to winning the World Cup. Has played more games than any European
ever has.
7. Bastian Schweinsteiger
Germany
121 caps
24 goals
2014 World Cup winner
Bastian
Schweinsteiger began the century as a flying attacking midfielder or a
winger. As time wore on, he matured and turned into a central midfield
general, commanding the tempo of games with a serene assurance. Never
was this more apparent than in 2014 when he orchestrated Germany’s World
Cup win, including a 7-1 demolition against hosts Brazil.
6. Fabio Cannavaro
Italy
136 caps
2 goals
2006 World Cup winner
The
iconic defender of this century, at least at international level.
Cannavaro was somehow simultaneously the serene sweeper and the
swashbuckling smasher at the back, carrying Marco Materazzi all the way
to World Cup glory in 2006. The size of Cannavaro’s feat cannot be
understated: the panic that set in when Alessandro Nesta got injured was
palpable, but Italy never missed him and that was thanks to the tiny
Italian. He was rewarded with the World Cup and a Ballon d’Or. Not bad.
5. Philipp Lahm
Germany
113 caps
5 goals
2014 World Cup winner
In
terms of orthodox full-backs you couldn’t ask for a better example than
Philipp Lahm. The German began life as a raiding left-back cutting in
on his right-foot and causing havoc. He kicked off Germany’s great
period with a storming goal to start the 2006 World Cup and then turned
into a more comprehensively excellent right-back that ended that period
by hoisting the 2014 World Cup aloft as captain.
4. Sergio Ramos
Spain
170 caps
21 goals
Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012 winner
Sergio
Ramos was Spain’s young buccaneer of a right-back as they romped to
consecutive trophy wins in 2008 and 2010. He provided energy in attack,
energy in defence, and a ferocious winning mentality. Then he morphed
into a dynamic centre-back to help Spain to a hat-trick in 2012. Since
then Ramos has been a boss at the back and is the only Euro 2008 veteran
still active and has an eye-watering 170 caps. Closing in on Buffon’s
record and don’t rule out him chasing Ahmed Hassan’s 184.
3. Andrés Iniesta
Spain
131 caps
13 goals
Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012 winner
One
of the most gifted midfielders to have ever played the game. Took the
achievements of Zinedine Zidane in the previous decade and overshadowed
them in almost every way. Effortlessly elegant at Euro 2008 and 2012,
but it was at the 2010 World Cup where he shone brightest, dominating
the final against the brutal Dutch side before scoring the tournament
winning goal with a stunning strike.
2. Iker Casillas
Spain
167 caps
0 goals
Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012 winner
Iker
Casillas last conceded a goal in the knockout rounds of a major
international tournament in 2006. He captained Spain all the way to the
final of three consecutive tournaments and conceded just six goals along
the way (and none in the crucial latter stages). A one-man brick wall
and a man whose calm demeanour helped forge the greatest international
side ever out of perhaps the most heated club rivalry of the century.
1. Xavi Hernandez
Spain
133 caps
2 goals
Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012 winner
No
international footballer has so thoroughly embodied the entire style of
a nation and led to a genuine changing of the footballing world as
Xavi. For four years between 2008 and 2012, Xavi dominated the club and
international game with impeccable rhythm to the extent that the entire
world’s perception of football is now different. Now that is what you
call a legacy.
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