Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Ronaldo: Ranking of the best midfielders of the 21st century

A nod of appreciation to those hitmen who didn’t make it – Ballon d’Or winner Andriy Shevchenko was close by, Christian Vieri’s standout and a world record transfer fee came in the last century. See also Hernan Crespo and Gabriel Batistuta. Mario Jardel scored at an unfathomable rate, until Bolton shook.

Luca Toni and Mario Gomez, the poachers in the penalty box, have had prolific seasons punctuated by barren runs. Diego Forlan might argue that he is the only player to have won the Pichichi award in La Liga twice this century without representing Barcelona or Real Madrid. Ciro Immobile, the four-time top scorer in the Italian League, can put in a good show.

Miroslav Klose He is of the same type and enters the top ten thanks to being the all-time top scorer in the World Cup – 16 goals in four tournaments this century, which puts him one goal ahead of the Brazilian Ronaldo, in addition to being the all-time top scorer for Germany.

Another Bayern player, Robert Lewandowskiin for longevity. The Polish striker has scored more than 30 goals in all but three of the past 14 seasons, although his impact goes beyond just finishing – he has also provided 141 assists.

Blackburn Rovers’ loss was Borussia Dortmund’s gain as Lewandowski helped Jurgen Klopp’s side to successive Bundesliga titles, then won eight titles and the Champions League with Bayern, before two more titles in Spain with Barcelona.

Harry Kane He effectively replaced the striker in Munich, prompted by accusations that he could not be considered a generational talent without a trophy – although at times it seemed that he single-handedly lifted Tottenham Hotspur and England to within touching distance of silverware.

Now 32, Kane has a Bundesliga title to go with a host of personal achievements, Golden Boot and goalscoring records – the fastest man this century to reach 100 goals (in 104 games) for a single club in the league’s top five.

The Three Lions captain recently achieved 500 career goals, an astonishing feat that may have seemed illusory to fans of Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester City, where Kane honed his early skills on loan.

Combined with his elite playmaking prowess, Kane redefines the role of centre-forward.