Near Post Blog

The final players to be named to Nearpostblog.com’s team of the decade are the heavy hitters of the group. I named one center forward, and two wingers to the team, and I’m sure you’ll recognize the names when you see them. The best attacking players over the past decade are:

Left Winger: Ronaldinho. I know he’s fallen off as his food consumption has increased, but nobody, and I repeat, nobody, flew as high as Ronaldinho did in the past decade. The Brazilian hit the ground running at PSG, and then at Barcelona, he took over as the world’s best. If I had to pick a player to watch in his prime, no question it would be Ronaldinho, no doubt about it.
- World Cup winner in 2002
- Champions League winner in 2005/06
- Confederations Cup winner in 2005
- FIFA World Player of the Year 2004, 2005
- European Football of the Year 2005
- FIFPro World Player of the Year 2005, 2006
- UEFA Team of the Year 2004, 2005, 2006
- FIFPro World XI 2005, 2006, 2007

Center Forward: Theirry Henry. Since his switch to Barcelona, Henry has moved positions, and has been vocal about his difficulty in adjusting to life on the left wing. But, at Arsenal, Henry was one of the most lethal strikers that I’ve ever seen, and probably that England has ever seen. At Arsenal, from 1999-2007, Henry scored a remarkable 174 goals in only 254 matches. For France, Henry scored 51 goals in 117 matches, showing he can do it at the club and international level. The goal he scored v. Manchester United in 2003, which you can see here, shows the talent that Henry possess.
- Champions League winner in 2008/09
- Premier League winner in 2001/02, 2003/04
- La Liga winner in 2008/09
- World Cup runner-up in 2006
- Euro 2000 winner
- Confederations Cup winner in 2003
- Confederations Cup Golden Ball 2003
- Premier League top scorer 4 times
- UEFA Team of the Year 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
- European Golden Boot 2004, 2005

Right Winger: Cristiano Ronaldo. Love him or hate him, he’s been the world’s best player over the past four seasons. His goalscoring record is absolutely absurd. Ronaldo single-handedly took Portugal to the Euro 2004 Final, went on to score 42 goals in 49 matches in the 2007/08 season, and then shattered the world transfer record with his move to Real Madrid this summer. He’s also the only player on my list that I’ve seen live, and if you’ve never seen him in person, he’s the best physical specimen in world soccer.
- Premier League winner 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09
- UEFA Champions League winner in 2008
- UEFA Team of the Year in 2003/04, 2006/07, 2007/08
- FIFA World Player of the Year 2008
- Ballon d’Or 2008
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year 2008
- FIFPro World Player of the Year 2008
- Premier League Golden Boot 2007/08
- FIFPro World XI 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09