The Greatest Footballers of the 2000s

No.3 Jay-Jay Okocha

If you were going to name the Greatest African footballer on talent alone, then Jay-Jay Okocha would probably be number one in the list. The Nigerian midfielder was outragously talented, right up there with the likes of Ronaldinho when it came to producing moments of magic with the ball that seemed to defy belief However, despite his talent Okacha never actually won the African Footballer of the Year Award and his list of honours is disappointingly thin, but one thing's for sure - Jay-Jay Okocha will be remembered by football fans across the globe for the sheer joy he brought to everyone who witnessed his incredible skills.

On Jay-Jay Okocha's birthday, a reminder of the time he robbed Oliver Kahn and the entire Karlsruhe defence of their dignity.

Have a heart, pal. Those men had families.pic.twitter.com/QqfsqwYogp

— A Funny Old Game (@sid_lambert) August 14, 2021

No.2 Didier Drogba

With his strength, power, pace and determination, Didier Drogba was an absolute warrior of a player, and an absolute nightmare for the majority of defenders who had to line up against him. His football story is slightly unusual for a player with such an esteemed career, as he was late to the professional game and completely missed out on the daily training regime of a football academy as a youngster. However, having eventually signed a pro-contract with Le Mans he quickly stepped up the French league ladder with moves to Guingamp and Marseille. Impressive single seasons with both would result in interest from a number of clubs across Europe but it was José Mourinho's Chelsea who won the race to sign him, paying £24m to bring him to Stamford Bridge. It was a huge fee at the time but over the course of the next eight seasons he would more than pay back it back with 100 Premier League goals and a number of fantastic big-match performances that would see him become a talismanic figure for the club.

No.1 Samuel Eto'o

With a deadly blend of pace, power and finishing, Samuel Eto'o was one of the world's greatest strikers of the 2000s. His goalscoring exploits with Barcelona and then Inter would help both clubs to a series of titles, including three Champions League winners medals, three La Liga titles and a Scudetto, and his achievements would see him named African Footballer of the Year Award four times. at USA'94 he smashed his own record as he became the oldest goalscorer at a World Cup tournament when he scored against Russia as a 42 year-old.