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There have been many fine players who have graced the game in the 21st century. But few have also displayed impressive longevity while performing at the top level.
World-class goalkeepers like Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas, fabulous defenders like Sergio Ramos, Giorgio Chiellini, midfield maestros like Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Kevin De Bruyne, and striking phenomenons like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Robert Lewandowski, to name a few, have dazzling exploits for club and country.
The likes of Casillas, Ramos, Xavi and Andres Iniesta have won all the major titles on offer - La Liga, Champions League, European Championship and the FIFA World Cup - with Ramos still active.
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Messi and Chiellini, who have been playing for almost two decades, recently added an international trophy apiece to their glorious cabinets.
So without further ado, here's a look at the ten players with the most appearances for club and country since the turn of the century:
Note 1: All stats as per transfermarkt.com
Note 2: Two players are 4th on the list with 941 apps apiece, so the ranking starts from #9
#9 Wayne Rooney - 884
Wayne Rooney is one of only two players to have scored over 200 goals in the Premier League.
The Manchester United legend scored most of his goals - 183 - for the Old Trafford club. It was a record tally for the most Premier League goals for a single club before Sergio Aguero overtook him on the last day of the 2020-21 season.
In almost 500 games in the competition, the diminutive forward also tallied an impressive 103 assists. He is the only player in Premier League history to register 200 goals and 100 assists.
The all-time Manchester United top goalscorer (253 goals) made more than 550 appearances for the 13-time Premier League champions. His 764th and last club-football appearance came for Derby County last season before he became the club's manager.
Rooney also had a lengthy career with England, making multiple appearances at the Euros and the FIFA World Cup. His tally of 53 goals (in 120 games) is the most by a player for the Three Lions.
#8 Sergio Ramos - 895
Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos is one of the game's most prominent goalscoring defenders.
Ramos recently brought up a century of goals for Real Madrid, whom he left this summer after a one-and-a-half-decade stint to join French giants PSG. Although he has a questionable disciplinary record, the centre-back has shown his aerial prowess at both ends of the field.
With 671 appearances, Ramos is Real Madrid's fourth-most capped player, while his 180 caps for Spain are the most by a European male player in international football.
The 35-year-old, who has scored 23 times for Spain, has won all major trophies - La Liga, the Champions League, the European Championship and the FIFA World Cup - during his illustrious career.
Ramos is now only five games away from making his 900th appearance for club and country, a milestone he'll hope to achieve this year after an injury-plagued 2020-21 campaign.
#7 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 906
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the finest strikers to have graced the game, especially since the turn of the century.
The evergreen Swede has turned out for some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG and Manchester United.
Ibrahimovic, who recently scored his 500th goal in club football, has won league titles in four different countries (Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France), but the Champions League has eluded him.
The towering 39-year-old Swede scored 15 league goals for AC Milan last season to help them return to the Champions League after a long absence.
One of 11 players to have made over 100 appearances for Sweden, Ibrahimovic is the all-time top scorer in the Nordic nation's history with 62 goals. Earlier this year, he came out of retirement, but an injury dashed his hopes of appearing in a record-equalling fifth European Championship.
#6 Petr Cech - 916
Petr Cech is one of the finest goalkeepers to grace the Premier League. During an illustrious decade-and-a-half-long stint in the competition, the Czech custodian kept a record 207 clean sheets in nearly 450 appearances for two different clubs.
The four-time Premier League winner made most of his appearances for Chelsea and Arsenal, keeping close to 300 clean sheets in over 630 games for the two London giants.
The 39-year-old, who is now retired, also dazzled with the Czech Republic, keeping an impressive 56 clean sheets in 125 appearances.
#5 Lionel Messi - 929
Lionel Messi is one of the best players to have graced the beautiful game. During an illustrious two-decade-long career for club and country, he has scored goals and won trophies galore.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has tallied a staggering 1077 goal contributions in club football (672 goals, 305 assists) - all for Barcelona - where he won a record ten La Liga titles and two continental trebles in 778 appearances across 17 seasons.
Messi has also performed well in international football, recently becoming Argentina's most capped player (151 appearances) in their triumphant Copa America 2021 campaign, where he scored four goals and provided five assists.
Now at Ligue 1 giants PSG, whom he joined this summer after Barcelona failed to renew his contract, Messi will look to continue his staggering exploits and scale new peaks.
#T4 Dani Alves - 941
Dani Alves is a quintessential modern-day full-back, who is still going strong at the age of 39.
One of the best right-backs in football history, Alves has won the most titles (40) of any player. He has won league titles in three different countries - Spain, Italy and France. However, it was at Barcelona, where he made his name as a world-class full-back, winning 25 titles at the club, including two continental trebles.
Alves, who has won 118 caps for Brazil, made nearly 400 appearances for Barcelona, his most at a single club, scoring 21 goals and registering an impressive 102 assists. The Serie A and Ligue 1 winner recently won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 with the Selecao.
#T4 Gianluigi Buffon - 941
Regarded by many as one of the finest goalkeepers to have graced the game, Gianluigi Buffon has had a stellar career for club and country.
The 43-year-old recently rejoined his boyhood club Parma, who are plying their trade in Serie B, after an illustrious near two-decade-long stint at Italian giants Juventus.
In nearly 700 games for the Bianconeri, the 2006 FIFA World Cup winner kept an impressive 322 clean sheets and won ten Serie A titles, among others.
Buffon's tally of 299 Serie A clean sheets (for two clubs) is 23 clear of another legendary Italian custodian, Dino Zoff.
Buffon played a key role in Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup triumph, pulling off a sensational save off Zinedine Zidane in the closing moments of the game before the Azzurri triumphed in a penalty shootout. He kept an impressive 76 clean sheets in a record 176 appearances for the Euro 2020 winners.
#3 Xavi - 956
Xavi Hernandez, more commonly known only by his first name, is arguably one of the best midfielders to have graced the beautiful game.
Possessing a keen eye for exploiting spaces in the opposition half, Xavi helped create scoring opportunities galore for club and country during an illustrious career.
The 41-year-old was one of the dazzling performers in Barcelona's historic 2008-09 treble-winning campaign, conjuring 40 goal contributions (ten goals and 30 assists) in all competitions.
Xavi made over 750 appearances for a star-studded Barcelona team, winning eight La Liga titles and two continental trebles. Though he was not a prolific goalscorer, Xavi's eye for a pass to pierce the tightest of defenses stood him in good stead for club and country.
The 41-year-old, who was capped 131 times by Spain, was a key player in their two European Championship triumphs (2008 and 2012) and the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
#2 Iker Casillas - 1040
One of only two players to have made over 1000 appearances for club and country this century, Iker Casillas is one of the best goalkeepers to have played the game.
A shot-stopper par excellence, Casillas kept an impressive century of clean sheets in 168 appearances for Spain and 264 in over 700 appearances for his boyhood club Real Madrid. He was Spain's captain in their 2008 and 2012 European Championship triumphs, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup win.
Casillas is one of only three players to lead his team to victory in the final of the European Championship, FIFA World Cup and Champions League, a feat he achieved with his success in the 2014 edition of the latter competition.
The 40-year-old made most of his club-football appearances for Real Madrid before retiring in 2019 following a four-season stint at Porto.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 1073
Arguably one of the greatest players to have graced the game, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored goals and won trophies aplenty for club and country in the last two decades.
The versatile Ronaldo, thanks to his blistering pace and trickery on the ball, has found success while operating down the middle as well as on the flanks, while his aerial prowess has stood him in good stead.
The all-time Real Madrid and UEFA Champions League goalscorer continues to go strong despite turning 36 earlier this year. Although Juventus failed to defend their first Serie A title in a decade last season, Ronaldo scored 29 goals to win his first Capocannoniere award.
In the process, he also became the first Juventus player to score 100 goals in their first three seasons at the club.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or and Champions League winner, has also provided the most assists in the continental competition's history. He recently dazzled at Euro 2020, where he was the top scorer with five goals despite holders Portugal crashing out in the Round of 16.
Ronaldo is six short of his 900th appearance in club football, while for his country he has featured 179 times, one short of the European record.
