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Since the turn of the century, there have been many prolific goalscoring players gracing the game.
While the names of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Luis Suarez are the first ones that come to mind, there have also been players in other positions who have scored goals galore.
Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are two of the most prolific goalscoring midfielders of the 21st century. Playing further down the field, centre-back Sergio Ramos recently brought up a century of goals in the whites of Real Madrid.
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If outfield goalscorers were not enough, there have also been goalscoring goalkeepers this century. These are not custodians whose hopeful punts upfield elude everyone and pierce the net at the other end; but bonafide goalscorers who are entrusted with penalties and free-kicks.
So without further ado, here's a look at the most prolific scoring XI since the turn of the century. A 4-3-3 formation has been considered for the hypothetical XI.
Goalkeeper - Rogerio Ceni (120 goals)
Rogerio Ceni is the most prolific goalscoring goalkeeper in the history of the game with an astounding tally of 131 strikes, comprising 69 penalties, 61 free-kicks and one goal open play.
It is a tally many decent strikers fail to amass during their playing careers, one which Ceni racked up while playing the furthest from the opposition goal. Since scoring his first-ever goal for Sau Paulo in 1997, Ceni scored 120 times this century before he retired in 2015.
For all his goalscoring exploits, Ceni drew a blank at the FIFA World Cup, failing to score one in his lone outing at the quadrennial tournament in 2006.
Right-back - James Tavernier (74 goals)
James Tavernier is the most prolific goalscoring right-back in the 21st century. The 29-year-old Englishman has tallied an astonishing 74 strikes, with most of them (65) coming for his present club Rangers.
In his first season for Steven Gerrard's men in 2015-16, Tavernier produced a career-best campaign, scoring 15 times and assisting on 19 occasions across competitions. Last season, he scored ten goals and provided 11 assists in Rangers' victorious 2020-21 campaign in the Scottish top flight.
Most of Tavernier's goals have come from free-kicks (12) and penalties (30), which shows his set-piece prowess. It's a shame that despite his exploits, he is yet to win a senior cap for England.
# Centre-back - Sergio Ramos (126 goals)
Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos is one of the game's most prominent goalscoring defenders.
Recently, Ramos 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 chequered disciplinary record, the centre-back has shown his aerial prowess at both ends of the field.
Formerly a right-back, Ramos took over penalty-taking duties for the club after the departure of record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2018. The 35-year-old, who has scored 23 times for Spain as well, has won all major trophies - La Liga, Champions League, European Championship and FIFA World Cup.
# Centre-back - Rene Aufhauser (76 goals)
Rene Aufhauser has been one of the most prolific goal-scoring defenders since the turn of the century.
During his illustrious two-decade-long professional career, the former Austrian centre-back appeared in over 100 games for three different clubs - Austria Salzburg, Grazer AK and Red Bull Salzburg.
However, the 45-year-old, who was also versatile enough to be deployed in defensive midfield, had his most prolific stint with Red Bull Salzburg, winning three Austrian league titles and scoring exactly 50 goals.
The FC Liefering coach has also scored 12 times for Austria in 58 appearances across competitions.
# Left-back - John Arne Riise (67 goals)
John Arne Riise is one of the most prolific goalscoring full-backs of the 21st century.
The former Liverpool player scored 31 times during a successful near decade-long stint at the club, announcing himself in the English top flight with a blistering free-kick against Manchester United in 2001. Riise had a powerful left-footed shot, and was also strong in the air.
The 40-year-old, who won the 2004-05 Champions League with the Reds, also scored 16 times for Norway in 110 appearances.
# Central Midfielder - Steven Gerrard (211 goals)
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is one of the most prolific goalscoring midfielders in the 21st century.
The 41-year-old scored 186 times in over 700 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool. He had a career-best season in 2013-14, scoring 13 goals and providing 15 assists, as the Reds narrowly missed out on their first Premier League title.
The 2004-05 Champions League winner also scored 21 times for England in over 100 games.
In charge of Rangers since 2018, Steven Gerrard won the first trophy of his managerial career last season when the Scottish giants won the 2020-21 league title.
# Central Midfielder - Frank Lampard (277 goals)
Frank Lampard has been one of the best goalscoring midfielders since the turn of the century.
The former Chelsea manager is one of the most prolific midfield players in Premier League history. Lampard struck an impressive 177 goals, while also assisting over 100 times in the competition.
Lampard, who also featured more than 100 times for England scoring 29 goals, won three league titles and a Champions League title with Chelsea.
Apart from his goal contributions, the 43-year-old was also a set-piece specialist and was versatile enough to don a plethora of roles in the middle and attacking third.
# Central Attacking Midfielder - Rafael Van der Vaart (200 goals)
Among the 21st century's most prolific goalscoring midfielders, Dutchman Rafael Van der Vaart conjured nearly 200 strikes for club and country since the turn of the century.
The 38-year-old turned up for seven different clubs, including Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax and Hamburger, winning league titles at Ajax and Midtjylland.
Van der Vaart was not blessed with raw pace, but he made up for that with his intelligent movements, positional awareness and crisp finishing. The former Ajax prodigy, who scored 25 times in over 100 appearances for the Netherlands, played five games in the Oranje's run to the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
# Right Winger - Lionel Messi (748 goals)
Lionel Messi has been a standout performer for club and country over the course of an illustrious near two-decade-long career.
The 2021 Copa America winner, arguably one of the finest players in the world, has arrived at Ligue 1 giants PSG after a prolific 17-season stint at Barcelona, where he registered a staggering 1077 goal contributions (672 goals, 305 assists).
Messi, who has won a record six Ballon d'Or and eight Pichichi awards, is a magician with the ball at his feet. The all-time La Liga top scorer is one of only two players to score eight hat-tricks and over 100 goals in the Champions League.
A set-piece specialist, the 34-year-old has won ten La Liga titles and two continental trebles. He has also netted 76 times for Argentina, including four times in their triumphant Copa America 2021 campaign.
# Striker - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (563 goals)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the finest strikers to have graced the game, especially since the turn of the century.
The evergreen Swede has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world like 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).
Now 39, the towering Swede scored 15 league goals for AC Milan last season to help them return to the Champions League after a long absence. Ibrahimovic has also scored 62 times for Sweden, coming out of retirement this year in order to play at Euro 2020, only to miss the tournament because of injury.
Left Winger - Cristiano Ronaldo (781 goals)
Arguably one of the greatest players to have graced the game, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored goals and won trophies galore for club and country.
A versatile player across the attacking third, Ronaldo has found success on the left flank as well as while operating down the middle. 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 Serie A title in 2020-21, Ronaldo scored 29 goals to win his first Capocannoniere award. The Portugal captain then produced a sizzling campaign at Euro 2020, scoring five goals and bagging an assist, even as the holders were eliminated by Belgium in the Round of 16.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has won a record five Champions League titles. At Euro 2020, he went level with Iran's Ali Daei for the most goals (109) in international men's football.
