The highest-scoring XI of the 21st century

# Central Midfielder - Steven Gerrard (211 goals)

Steven Gerrard scored over 200 goals in his career.

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.

13 - Steven Gerrard assisted more goals (13) than any other player in the 2013-14 Premier League; this was also the Liverpool midfielder’s highest-ever assist tally in a single season in the competition. Provider. #OptaPLSeasons pic.twitter.com/S5PCRfMlgR

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2020

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.

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# Central Midfielder - Frank Lampard (277 goals)

Frank Lampard was a prolific goalscoring midfielder.

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.

18 – Frank Lampard led the assists chart with 18 – it’s the highest number of assists ever provided by an English player in a single Premier League campaign. Generous. #OptaPLSeasons pic.twitter.com/vxflM82nbk

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 8, 2020

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.

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# Central Attacking Midfielder - Rafael Van der Vaart (200 goals)

Rafael Van der Vaart was a prolific goalscorer for club and country.

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.

9 - Rafael van der Vaart was one of nine players with 10+ goals or assists in every season in a top 5 European league between 2005-06 & 2013-14. Elite. pic.twitter.com/YC35xSJtbm

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) November 5, 2018

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.