Inspired by @Hidegkuti78, i opened this thread. Here are first drafts by me: Argentina XI Brazil XI Spain XI (not interesting at all) Croatia XI (Pletikosa is Goalie)
What do you mean by post 2000s? Can I count a player if he played professionally on the '00s? Or should he have peaked after 2000? I.e. Batistuta > Crespo, clearly, but does he qualify?
Italy 3412 Buffon; Nesta, Bonucci, Cannavaro; Zambrotta, De Rossi, Pirlo, Maldini; Totti; Inzaghi, Del Piero.
You can choose Batistuta, but if you do so, you are choosing one of his versions post 2000. That means from 2000/2001 season onwards. So, Simeone i choosed was from his Lazio days, Ronaldo from Real Madrid days and so on. I acutally overlooked Batistuta. It didn't occur to me that he was still good past 2000.
Germany: --------------------------------------Klose --------------------Reus ---------------------------------Özil-----------------Schneider -----------------------------------------Ballack ---------------------------Kroos-----------Schweinsteiger -----------------Lahm---------Hummels--------Boateng ------------------------------------Neuer
Bernd Schneider was a superb right-sided midfielder and one of Germany's few bright spots offensively during the 2002 World Cup. Had he been born ten years later he would be a starter in the current German team for sure. I definitely prefer him to Thomas Müller or Bastian Schweinsteiger as the right winger. I couldn't use Thomas Müller behind the strikers because there's already Michael Ballack or Mesut Özil and there's no way I would drop one of them for Müller. I opted for a three man defense because otherwise I would have had to introduce a fourth defender and that would probably have been Jonas Hector as left back (with Lahm on the right). While Hector is useful and promising I just don't see him make a 2000-2017 Germany team.
3-4-2-1 formation. Manuel Neuer (goalkeeper - will go down in history as one of the all-time goalkeeping greats. The quintessential modern sweeper-keeper. Arguably already top 8..?) Philipp Lahm (right centreback - this intelligent footballer boasts a fantastic career. The greatest German defender in this team, would prefer him at fullback but he can overlap Frings here) Mats Hummels (ball-playing centreback - a silky centrehalf who can handle physical battles too) Jérôme Boateng (left centreback - has grown into one of the world's most accomplished defenders) Torsten Frings (right midfielder - a complete midfielder who had the tenacity and football brain to dominate in any given role) Bastian Schweinsteiger (box-to-box midfielder - both an engine and playmaker, he helps glue together the players around him) Toni Kroos (central playmaker - the most talented passer in this XI) Bernd Schneider (left midfielder - a gifted winger who'll give us some natural width, Schneider will supply Klose accurate crosses and penetrate defences with his dribbling skills. Can alternate either flank with Frings) Thomas Müller (Raumdeuter - probably one of my most favourite modern German legends. Müller possesses intangible/mental qualities that make him so special. Big game performer.) Michael Ballack (attacking midfielder - the best German footballer since 2000. Unique presence.) Miroslav Klose (striker - Germany's best finisher who'd link up well with Thomas, Bernd and Michael) Bench: Kahn, Nowotny, Ramelow, Hamann, Ozil, Gotze, Reus, Podolski