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#3 Sergio Ramos
For 16 long years, Sergio Ramos was the beating heart of Real Madrid's defence. A true warrior, the Spanish international was an embodiment of the never-say-die spirit. Ramos was a belligerent presence in the backline and thanks to his grasp over the 'dark arts' of defending, he was always a nightmare to go up against.
One of the greatest defenders of all time, Ramos was one of the defining figures of the 2010s. Not only was he adept at holding down the fort for Los Blancos but he was pretty effective on the other side of the pitch. Ramos' goalscoring exploits were astonishing, to say the least.
He scored a total of 101 goals and provided 40 assists in 671 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions. Those numbers are incredible for a centre-back. Ramos has been Real Madrid's savior on multiple occasions, including scoring a stoppage time equalizer in the final of the 2013-14 Champions League against Atletico Madrid.
Ramos captained Real Madrid to three back-to-back Champions League titles. He has won Europe's elite competition four times in the last decade. His departure from Real Madrid last summer was rather unceremonious but his Real Madrid legacy will remain untainted for eternity.
#2 Luis Suarez
Peak Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo absolutely steamrollered opponents in the last decade. They were such prolific goalscorers and incredible footballers that even coming close to them in terms of accomplishments seemed a huge ask.
Then there was Luis Suarez, who managed to outscore prime Ronaldo and prime Messi and beat them both to the European Golden Shoe in the 2015-16 season. The Uruguayan international is one of the best strikers of all time and he was blessed with blistering pace, dribbling skills and a deadly finish.
Suarez tore it up in the Premier League with Liverpool and won his first European Golden Shoe in the 2013-14 season. He absolutely relished playing alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. and was simply unstoppable on most days.
Suarez played a starring role for Barcelona in their continental treble winning season. He also scored a goal in the final against Juventus. He won four La Liga titles and one Champions League title with Barcelona.
Prior to his unceremonious exit from his beloved club in the summer of 2020, Suarez had scored 195 goals and provided 113 assists in 283 appearances for the Catalans. He is easily one of the best strikers to have plied their trade for Barcelona in their entire history.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
Many believe that Robert Lewandowski should have won two Ballon d'Or awards by now. He was the clear-cut favorite to win it in 2020 but the award was canceled in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lewandowski had a sensational run in 2021 as well but ultimately lost out to Lionel Messi in the race for the Ballon d'Or.
In the 2020-21 season, he broke Gerd Muller's record for the most goals scored in a single Bundesliga campaign (40) by netting 41 in 29 appearances. The Polish international is the most prolific goalscorer on the planet right now and is an absolutely phenomenal marksman.
He is one of the best finishers to have ever graced the game. Lewandowski is technically gifted and has learnt his craft from some of the best coaches in the game like Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Hansi Flick, Carlo Ancelotti etc.
He has scored at least 40 goals in six of the last 10 seasons and was in incredible form as Bayern Munich won the continental treble in the 2019-20 season. He scored 55 goals and racked up 10 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for the Bavarians that campaign.
He has won eight Bundesliga titles, one Champions League, three DFB Pokals and one FIFA Club World Cup with Bayern Munich. Prior to that, he won two Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.
