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The 21st century has seen the birth of modern football, with each player becoming more well-rounded rather than being restricted to a specific role. This has led to the burden of goal-scoring being distributed amongst all the attacking players in the team and not just the centre-forward.
Hat-tricks have also become a common sight this century, with attackers getting increasingly potent in front of goal. However, there are often players who bag braces (two goals in one game), and the importance of their goals is just as important.
With defenders upping their game over the last decade or so, scoring two goals is considered to be an accomplishment. On that note, let's take a look at the five players with the most braces in the 21st century.
Note: These statistics include goals scored across all competitions and for the national team as well.
#5 Karim Benzema (87)
Karim Benzema is arguably the front-runner for the 2022 Ballon d'Or after the Frenchman's fine performance in the 2021-22 campaign.
However, the centre-forward has been at the top of his game since joining Real Madrid in July 2009. Over the last 13 years, Benzema has won five Champions League titles and four La Liga titles, amongst many other achievements.
In doing so, he has scored 323 goals in 605 appearances for Real Madrid while also managing 66 strikes during his four-year stint at Olympique Lyon.
His performances with the national team cannot be discounted either, as he has bagged 37 goals in 97 first-team appearances for the French national team. These 423 strikes in the 21st century, however, include 87 braces, with Benzema often getting on the scoresheet twice against a number of opponents.
His most recent brace came in the 4-3 first-leg defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final in April. Los Blancos overturned that tie in the second leg before going on to win the competition against Liverpool in the final.
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (98)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, albeit 40, is still going strong in his professional career as he lifted the Serie A title with AC Milan last season.
The Swedish legend is still a handy player for a top team as his presence and experience have been invaluable for the Rossoneri in their turn of fortunes. But over the last 22 years, Ibrahimovic has played for nine clubs across Europe and America, including Malmo, who he played for towards the end of the 1990s.
However, in the 21st century, Ibrahimovic has managed an incredible 490 domestic goals in 814 appearances. He is also the Swedish national team's highest goal-scorer with 62 strikes in 121 games.
These 552 strikes in total include 98 braces for club and country, with his last brace coming in the 4-3 defeat to Fiorentina in November 2021.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (135)
Robert Lewandowski recently completed a €45 million move from Bayern Munich to Barcelona and is now set to shine in the Blaugrana colors.
The Spanish side will be pleased with this signing, especially due to the numbers Lewandowski has managed in the 21st century. After the centre-forward's stellar goalscoring exploits with Znicz Pruszkow and Lech Poznan, he found his feet at Borussia Dortmund.
After helping the Yellow Wall win back-to-back league titles, Lewandowski moved to Bayern Munich in 2014. During his eight years at the club, the Polish star won the Bundesliga trophy nine times while also winning the Champions League once.
These performances have led to him scoring 509 domestic goals in 676 appearances in the 21st century. His national record is just as impressive, as he has bagged 76 strikes in 132 appearances.
Hence, during his 16-year professional career, Lewandowski has scored 585 times, with 135 braces to his name. His last brace came in Bayern Munich's 4-0 rout of Union Berlin in March 2022.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (205)
Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United is full of speculation but there is little doubt whether the Portuguese star can still perform at the top level.
Since making his debut for Sporting CP in 2002, Ronaldo has not looked back and has gone on to play for the creme-de-la-creme of European football. Over the last 20 years, he has become the highest-goal-scorer for Real Madrid (450 goals) while also breaking records at Manchester United and Juventus.
This has led to him scoring 698 domestic goals in 934 appearances, including having a record of being the highest-goal-scorer (140 goals) in UEFA Champions League history.
His record on the national stage is just as impeccable as he has the most international goals (117) in the history of the game. Out of those 809 sensational strikes in the 21st century, Ronaldo has bagged a brace on 205 occasions.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's last brace came against Arsenal in December 2021, as the Red Devils defeated the Gunners 3-2 on the night. With the Portuguese superstar still going strong, he could make it to the top of this list by the time he retires.
#1 Lionel Messi (205)
Cristiano Ronaldo's most famous competitor in the game, Lionel Messi, is arguably the most iconic footballer in the history of the sport.
The Argentinian legend has been a gem of a footballer since making his debut for Barcelona in 2004. Messi went on to become the highest goal-scorer in the club's history by bagging 672 goals in 778 appearances for the 5-time European champions.
In doing so, he won countless trophies for the Spanish club while also lifting the Ballon d'Or award a record seven times. He has also been decent for Paris Saint-Germain since joining them in 2021, with 14 goals in 36 appearances for the Ligue 1 side.
Like many players on this list, Messi is also the highest-goal-scorer for his national side, with 86 goals in 162 games for them. Overall, Messi has managed 205 braces out of 756 goals in his professional career.
He last managed the feat against Clermont Foot in PSG's 5-0 victory in the club's opening game of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 campaign, including a sumptuous bicycle-kick.
