MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. Superstar Argentinian forward Lionel Messi has been named this century's best footballer, according to the FourFourTwo web portal.

On Tuesday, respected football magazine FourFourTwo published its rankings of the 100 best players since 2000 and placed 37-year-old Messi atop the list.

The Argentinian is followed by Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo in 2nd place, Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta in 3rd place, Spanish midfielder Xavi in 4th place and Brazil’s attacking midfielder Ronaldinho in 5th place.

Earlier this year, Messi parted ways with storied French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after signing with them as a free agent in the summer of 2021. He racked up 32 goals and 35 assists in 74 matches for the French club, twice winning the French football championship as well as one French Super Cup.

Before joining PSG, Messi played for Barcelona FC from 2003 and 2021. The Argentinian striker won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and the UEFA Champions League four times.

Messi is the captain of the Argentinian national football team and has 102 goals and 56 assists in 174 matches on the international stage. He is the winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2021 Copa America and gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The legendary striker owns a record eight Ballon d'Or awards and a record six European Golden Shoes.