The Best Premier League Players of the Early 2000s
The golden era. The years when the Prem was genuinely box office every single week. The early 2000s were something special. No VAR, no winter break, no half-finished stadiums dressed up as “world class facilities.” Just proper football, proper players, and a handful of absolute otherworldly talents who made you stop whatever you were doing and watch.
We are talking about a stretch of time when the league had genuine arguments every Monday morning. Was Henry the best in the world? Could anyone stop Van Nistelrooy? Was Gerrard actually unplayable? These were real debates, not the manufactured Twitter noise we get today. OddsMonkey, the home of side hustles, has listed some of the best players to have featured in the Premier League.
Thierry Henry, Arsenal
Where do you even start with Henry? He arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 1999 from Juventus, where things had not exactly gone to plan, and Arsene Wenger immediately shifted him from the wing to a central striking role. What followed was probably the most breathtaking sustained run of individual brilliance this league has ever seen.
In the 2001/02 season he scored 24 league goals and contributed 10 assists as Arsenal won the Double. The following campaign he bagged 24 again. Then in 2003/04, as part of the famous Invincibles side that went the entire league season unbeaten, he hit 30 goals in all competitions and was utterly untouchable.
What made Henry different from other elite strikers of the time was the manner in which he scored. He was not a poacher. He was not waiting around the six-yard box hoping for scraps. He would pick the ball up out wide, drive at defenders with terrifying pace and composure, and finish with a coolness that made it look almost unfair.
His movement, his touch, the way he would shift the ball onto his left foot in the blink of an eye. Opposition defenders knew exactly what he was going to do and still could not stop him. That is the mark of a truly elite footballer. He won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in both 2003 and 2004, and was named FWA Footballer of the Year twice as well. The stats back it up, but if you actually watched him play, you already knew.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, Manchester United
If Henry was the league’s most complete striker, Van Nistelrooy was its most ruthless. The big Dutchman joined United from PSV in the summer of 2001 after a year of speculation and a failed medical that had delayed the move twelve months. He was worth the wait.
In his first season he scored 23 league goals. In his second, 25. He also scored in eight consecutive Premier League matches during the 2001/02 campaign, a record at the time, and his partnership with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave United a cutting edge that kept them competitive even as the Invincibles were threatening to run away with the league.
Van Nistelrooy was a different beast to Henry. He was not interested in dribbling past people or picking the ball up deep. Give him a yard of space inside the box and it was over. His movement off the ball was exceptional, his finishing even better, and he had a psychological toughness that meant big moments brought out his best rather than his worst. He is the joint fastest player in Premier League history to reach 50 goals, getting there in just 68 appearances. In the context of the early 2000s, when defending was often organised and physical, that is a staggering return.
Steven Gerrard, Liverpool
Gerrard is one of the most unique players the Premier League has ever produced, and his best years were arguably between 2000 and 2005. He was the complete midfield player at a time when Liverpool were inconsistent enough that he often had to carry them on his own. The 2003/04 season showed exactly what he was capable of. Liverpool finished fourth, which flattered them in truth, but Gerrard was head and shoulders above everyone else in their squad. Box to box, tenacious in the tackle, capable of picking a pass over 40 yards or driving forward and shooting with genuine venom from distance.
He made his full England debut in 2000 and quickly became the heartbeat of both club and country. Where Liverpool went, Gerrard went harder. He was not just a quality footballer, he was a leader who dragged teams over the line through pure force of will. The 2005 Champions League final is the obvious peak, but his early 2000s form had already established him as one of the very best in the world. The engine, the range of passing, the goals from nothing. He had everything.
Summary of The Best Premier League Players of the Early 2000s
What tied these players together was not just ability but consistency. Week in, week out, in what was arguably the most physically demanding league in world football at the time, they performed at a level that set them apart from everyone else. The early 2000s Prem had genuine star power across the board, but Henry, Van Nistelrooy and Gerrard were operating on a different plane. If you were lucky enough to watch them live, you already know.
