The highest-scoring XI of the 21st century (Part 2)

Central Midfielder – Steven Gerrard (211 goals)

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Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is one of the most prolific goalscoring midfielders in the 21st century.

The 41-year-old scored 186 times in over 700 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool. He had a career-best season in 2013-14, scoring 13 goals and providing 15 assists, as the Reds narrowly missed out on their first Premier League title.

The 2004-05 Champions League winner also scored 21 times for England in over 100 games.

In charge of Rangers since 2018, Steven Gerrard won the first trophy of his managerial career last season when the Scottish giants won the 2020-21 league title.

Central Midfielder – Frank Lampard (277 goals)

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Frank Lampard has been one of the best goalscoring midfielders since the turn of the century.

The former Chelsea manager is one of the most prolific midfield players in Premier League history. Lampard struck an impressive 177 goals, while also assisting over 100 times in the competition.

Lampard, who also featured more than 100 times for England scoring 29 goals, won three league titles and a Champions League title with Chelsea.

Apart from his goal contributions, the 43-year-old was also a set-piece specialist and was versatile enough to don a plethora of roles in the middle and attacking third.

Central Attacking Midfielder – Rafael Van der Vaart (200 goals)

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Among the 21st century’s most prolific goalscoring midfielders, Dutchman Rafael Van der Vaart conjured nearly 200 strikes for club and country since the turn of the century.

The 38-year-old turned up for seven different clubs, including Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax and Hamburger, winning league titles at Ajax and Midtjylland.

Van der Vaart was not blessed with raw pace, but he made up for that with his intelligent movements, positional awareness and crisp finishing. The former Ajax prodigy, who scored 25 times in over 100 appearances for the Netherlands, played five games in the Oranje’s run to the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.