The year is 2004. A 19-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is part of a Portugal side getting dumped out of the Olympics in the group stages, while fighting to make his mark at Manchester United. Lionel Messi, meanwhile, is only a few games into his fledgling Barcelona career. Kylian Mbappe is five years old, Erling Haaland four.
The superstars of today are still years away from making their mark on the game, but 2004 had a pretty impressive crop of top-tier operators in its own right.
The sheer quantity on display on display around Europe at the time was summed up in research conducted by Transfermarkt in 2020. Using their famed value calculators, they set out to discover who would rank as the best players on the planet at the time - and, more specifically, would they would have cost back then.
For a list featuring multiple Ballon d'Or winners, one thing that's immediately noticeable is the considerable inflation in transfer fees over the last 18 years.
For example, if a prime Zinedine Zidane was playing in modern times, he'd undoubtedly be worth multiple times his €25 million value here.
In an era where transfer fees appear to be creeping ever closer towards the €200m barrier, some of the paltry sums next to the names of footballing royalty seem outright bizarre.
Check out the full countdown - featuring an incredible array of talent - below.
The 25 most valuable players in 2004 (as calculated by Transfermarkt)
25. Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan) – €25 million
24. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) – €25 million
23. Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) – €25 million
22. Kaka (AC Milan) – €26 million
PARMA, ITALY - DECEMBER 4: Kaka of AC Milan celebrates his 79th minute goal against Parma during Serie A League match between Parma and AC Milan on December 4 2004, in Parma, Italy. (Photo by New Press/Getty Images)
21. Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona) – €27 million
20. Emerson (Juventus) – €27 million
19. Pavel Nedved (Juventus) – €28 million
18. Gianluca Zambrotta (Juventus) – €28 million
17. Adriano (Inter Milan) – €30 million
MILAN - NOVEMBER 2: Adriano of Inter Milan during the Champions League Group G match between Inter Milan and Valencia at the San Siro Stadium on November 2, 2004 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)
16. Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich) – €30 million
15. Didier Drogba (Marseille) – €30 million
14. Ricardo Carvalho (FC Porto) – €30 million
13. Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid) – €30 million
MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 28: Roberto Carlos of Real Madrid in action during the UEFA Champions League Group B match between Real Madrid and Roma at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on September 28, 2004 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
12. Michael Owen (Real Madrid) – €30 million
11. Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan) – €33 million
10. Patrick Vieira (Arsenal) – €35 million
9. Francesco Totti (AS Roma) – €35 million
ROME, ITALY - DECEMBER 5: Francesco Totti # 10 of Roma attempts to control the ball from Angelo Palombo #17 of Sampdoria during the Serie A: Roma v Sampdoria match on December 5, 2004 at Lo Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Newpress/Getty Images)
8. Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan) – €35 million
7. José Antonio Reyes (Arsenal) – €35 million
6. Wayne Rooney (Everton) – €37 million
5. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) – €40 million
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 3: Ruud Van Nistelrooy of Manchester United scores his second goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League Group D match between Manchester United and AC Sparta Prague at Old Trafford on November 3, 2004 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
4. David Beckham (Real Madrid) – €40 million
3. Ronaldo Nazario (Real Madrid) – €45 million
2. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) – €45 million
1. Ronaldinho (Barcelona) – €50 million
BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 20: Barcelona's Ronaldinho reacts after scoring a goal against Real Madrid during their la Liga match at Nou Camp on November 20, 2004 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Ronaldinho, just months away from winning the sole Ballon d'Or prize of his career, emerged as the most valuable player according to the Transfermarkt algorithm.
The Brazilian playmaker was said to be worth €50m at the time. That is less than one-third of the €160m market value of Kylian Mbappe - the most highly-valued player on the platform at present.
By way of a direct-player-to-player comparison, the €50m price tag given to Ronaldinho is the same market value given to Chelsea striker Timo Werner today - a player with one goal in 12 Premier League games this season. Madness!
LONDON - AUGUST 22: Thierry Henry of Arsenal recieves the Golden shoe before the Barclays Premiership match between Arsenal and Middlesbrough at Highbury on August 22, 2004 in London. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)
Compiled using data from a period where Arsenal managed to win the Premier League without tasting defeat, Gunners frontman Thierry Henry was inevitably going to feature prominently on the countdown.
Given a 2004 market value of €45m, the majestic Frenchman ranks second on the list.
Still in the 'Galaticos' era at the time, Real Madrid have no less than five players in the countdown.
MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 28: Real Madrid?s David Beckham jumps on top of Ronaldo after Ronaldo's goal against Levante during their la Liga match at the Bernabeu, November 28, 2004, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Per Transfermarkt's calculations, the quintet of Ronaldo Nazario, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Roberto Carlos and Zidane were worth a combined €170m - just €10m less than Mbappe is said to be worth today.
The whole list is a massive nostalgia trip, with the likes of Van Nistelrooy, Totti, Shevchenko, Kaka and Vieira all making the top 25. A sensational year for the game.
Champions League quiz: Name these 20 Streets Will Never Forget players
Kane smashes Henry record (Via The Football Terrace)