From Xavi and Andres Iniesta to modern greats like Kevin De Bruyne and rising stars such as Jude Bellingham, the debate over just who takes the midfield crown has been rumbling on for quite some time.
In many ways, the question is what do you want to see from a midfielder? If you require technical excellence, then look no further than those Spanish superstars and the likes of Zinedine Zidane. They have often been the jewels in football’s crown no matter the occasion.
Rank
Player
Age
Club
Nation
1
Pedri
22
Barcelona
Spain
2
Jude Bellingham
21
Real Madrid
England
3
Rodri
28
Man City
Spain
4
Declan Rice
26
Arsenal
England
5
Florian Wirtz
21
Bayer Leverkusen
Germany
6
Ryan Gravenberch
22
Liverpool
Netherlands
7
Jamal Musiala
22
Bayern Munich
Germany
8
Martin Odegaard
26
Arsenal
Norway
9
Oihan Sancet
24
Athletic Club
Spain
10
Federico Valverde
26
Real Madrid
Uruguay
11
Dominik Szoboszlai
24
Liverpool
Hungary
12
Xavi Simons
22
RB Leipzig
Netherlands
13
Nicolo Barella
28
Inter
Italy
14
Kevin De Bruyne
31
Man City
Belgium
15
Luka Modric
39
Real Madrid
Croatia
But sometimes beauty is in the long-range strikes, the ruthless tackles and the workhorse engines. And if that is the case, then the attention should drift towards stars such as Manchester United’s Roy Keane and Paul Scholes.
If it’s simply a matter of honours on the table, then it would be Barcelona and Real Madrid who shine brightest, as La Liga’s two mega clubs have dominated the European scene while several of their biggest names thrive on the international stage.
Best midfielders of all time in pictures
Then there is the measure of iconic moments to remember. Steven Gerrard in Istanbul, Modric taking the Ballon d’Or crown and Iniesta’s World Cup winning goal – the list could quite easily go on.
Perhaps the best measure of all-round talent however is the verdicts from those who played with the greats, and Spain legend and superstar goalscorer Fernando Torres believes there is only one answer.
Torres says Gerrard is the best player he ever played with
Torres is perhaps one of the best placed figures in football to judge greatness, having starred for Spain’s dominant international side that won the European Championships in 2008 and 2012, either side of the World Cup in 2010.
And the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker, who spent four seasons on Merseyside with Gerrard, revealed the Liverpool captain was even better than his Spain teammates.
From his very first Liverpool game, Torres and Gerrard’s partnership blossomed into one of the most clinical that Anfield has ever seen. The Spaniard was quick and deadly in front of goal and Gerrard was as precise as it gets behind him to form the perfect duo.
2007/08
8
2008/09
2
2009/10
1
2010/11
2
Assisting 13 of Torres’ 81 Liverpool goals, Gerrard’s partnership with the Spaniard was particularly strong during his debut season. It’s then that the forward may have realised just how talented his captain was, perhaps reaching the conclusion then and there that he would never play with better.
Torres played with Frank Lampard – in what is a debate for another day – as well as Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets and others. Yet, even without a Premier League medal to his name, El Nino still believes that Gerrard is the best midfielder that he’s ever seen.
Sir Alex Ferguson named Liverpool star as the best player in England and as good as Keane
This could settle the debate once and for all…
3 ByBen Goodwin
