It’s pretty apparent that a team’s midfielders are its most important players. Most of the time, the top midfielders in the world are able to construct plays, maintain control of the ball, and burst through defensive lines effectively.
Some clubs and squads base their whole tactics to the game on the power of their midfield and the quality of their midfielders. Among 100 of great midfielders in the world it is not an easy task to choose the best 5 midfielders.
Let us take a look of the best 5 midfielders of all time:
1. Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta is widely considered to be one of the most gifted midfielders who has ever taken the pitch. Iniesta, who is blessed with incredible vision, passing skills, and an amazing talent for performing when it matters the most.
He will go down in the history books of Spanish history for his incredible performance and game-winning goal in the World Cup final in 2010. Iniesta was a key figure in Spain’s run to the title and helped them win the tournament.
Andres Iniesta’s style of play was both aesthetically attractive to see and highly efficient on the field due to his technical prowess and extraordinary ball control. There is no question that Iniesta and Xavi formed the greatest central midfield tandem that the game has ever seen.
Iniesta has an incredible vision for a pass. That allowed him to break down even the most resolute of defensive lines. Vissel Kobe, a Japanese club, is the team that he is now playing for.
2. Xavi
Xavi, the legendary midfielder ofBarcelona. He is one of those players whose name is guaranteed to be on a list of the best midfielders. The Spaniard is one of the most distinguished players in the history of the game and has won practically every trophy and award that the game has to offer. He is known as “one of the most decorated players to ever play the game.”
Xavi was the primary driving force behind the wonderful success had by Barcelona and the Spanish national team from 2006-2014. He was a man who nearly single-handedly developed the entire tiki-taka style. That was applied by the Spain and Barcelona squads.
Xavi was an exceptional passer and playmaker. He always seemed to find space in the middle of the field and had the ability to select the appropriate pass at the appropriate time.
Because of his amazing ability to pass the ball, his vision, and his technical talent, he is considered to be one of the best players and midfielders in the history of the game.
3. Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in soccer history. Both his vision and his scoring abilities were completely surreal.
Although there were many excellent players on the French squad that won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000, but he was an amazing performance, he is one of the reasons why France won both tournaments.
Franco Baresi once said, “He was as graceful as a dancer – he even used the soles of his boots effectively. Everything was easy for him; he made such movements that I’d break my legs if I tried to imitate them.”
4. Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin de Bruyne is the best midfielder in the world right now. While winning the Premier League’s Player of the Season award a second time, the Belgian international has just led Manchester City to their sixth Premier League title this season (2022).
Only three players have ever accomplished this. Even with 15 goals and seven assists so far this season in the Premier League, KDB’s performance is far from enough. He is much more than simply a scorer and an assist producer. He also creates multiple opportunities for his teammates each game.
The 30-year-old has an eagle’s eye in the sky when it comes to the game of tennis. He’s a master at pinpointing a teammate with an inch-perfect pass, and only Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold comes close to him when it comes to crossing.
5. Diego Maradona
He may have won only two FIFA World Cups. Even though he was embroiled in a slew of scandals, Maradona had his share of magical moments.
When he was at his peak, Diego Maradona was the greatest dribbler, passer, and all-around player in the history of the game. While playing for Argentina’s La Albiceleste, he netted 34 goals in 90 appearances.
Even though Peter Shilton disagrees, Diego Maradona is without a doubt the greatest midfielder in soccer history. Brazil’s Zico proclaimed, “The greatest of the lot, without a doubt.”
Zico also added, “In my generation, my era, he was simply the best. I saw Maradona do things that God himself would doubt were possible. He always had someone marking him, he always had someone hanging on to him, and yet he could still always conjure up wonderful pieces of magic. A genius.”
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