Midfielders are the engine rooms in football, and we’ve had the opportunity to watch some of the best midfielders in the world over the years. But year after year, new faces emerge and establish a claim in this position.
Week in and week out, we watch these midfield talents dominate their respective competitions.
But who amongst them has the highest rating and could be called the best in the world? We’ll check to bring you the players with the highest ratings.
Interesting Football compiles the top 20 best midfielders in the world right now:
20. Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli, Belgium)
Kevin De Bruyne is one of the best players in the world, known for his legendary career at Manchester City. He moved to Napoli and was an immediate impact and influential as well, even though injury prevented his regular role in the team.
He is a natural assist maker, free kick specialist, team leader, goal scorer, and special case that has proved vital for his team.
19. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal FC, Norway)
Martin Odegaard cost Arsenal just £30m from Real Madrid. He wanted to be part of the Mikel Arteta project.
Martin Ødegaard is the captain of Arsenal, entrusted with all the on-field duties. The 24-year-old midfielder is simply a unique player.
Ødegaard is one of the pillars of Arsenal, one of the players behind the club’s title charge. The Norwegian has played almost every Premier League game, scoring ten and providing seven assists.
18. Fabian Ruiz (PSG, Spain)
Fabian Ruiz is another name on the list following a successful career at PSG, where he won the domestic league and the UEFA Champions League. He has been a consistent player in the team and has played an important role.
His performance also extends to the Spanish national football team, where he helped the team to win the UEFA Euro 2024.
17. Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea FC, Argentina)
Enzo Fernandez is one of the best-performing midfielders in Europe, even though inconsistency has been an issue. The Argentine midfielder joined Chelsea from SL Benfica in 2023 for a transfer fee of €121.00m.
The Argentine midfielder has been a key part of Chelsea's midfield options alongside Moises Caicedo.
16. Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool FC, Argentina)
Without a doubt, he is one of the best in this position, especially due to his deeper position in the Liverpool midfield.
He has been a brilliant player for the Reds this season and has played a key role in the offensive positions. He has been applauded for his physicality and technical approach to the game.
Alexis Mac Allister is also one who has been known to be playing the possession style of play as well as scoring goals.
15. Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United, Italy)
Sandro Tonali has been a solid figure in the Newcastle first team and has been showing his quality. This season, he would be a crucial player for Magpies in the midfield as they seek to maintain presence at the biggest stage.
Tonali joined the club in 2023 from Italian Serie A club AC Milan for a transfer fee of €58.90m.
14. Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United, Brazil)
Bruno Guimarães has established himself as a top-level soccer player with his dominant form in the Premier League. The defensive midfielder has been key to Newcastle United's consistency in the English Premier League.
He joined the club in 2021 from French club Lyon and had an immediate impact on the team, and three years on, he has been recognised as one of the best in his position.
With his consistency and reliability in the team, he has been tipped to be one of the leading midfielders.
13. Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool FC, Hungary)
Dominik Szoboszlai is another top player known for his versatility. He wasted no time and established himself as a key player at Liverpool.
Szoboszlai had been one of the most preferred starters in the team, which remains the same under Arne Slot.
Statistics show that he's maintained a high rating since the start of the season.
12. Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool FC, Netherlands)
Ryan Gravenberch has continued to make the list as one of the best-performing midfielders in the world. The Dutch footballer has been shown to be consistent and a reliable option for the new boss.
Ryan Gravenberch has enjoyed a good rating over the years at Anfield. He is versatile and has been deployed as a central midfielder and defensive midfielder.
11. Scott McTominay (Napoli, Scotland)
Scott McTominay is enjoying the time of his life at Napoli, having won the league title in his first season at the club. He helped the club lift their second Italian Serie A title within three years as well as winning the Serie A's Most Valuable Player award.
The former Manchester United star is currently one of the most influential players in Naples.
10. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay)
Fede Valverde is an outstanding midfielder who has been tipped to be the perfect replacement for the ageing Real Madrid midfield. The Uruguayan can confidently play as a winger and in the midfield.
Fede is known for his ability to initiate counterattacks, long- and short-range shots, and scores.
Since 2019, the Uruguayan has consistently put out an impressive shift and successfully cemented his position in the first team due to his versatility.
9. Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern Munich, Germany)
The next name on the block is Jamal Musiala, who is currently enjoying the form of his life. The midfielder has been a long-standing player at Bayern Munich.
Jamal Musiala is regarded as one of the best young players in the world currently and has been tipped to become one of the engine rooms of Bayern Munich's midfield. The German international is a player who has been shown to be reliable offensively.
8. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Portugal)
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world right now.
The Portuguese performed beyond expectations in his first season by carrying the team’s offensive and scoring duties by himself. He performs excellently in a deep role and is good at set pieces, which significantly impacts his team’s success.
This season, head coach Ruben Amorim has built his team around the Portuguese.
7. Rodri (Manchester City, Spain)
Rodrigo is one of the pivots of the Manchester City midfield alongside Kevin De Bruyne, who continues to lead the Premier League's best midfielder chart.
The Spaniard is mainly employed as a defensive midfielder by Pep Guardiola and has been effective. He is a technically gifted player with a high level of skill in the game.
Rodri is the only Man City player with the most minutes in the Premier League, which shows he is a reliable player. He has scored twice and assisted five times.
Overall, Rodri provides stability to Manchester City’s midfield, and he is the reason behind Pep Guardiola’s success since his arrival at the club in 2019.
6. Joao Neves (PSG, Portugal)
Joao Neves has been the engine room in Paris Saint-Germain's midfield in the last year. The Portuguese has been applauded for his brilliance for club and country. His versatility allows for his deployment at right-back.
Joao Neves adds depth to the Parisians, helping the team to lift the Champions League. He has proven to be a reliable goal contributor with his goals and assists occasionally.
5. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
Jude Bellingham is ranked among the best young talents in the world. Since he arrived at Borussia Dortmund, he has been exceptional.
His performance for the Yellow Wall raises eyebrows, making him one of the most sought-after players in world football.
Tactically speaking, Jude Bellingham could be your ideal complete midfielder. He is energetic and can hold possession and find spaces deep inside the opponent’s half.
He could also win balls and successfully drive to critical positions to make an assist or score goals. Defensively, he was shown to be successful at averting dangerous balls. He is a perfect example of a box-to-box midfielder.
4. Vitinha (PSG, Portugal)
Vitinha is another player on the PSG roster known for his excellence in ball control and distribution. The Portuguese star is one that cannot go unnoticed when it comes to the best acts of PSG.
3. Moises Caicedo (Chelsea FC, Ecuador)
Without a doubt, Moises Caicedo continues to be found amongst the top-level players on the biggest stage amid his consistency at Chelsea.
The Ecuadorian found his top form during his time at Brighton & Hove Albion, where he was the leading midfielder alongside Alexis Mac Allister.
Fast forward to Chelsea, he maintains his position as one of the best despite his slow start following his arrival at the club.
During the 2023/24 season, he was ranked among the best U23 players in the world.
2. Declan Rice (Arsenal FC, England)
Declan Rice has established himself as one of the best central midfielders in world football. His emergence isn't a surprise even though he began his quest for top-level recognition at West Ham United when he led the team to lift the UEFA Europa Conference League.
His big money move to Arsenal has paid off with his dazzling performance for Arsenal.
1. Pedri (FC Barcelona, Spain)
Pedri is one of the pillars of Hansi Flick's new-look side in Spanish La Liga. The Spanish midfielder has played a significant role in the team since the start of the season. He is a highly rated youngster that has shown to be reliable, which reflects on the number of appearances he has made.