Top 10 Best Midfielders Worldwide: Rankings and Insights

While majority of the times they don’t make the headlines but midfielders play a key role in the success and decline of any team. Manchester City’s Rodri winning the Ballon d’Or over Real Madrid star attacker Vinicius Jr shows how important the Spanish midfield was for his club and his country and how his consistency led him to the prestigious award. 

Here we take a look at the top 10 best midfielders in the world based on SportsBoom’s methodology that calculated the player’s influence on their clubs and national teams in recent years. 

Methodology 

“We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the best midfielders with a higher balance of goals and assists who rank higher on this list. We gathered data from trusted sources like ESPN, UEFA stats, and official league reports to ensure accuracy and reliability in player rankings.”

10. Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid & France) 

Kicking off our list is 24-year-old French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. Tchouameni joined Real Madrid in the 2022 summer transfer window for a fee close to €100m from AS Monaco in the French Ligue 1. Since joining the club, Tchouameni has been ever-consistent for his club and country, helping France reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup final and helping Real Madrid win two UEFA Champions League titles. 

With a weighted score of 0.051 currently, the French star ranks 10th on our list. Tchouameni has also shown his flexibility, even staring at centre-half when required for his club. 

9. Declan Rice (Arsenal & England) 

Declan Rice//Getty Images

Ranking 9th on our list with a weighted score of 0.074 is Arsenal star Declan Rice. Rice has been a sensation since joining Arsenal. He is a key player for both Arsenal and the England men’s national football team. Since joining Arsenal, Rice has also improved his goal and assist numbers, featuring in more of a box-to-box role for his club and influencing the game from his set-piece ability. 

While fans may forget, Rice captained West Ham to the UEFA Conference League title in 2023 before his big-money move. He played a key role in England’s run to both the Euro 2020 and 2024 final and has pushed Arsenal into consistent title contenders. 

8. Rodri (Manchester City & Spain) 

Rodri is undoubtedly the best defensive midfielder in the world, but with a weighted score of 0.082, Rodri ranks 8th on our list of best midfielders in the world. Rodri won the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or award, beating Vinicius Jr to claim the title. This made him the first Premier League player since Cristiano Ronaldo to win the illustrious award. Rodri also has a knack of chipping in with important goals from time to time. Fans may forget but it was Rodri who scored the only and winning goal to hand Manchester City their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy. 

Rodri claimed the Player of the Tournament award as his national team Spain lifted the Euro 2024 title. But unfortunately, early on during the 2024-25 season, he picked up an ACL injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. The biggest compliment anyone can make Rodri is that Manchester City have looked like a completely different team and have underperformed ever since his injury. Pep Guardiola’s side have famously lost four games in a row and were winless for seven games running at one point in the ongoing season. 

7. Pedri (FC Barcelona & Spain) 

At the 7th spot is another midfielder who has had his injury problems in recent seasons: Pedri. The Spanish midfielder joined Barcelona in 2020 from fellow Spanish side Las Palmas. Ever since joining the club, Pedri played a key role for both his club and country at such a young age. He also won the 2021 Golden Boy award. 

Barcelona fans had labelled Pedri and Gavi as the successors to the legendary midfield partnership of Andres Iniesta and Xavi. But constant injuries have stopped Pedri’s rise and development in recent seasons. But still just 23 years old, we expect Pedri to regain his fitness and form. 

He is firmly one of the best players in the Premier League now and is the captain of both his club and national team. With a weighted score of 0.183, he is 6th on our list. 

5. Toni Kroos (Retired) 

The German midfielder may have retired in the summer of 2024 but he still remains very relevant in the world of football. Kroos finished 9th in the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or rankings. His last club game saw him lift the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League trophy, a fitting end to such a successful and trophy rich career. 

Kroos remained ever consistent in his career for all clubs he played for. Making a total of 754 appearances in his career, scoring 73 goals and assisting a total of 166 goals. 

 4. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid & England) 

The 16-year-old youngster who made his breakthrough in the EFL Championship for Birmingham City, now plays for European giants Real Madrid. Bellingham has been on a long journey and has already made two mega moves, first to the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund then to LaLiga with Los Blancos. 

In his first season with Real Madrid, Bellingham won the UEFA Champions League and finished 3rd in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings. The English star has excelled in all midfield roles, even featuring as a second striker at times for his club. At just 21 years of age, he has become an integral part of the England national team setup as well and only looks to be growing his influence at both club and national level. 

3. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United & Portugal) 

Bruno Fernandes is one of the most consistent players in world football. The Manchester United captain almost never misses any game for club and country and never stops running. While he might get a lot of hate for his whining and calling out fellow players on the pitch, Fernandes backs all this with performances. 

With an impressive weighted score of 0.277, Fernandes ranks 3rd on our list. The Portuguese has led his club to an FA Cup and EFL League Cup triumph, while winning the UEFA Nations League with his national side. While the Manchester United project has seen its highs and lows in recent years, Fernandes has remained ever consistent. He is definitely the club’s best signing ever since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. 

2. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen & Germany) 

Coming back strong from an ACL injury is one of the most difficult things in football. But Florian Wirtz has done exactly that, after tearing his left ACL on 13 March 2022 and nearly missing an entire year worth of football, Wirtz has returned stronger than ever before. 

After his return, he was the centrepiece of Bayer Leverkusen’s undefeated domestic season in 2023-24, winning the Bundesliga Player of the Season award in the process. At just 21 years of age, Wirtz is one of the best players in the German top flight and for his national team. Comfortable dribbling, assisting, scoring and on both feet, Wirtz is destined to be one of the best German footballers of all time and could take the top spot on this list in the coming years. 

1. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium) 

With a weighted score of an incredible 0.356, Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne tops our list. De Bruyne has shown his class year in and year out, becoming the centrepiece of Pep Guardiola’s dominance in English football. He has helped Man City win their first UEFA Champions League title, six Premier League titles and many Cup trophies. 

While Kevin De Bruyne has no trophies to show in his international football career so far, but his influence on club football has firmly established him as one of the greatest midfielders in history.