Top 4 most valuable midfielders in the world right now

Midfielders have always been very important in football. They control the tempo of the game and on many occasions determine how well the team goes on to play. Midfielders are generally good passers and dribblers of the ball and are also good at shooting. The best midfielders have very good vision and sense of timing that helps them find their strikers who then score goals.

We are lucky to witness some of the best midfielders football has ever seen. Yet, in this list, we only look at the top four most valuable midfielders and what makes them so valuable and crucial to the team. So here we go!

Note: All the Market Values have been taken from www.transfermarkt.com. Also, this list does not include attacking midfielders and defensive midfielders.

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#4 Koke, Marco Verratti and Saul Niguez (70 Million Euros)

At #4, we have a tie between three brilliant players, namely Koke, Verratti and Saul. All of these three players have their own strengths and weaknesses and yet all of them are valued at €70 million euros. While as per the market values, Koke, Verratti and Saul are equally valuable, a judgement about who is better can be made based on their respective performances for their clubs last season.

Koke

The Spanish international and Atletico’s creator-in-chief Koke is an exquisite passer of the ball and an expert at taking set-pieces. In fact, Koke’s game does not seem to have any significant weakness in it.

Stats: In the 2017-18 season, Koke scored 3 goals in 31 matches having created 47 chances for his team. Koke had a shot accuracy of 63% and pass accuracy of 85%. On an average, he was involved in 2 defensive actions per game.

At 26, Koke is expected to keep up his performances for at least 3-4 years.

Verratti is one of the best players that Italy have right now.

Marco Verratti

The PSG man is believed to be a player of immense potential. Many have argued that Verratti hasn’t been trained and nurtured properly and is still nowhere close to the level he can be at. The Italian, like Koke, is a great passer of the ball. He is also good at dribbling. However, his height is a disadvantage and his lack of discipline has gotten him into trouble on many occasions.

Stats: Well, in 22 matches for PSG, Verratti scored 0 goals creating only 28 chances. He had a terrible shot accuracy of 14% but made up for it with a good pass accuracy of 91%. Like Koke, on an average, he was involved in 2 defensive actions per game.

As the stats show, Verratti had a poor season. Being only 25, he still has time to overcome his weaknesses and perform better.

At 23, Saul is already one of the most valuable midfielders in the game.

Saul Niguez

Saul is only 23 years old and is already one of the most valuable midfielders in football. What makes Saul a special midfielder is that he is very strong at tackling and contributes a lot to the team defensively. The Spaniard is weak at crossing the ball and often loses concentration during the game. However, age is on his side.

Stats: Saul arguably has had a better season than Koke and Verratti. In a total of 33 matches he has scored 2 goals and created 20 chances. Saul has had a shot accuracy of 25% and pass accuracy of 83%. He has been involved in 4 defensive actions per game, making him a special midfielder.

Kroos scored a great goal against Sweden in the world cup.

#3 Toni Kroos (80 Million Euros)

A few people may be surprised to see Kroos at number 3 on this list. The way he has been playing, he should surely have topped this list. In fact, many have gone on to say that the Real Madrid man is one of the contenders for the Ballon d’Or. He was one of the few players who had a decent World Cup for Germany. Unfortunately, he could not prevent Germany from an early group stage exit.

Stats: In the 2017-18 season, Kroos scored 4 goals in 23 matches having created a total of 56 chances for Real Madrid in La Liga. He had a shot accuracy of 54% and pass accuracy of 93% (one of the best). He was involved in 1 defensive action on an average per game.

Pogba was a key member of the France team that won the world cup.

#2 Paul Pogba (90 Million Euros)

The World Cup winner is actually the joint most valuable midfielder in the world. Pogba is obviously not a surprise on the list. He is one of the most talented midfielders in world football right now and certainly deserves to be as highly rated as he is.

Stats: In the EPL, Pogba scored 6 goals and created 35 chances for Manchester United in a total of 27 appearances. He had a shot accuracy of 38%, pass accuracy of 85% and was involved in 2 defensive actions per game. Pogba is one of the best dribblers in world football right now. His only considerable weakness at present is his inconsistency.

Pogba is only 25 years old and is already one of the best. It will be interesting to see if Pogba can maintain or increase his market value in the future.

Savic is the most valuable midfielder in the world right now.

#1 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (90 million Euros)

I bet no one would have expected Savic to be the joint most valuable midfielder in the world. He is a rather unheard name in comparison to all the other players on this list. At only 23, the Lazio man is living a life many can only dream of, and it is only a matter of time before Savic is lured by some big club in Europe.

Stats: Savic scored 10 goals and created 45 chances in 31 matches for Lazio. He probably has the best stats on this list. He had a phenomenal 2017-18 season, having a shot accuracy of 55% and pass accuracy of 81%. He was involved in 2 defensive actions per game.

Credits: Squawka