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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of Sportskeeda
Midfielders are the backbone of every team. They create goals, they score goals and they defend goals. They are the real artisans in the field. Some midfielders play defensive football, some play attacking football and some play both. The midfield players in world football are top notch and the overall talent is better than it has been for several years.
So here is the list of Top 5 Midfielders in Europe (Wingers are also included).
Trending
| Age | 28 |
| Nationality | Portugal |
| Club | Real Madrid C.F |
| Position | Left-winger |
Cristiano is one of the best players in world football right now, and the stats do the talking for him. He always favored the position in wide-midfield (wings) and he often switches position to play at both left and right wings. He is known for his fantastic dribbling and goal scoring ability. He often switches his position to play as a second striker in the match.
Cristiano’s Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Long Shots | Crosses |
| Free Kicks | Defensive Play |
| Key Passes | - |
| Aerial Ability | - |
| Pace | - |
Cristiano Ronlado’s contribution to Real Madrid has been vital since his move to the Spanish capital in 2009 for a world record transfer fee of around 80 million. Almost 38% of total goals scored by Real Madrid this season is scored by Ronaldo. He has made 5 assists in this season.
| Tournament | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Average PassesPer Game | Pass Successful% |
| La Liga | 27 | 27 | 05 | 32 | 77% |
| CL | 08 | 08 | 01 | 41 | 82% |
| Copa Del Rey | 04 | 06 | Nil | 30 | 80% |
| Total | 39 | 41 | 06 | 35 | 80% |
(Stats till 18 march 2013)
What makes Ronaldo special is the high number of goals which is divergent for someone who does not regularly play as an out-and-out striker.
2) Andrés Iniesta
| Age | 28 |
| Nationality | Spain |
| Club | FC Barcelona |
| Position | Attacking Midfielder (Right, Left, Center) |
Andres Iniesta is one of the most respected players in football history. He is known for his immense technique on the ball and amazing vision to create goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. He is capable of playing in center and both sides of the midfield.
Iniesta’s Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Passing | Crosses |
| Through Balls | Defensive Play |
| Holding Balls | Aerial ability |
| Dribbling | Tackling |
| Finishing | - |
Iniesta has been vital for Barcelona for many years. In the 2012-13 season, he hasn’t been in top form compared to the previous seasons. He is considered to be the third best player after Cristiano ronaldo and Lionel messi. He went on to win UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for the 2011–2012 season. In the same year, Iniesta was selected as the UEFA Champions League Best Player for 2011-2012. He was also awarded IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker for 2012
| Tournament | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Average PassesPer Game | Pass Successful% |
| La Liga | 22 | 03 | 13 | 73 | 90.8% |
| CL | 06 | 01 | 01 | 97 | 90.9% |
| Copa Del Rey | 04 | 02 | Nil | 90 | 92% |
| Total | 32 | 6 | 14 | 87 | 91.3% |
(Stats till 18 march 2013)
3) Franck Ribery
| Age | 29 |
| Nationality | France |
| Club | FC Bayern Munich |
| Position | Attacking Midfielder (Left) |
‘Jewel of French football’, Franck Ribery has been considered as one of the best midfielders in the world. He is recognized as one of the best French players of the generation and he is one of the best attacking midfielder in the game.
Ribery’s Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strength | Weaknesses |
| Passing | Recovery runs |
| Through Balls | Defensive Play |
| Holding Balls | Aerial ability |
| Dribbling | - |
| Crossing | - |
He generally plays as a winger and he likes to cut inside through the defenders and often likes to do layoffs. He prefers to play on the left side and he recently said ‘My pace is in the left’. Ribery has made vital contributions for Bayern’s unstoppable form this season.
| Tournament | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Average PassesPer Game | Pass Successful% |
| Bundesliga | 20 | 06 | 09 | 60 | 87.8% |
| CL | 06 | 01 | 01 | 39 | 84.9% |
| DFB Pokal | 02 | 00 | 02 | 48 | 88% |
| Total | 28 | 07 | 12 | 49 | 86.86% |
4) Xavi
| Age | 33 |
| Nationality | Spain |
| Club | FC Barcelona |
| Position | Midfielder (Center) |
Xavi is considered as one of the finest playmakers in the history of world football. He was an integral part of the sextuple-winning Barcelona side in 2009 (When Barcelona has achieved six titles in a year). He is known for his accurate passing and creative vision.
Xavi’s Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strength | Weaknesses |
| Long Shots | Aerial ability |
| Passing | Tackling |
| Key Passes | - |
| Dribbling | - |
| Direct free kicks | - |
Xavi is a Barcelona youth (La Masia) product. He joined Barcelona’s youth team at the age of 11. He has been an important part of the Barcelona and the Spanish international side for many years. Xavi has won all major club and national championship titles, except for an Olympic gold medal.
He has been an integral part for Barcelona since his debut, he has played 697 matches, scored 78 goals and made more than 180 assists for over 50 players.
| Tournament | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Average PassesPer Game | Pass Successful% |
| La Liga | 19 | 05 | 05 | 99 | 95% |
| CL | 07 | 00 | 04 | 144 | 94% |
| Copa Del Rey | 03 | 00 | 00 | 98 | 94% |
| Total | 29 | 05 | 09 | 113.6 | 94.3% |
5) David Silva
| Age | 27 |
| Nationality | Spain |
| Club | Manchester City |
| Position | Attacking Midfielder (Right, Left, Center) |
Another Spaniard in the list, he is the fifth best playmaker in the list. The physicality of the Premier League didn’t suit him, after his move from Valencia in 2010, but after a very slow start, eventually he became the best playmaker in England.
Silva’s Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strength | Weaknesses |
| Holding the ball | Aerial ability (not much) |
| Passing | - |
| Key Passes | - |
| Set pieces | - |
| Through balls | - |
Silva, at the age of 20, became a part of the Spanish international team and since then, he has made more than 70 appearances for Spain and scored 18 goals. After joining Manchester city, he has been an integral part of the team and made more than 100 appearances in two seasons.
| Tournament | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Average PassesPer Game | Pass Successful% |
| Premier League | 24 | 03 | 07 | 58 | 85% |
| CL | 03 | 00 | 00 | 54 | 88% |
| FA Cup | 01 | 01 | 00 | 58 | 84% |
| Total | 28 | 04 | 07 | 56.6 | 88.6% |
There are many players who missed out of the list and I would like to mention some names. The players who missed out from the list are :
(In no specific order)
- Mesut Ozil (Just missed the list)- Cesc Fabregas - Andrea Pirlo- Yaya Toure- Xabi Alonso- Luka Modric- Arjen Robben- Frank Lampard- Steven Gerrard- Hazard- Juan Mata
Don’t agree to the list? Then please comment with the names of players you think should be added to the list.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of Sportskeeda
