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Football is a sport that is always evolving. Football has become much more technical and physical over the last two decades. Gone are the days where a player could make it to the top level just by working hard and showing a lot of heart.
Attackers can no longer be out and out goal-scorers and defenders cannot just be fighters and warriors. Attackers are expected to have speed, strength, flair, dribbling, and vision in their game along with a goal-scoring touch, whilst defenders are now expected to be ball-players so that they may be able to orchestrate attacks from the defence.
The one position that has seamlessly adapted and evolved over time, to suit any generations or style of football, is the centre attacking midfield position.
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Players who play in attacking midfield are expected to have magic in their boots. The central attacking midfielder of a team is expected to do things on a football field that others only dream off. Much of a football team's attack revolves around their attacking midfielders.
A centre attacking midfielder is a surgeon. They pick intricate passes, unlock defences, see things that other players cannot, provide the finishing touch when required and most importantly, bring the rest of their teammates into the game.
As football has evolved, the role of an attacking midfielder in a football team has remained the same. On that note, here are 10 of the greatest attacking midfielder of all time.
#10 Michael Laudrup
The current generation of football fans might remember Michael Laudrup for his time as the manager of Swansea, but during his playing days, he was considered to be one of the greatest players of his generation.
During a 17-year playing career, Laudrup won league titles with Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus whilst playing mainly as an attacking midfielder.
Laudrup was a member of Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team" at Barcelona, where he won nine trophies including four successive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994 and the European Cup in 1992.
The Dane was voted as the Best Foreign Player in Spanish Football in 1999 for the preceding 25-year period. In November 2003, Laudrup was voted as the Golden Player of Denmark by the Danish Football Union and is widely regarded as their best player of the past 50 years.
Laudrup was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. He is even considered by some to be the best Scandinavian footballer of all time, ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
#9 Thomas Muller
Thomas Muller is arguably one of the most underrated players of his generation. Muller has spent 12 seasons at Bayern Munich, during which he has helped the club win two trebles, nine Bundesligas, six DFB Pokals, and five DFL Supercups.
The German scored 23 goals in the 2012–13 season as Bayern won a historic treble; the league title, cup, and Champions League. He broke the Bundesliga record for assists by providing 21 in a season at the age of 31.
Muller is also a World Cup Golden Boot winner and played an integral role in leading Germany to their 2014 World Cup triumph, in which he won the Silver Ball.
The inclusion of Thomas Muller may come as a surprise to most, but his longevity and consistency for Bayern Munich and the German national side, which has coincided with the continuous success of both teams, must not be forgotten.
#8 Kaka
Kaka is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation. The Brazilian is one of eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.
In his six-year stint at AC Milan, Kaká lead Milan to a runners up finish in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, as he finished the season as the top assist provider of the tournament and won the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year award.
Kaka then led Milan to win the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final and was the tournament's top goal scorer. His outstanding performances that year performances saw him win the FIFA World Player of the Year, the 2007 Ballon d'Or and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.
Kaka's career fizzled out after his big-money transfer to Real Madrid in 2009 due to a series of recurring injuries, but the Brazilian dominated world football for the best part of three years before the emergence of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His contributions to AC Milan and the Brazilian national team will always be remembered.
#7 Rivaldo
Rivaldo played majority of his career as a central attacking midfielder or as a second striker. The Brazilian won several trophies with the Catalan club and scored 130 goals for Barcelona.
Rivaldo's three goals against Valencia in June 2001 helped Barcelona qualify for the Champions League. His last goal on the night was a last-minute 20-yard bicycle kick winner, which is often regarded as one of the finest goals of all time to complete a hat-trick.
Rivaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 1999 and was named FIFA World Player of the Year. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
The Brazilian had a brilliant career for his country and finished as his the Selecao's seventh-highest goal-scorer with 35 goals. Rivaldo lead his country to the 1998 World Cup finals, 1999 Copa America triumph where he was award the best player of the tournament award, and the 2002 World Cup triumph where he formed a formidable front trio with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
#6 Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti is the embodiment of a 'one-club man". The Italian spent his astonishing 25-year career at Roma where he won a Serie A title, two Coppa Italia titles, and two Italian Super Cups. Totti was a creative playmaker who was known for his vision, skill, and goal-scoring prowess.
He is the second-highest scorer of all time in Italian league history with 250 goals and is the sixth-highest scoring Italian in all competitions with 316 goals. Totti is also a FIFA World Cup winner and UEFA Euro with Italy and was also selected in the All-Star team for both tournaments.
Totti won a record eleven Oscar del Calcio awards from the Italian Footballers' Association: five Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year awards, two Serie A Footballer of the Year awards, two Serie A Goal of the Year awards, one Serie A Goalscorer of the Year award, and one Serie A Young Footballer of the Year award.
The legendary attacker also won the 2007 European Golden Shoe and the 2010 Golden Foot. Totti was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the world's greatest living players as selected by Pelé, in 2004.
#5 Michel Platini
Most football fans of the current generations will know Michel Platini as the former UEFA president who got caught in corruption scandals, but during his playing career, he was regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in 1983, 1984 and 1985, and came seventh in the FIFA Player of the Century vote. He was a key player of the France national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top scorer and best player.
The Frenchman spent his entire career playing as an attacking midfielder. Despite his more central position on the football pitch, Platini was a prolific goalscorer, scoring 224 goals in 432 games throughout his career.
He won the Serie A capocannoniere award three consecutive times between 1983 and 1985 and was the top scorer of Juventus' 1984–85 European Cup-winning campaign.
Platini undoubtedly changed the face of French Football and was a national hero during his playing days. France are now a superpower and the reigning World Cup champions, but they owe a lot of their history and success to the influence of the legendary midfielder.
#4 Ronaldinho
Some players just take your breath away. Once in a generation, football fans are treated to a player who defies all odds, knowledge, and changes the way in which the beautiful game is seen. Ronaldinho was that player.
The Brazilian shook the world and mesmerized opponents with his tricks, dribbling, speed, vision and flamboyance. Ronaldinho's gameplay undoubtedly helped give birth to some of the current greats of the modern game such as Lionel Messi and Neymar. Therefore, such a player deserves a high ranking on this list of top 10 centre attacking midfielders of all time.
The Brazilian won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards (in 2004 and 2005) and a Ballon d'Or in 2005. At the international stage, Ronaldinho played 97 matches for the Brazil national team, scoring 33 goals and representing his country in two FIFA World Cups. He was an integral part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning team in Korea and Japan.
The awards and trophies that Ronaldinho won are a very small part of his legacy. Fans will never forget his performance at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he received a standing ovation from the Real Madrid fans, or his samba chip into the bottom corner against Chelsea in the Champions League.
#3 Johan Cruyff
As a player, Johan Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or three times in 1971, 1973, and 1974. Cruyff was a proponent of the football philosophy known as Total Football and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history.
He single-handedly helped Dutch football rise from obscurity to become a powerhouse in the beautiful game. Cruyff led the Netherlands to the final of the 1974 FIFA World Cup and received the Golden Ball for his exploits that year.
During the 1974 World Cup final, Cruyff executed a feint that subsequently was named after him. The "Cruyff Turn" is one of the most iconic moves in world football and is replicated in the modern game by several players.
Cruyff started his career at Ajax, where he won eight Eredivisie titles, three European Cups, and one Intercontinental Cup. He moved to Barcelona in 1973 for a world record transfer fee, helping the team win the La Liga trophy in his first season. The Dutchman was also named European Footballer of the Year for his performances at the Catalan club.
Cruyff's impact on modern football, much like Ronaldinho's, can never be measured by trophies or medals. He changed the way football was played and is one of the most important figures in the history of the game.
#2 Zinedine Zidane
When you have inspired a generation of footballers to play in the position you played, and copy the tricks you made your own, you know that you are one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Every time Zinedine Zidane played, it almost seemed unfair to the opposition, as he was just a cut above the rest. Greats of the game such as Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and more cite Zidane as the best player they have ever played against.
The Frenchman won many individual awards as a player, including being named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1998, 2000, and 2003, and winning the 1998 Ballon d'Or.
Zidane was capped 108 times by France. He won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, scoring twice in the final. This made Zidane a national hero in France and he received the Légion d'honneur in 1998. He won UEFA Euro 2000, and was named Player of the Tournament.
Zidane also received the Golden Ball for Player of the Tournament at the 2006 World Cup, as France finished runners up to Italy.
#1 Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award. Maradona played most of his career as an advanced playmaker and was instrumental in creating the No.10 role, a position that is so often seen in modern football.
The Argentine was the first player in football history to set the world record transfer fee twice, first when he transferred to Barcelona for a then-world record £5 million, and second, when he transferred to Napoli for another record fee of £6.9 million.
Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 World Cup in Mexico where he captained Argentina and led them to victory over West Germany in the final. He also won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player that year.
In the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over England. The first goal was an unpenalized handling foul known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal followed a 60 m dribble past five England players, later voted as the "Goal of the Century".
Maradona is regarded by most fans and players as one of the best players of all time along with the likes of Pele, Zidane, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His style of play inspired many generations of top footballers and helped put Argentinian football on the map.
