Top 10 centre-attacking midfielders of all time

#2 Zinedine Zidane

Semi-final Portugal v France - World Cup 2006

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.

In just 21 years of football – 17 as a player and 4 as a manager – Zinedine Zidane has won an incredible 25 trophies and an astonishing 107 personal accolades! He is still only 47-years old!A GOAT of this sport. pic.twitter.com/3kzy7lKiZl

— UtdArena (@utdarena) January 20, 2020

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.

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#1 Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona Argentina 1985

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.

We asked you to vote for your favourite World Cup '86 moment & you chose: Maradona's solo goal http://t.co/5QJF0pNXNK pic.twitter.com/59txMg9hoL

— Goal (@goal) March 17, 2014

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.