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Spain is home to some of the best midfielders in the world. Spanish midfielders have earned quite a reputation for themselves for being technically proficient. The midfield battles in the La Liga need a lot more than just physical superiority to dominate the opposition.
Midfielders like Xavi and Iniesta are examples of complete midfielders who helped the Barcelona team eviscerate all their oppositions in one of the best periods in the club's history. Even today, the Spain international team has no dearth of quality in midfield.
Players like David Silva, Thiago Alcantara, Sergio Busquets and Isco are some of the best midfielders in the world at the moment and are expected to light up the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
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Spanish teams, particularly in the La Liga, are reliant on their midfielders to work their magic so as to enable the team to exert dominance on the field. On that note, let's take a look at the 5 best playmakers in La Liga right now.
#5 Pablo Fornals- Villarreal
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder from Villarreal has gone under the radar even though he has been immense for Villarreal and has been one of their key players in a rather successful campaign where they finished 5th on the table.
Fornals joined from Malaga last summer after paying his own release clause. However, things were not as easy as they had seemed at first. It took him a while to get into his stride but once Javier Calleja as appointed as the coach, he has not looked back.
The former Malaga midfielder loves playing in a no.10 position and his distribution skills help Villarreal use the width available on the pitch to great effect. He also has the ability to play well-weighted incisive through balls and split defences open.
One of Fornals' best qualities is his doggedness. He drops deep to win the ball back and is a tenacious figure in the middle of the park. Even though he is only 178 cms tall, Fornals is capable of coming out on top in aerial duels more often than not.
Fornals finished the season with 3 goals and 12 assists in the La Liga. He is tied at the top of the La Liga assist table with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez and he deserves his place in the elite company.
#4 Isco- Real Madrid
It's a pity that Isco started only 21 games in the La Liga this past season. In any other club, he would have walked into the first team and been a feature throughout the season. But owing to the fact that Real Madrid have Toni Kroos and Modric, Isco is not really Zizou's first-choice midfielder.
However, when he is deployed at the tip of the diamond in midfield, he has showcased his unbridled talent. Isco is a wizard with the ball at his feet and he dances past oppositions like a gazelle.
Though he only started 21 games, Isco still garnered 7 goals and 7 assists. He also has a successful pass completion rate of 88%. Let's not forget that he plays as an attacking midfielder where space is at a premium.
He is one of the best creative playmakers in the game and has the ability to play some lethal defence-splitting through balls in the final third. Real Madrid are lucky to have such a talented player in their squad despite the amount of game-time he gets.
#3 Toni Kroos- Real Madrid
The greatest bargain in Real Madrid's transfer history, Toni Kroos is a magician and has been one of the most influential figures in Los Blancos' journey towards winning 3 Champions League titles in a row.
Nobody pulls the strings from midfield with the efficiency of the German. He is as calming a presence on the ball as any and dictates the tempo of the game with his languid elegance. In fact, Kroos hardly ever makes errors and has a penchant for delivering in the big games.
He has only 7 assists to his name this season but it should be noted that Kroos' contributions are not reflected in figures. He can upend defences at the blink of an eye with precise through balls and is quite often the spark that sets Real Madrid off to dominate games.
He has a pass success rate of 93% in the La Liga and for a player who plays in the league with some extremely gifted midfielders, that is an astounding stat.
#2 Andres Iniesta- FC Barcelona
It breaks my heart that Don Andres will not be running around the Camp Nou tearing oppositions to shreds from next season. He has been one of the greatest midfielders we have had the privilege of watching and boy, what a treat it has been!
Barcelona's system is such that Iniesta's numbers have never really been staggering. Well, that's what happens when you play ping pong and destroy the opposition's will to play even inside their penalty box. But Iniesta's artistry can never be understated.
He can weave his way past defenders with the grace of a ballerina and even if 3 or 4 defenders are on him, he'll slalom out of cul de sacs and emerge unscathed.
Iniesta is one of the best passers of the ball as well and Lionel Messi has famously said that whenever he feels pressure, he looks to Andres Iniesta and asks him to play closer to him. This is perhaps the greatest compliment that Iniesta can get right now.
Iniesta will always be remembered as one of the greatest midfielders to ever grace the game and nobody will have any problems with that.
#1 Luka Modric- Real Madrid
Luka Modric is more of an artist than he is a footballer. The diminutive Croat might be small in size but the destruction he can subject oppositions to is pretty incredibly huge. Modric is an absolute treat to watch on the football pitch. He can do decoy runs and ghost past opposition defenders like they don't exist.
Modric has a wide array of passes in his arsenal and never finds himself in an awkward position in the pitch. He was severely criticized in his debut year and was even referred to as the worst signing Madrid has made in years.
However, he went on to prove his critics wrong and is one of the most vital cogs in a star-studded Real Madrid side. Modric's dribbling skills are almost at par with that of Iniesta's and his eye for a pass is a rare gift.
Modric provided 6 assists in the La Liga but his contributions as a playmaker is evidenced by Madrid's successful UEFA Champions League campaign. Kroos and Modric are perhaps the best playmaking midfield duo in the world at the moment and it is obvious that the two individuals are two of the most gifted players plying their trade in the La Liga right now.
