Know your hockey stars: Top 5 midfielders in the Hockey World League Finals

Sardara is probably one of the best midfielders aroundThe World Hockey League finals started on November 27th and are on in full flow at Raipur. This is the final leg of the competition, which is played over two years and features the top eight teams in the world. The tournament is the most prestigious of this calendar year and the winners will have supreme bragging rights.Needless to say, these hockey heavyweights feature some of the brightest current hockey talent and those who will be remembered as legends of the game. Midfielders are the pivot of the team and probably the most influential towards rise and fall of a team, they connect the defence with the attack through their pin-point passes and fall back to help the team’s defensive line as well.Here we take a look at 5 best midfielders playing in the Hockey World League finals.

#5 Robert van der Horst (The Netherlands)

Van der Horst, the Dutch captain has played 214 official games for the Dutch hockey team so far.

His international senior debut came against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy in Lahore, Pakistan. Horst has been part of the national probables since.

He played for the team that competed at the 2012 London Olympics and won the silver medal in the tournament. He was also part of the team which lost to Australia in 2014 Hockey World Cup final.

#4 Nicholas Catlin (Great Britian)

Nicholas Catlin is considered as the best British hockey player. He has played 168 matches for the island nation and was part of the GB National team in the 2012 London Olympics.

Hes a highly intelligent bloke. Hes a lively character on the pitch and he plays with his heart on the sleeve. We want to maximise his performances and not let him get carried away with his emotions, Britains coach Bobby Crutchley said about him.

The 26-year old has played for Holcombe, Royal Racing and Reading at club level.

#3 Sardara Singh (India)

Sardara Singh has been the poster boy of the Indian hockey for a while. He is the youngest ever player to captain the national hockey team when he led India to the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in 2008 at just 22 years of age.

He won the silver medals at the Commonwealth games in 2010 and 2014. He has played 227 matches for the nation after making his debut back in 2006. He also helped the Indian team to the winners podium in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

For his immense service to the sport, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015.

#2 Eddie Ockenden (Australia)

Ockenden has been a mainstay in the Kookaburra team since his debut in 2006. Just a couple of years later he was named World Young Player of the Year in 2008 after he led Australia to the gold medal in the Champions Trophy.

The midfielder has played 256 matches for his country, including winning the 2010 World Cup and 2014 World Cup. He also won the bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and then at the 2012 London Olympics.

After winning gold with a standout performance at the World Cup, Ockenden’s hard work was rewarded with the Kookaburras’ Player of the World Cup award.

#1 Moritz Frste (Germany)

Moritz Furste, the German midfielder is one of the most established players in the German hockey team. He has amassed a total of 263 caps for his country and has won several accolades along the way.

He was part of the German team that won the gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics, and the 2006 hockey World Cup which was played in Germany itself. He was named the Euro Hockey League's Most Valuable Player in the 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 seasons.

After leading his team to the winners podium at 2011 Euro Championships, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. He was also named by IHF as the World Player of the year in 2012.

Edited by Staff Editor