Best Midfielders in Football 2020
Midfield is an integral part which can be regarded as the heart and soul of a football team. The efficient midfield casts a vital balance between attack and defense and uplifts a pivotal role in the overall success of a football club. While the strikers bag all the headlines for scoring goals, the midfielders are the ones who set the platform for them to earn the plaudits.
The football fraternity has been graced by a plethora of legendary midfielders like Steven Gerrard, Pirlo, Xavi, Pires, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Scholes, Claude Makelele, Patrik Vieira, Frank Rijkaard, Roy Keane and many more.
Midfielders can pile their trades in various roles. One can form a blanket for the defense and work as a defensive midfielder. While there are many midfielders who are gifted with attacking flair.
On this very note, let’s take a look at the five best midfielders in the world at the moment.
#5 Fabinho
After a considerably stagnant start to life at the helm of Anfield Anfield, Fabinho seems to have finally come into his own and is now one of the first names on the team sheet.
The 26-year-old holding midfielder has an immense knack for breaking down opposition’s play and the Brazillian shields the defense perfectly. Having fitted in seamlessly in the starting eleven of the Anfield club, the Brazilian is thriving under German gaffer Jurgen Klopp.
He played a very integral role in the Reds’ Champions League triumph last season and has continued with rock-solid performances this season as well.
#4 Frenkie De Jong
Frenkie De Jong is surely one of the best midfielders in the world and has come through the ranks at Ajax in the Netherlands. De Jong first came to the attention of a wider audience when clips of him vacating his center-back position and fearlessly dribbling the ball upfield began to circulate online.
The Dutchman was soon moved into his midfield role by Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, just in time for the youngster to inspire the team to Eredivisie glory and a remarkable surge to the Champions League semi-finals last year
De Jong’s outstanding performances in 2018/19 were a reason for his highlight summer switch to Barcelona, where he’s immediately made his mark. An immense passer and intelligent mover, the 22-year-old’s standout attribute is his ability to beat the opposition press with some fancy footwork or a quick drop of the shoulder.
While, as he is still very young in age, a lot more could be expected from him at the helm of Camp Nou.
#3 Luka Modric
Luka Modric, the little magician from Croatia has been one of the best midfielders over the past decade and so. Though he had a rocky start at Spanish Giants Real Madrid, he quickly overcame the hurdle and is one of the first names on their team sheet now. Having established as a complete midfield maestro, he would go down as one of the best midfielders of the football world.
Modric won the prestigious ‘Golden Ball’ at the Russia World Cup 2018. Luka Modric was simply brilliant for his nation and pushed Croatia to their first-ever World Cup final.
He, along with German midfielder Toni Kroos, formed a formidable partnership at the heart of Real Madrid midfield and won numerous prestigious trophies.
For the completeness of his play and his immense consistency for club and country, Modric still being 34, is one of the best midfielders in the world.
#2 N’golo Kante (Chelsea)
The ever-smiling N’Golo Kante is considered as the best defensive midfielder in the world right now.
The French star played a great role in his country’s World cup triumph in 2018.
The Frenchman is known for his relentless running attribute, outrageous tackling skills, selfless attitude, and the ability to find the back of the net by himself.
He was a driving force behind Leicester City’s title triumph in 2015-16 and won the Premier League the following year with Chelsea, making him a two-time Premier League winner and recording his name in the history books.
The 28-year-old has been superb in picking out Chelsea forwards and also has some memorable goals to his name. He was sidelined due to an injury in the early chunk of this season but has come back stronger and is showing the Blues what exactly they were missing out on. He has been a star name in Chelsea’s squad for the last 3-4 years and his market value has been constantly increasing.
#1 Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne tops the rank of this list and this won’t be a surprising thing many. He is arguably the most complete player in the world. He has a great attacking & creative flair while his distribution is world-class, without a shadow of a doubt.
The Belgian contributes to every phase of the game; he has the technical ability of a luxury player without being anything like a luxury. He’s the key man in a star-studded Manchester City XI, as demonstrated by a remarkable statistics in the Premier League this season.
De Bruyne had a stellar World Cup for Belgium and powered them to a 3rd place finish. His best game came against Brazil where he scored a screamer from a long-range.
He caught the eye of the football fraternity after a blockbuster campaign with Manchester City in 2017-18 and is one of the first names in City’s squad.
