30 Greatest Midfielders in Football History [Ranked]

· GiveMeSport

From Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard to Barcelona icon Xavi, the best midfielders to ever play football have been ranked.

The role of a midfielder is arguably one of the hardest jobs in football as it encompasses so many different things. You have to be able to pass and have a vision of your entire surroundings. An engine is an absolute must, particularly if you are operating as a box-to-box player.

Some have made a living off scoring from deep and carving open defences with ease. Others are more defensive minded, sitting in front of the back four and sweeping up any danger. Midfielders are a unique breed, but that doesn't stop fans and analysts trying to compare them to one another.

With that in mind, GIVEMESPORT has attempted the gargantuan task of ranking all midfielders in football history. From World Cup to Ballon d'Or winners, these 30 men are the absolute cream of the crop when it comes to the engine room based on some key factors.

With so many talented names, there will be several who will feel aggrieved not to have found their way into the top 20. Michael Laudrup makes the top 26, having been Andres Iniesta's favourite player growing up (more on the Spaniard later). Roy Keane, Sergio Busquets, and N'Golo Kante all played deep-lying roles but in very different ways. They, too, make the cut, alongside Spanish midfielder Luis Suárez, who won the Ballon d'Or in 1960.

2024 Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup-winning captain Rodri just misses out on the top 20, but he may break into that coveted group over time. His former teammate, Kevin De Bruyne , is close behind him. The pair were crucial to the dominance of Manchester City over the past decade.

Besides Rodri, Spain is well represented in the top 30 with former Liverpool and Real Madrid favourite Xabi Alonso making the grade. His class and passing range have helped him to endure in the pantheon of great midfielders. And what would a great midfielders list be without a bit of Dutch Total Football ? Just inside the top 30 are two of the Netherlands' greatest exports, Frank Rijkaard and Johan Neeskens.

Greatest Midfielders in Football History

- 30: Frank Rijkaard, Netherlands, Ajax, AC Milan - 29: Johan Neeskens, Netherlands, Ajax, Barcelona, New York Cosmos - 28: Xabi Alonso, Spain, Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich - 27: Michael Laudrup, Denmark, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid - 26: Roy Keane, Ireland, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Celtic - 25: Sergio Busquets, Spain, Barcelona, Inter Miami - 24: N'Golo Kante, France, Leicester City, Chelsea, Al Ittihad, Fenerbahçe - 23: Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium, Chelsea, Manchester City, Napoli - 22: Luis Suárez, Spain, Barcelona, Inter Milan - 21: Rodri, Spain, Villareal, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona

Frank Lampard stands as Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer with 211 goals, surpassing all the club's great strikers despite playing in midfield. As well as scoring regularly, making him the only midfielder in the Premier League’s top 10 all-time scorers, Lampard's durability has earned him plaudits. He holds the outfield record for most consecutive Premier League starts (164).

Among his greatest accolades are three Premier League titles , four FA Cups , and the 2012 Champions League . Individually, he placed second for the 2005 Ballon d'Or.

There's a reason they call it the "Makelele role." The metronomic midfielder revolutionised the defensive midfield anchor role, building his legacy across almost 900 appearances for club and country. He famously shielded Chelsea's 2004–05 Premier League-winning defence, which conceded a record-low 15 goals . Claude Makelele is in possession of an impressive trophy case, with 15 major honours, including the 2002 Champions League and two La Liga titles with Real Madrid, alongside two Premier League titles with Chelsea.

Time stood still for the Italian playmaker, such was his ability to control the pace of matches. Nicknamed "The Architect", Andrea Pirlo earned admirers across football for his vision, passion, and set-piece mastery. Pirlo recorded over 100 assists in Serie A, and holds the joint record for most free kick goals in the Italian top flight alongside Siniša Mihajlović (28).

Pirlo won two Champions League trophies and two Serie A titles with AC Milan before securing four consecutive Scudetti at Juventus. Internationally, he orchestrated Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph , winning three Man of the Match awards at the tournament.

Patrick Vieira had everything a manager could want out of a midfielder. Strength, box-to-box stamina, physicality, and leadership. The Frenchman's career is littered with trophies and triumphs, having secured three Premier League titles and four FA Cups with Arsenal. He also later won four Serie A titles with Inter Milan. Internationally, Vieira won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France.

In 2001, he was named Premier League Player of the Season , and he earned a spot in the PFA Team of the Year six consecutive times. But his most impressive feat has to be captaining Arsenal's iconic "Invincibles" during their unbeaten 2003–04 season. It remains an unmatched feat in the Premier League.

A pass master and a visionary midfielder, Paul Scholes is often viewed as a midfielder's favourite midfielder. The Englishman could pass and score, but he impressed with his ability to control games from midfield, standing out in a golden generation of Manchester United players.

He spent his entire career at Old Trafford, making 718 appearances and scoring 155 goals across all competitions. A core member of the "Class of '92," Scholes won an astonishing 11 Premier League titles , two Champions Leagues , and three FA Cups , ending his career with 25 major trophies . Internationally, he earned 66 caps for England. Highly revered by his peers, Scholes was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022 .

One of the great Dutch midfielders of his era, Clarence Seedorf played for some of the biggest clubs in world football, not least Real Madrid and the two Milan clubs.

After bursting onto the scene in his native Netherlands with Ajax, Seedorf truly settled and blossomed into the world-class star that he was while at Milan, where he would win the Champions League under Carlo Ancelotti's tutelage. A capable passer who can thread the ball behind opposition defences with ease, Seedorf was as technically great as they come.

One of the best passers of the modern generation, Toni Kroos established himself as a leading midfielder at Bayern Munich before really putting his stamp on things while at Real Madrid.

Kroos was instrumental in the Spanish side's dominance in the Champions League, and his role alongside Luka Modrić and Casemiro as part of the Madrid trio under Carlo Ancelotti made it virtually impossible for teams to get the ball off them. Kroos takes his place on this list deservedly so for even achieving the number of trophies that he did.

One of the most iconic figures in English football, Steven Gerrard, led Liverpool to the Champions League by inspiring them to a dramatic comeback against Milan in the final at Istanbul . Gerrard was the driving force of the Reds for a number of years, going from a box-to-box midfielder and goalscorer, to someone who could sit deep and dictate the play too.

While Gerrard couldn't quite get his boyhood club to a Premier League title in his time there, there's no questioning he is up there as the greatest players in Liverpool history, which says a lot given the sheer incredible number of players who have turned out for the Merseyside club.

At a time when skill and individual flair were valued, perhaps nobody encapsulated and embodied that free spirit more than Kaka . A prodigious talent who was virtually unshakeable on the ball, the Milan star was the archetypal number 10: a supreme dribbler, goalscorer and gifted passer.

Everything that was great about Milan during the mid-to-late 2000s came via their talented Brazilian, and while a move to Real Madrid later on didn't quite pan out the way he would have no doubt wanted, he more than established himself as a world great while at the San Siro.

If you talk about passing and the best passers of a ball to have ever lived, then Xavi's name quite rightfully is up there with the very best. The Barcelona legend embodied the tiki-taka spirit that dominated world football for a number of years, and alongside the likes of Xavi and Sergio Busquets, created one of the best midfield trios the game has ever seen.

Xavi was simply a metronome in midfield, capable of ticking things over when needed and then speeding it up where necessary too. A genuine tempo-setter and press-resistant as they come, Xavi's place on this greatest midfielders list is fully deserving.

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