Ranking the 10 best central midfielders in the world: Vitinha, Rice, Modric…
Think of one of the top teams in Europe and one or more of their midfielders probably features on our list of the 10 best midfield players in the world currently.
Unsurprisingly, Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain have three players on the list, with one from runners-up Inter Milan, and one each from semi-finalists Arsenal and Barcelona.
This isn’t just a ranking of the top 10 midfielders around, as we’re classing defensive midfielders (Rodri, Moises Caicedo, Martin Zubimendi) and playmakers (Martin Odegaard, Florian Wirtz, Cole Palmer) as distinct from this lot. More on those another time.
Without further ado, here’s our ranking of the top 10 centre-mids in world football.
1. Vitinha
Five years ago, Vitinha was struggling to get into the Wolves side. A year after that, he made a big move to PSG, and a few years on, he won a treble with the French side.
His starring role in the achievement, which included PSG’s first-ever Champions League title, saw Vitinha voted the third best player in world football for the Ballon d’Or.
Only attackers were ahead of him, officially making him the best midfielder in the world, and he’s maintained consistent performances this season.
2. Pedri
Pedri came 11th in Ballon d’Or voting, but that felt incredibly harsh to us. Just watch the Spanish magician run a game, as Newcastle United fans bowled over at St. James’ Park did the other week.
He has two goals and an assist to his name this season, but as with Xavi and Iniesta before him, you do his game a disservice if you focus solely on the numbers – his passing and ball-carrying abilities are off the scale.
3. Declan Rice
Rice’s transformation from a holding midfielder to a more dynamic, box-to-box attacking threat at Arsenal has catapulted him towards the summit of the world’s midfielders.
Last season, he scored nine goals – including a pair of sublime free-kicks against Real Madrid – and assisted 10 more.
He’s directly contributed to four Premier League goals this term, helping to push Arsenal to the top of the Premier League.
4. Fabian Ruiz
Like Vitinha, Ruiz was a vital cog in PSG’s Champions League triumph, while he was also part of Spain’s Euros-winning side in 2024.
He was directly involved in four goals as PSG reached the Club World Cup final in the summer, and has followed that up with three direct goal contributions this term.
5. Joao Neves
The third of PSG’s midfield trio to be included in this list, Neves was in the top 20 for Ballon d’Or voting after his role in the historic treble for his side.
He also played his part in both the semi-final and final of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League triumph in the summer.
In terms of pass completion among midfielders in top-five European leagues in the past year, Neves ranks in the 97th percentile, and given his main function is distribution, he’s doing his job very well.
6. Bruno Guimaraes
A regular for Newcastle – helping them back into the Champions League this season – and Brazil, Guimaraes is clearly a very competent midfielder.
In his last four games for Brazil, the midfielder has a goal and two assists to his name, and so far this season for Newcastle, Guimaraes has two goals and three assists – following on from five goals and eight assists last term.
7. Scott McTominay
Criminally under-utilised at Manchester United, McTominay moved to Napoli in 2024 and ended the season as the Serie A player of the year.
He helped Napoli win the league, with 13 goals and six assists to his name. McTominay has a goal and an assist so far this term from the centre of midfield.
8. Nicolo Barella
Last season for Inter Milan, Barella scored three goals and assisted eight. Two of those assists came in the Champions League, as Inter made the final.
Barella has not failed to assist at least six goals in a full league season since 2019-20. The Italian is on two assists so far this term, as well as one goal.
9. Luka Modric
At 40 years old and playing for a new club, in AC Milan, Modric is still performing.
In his first two league games for Milan, Modric scored and assisted, and has played a consistent role despite continuing long beyond most mere mortals hang up their boots.
Last season – his last with Real Madrid – the Croatian midfielder scored four goals and assisted nine more, proving he’s still a phenomenal asset at the very top level.
10. Alexis Mac Allister
Mac Allister was a vital part of Liverpool’s Premier League title win in 2024-25, scoring five goals and assisting five more in 35 games.
That earned him 22nd spot for the Ballon d’Or, but he’s struggled to replicate his impact so far this season.
That said, he could get back in form at any moment. He’s clearly way too talented a footballer to think this current form is anything but a blip.
READ MORE: Ranking the 10 best centre-backs in world football: Van Dijk, Gabriel, Bastoni…
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