The 25 best central midfielders in world football - ranked

Defining a 'central midfielder' in this day and age is no easy task.

The dissipation of fixed positions and increased prominence of 'roles' or 'functions' mean these folk in the middle of the park are tasked with an array of duties.

Nevertheless, central midfielders are often the cornerstones of elite-level sides. They can do it all and come in a myriad of shapes, sizes and profiles.

All of that makes ranking the best 25 in the world incredibly tough, but here's our crack at doing exactly that as part of our 2023 Welcome to World Class series.

25. Pape Matar Sarr

Few expected Pape Matar Sarr to become quite as important to Tottenham as he has this season.

Only his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations forced him out of Ange Postecoglou's team. He could prove to be a big player for a long, long time.

24. Teun Koopmeiners

Teun Koopmeiners became one of the best players in Serie A last season thanks to a stunning ten league goals for Atalanta. He has already surpassed that feat this term.

Don't be shocked to see him playing for one of Europe's elite clubs very, very soon.

23. Curtis Jones

When a player is slowly introduced to the first team rather than arriving with a big transfer fee, they can go under the radar. That has been the case for Curtis Jones.

An increasing regular in Liverpool's starting XI, he produces some fine displays in Jurgen Klopp's midfield and deserves praise for it.

22. Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Certain players seem to age like fine wine and Henrikh Mkhitaryan is definitely one of them.

Having lost his way at Manchester United and Arsenal, Mkhitaryan headed to Italy and rebuilt himself at Roma. The move to Inter proved to be very smart, and despite being 35 years old, he plays almost every game and storms up and down the pitch.

21. Manuel Locatelli

Manuel Locatelli has been on the scene for a while now and goes under the radar as a very consistent performer with every part of midfield play in his locker.

The boyhood Bianconeri fan has played almost every game for Juventus this season and may get more plaudits if he was in a more attack-minded team.

20. Piotr Zielinski

Piotr Zielinski is one of the world's most underrated performers. He doesn't blow you away physically or even technically, but he's such a smart footballer who's produced consistently for Napoli since his arrival in 2016.

The Poland international has appeared in at least 35 Serie A games every season since his arrival, which is a testament to his availability and importance to Napoli. Zielinski was crucial in their Serie A title win in 2022/23 and upped his attacking output, scoring seven goals and getting 11 assists.

He looks set to take his undoubted quality to Inter on a free transfer in the summer.

19. Vitinha

Vitinha has come on leaps and bounds at PSG since he joined from FC Porto.

The Portuguese midfielder is so tidy on the ball and has been chipping in with a healthy number of goals this season.

18. Leon Goretzka

Leon Goretzka's transformation from lean and skinny to mean and mighty helped him morph into one of the world's most destructive midfielders.

The Germany international certainly isn't the cleanest of technicians but is incredibly effective at what he does. He times his runs into the box superbly, while he's an indefatigable runner out of possession.

Despite enduring a sticky campaign, there is no doubting Goretzka's quality.

17. Mateo Kovacic

If only this guy didn't pick up so many injuries. Mateo Kovacic is a wonderful player to watch and came into his own at Chelsea following an indifferent start under Maurizio Sarri.

The Croatian is one of the most proficient ball-progressing midfielders in the world. Not only can he evade challenges like a prime Mousa Dembele and carry the ball in a similar vein to Lionel Messi, but he can also pick apart defensive structures with the most precise vertical passes.

He has hardly been a key player since joining Man City, but he does a very solid job when called upon.

16. Enzo Fernandez

Enzo Fernandez's reputation should further increase as the years go by. His first half-season at Chelsea didn't exactly go to plan, but he was hardly alone in that regard.

The Argentinian showed at Benfica and at the 2022 World Cup he can develop into one of the best midfielders in the world. He's already one of the most expensive midfielders ever.

Under Mauricio Pochettino, he has started to show signs of improvement.

15. Lucas Paqueta

Once a flair player, Lucas Paqueta has become a ball-winning box-to-box machine under David Moyes.

The time West Ham have spent without Paqueta this season has shown just how good he really is.

14. Adrien Rabiot

Something of a redemption story, there was a lot of derision towards Adrien Rabiot when he was linked with a move to Manchester United from Juventus. He ended up staying with the Bianconeri and stood out as arguably their most important player during a very hard campaign for the whole club.

The 28-year-old scored 11 goals and got six assists, showing his attacking ability. He is athletic and very useful in both boxes due to his height.

After some time where he was not very highly rated, Rabiot is clearly one of the best all-round midfielders in Europe.

13. Warren Zaire-Emery

It is remarkable to think that Warren Zaire-Emery is still only 17 years old.

The Frenchman has quickly become one of Paris Saint-Germain's most important players and he comes across so much older than he actually is.

12. Dominik Szoboszlai

Dominik Szoboszlai's ball-striking is among the very best in the world and his knack for pulling off the spectacular could easily see him emerge as a compilation merchant.

However, the Hungarian sensation is much more than that.

Szoboszlai is an elegant playmaker who relishes the battle. His vision and technique mean he stands out from a playmaking perspective and he's put up impressive assist numbers throughout his senior career thus far.

There's plenty more to come from Szoboszlai but he's already one of the most talented midfielders in the world.

11. Luka Modric

Luka Modric will go down as one of the best central midfielders to ever play the game. Few have ever been as consistently creative as the Croatian.

He is coming to the end of his career and it will be a sad day when he retires, but Modric's quality is undoubted and all eyes are keen to see what he does once his time at Real Madrid is over.

10. Nicolo Barella

Nicolo Barella and the right half-space is a deadly combination.

The tenacious Italian rose to prominence during Antonio Conte's reign at Inter as the Nerazzurri lifted the Scudetto in 2021, ending Juventus' decade-long reign as Italian champions.

The midfielder has continued to produce in a similar role under Simone Inzaghi and showed his quality time and time again during the run to the 2022/23 Champions League final.

Barella remains a player who grabs games by the scruff of the neck and will long be a staple of Inter's midfield.

9. Gavi

Unfortunately for Gavi, he is going to miss the rest of the 2023/24 season thanks to a knee injury, but he has done enough to earn a high place on this list.

The little Spaniard has endless levels of energy and has become a crucial part of the Barcelona midfield, one that is already stacked with talent.

8. Hakan Calhanoglu

Dead-ball specialist Hakan Calhanoglu was brought to life by Stefano Pioli at AC Milan before he opted to cross the Derby della Madonnina divide in 2021.

The Turkey international started brilliantly at Inter and was regarded by many as the star of the first half of the 2021/22 Serie A season. Calhanoglu seamlessly replaced Christian Eriksen in the Nerazzurri's excellent midfield three and emerged as one of Europe's most productive attacking midfielders.

As time has worn on, he has become a deeper-lying midfielder for Simone Inzaghi and actually took the place of Marcelo Brozovic for much of the 2022/23 season.

He scores so many goals for a midfielder and is only getting better.

7. Bruno Guimaraes

Bruno Guimaraes was very good and perhaps underrated for a few years at Lyon, but his first season at Newcastle cemented him as one of the best all-round midfielders in the world.

The Brazilian was arguably their most important player as they qualified for the Champions League and reached the Carabao Cup final. He grabbed ten goals and six assists in 2022/23 from 57 games, a great return for a midfielder who is also very good in the tackle and does a lot of hard yards for the team.

He has continued to impress in 2023/24, with the sky the limit for his talents.

6. Pedri

The comparisons are ubiquitous, but the similarities are too distinct to ignore; Pedri is the second coming of Andres Iniesta.

The teenager's rise to the very top of the game has been swift. It wasn't too long ago when Pedri was toiling away in the Spanish second tier with Las Palmas. Barcelona knew the kid was special, however, and his performance away at Juventus in the Champions League during his first season at the club depicted just how talented the midfielder is.

Pedri's a genius with and without the ball. He ghosts into pockets of space that seemingly don’t exist, dazzles in possession and supplies teammates relentlessly. There's an aura surrounding the low-sock-donning Spaniard that's too strong to ignore. 

Injuries have stalled things slightly, but he is a key player at Barca.

5. Toni Kroos

You can't give Toni Kroos an inch of space with the ball at his feet. He'll pick you apart.

The elegant midfielder has been playing at the very highest level for a decade now and made up a third of arguably the greatest midfield trio the world has ever seen alongside Casemiro and Luka Modric.

Nevertheless, while Kroos is reaching the twilight of his career, he's still one of the world's most enjoyable midfielders to watch. The German has long played a crucial role for Real Madrid amid a wildly successful period for Los Blancos.

He'll go down as one of his generation's finest and remains one of the world's best central midfielders.

4. Ilkay Gundogan

Ilkay Gundogan led Man City to a historic treble in 2022/23 and cemented his place as one of the best midfielders in the world.

The Germany international's tireless showings in midfield contain plenty of goal threat and intricate passing alongside a healthy dose of leadership. He may have moved to Barca during a difficult time for the club, but they'll be on the road to recovery soon enough with Gundogan in Catalonia.

3. Eduardo Camavinga

21 years old and already a key man for Real Madrid, it's fair to say Eduardo Camavinga is pretty damn good.

Be it as a full-back or a midfielder, Camavinga excels. The Frenchman proved pivotal as an impact substitute during Madrid's glorious Champions League run in 2021/22 and his importance to Real Madrid has only grown in recent months.

Camavinga will only get better with an incredible squad developing at the Bernabeu.

2. Frenkie de Jong

Forever desired by Manchester United, Frenkie de Jong boasts truly outrageous talent.

The Dutchman has endured the typical peaks and troughs of being a Barcelona player. The fresh-faced midfielder is as press-resistant as they come and has a knack for embarking on the maziest of dribbles.

The Barca man is proactive in possession, while his defensive instincts mean he can fill in at centre-back. Moreover, De Jong is incredibly athletic which allows him to cover a ton of ground in transition.

1. Federico Valverde

Often shuffled around from one position to the next, Federico Valverde had to do some hard yards to get recognised at Real Madrid.

That's exactly what the Uruguay international did, however, even with competition like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. His insatiable work ethic and risk-free approach in possession means Real's attacking stars are freed up to do damage in the final third.

Valverde assisted Vinicius Junior's winner in the 2022 Champions League, showing his accurate eye for a pass. He'll be a mainstay in Real's starting XI for as long as he stays at the Bernabeu.

READ MORE ON THE BEST 25 PLAYERS FOR EVERY POSITION IN WORLD FOOTBALL