Where do Luka Modric, Toni Kroos rank among the best midfielders in the world?
2. Real Madrid CM Luka Modric
What a season it has been for Luka Modric. At 36 years old, the Croatian magician is still in a class of his own as an all-around midfielder. He can dominate anyone for 90 minutes, providing moments of attacking brilliance that nobody else can match – again, may I remind you of that trivela against Chelsea – while making all the big tackles defensively. Just ask Kevin de Bruyne what happened when he went one-on-one with Modric chasing him in the next Champions League round.
Modric finished the LaLiga season with eight assists and a pass completion percentage of 90, and he is currently on four assists in the Champions League. The passing accuracy combined with the assists really stand out and show how great he is as both a playmaker and someone who can retain possession. And we don’t even need to discuss his press resistance.
Every football fan has to show their respect to Modric. What he does in the big games is unthinkable, and his year-to-year consistency is legendary. I loath the “he has a seat at the table” conversations, because as far as midfield greatness concerns, he’s at one of the heads of the table.
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1. Manchester City CM Kevin de Bruyne
But even so, if we are talking about the absolute best current midfielder, Kevin de Bruyne has to edge him at No. 1. We are talking about a cerebral assassin in the midfield whose end product is so cutthroat that his statistics read like a striker’s. Hell, there are praised strikers who do not even match de Bruyne’s 15 goals and 8 assists in the Premier League.
De Bruyne averages nearly three key passes per game in the Premier League. He is football’s top playmaker right now, and yet he can still “get his” as a scorer, thanks to his impeccable technical quality. No goalkeeper is spared, as de Bruyne is capable from scoring at any angle and from just about any distance.