The Best Midfielder in the World
In a soccer (football) game, the role of a midfielder is very important. The midfielders do not only have a duty to supply the ball to the striker, but also sometimes have to score goals, help the defense, and control the rhythm of the game. This fact makes a lot of the world's elite clubs willing to spend millions of dollars to recruit the best midfielder to their team.
in this article we will discuss ten midfielders who deserve the label as the best in the world. They have brilliant soccer skills and achieved a lot of awards at club, countries, as well as individual levels. This list was made based on a ranking of The Greatest World Soccer Player of the Century, an award to select the best footballer of the 20th century based on the vote of professional sports journalists.
10. Zinedine Zidane
Surely we still remember the amazing center-midfielder who managed to help France to become World Cup champion in 1998 and European Cup champion in 2000. Zinedine Zidane is one of the football artists who has great technique and amazing skill. His vision to control the play is truly remarkable and he also frequently scoress beautiful goals.
At club level, Zidane gained a lot of trophies with Juventus and Real Madrid. He became a part of Los Galacticos, one of the strongest teams in the history of soccer in Real Madrid squad, consists of the best players from around the world. He managed to achieve various individual achievements ranging from the Ballon D'or, Golden Ball, to domestic titles in the French, Italian, and Spanish league.
9. Gheorge Hagi
"Maradona of the Balkans", that's the nickname attached to Hagi, the captain as well as the heart of Romanian team which successfully helped the team to reach the 1994 World Cup quarterfinals. Hagi was the one who lead Romania to defeat Argentina, one of the favorite team in that tournament. His leadership as a midfielder makes Hagi was listed as the top ten best midfielders in the world.
At club level, Hagi played for some big teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Galatasaray. Some of his best individual achievements is when he became the top scorer of 1988 European Cup and seven times named as the Best Romanian footballer.
8. Garrincha
Fast, agile, and smart; those are the best feature of Garrincha, a winger who managed to bring the Brazilian team to win the World Cup in 1958 and 1962. Garrincha dribbling skill is often touted as the best dribbling ever existed throughout history of soccer. His running speed is very high, and he can easily past the world-class defense.
Garrincha was a remarkable figure. Although one of his legs was handicapped (slightly bent inwards), it did not stop him from being the best in the professional soccer world. He won many individual and team awards such as named as the top scorer of the World Cup 1962 , Best Player of the World Cup 1962 , and Club World Cup champion in 1963 with Botafogo. Throughout his career, Garrincha played 598 times and scored 232 goals, a great number considering his position as a winger.
7. Zico
Zico is not only known for his accurate passes and his goals from the second line. He is one of the midfielder with the best leadership. Because his goal-thirsty instinct, Zico was also frequently positioned as a second striker or shadow striker. In addition, Zico is also very often scored from set pieces.
In 1974, Zico managed to break the record as the top scorer of the season for his club, Flamengo, with 49 goals. Although he has never won the World Cup, the midfielder who is known for deadly left foot is regarded as one of the 11 best players in the Brazil squad of all time.
6. Sir Stanley Matthews
There are not many athletes who are awarded the title "Sir" for the British empire, and Stanley Matthews was the one among the few figures. He is often nicknamed as "The Magician" because of his incredible dribbling skill. Just in the blink of eyes, he manages to bring the ball into the opponent's defense.
Matthews is also the only English soccer player who still continue to play until the age of 50. He spent most of his career with Stoke City and Blackpool. Although he only managed to win very few trophies with his club, Matthews named as an European Footballer of the year 1956. In total he played in 697 matches and scored 71 goals.
5. Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio is the only Italian midfielder who is included into this list. He is not really a player who has great speed, power, and accuracy. His physical ability is also mediocre. The best thing about Roberto Baggio is the fact that he possesses great "creativity" and "imagination" that enables him to transform a soccer match into an artwork.
Baggio helped Italy to reach the semifinal of World Cup 1990 and the final of World Cup 1994 . He also won the Ballon D'Or in 1993 and took Juventus and AC Milan won the Serie A. At the end of his career with Brescia, Baggio was often creates magical assists and goal, one of which is a direct goal from a corner kick.
4. Bobby Charlton
If you are amazed by the skills of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, or David Beckham, you should see Bobby Charlton's skills. Bobby Charlton who took England's to be the World Cup 1966 champion is equal to the combination of Gerrard's, Lampard's and Beckham's skills at their best level. He has amazing speed, great shooting power, deadly set-pieces skills, and he also frequently scored great goals.
Bobby Charlton is Manchester United's living legend who played from the period 1956 to 1973. Together with Red Devils, Bobby Charlton won 3 league titles and one FA Cup. He also won the Ballon D'or in 1966 and became the top scorer of World Cup in the same year.
3. George Best
One more legend of Manchester United, who made it into the list of top 10 world's best midfielder. With his national team. Northern Ireland's Best was never played in the World Cup, but still his individual skill is truly remarkable. Just like Ryan Giggs, Best mostly played as a winger and attacking midfielder. The difference is the fact that Best is much faster, stronger, and scored more goals than Giggs.
Along with Bobby Charlton, he helped Manchester United won the Premier League twice and one time UEFA Champions Cup. In 1968 he earned a personal award, Ballon D'or. In his 361 appearances for Manchester United, Best managed to score 137 goals.
2. Michel Platini
Platini, who is serving as the president of UEFA since 2007 used to be a soccer maestro. In his career from 1972 to 1987, Platini scored a lot of beautiful goals and passes. He was not only played as an attacking midfielder, but also often positioned as a shadow striker. Additionally, Platini is a highly respected team captain.
In 432 matches, Platini scored 232 goals; a very high number for a midfielder. He became 3 times top scorer of Italian League with Juventus, three times won theBallon D'or, and brought France to be the European champion in 1984.
1. Johann Cruyff
Johann Cruyff is the most appropriate person to be named as the world's best midfielder. In the field, he is not only a palymaker who often provide valuable passings and goals for his team. He also was also the strategist or a coach on the field. Cruyff was the first player to be the conductor of Total Football, A remarkable strategy of Ajax and the Dutch national team that helped him to win many trophies, ranging from 8 times the Dutch League, 3 UEFA Champions Cups and 3 Ballon d'ors.
In the system of Total Football, Cruyff should always be ready to rotate to any position. Sometimes he became a central figure and be in the middle of the pitch. In a moment he could be the striker or winger. In another moment, he can be found in the heart of the team defense. Throughout his career, Cruyff scored 291 goals from 550 matches at club level as well a
s 33 goals in 48 appearances for the Dutch national team.
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