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Midfield is arguably the most important position in football as football matches are usually won by a team having the superior midfield. Midfielders create moves by playing passes and positioning themselves according to the situation of the match.
They also help the defenders by falling back to defend and winning balls at the centre of the field. These players also employ the high-press at times to win the ball back in the opposition half itself.
It is no coincidence that most of the greatest players in the history of football were midfielders. The likes of Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, George Best, Lothar Matthaus and Bobby Charlton were all midfielders and remain the luminaries of world football.
However, there can be different variations and formations in a team’s midfield and it can consist of 3, 4 or 5 players.
In this article, we would take a look at the 4 greatest 4-man midfields of all time:
#1 Platini-Tigana-Giresse-Fernandez (French National team)
The “magic square” of the French national team quite possibly remains the finest 4-man midfield of all time. It had the industry of Jean Tigana, the speed of Luis Fernandez, the finesse of Alain Giresse and above all, the genius of Michel Platini.
They drove France to European glory in 1984, when Platini scored 9 goals in 5 matches to win the European Championship on his home soil.
France also made it to the semifinals in 2 successive World Cups in 1982 and 1986 but lost to West Germany on both the occasions. They were a bit unlucky in 1982 as West Germany came two goals from behind to win the match on penalties.
They played in a diamond formation with Tigana sitting deep, Platini playing as the attacking midfielder cum no.10 and Giresse and Fernandez playing on the two wings.
Giresse used to move to the central areas to help Platini create moves as well. Fernandez was a fast footballer who made incisive runs through the wings and Tigana remained an astute passer and good reader of the game.
Each of them earned more than 50 caps for the French national team except Giresse, who fell short by three caps. They also enthralled the spectators worldwide with their magical displays.
#2 Clodoaldo-Gerson-Rivellino-Jairzinho (Brazil National team)
The greatest football team the world has ever seen also had a great midfield. Pele was the brightest jewel in that magnificent crown, but the midfielders of the Brazilian national team in the 1970 World Cup were also brilliant.
Clodoaldo was a great tackler, Gerson remains one of the finest passers of all time, Jairzinho remains the only player to score in every match of a World Cup and Rivellino was idolized by Maradona, no less.
Both Rivellino and Jairzinho were fast and great dribblers. Gerson pulled the strings from the midfield and also provided some vital balls to Pele and Tostao, the two strikers.
Brazil beat the likes of Uruguay and England and toyed with Italy in the final before winning 4-1. Rivellino was the most successful of the quartet and scored 26 goals from 92 matches for Brazil. Gerson also appeared in 70 matches and scored 14 goals for them. But they have been immortalized by their glorious deeds in the 1970 World Cup.
#3 Keane-Scholes-Giggs-Beckham (Manchester United)
The famous quartet from the class of 1992 formed a great and very successful midfield for Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in the 1990s and the early 2000s.
Keane was the quintessential midfield general, Scholes was a terrific passer, Giggs was an epitome of longevity and Beckham was brilliant with his crosses and set-pieces. They made United the best team in England and one of the best in the world with their consistent performances.
They won the Champions League in 1999 and 6 Premier League titles together. They also dominated English football for a decade with their excellent performances in the United midfield.
Both Keane and Beckham had a tiff with Ferguson and left the club in the space of two years from 2003 to 2005. However, both Giggs and Scholes ended their career at United only and won 13 and 11 Premier League titles for them, respectively.
#4 Makelele-Zidane-Guti-Figo (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid were the best club side in the world in the early 2000s and owed much of their success to a great midfield. Claude Makelele was a tireless defensive midfielder and actually had a playing position named after him, Zinedine Zidane was one of the best of his generation, Figo was a brilliant winger and dribbler and Guti was an astute passer and technically very good.
Figo used to start in the right wing for Real but switched flanks with Zidane, who often started in the left. However, Zidane moved to the central areas most of the time and played an active part in many moves.
Guti played some sumptuous through balls to the likes of Ronaldo and Raul as well. Real won the Champions League in 2001-02 and the 2002/03 LaLiga title with this combination in the midfield.
