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Midfielders are the spine of any team. They say that most football games are won in midfield. If a team cannot assert themselves in the middle of the pitch, they won't be able to dominate matches.
The midfield is the point of convergence on a football pitch and keeping the ball and passing it around amid all the traffic is an art. The best midfielders in the history of the game have all made it seem like they have a lot of time on their hands.
Midfielders need to have a well-rounded skillset to thrive
Midfielders are usually some of the most technically refined, tactically intelligent and positionally aware players on the pitch. Some of the very best midfielders of the 21st century have crossed over to the 30s now and are nearing in on the twilight of their careers.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best midfielders above the age of 30 so far this season.
#5 Dimitri Payet (Olympique Marseille)
Dimitri Payet has turned on the style for Marseille this season. He is the Ligue 1 outfit's creative midfield lynchpin and their most important player. Payet has all the qualities of a top playmaker. His technique is exquisite and can run rings around defenders all day thanks to his nimble feet.
Payet is excellent at set-pieces as well. He also possesses great vision and the ability to make defence splitting passes. The 34-year-old is one of the best attacking midfielders in all of Europe.
The Frenchman has scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists in 34 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
#4 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
Toni Kroos is arguably the most accurate passer of the ball among all the elite midfielders in Europe. He has a pass completion rate of 94.9% across La Liga and the Champions League this season. The German international is calmness personified with the ball is at his feet.
He pulls the strings from midfield for Real Madrid and his positional awareness and intelligence enables Luka Modric to play a more dynamic role. When Kroos plays well, Real Madrid play well. The 32-year-old missed the first two months of the 2021-22 season through injury.
But since coming back, he has been one of Ancelotti's most reliable players. Kroos' influence cannot be judged by his goal contributions as his game is centered around asserting control in midfield. He has scored three goals and racked up three assists in 30 appearances across all competitions for Los Blancos.
#3 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Manchester City have been at their dominant best once again this season. Kevin De Bruyne has arguably been City's most influential player of the Pep Guardiola era. The Belgian international has been in sublime form for the reigning Premier League champions this season as well.
De Bruyne's ability to carve out chances and pick out passes that most midfielders would fail to even conceive is second to none. He possesses a great reading of the game and is one of the most technically refined midfielders of all time.
The 30-year-old has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in 32 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City so far this season.
#2 Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid are presently at the top of the La Liga table with a 10-point lead over second-placed Sevilla. While Karim Benzema has stolen all the limelight with his incredible goalscoring exploits, it'd be a crime to not acknowledge Luka Modric's excellence too.
The Croatian international is 36 years old now but he continues to be one of Real Madrid's most important players. He is still an energetic presence in midfield and loves motoring into the final third before playing a killer pass to one of his forwards.
His deft touches, decision-making and sheer technical brilliance have helped Real Madrid get the better of many an opponent this season. The veteran central midfielder has scored three goals and provided seven assists in 32 appearances across all competitions for Carlo Ancelotti's men so far this term.
Modric's current contract expires this summer and is yet to reach an agreement with Real Madrid over an extension. But given how well he has played this year despite being in his late 30s, it does look like it would be a good idea for Real Madrid to tie him down to a short-term deal.
#1 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Thomas Muller is one of the most intelligent footballers of all time. While he might not be the most easy on the eye, the German international's efficiency and effectiveness cannot be faulted. Muller is the assist-king of Europe and is easily the best attacking midfielder on the planet.
He also scores plenty of goals and makes an absolute nuisance of himself every time he steps onto the pitch. The self-proclaimed 'Raumdeuter' (space interpretor) is one of the main reasons why Robert Lewandowski has become as prolific a goalscorer as he has.
Muller's movement in and around the final third is done meticulously to provide open spaces for the likes of Lewandowski, Sane and Gnabry to run into. In 36 appearances across all competitions, the Bayern Munich man has scored 12 goals and provided a whopping 22 assists.
