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The 2020-21 Bundesliga campaign ended with Bayern Munich winning their ninth consecutive and 31st overall top-flight crown. The task was far from straightforward for the Bavarian giants. They stumbled midway through the campaign before ending the season on a high. Bayern have always been a side boasting quality midfielders who performed at both ends of the pitch.
The midfield is where games are won or lost. It is for this reason that the central position on the field is considered by many to be the most important aspect of any team.
The Bundesliga has always been home to some of the best midfielders to ever grace the game. Stars of the past like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Xabi Alonso, Mesut Ozil, Lothar Mathaus and Jay Jay Okocha have all strutted their stuff in the German top-flight.
The recently concluded campaign was no different and several midfielders shone brightly across the nine months of the campaign.
On that note, let's take a look at the five top performing midfielders in the 2020-21 Bundesliga campaign.
#5 Maximilian Arnold (VFL Wolfsburg)
Arnold created history when he became the youngest player to make his first-team debut in Wolfsburg's history. Since then, he has grown from strength to strength for the German side in the Bundesliga.
The 27-year-old has become the engine room for Oliver Glasner's side in his role in defensive midfield. He dispatches his job of shielding the defense with aplomb. He also acts as the chief instigator of Wolfsburg's attacks, with his technique and delivery proving to be an integral part of the club's forays forward.
Maximilian Arnold contributed three goals and six assists in the 2020-21 season despite playing at the base of midfield. His form in the Bundesliga kept club captain Joshua Guilavogui out of the team for most of the season.
#4 Lars Stindl (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Borussia Monchengladbach's season might have petered out towards the end but it started brightly for the Foals.
Lars Stindl was the driving force behind the club's top four hopes in the first half of their Bundesliga campaign. He spearheaded the club's attack from his position as the central playmaker.
The 32-year-old ended the campaign with 14 goals and 10 assists, with a goal involvement every 89 minutes. Only three players (all out-and-out strikers) boasted a better goal average than Stindl last term.
#3 Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig)
Spanish players very rarely venture into the Bundesliga but Dani Olmo is setting a brilliant path for others to follow.
The Spain international was the only outfield player to feature in all of RB Leipzig's Bundesliga games last term. He is an important asset to the team considering how much emphasis Juln Nagelsmann places on rotation.
Olmo was blooded at the famed La Masia academy, so it should come as no surprise that he is extremely gifted with the ball at his feet. He possesses superb technique and passing ability that is most commonly associated with Spanish midfielders.
However, he also combines this with the tenacity and business-like precision that is the hallmark of the German game. The former Dinamo Zagreb man weighed in with five goals and nine assists to help propel Leipzig to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga.
#2 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Thomas Muller began his career like a house on fire and big things were expected from the Germany international. He has been a consistent performer in the Bundesliga over the years.
The German has gone on to achieve almost everything attainable at both club and international level. The 29 trophies he has won with Bayern Munich and Germany make him the most decorated German footballer in history.
However, there was a period in the last few years when things went downhill for Muller on a personal level and he struggled to match his usual output. He lost his previously untouchable spot in the national team, but a positional change had Muller back to playing at his best.
The 31-year-old was converted to an attacking midfield position and it is from here that the World Cup winner has played arguably the best football of his career.
He broke the record for most assists in a single Bundesliga campaign in the 2019-20 season and set a new mark of 21 assists. He followed that up with another breathtaking campaign that saw him register 18 assists and score 11 goals in 32 Bundesliga games.
#1 Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
An emergency forced Pep Guardiola to deploy Joshua Kimmich at right-back following his arrival at Bayern Munich. It was incredible to see how the former RB Leipzig man adapted to his new role like a hand in a glove.
Over the years, he has developed into one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga, and in the world. Kimmich's creativity and attacking instincts have helped him develop along the way.
It is currently his favored position in the base of midfield, and it is from here that Joshua Kimmich dictates proceedings for Bayern Munich.
Proof of his importance to the Bavarians lies in the fact that the club stuttered in their five-game absence due to injury last term. Bayern dropped crucial points that saw them fall to second place after winning just two of those five games.
The 26-year-old is one of the most consistent performers in the Bundesliga and his vision, passing and technique helps Bayern Munich dominate matches with ease. He ended the 2020-21 campaign with 10 assists and four goals from 27 league games.
