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Marco Tardelli, Roberto Donadoni, Zinedine Zidane, Franceso Totti, Andrea Pirlo... The list is endless when it comes to legendary midfielders who have graced the Serie A. While Juventus have dominated the league in the last decade, we saw one of the closest Serie A title races last year as Inter Milan fell just one point short of the Bianconeri who won their ninth straight title.
The rise of Atalanta was the revelation of the season while Lazio also stayed in the hunt for long stretches. All these sides had a glittering array of midfielders running the show for them as a new generation of midfield maestros follow in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors.
In this article, we will try to find out the five best midfielders plying their trade in the Serie A right now.
5 best midfielders in Serie A right now:
#5 Marcelo Brozovic
Marcelo Brozovic has recently been in the news for being linked with a move away from Inter Milan who are trying to move on some assets in order to finance a potential move for N'Golo Kante.
Brozovic, however, was one of the Serie A's most consistent midfielders last season. The versatile midfielder completed 1869 passes, the second most in the league, while also picking up three goals and five assists. With his capability of both being a regista-style playmaker and a more physical box-to-box midfielder, Brozovic is an asset for any manager.
The Croatia midfielder, who is valued at £45 million, was part of all of 32 Serie A games for Inter last season and reportedly has illustrious suitors like European champions Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
#4 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been one of Serie A's prized midfield assets for some seasons now and has grown in leaps and bounds since joining Lazio in 2015. A midfielder who can easily move between a holding role to an attacking one, Milinkovic-Savic, is one of the most fluid passers in Serie A and has a knack of getting crucial goals.
His only drawback could be a perceived lack of pace, but his technical prowess and versatility more than make up for that weakness. Milinkovic-Savic successfully duelled for the ball 273 times last season, which was the highest for a midfielder in the league.
Last season, he also scored seven Serie A goals while assisting six. More importantly, he ran the show in midfield for Lazio in 37 out of 38 Serie A games. Not surprisingly, PSG and Inter are both interested in his services, and reportedly, the Roman club are demanding more than the £54 million PSG have offered for him!
#3 Luis Alberto
Lazio came fourth in Serie A last season and finished on 78 points, the same as Atalanta who pipped them to the third spot because of a superior goal difference.
One of the prime reasons for Lazio's great season was their class in midfield and Luis Alberto, who along with Savic, played an instrumental role in their ascent. Alberto picked up a jaw-dropping 15 assists in the league while also scoring 6 goals.
Alberto joined Lazio in 2016 from Liverpool after two seasons away from England on loan, and it is in Italy where his stature as a midfield asset has grown.
Alberto, who has only played once for his country Spain, can easily move from a central to a wide position, while his razor-sharp precision in passing and goal-scoring ability makes him an exciting commodity who, at 27, is entering his prime phase.
#2 Fabian Ruiz
Napoli's Fabian Ruiz, who possesses one of the sweetest left foot in the Serie A, used it to devastating effect last season.
With three goals and six assists, Ruiz's numbers might not match up with some of the others on this list. But with Napoli struggling for much of the season, he was one of the club's leading lights throughout the Serie A season as he appeared in 33 games.
Topping the Serie A leaderboard with 2114 accurate passes, Ruiz married brilliance with consistency throughout the season.
Such was Ruiz's influence in the Napoli midfield that the 24-year-old has been linked with the big boys Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Spain international, who possesses immaculate, vision, passing and dribbling skills, is sure to grow into one of the best midfielders of his generation.
#1 Alejandro Dario (Papu) Gomez
At 32, Alejandro Dario (Papu) Gomez is much older than the others on this list. That is one reason why his remarkable rise to prominence last season as part of a revolutionary and refreshing Atalanta team needs to be acknowledged by giving him the number one spot.
Gomez can both play as a forward and as an attacking midfielder and is one of the most versatile players on the pitch. He has been with Atalanta since 2014, being one of their most loyal players during a period of positive transition. As Atalanta rose up the ranks of Italian football, their faithful servant grew in stature too, contributing goals and assists regularly.
In 2018-19, Gomez, as captain, led Atalanta to third spot in Serie A and Champions League football. Last season, Gomez picked up 16 assists to top the Serie A leaderboard as Atalanta finished third again. Gomez starred for the team in terms of both work-rate and skills, proving to be a leader on and off the pitch.
Last season, he also scored seven Serie A goals in another successful campaign for Atalanta. The Argentine, a late-bloomer than many, is set to continue his fairy tale this season too.
