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#3 Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan)
There's an argument that the midfield unit of Gattuso, Pirlo and Seedorf was incomplete without Kaka's magic. However, if you watch how AC Milan played in the first decade of the 21st century, it'll be evident that Kaka had an attacking role with limited defensive responsibilities.
Gattuso was the engine of AC Milan's midfield. He was an intimidating presence on the football pitch. A relentless and aggressive defensive midfielder with a temper problem, Gattuso hounded opposition until they gave up. He was an intelligent footballer with a great sense of positioning and complemented Pirlo well for both club and country.
Clarence Seedorf, also known as “Il Professore”, was athletic, technically adept and a great striker of the ball. Seedorf was all class and went about his game in a methodical manner.
Andrea Pirlo is one of the best deep-lying playmakers of all time. His vision, passing range and control over the ball ought to be studied by young players. Together, the trio won two UEFA Champions League titles, two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, two Supercoppa Italiana and two UEFA Super Cups.
#2 Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
The achievements of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are impossible to ignore. Together the trio have dominated the Champions League like no other. Casemiro, who started off as a purely defensive minded midfielder, honed his technical abilities under Zidane and has become the destroyer-in-chief for Real Madrid.
The Brazilian is not only great at winning the ball back but also at distributing it. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are two of the greatest central midfielders of the modern era. Kroos goes about orchestrating play from deep without so much as breaking a sweat. He is one of the most accurate passers the game has ever seen.
Luka Modric is just as technically proficient but is more of a ball-carrier as well. He is also the perfect partner for Toni Kroos. Though Real Madrid's recent success has a lot to do with their forwards as well, the contributions of their midfield trio cannot be overlooked.
Together, Kroos, Modric and Casemiro have won three Champions League titles and two La Liga titles.
#1 Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Xavi (Barcelona/Spain)
There really ought to be no debate. No midfield trio has frustrated oppositions and mesmerized football fans as consistently as Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi. Three of the finest midfielders of their generation were able to bring out the best in each other.
Busquets played the deepest role among the three. He was the pivot. Though he is not built like destroyers usually are, Busquets made up for it with his tactical intelligence and sense of positioning. He was also as technically proficient a defensive midfielder as any we have seen.
Xavi and Iniesta were impossible to shake off the ball. They could play incisive through balls that could upend entire defences with just one pass and could also dictate the tempo of every match they played. Individually, all three were exemplary midfielders and they were even better together.
Together, they won three Champions League titles, five La Liga titles and three Copa Del Reys at Barcelona. They did not exactly play as a midfield trio for the Spanish national side, with Xabi Alonso playing alongside Busquets in a double pivot. But they were just as effective and won two European championships and the FIFA World Cup in 2010 with La Roja.
