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Midfielders are the engine that keeps a football team going on the field. These gifted athletes are the players that probably work the hardest on the pitch and more often than not cover the most distance during a game.
They are crucial in establishing the style of play and majorly control the flow and the tempo of the game. They link the team's attack and defence while some of them provide defensive cover while the others provide the attacking threat.
Hence we can say with absolute certainty that the midfielders are the most complete players. I have ranked this list mainly based on the performances this season and also keeping in mind their potential to show their talents at the very top level. Here are 5 midfielders who are the cream of the crop.
#5 Thiago Alcantara - Bayern Munich
German champions Bayern Munchen had a chaotic start to the season resulting in Carlo Ancelotti getting the sack.
Veteran and treble-winning manager Jupp Heynckes stepped in for the temporary period to take the team back to the top of the Bundesliga table and winning them the German title a record sixth time in a row.
One of those rare midfielders from Barcelona's fabled La Masia academy who has all the abilities to become the best, Thiago has continued his amazing form over the past few years since his move from the Catalan side.
He has an average of 2.5 tackles and 1.4 interceptions every game while providing 1.4 key passes per game, and maintains an astonishing 91.2% accuracy in his passes.
#4 Philippe Coutinho - Barcelona
When a club like Barcelona is ready to make a player their most expensive one ever, you know that he is got to be pretty good at what he does. Liverpool’s illusionist Philippe Coutinho had enthralled the English League with his jaw-dropping performances in the last few seasons before his record-breaking move to Spanish giants Barcelona.
Capable of the spectacular and a perfect fit for Barca's tiki-taka style, the little Brazilian is steadily enhancing his reputation as the Blaugrana's standout performer after a certain Argentine of course.
Known for his agility in losing his marker or the last defender and dribbling skills to die for, the little Brazillian has immensely improved on his passing and vision training with the likes of Messi, Suarez, Iniesta, Busquets and the rest of the team at the Catalan capital.
Coutinho is most comfortable in playing as an attacking midfielder though he generally plays on the left-flank scoring 20 goals and providing 13 assists on the way both in the Premier League and the La Liga.
#3 Toni Kroos - Real Madrid
The reason that Toni Kroos being down in the 3rd position of this list is because of Los Blancos' disappointing start to the La Liga season. Having been eliminated in the Copa del Rey and losing out to leaders Barcelona in the League made Kroos say back in January that their priority was to qualify for the UCL.
The German International has been heavily involved in Real Madrid's faltering season so far and has not been his imperious self as former club legend Zinedine Zidane has been struggling to rebalance his midfield.
With only 4 goals and 7 assists, Kroos can still turn the situation around if his side does manage to win the UCL again for a historic third time in three years. He needs to be able to wreak damage to opponents from deep where he can slice open defences from his wide range of accurate passing.
Despite the problems this year, Kroos has still managed to keep his passing accuracy at a mesmerising 93.2%.
#2 David Silva - Manchester City
David Silva is a Spanish international who has been a part of City's squads for a long period of owner and Qatari prince Sheikh Mansour's revolution. A player who in many critics' opinions is quite underrated, he has always been the one to stay back and let his team-mates get all the appreciation.
More often playing as a central attacking midfielder, the World Cup winner has changed his game to a well rounded one under master tactician Pep Guardiola, making him a complete player rather than just someone who plays the magical passes.
The former Valencia man, along with teammate Kevin De Bruyne has been a constant in the City squad that effectively rotates a lot of the squad.
At the age of 32, Silva is in the twilight of his illustrious career, but he is performing as if he was his youngest ever self, scoring 10 goals and providing 13 assists in the process.
#1 Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne is convincingly the best midfielder in the English top-tier right now. The Belgian international is the personification of how Qatar backed Manchester City's transfer tactics have turned them into one of the best teams in the land.
Bought in the summer of 2015 from Wolfsburg in Germany, the former Chelsea man leads the table in both assists (19) and key passes per game this season scoring 13 goals in the process, just showing how much influence he has on a City side that is breaking records this season. He even has the most number of assists in the English Premier League since he joined.
With his prime years still ahead of him, the blue half of Manchester has found a gem and the sky is the limit in his career now.
