Top 10 Best Midfielders in the World – 2023 Soccer Rankings

Ranking the best midfielders in the world of the 2022-2023 football season as Kevin De Bruyne leads the way this year

By admin | August 4, 2023

Best Midfielders in Soccer

The midfielders are the engine of any team and football and, personally, I think this is the most important position in the game because the midfielders will help the team in both attacking and defending. We have had the opportunity to watch some of the best midfielders in the world over the time but every year a new midfielder will appear that will blow us away.

Choosing who are the best midfielders in the world is not an easy task because almost every midfielder is different and the way they influence the team may vary. Today we are ranking the top 11 best midfielders in the world in 2023. Who is your number 1?

Honorable Mention

Gavi

Club: F.C. Barcelona

Let me ask you a question: What were you doing when you were 18 years old? Because Gavi was busy winning both the Golden Boy trophy and the Kopa Trophy, and also solidifying himself as one of the best young midfielders in the world.

The Barcelona rising star already established himself as a regular in the Spanish national team and currently is an important player in Xavi’s Barcelona squad. Some say he is the regent of both Xavi and Andres Iniesta; a huge compliment when you are 18 years old.

Top 10 Best Midfielders in the World

10. Ilkay Gundogan

Club: Manchester City

Gundogan is a player who doesn’t get all the spotlights, but part of City’s success this year has been due to the incredible contributions of the German midfielder. He has been playing extremely well since his arrival to Manchester and England fans will remember his late comeback goal against Aston Villa on the final day which decided their third Premier League title in a row for the Citizens.

Now playing for F.C. Barcelona, Gundogan is looking sharp with his new club, and we hope that we can see him playing as good as ever for Xavi.

9. Frenkie de Jong

Club: F.C. Barcelona

Frenkie de Jong, since his Ajax days, has been a top midfielder because he can play anywhere in the midfield with class. But after his move to F.C. Barcelona and the arrival of Xavi, he became one of the most acclaimed midfielders in the world and one of the pivots of the Catalonian team.

This season, Frenkie de Jong played with more freedom with the ball and that, combined with his world-class ball control and amazing passing, helped F.C. Barcelona in winning both La Liga and Supercopa de España.

8. Casemiro

Club: Manchester United

Casemiro has been widely regarded as the best defensive midfielder in the world for the last 5 years and after a very successful time with Real Madrid, he switched to Manchester United this season and the Brazilian instantly impacted the team, becoming the base of Manchester United’s defense.

He may not be the most technically gifted player in the squad, but he became one of the most important players in the squad thanks to his aggressive tackling and physical approach. He also played a key role in the Carabao Cup triumph this year.

7. Pedri

Club: F.C. Barcelona

Back in 2020, F.C. Barcelona bought Pedri from Las Palmas for just €5 million and it is crazy to think that he is now worth at least 20 times that amount. Buying him was one of the best decisions Barca has made in recent times.

Pedri has been very important for Barca even before Xavi was coaching the team; when Ronald Koeman was around, he knew that Pedri would be one of the best in the future. He also became one of the most regular starters with the Spain national team.

6. Jude Bellingham

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Jude Bellingham is one of the most complete midfielders in the world right now because he can challenge like a number six, run like a box-to-box and create occasions like a classic number 10. He has become so good with Borussia Dortmund that he was called to the national team and represented England at the 2022 World Cup where he played very well.

He signed to Real Madrid on 14 June, something that everyone was expecting. And we all mocked Birmingham City when they decided to retire his number 22 shirt back in 2020.

5. Rodri

Club: Manchester City

Rodri is the defensive midfielder of Manchester City and one of the best midfielders around. He is usually deployed in front of the backline where thanks to his stature, technical abilities and accurate passing, he is considered the “new” Xabi Alonso.

Rodri is the Manchester City player with the most minutes in the Premier League, which shows that Guardiola trusts him a lot. He scored the only goal in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan and also, he was named the tournament’s Player of the Season.

4. Joshua Kimmich

Club: F.C. Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich is a very versatile midfielder because he can play anywhere in the midfield, can play as a right-back, can play as a center back, and sometimes as a right winger.

He is known for his playmaking abilities and for his world-class ball control, abilities that made him one of the pillars of Bayern Munich’s first team and also one of the most important players in the German national team. He has played almost every single game for Bayern Munich this season.

3. Toni Kroos

Club: Real Madrid F.C.

The German midfielder has consistently made it to the list of best midfielders in the world for almost 10 years, and that is quite normal because he has been described as “the archetype of the modern attacking midfielder” and a “perfect midfielder” making him one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.

His dynamic partnership with Luka Modric has been the central reason of why Real Madrid has been so successful in both La Liga and UEFA Champions League since the mid-2010s, and the crazy thing is that Kroos is sometimes considered as underrated because he rarely scores.

2. Luka Modric

Club: Real Madrid F.C.

Luka is just like a fine wine because he gets better with age. Despite being almost 38 years old, Luka is still a class act and shows no signs of slowing down.

This season, Ancelotti built the team around the Croatian, and this proved to be very effective both in Champions League and in La Liga because Luka Modric in every game he played was as amazing as ever. Luka still plays like he is 28 years old and we love that, he is an idol and a role model.

1. Kevin De Bruyne

Club: Manchester City

According to last year’s Ballon d’Or, he is the third best player in the world, but according to everyone, he is the best midfielder in the world by a wide margin. De Bruyne is the epitome of how a midfielder should be; he can dribble, he can shoot, he can pass, he can completely control a football match, he can do everything.

This season he finally was able to capture the UEFA Champions League and also completed the treble, again proving that he is as important as ever. Not only the best midfielders in the Premier League but the best midfielder in the world and one of the best of all time.

How would you rank the Best Midfielders in the world of the 2022-2023 Football season? Rank below to be added in the FIFA Rankings