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The best defensive midfielders in the world is the kind of list we might not have been able to publish 20-odd years ago. According to raging Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane, midfielders weren’t separated into specialist roles in the ’90s – they were all required both to get forward and put a tackle in when necessary.
FourFourTwo isn’t entirely convinced that all midfielders used to be held to the Irishman’s extremely high standards, but the times have indeed a-changed since Roy’s day. Midfielders are now increasingly categorised and given special roles. Those on this list are the destroyers and the heartbeats; the men tasked with breaking down opposition attacks and setting their teams on the counter.
As always with our best players in every position lists, we update our ranking fairly regularly, so form is a major factor. If a regista you love is a little lower on this list than you’d care to see – or, heaven forfend, completely absent – it may just be that they’ve recently been injured or below their personal best. So without further ado, let’s run through the best defensive midfielders on the planet…
The 10 best defensive midfielders in the world right now: 10. Manuel Ugarte
Manuel Ugarte was one of the most in-demand footballers on Earth in the summer, after starring for Ruben Amorim’s Sporting in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, eventually moving to star-studded Paris Saint-Germain.
The Uruguayan is the typical South American midfielder, with bite, boundless energy and the knack for being in the right place at the right time. While Amorim was more of a double-pivot user, Luis Enrique has used Ugarte as a lone No.6, with support either side – but it’s mostly on the 22-year-old’s shoulders to deal with the transition. He’s been solid so far – and looks like a mainstay of this list for years to come.
9. Aurelien Tchouameni
In their multimillion Euro bid to move away from the holy trinity of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro in midfield, Real Madrid splurged hundreds of millions on French duo Eduardo Camavinga (more on him later) and Aurelien Tchouameni to lay new foundations.
Neither have definitively usurped the old guard yet: Cama’s been shifted to left-back more often than not, while Tchouameni has been a slow-burner. But he’s coming good: the youngster has the positional discipline, physicality and high IQ necessary to anchor Los Blancos’ diamond midfield under Carlo Ancelotti – and he’s already a regular for his country.
8. Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo may have wondered if he’d made a mistake rejecting Liverpool for Chelsea, following a high-profile penalty given away on his debut and a sticky first few weeks at Stamford Bridge.
The Ecuadorian was unbelievable for Brighton though and that player is starting to resurface in west London now. Caicedo is a natural ball-winner, able to cover lots of turf and muscle in on his opponents – but his technical ability is superb, too. For a young player, he reads the game incredibly well – and he’s forming a solid partnership with Enzo Fernandez.
7. Eduardo Camavinga
The ongoing joke is that Eduardo Camavinga simply plays whatever role is left. After announcing himself as a central midfield revelation at Rennes against PSG in Ligue 1 as a 16-year-old, most of his time at Real Madrid has been spent at left-back.
But as a DM – he still gets minutes there, too – Camavinga is as good as anyone else in Ancelotti’s side. He hustles and bustles, has the technical security needed and his engine is incredible, too, buzzing about the Bernabeu wherever he’s needed. He’s still only 20, too.
6. Joao Palhinha
“In Portugal, I felt I couldn’t make a tackle: sometimes it was difficult,” Joao Palhina said last season. “Every touch was a yellow card. Here [in England], it’s completely different.”
He made that assessment after four yellows in his first six matches in English football – but the crunching Cottager was right. Palhinha has brought a steel to Fulham and impressed against just about everyone in the Premier League. There was a reason Bayern Munich wanted to break the bank: the DM arrived as a relative unknown from Marco Silva’s native Portugal last term and he was a major reason that Fulham’s constant yo-yo-ing between the first and second tiers has paused.
5. Yves Bissouma
Yves Bissouma’s career under Antonio Conte was underwhelming, bordering on anonymous. Under Ange Postecoglou, he’s been one of the best players in England.
As the anchor between Pape Sarr and James Maddison, the Mali international has glued Tottenham together with his work-rate and ball-winning – but also his ability on the ball. Spurs average a lot of possession and have needed a DM able to help control the tempo, which Bissouma has done admirably. Aside from a silly second yellow card away at Luton, he’s been utterly faultless.
4. Joshua Kimmich
It’s hard to believe he used to be a left-back. Aping Phillip Lahm’s ingenious conversion to a centre-mid, Joshua Kimmich always wanted to have a bigger role at the Allianz Arena, replacing Liverpool-bound Thiago both in position and shirt number following Bayern’s 2020 Champions League win.
Since transitioning full-time to a defensive midfield general, the Germany international has been one of the most admired in the world, combining his exquisite passing range with an off-ball presence that makes you wonder how he was ever overlooked in this position in the first place. While questions have been asked of who to partner him, Kimmich is one of the first names on Thomas Tuchel’s team sheet.
3. Bruno Guimaraes
You can track the revolution at Newcastle United back to January 2022. That’s when Eddie Howe started picking up points – and that’s when Bruno Guimaraes joined among others. Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn have bolstered the defence and added a degree of leadership, but you wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that Bruno’s influence has been the most pronounced of any Toon Galactico.
Some questioned why the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham turned their nose up on Bruno, wondering whether he was cut out for Premier League football (well, fellow Lyon star Tanguy Ndombele wasn’t). But the Brazilian has dug in, fully investing in Howe’s football and the town of Newcastle with passion, hunger and an insatiable drive – on the pitch and when beating his chest to the fans.
He’s tenacious, he’s energetic and he runs himself into the ground for the cause: but perhaps the biggest compliment you can pay the Rio-born star is that he’s not really a proper DM. Some fans have been calling for the club to sign another No.6, just to move Bruno further forward – that’s how good (and how loved) he really is.
2. Declan Rice
Over £100 million was spent on Declan Rice, in a transformational move akin to Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool or Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City. Arsenal’s very own cornerstone had expectations to match – only to shake them off almost entirely with a goal against Manchester United.
That earned him a spot in fans’ hearts but it’s just the tip of the iceberg of how good he’s really been. Going from a Moyes-ball tag-team with Tomas Soucek to solely shielding a back four in Mikel Arteta’s 4-3-3-cum-3-2-5 has been like undertaking a Masters in Sergio Busquets studies, with Rice offering himself to Arsenal as the progresser- and destroyer-in-chief, all at once.
Eye-catching tackles and goals against Manchester City and Chelsea alike have been secondary to his work ethic – and he gives the Gunners leadership to boot. Nine figures well spent, indeed.
1. Rodri
Manchester City lose Rodri for three games? Manchester City lose three games. It’s that simple, with the Champions League final hero being as integral a player as Pep Guardiola has ever had at the Etihad.
And that’s saying something, given that the likes of De Bruyne, Aguero, Kompany, Silvas Bernardo and David, have all flitted in and out of the team without the collective missing a beat. Rodri arrived looking like an optimist’s replacement for the do-it-all Fernandinho but has evolved into the most secure footballer on Earth: giving him the ball is like placing it in a safe and City are almost impenetrable in transition with him in the side.
He’ll go down as one of the very best defensive midfielders to have ever played for his manager – who boasts Phillip Lahm, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, Javier Mascherano and Fernandinho in his contacts. City fans pray he never misses another minute: let alone 270.
