The midfield is the heartbeat of any football team, where creativity, control, and vision come together to dictate the pace of the game. As we enter the 2025/2026 season, the competition for the title of the Best Midfielders in the World Football is fierce, with a mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars making their mark on the global stage. From orchestrators of play to tireless ball recoveries, these players are the engine driving their teams toward success. In this blog, we take a closer look at the top midfielders dominating the world of football in 2025/2026.
10 Best Midfielders in the World Football in 2025
10. João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal)
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Full Name: João Pedro Gonçalves Neves
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Date of Birth: 27 September 2004
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Place of Birth: Tavira, Portugal
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Height: 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
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Current Shirt Number: 87
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2022–2023 | Benfica B |
| 2022–2024 | Benfica |
| 2024– | Paris Saint-Germain |
João Neves played 59 matches for PSG, recording 3 goals and 8 assists. He completed 1,524 passes at ≈92% accuracy, delivered 32 key passes, and tallied 11 goal involvements. He helped PSG win Ligue 1, Coupe de France, UEFA Champions League, and earned a place in Ligue 1 Team of the Season
9. Nicolò Barella (Inter & Italy)
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Full Name: Nicolò Barella
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Date of Birth: 7 February 1997 (age 28)
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Place of Birth: Cagliari, Italy
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Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
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Current Shirt Number: 23
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2015–2020 | Cagliari |
| 2016 | → Como (loan) |
| 2019–2020 | → Inter Milan (loan) |
| 2020– | Inter Milan |
Nicolò Barella played 56 matches (~7,002 minutes), scored 3 goals, and delivered 9 assists. He completed 3,093 passes, won 236+ recoveries, and led Inter Milan’s midfield with creativity and intensity. A key figure throughout the campaign, Barella helped Inter reach the UEFA Champions League Final with standout performances.
8. Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United & Brazil)
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Full Name: Bruno Guimarães Rodrigues Moura
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Date of Birth: 16 November 1997 (age 27)
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Place of Birth: Imperial de São Cristóvão, Brazil
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Height: 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
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Current Shirt Number: 39
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2015–2018 | Audax |
| 2017–2018 | → Athletico Paranaense (loan) |
| 2018–2020 | Athletico Paranaense |
| 2020–2022 | Lyon |
| 2022– | Newcastle United |
Bruno Guimarães played 47 matches (~3,826 minutes), scored 5 goals, and provided 8 assists. He led with 236 ball recoveries, 70 through-balls, and covered 261 miles. As Newcastle captain, he lifted the Carabao Cup, showcasing elite work-rate, passing range, and leadership in a brilliant all-round campaign.
7. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich & Germany)
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Full Name: Joshua Walter Kimmich
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Date of Birth: 8 February 1995 (age 30)
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Place of Birth: Rottweil, Germany
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Height: 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
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Current Shirt Number: 6
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2013–2015 | RB Leipzig |
| 2015– | Bayern Munich |
Joshua Kimmich excelled for Bayern: in Bundesliga, he logged 3,183 completed passes (92.9% accuracy), the most touches (3,933), and dominated long and final‑third passes. He contributed 3 goals, 7 assists, created 61 chances, and made 6.09 recoveries per 90 min, anchoring their build-up play and control.
6. Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool & Argentina)
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Full Name: Alexis Mac Allister
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Date of Birth: 24 December 1998 (age 26)
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Place of Birth: Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
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Height: 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
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Shirt Number: 10
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2016–2019 | Argentinos Juniors |
| 2019–2023 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 2019 | → Argentinos Juniors (loan) |
| 2019–2020 | → Boca Juniors (loan) |
| 2023– | Liverpool |
In our list of the Best Midfielders in the World, Alexis Mac Allister ranks 6th after a stellar 2024/25 season. He played 49 matches (≈3,569 minutes), scoring 7 goals and providing 6 assists. He delivered 1.55 key passes per game, maintained 87.3% passing accuracy, made 117 tackles, 33 interceptions, and anchored Liverpool’s midfield in a dominant title-winning campaign.
5. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid & Uruguay)
- Full name: Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta
- Date of birth: 22 July 1998
- Place of birth: Montevideo, Uruguay
- Height: 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
- Number: 8
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2015–2016 | Peñarol |
| 2016–2017 | Real Madrid B |
| 2017– | Real Madrid |
| 2017–2018 | → Deportivo La Coruña (loan) |
Federico Valverde played 66–70 matches, totaling over 5,600–7,600 minutes, scoring 11 goals and providing 8 assists. He completed ~90–91% pass accuracy, led his club’s minutes tally, captained Real Madrid, and earned praise likened to Gerrard’s playing style under Xabi Alonso.
4. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid & England)
- Full name: Jude Victor William Bellingham
- Date of birth: 29 June 2003
- Place of birth: Stourbridge, England
- Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m)
- Number: 5
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2019–2020 | Birmingham City |
| 2020–2023 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2023– | Real Madrid |
Jude Bellingham featured in 56 matches across all competitions, scoring 15 goals and adding 13 assists. He logged approximately 4,663 minutes, contributed 9 La Liga strikes, 3 in Champions League, and starred in Club World Cup. A central midfield linchpin for Real Madrid.
3. Vitinha (PSG & Portugal)
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Full Name: Vítor Machado Ferreira
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Date of Birth: 13 February 2000 (age 25)
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Place of Birth: Vila das Aves, Portugal
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Height: 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
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Shirt Number: 17
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2019–2020 | Porto B |
| 2019–2022 | Porto |
| 2020–2021 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) |
| 2022– | Paris Saint-Germain |
Vitinha featured in 59 matches, scoring 8 goals and providing 5 assists. He completed over 2,084 of 2,214 passes (≈94% accuracy), led Champions League in total passes, was key pick in various Team of the Season awards, including UEFA Champions League Team of the Season 2024/25
2. Declan Rice (Arsenal & England)
- Full name: Declan Rice
- Date of birth: 14 January 1999
- Place of birth: Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England
- Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
- Number: 41
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2015–2023 | West Ham United |
| 2023– | Arsenal |
Declan Rice starred in a breakout campaign: 52 appearances, 9 goals, 10 assists, and 19 goal involvements. He won possession 156 times, created 59 chances, and played 4,127 minutes. Voted Arsenal’s Player of the Season, he also earned UEFA Team of the Season honors.
1. Pedri (Barcelona & Spain)
- Full name: Pedro González López
- Date of birth: 25 November 2002
- Place of birth: Bajamar, Spain
- Height: 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
- Number: 8
Clubs Played for:
| Years | Team |
|---|---|
| 2019–2020 | Las Palmas |
| 2020– | Barcelona |
In our list of the Best Midfielders in the World, the No. 1 spot belongs to Pedri, following a sensational 2024/25 season.
The Spanish maestro was the heartbeat of Barcelona’s domestic treble-winning campaign, showcasing consistency, vision, and control. He led La Liga in key metrics like passes and recoveries, remained injury-free, and thrived under Hansi Flick’s system, becoming a dominant force in midfield.
In 2024/25 season, playing 50+ matches, scoring 9 goals and assisting 12 times. He led La Liga with 3,191 total actions, 254 recoveries, and topped charts in passes into the final third and key transitions.
