Who is the Best Midfielder in Europe Right Now?
Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Bruno Fernandes, N'golo Kante, Thiago Alcantra, Paul Pogba, Joshua Kimmich, Toni Kroos are the Europe's top midfielders. But who is currently the best among them?
Midfielders run and control matches. Their performance decide match result. However, their job is often neglected when a forward scores and takes the whole credit. A team's performance depends on so many things but most probably on midfielders because they are bridge between forward and back. If they don't hold the the ball properly and fail to send the ball forward, the team remains goalless. Moreover if they can't control, can't press, do not recover opposition's ball then the team concedes goals. Hence, a midfielder has vital role same as forwards.
Midfielders are probably the most underrated playersin football. But the scenario has changed since the last decade as there have been some big signings in europe. Midfielders are now being sold over 100m+. Their price tag is now similar to a Forward. Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes are great example whose market value is now above 100m. In 2016, Paul Pogba drew all the attention when he moved to Manchester United for a sensational 105m euro and become the most expensive midfielder in history. The record was broken 2 years later by Phillipe Coutinho and set a new record at 145m. This didn't not only make him the most expensive midfielder but also the 3rd most expensive transfer in football history although he couldn't live up to his expectation. This proves that midfielders are now considered as important as strikers and wingers.
There are now so elite midfielders in europe. European giants battle among them to land a top midfielder. If you had to choose only one among Kevin de Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Toni Kroos, Kante, Modric, who would you pick?
Let's have a look at their performance this season.
Kevin De Bruyne :
Position : Attacking Midfielder
Rating : 8/10
De Bruyne is definitely one of the best midfielders in last decade. At present, he is considered the best players in europe. His passing, vision, playmaking ability differs him from others.He is top assist provider in the last 5 years. This made him the most vital player for Manchester City. However, his performance is below expectation this season as he's scored 3 goals and provided 13 assists in 20 matches which is less compared to his previous season. There's still many matches left to play this season. He can upgrade his stats by then.
Bruno Fernandes :
Position : Attacking Midfielder
Rating : 9/10
27 goals and 17 assists in 47 appearances for Manchester United since his debut in January 2020. His stats would make anyone believe that he is a striker. 43 goal involvement in 45 matches till December 31st 2020. His unbelievable performance has certainly put him in the top midfielders list. His market value has risen significantly and now stands at 90m. Read How Bruno Fernandes has changed the Manchester United's Atmosphere.
Paul Pogba
Positon : Central Midfielder
Rating : 6/10
From
the most expensive midfielder to a bench warmer at Old Trafford. Pogba
has fallen so much in recent years. His market value was 100m in 2019
and within a year his price has declined to 65m. he has scored 2 goals
and provided 3 assists in 21 appearances this season which is quite poor
compared to other midfielders in same position. Moreover, he's
struggling for playing time in the premier league. There are few reasons
behind this. Pogba could leave United next summer according to various
reports. Surprisingly, his departure won't hurt United much. Click to know why.
Toni Kroos
Position : Central Midfielder
Rating : 8/10
Undisputedly one of the best players of last decades. Kross has the best pass accuracy in europe. He has also the most number of key passes. Kroos is basicaaly a ball holder who decide whelther to play fast or slow. His bad performance affects Madrid. So he is certainly one of the best player for the Los Blancos.
N'Golo Kante
Position : Central Midfielder
Rating : 7/10
He might not scores and assists but his performance cannot be defined in stats. Although kante's natural position is central midfielder he plays more as a defensive midfielder. He has had most interceptions and tackles attempt in the premier league. His performance is World Cup 2018 was so significant as he was named in FIFA XI. His market value was 150m that year. This clearly proves how good Kante is.
Luka Modric
Position : Central Midfielder
Rating : 7/10
35 years old performing like a 23 year old this season. He is still playing as a playmaker for madrid and competing for his position. His world class performance has made other midfielder sit on bench. He has recently renewed his contract till 2022.
Thiago Alcantra
Rating : 5/10
He has not featured for Liverpool much this season due to injury. He was one of the best previous season as helped Bayern Munich to win the champions league. However he's not shown his qualities yet. So it is hard to choose him among others.
Joshua Kimmich
Position : Defensive Midfielder
Rating : 8/10
Kimmich is actually a full back who plays as a RB. But he often changes his position and plays in defensive midfield position. Pep also used him as defensive midfielder although he wasn't a first choice then because of his former teammate Thiago Alcantara. However, since the start of 2019/20 season kimmich played more matches as a midfielder than a full back. He was so vital for Bayern last season as helped them win all trophies including the champions league. He has been named in FIFA Pro Best XI of 2020 in Midfield alongside Kevin De Bruyne and Thiago Alcantara. Moreover, kimmich's performance this season is not letting Bayern feel Thiago's absesnt who left for Liverpool in 2020.
So we can see there are many worldclass midfielders in europe right now. It is hard for anyone to pick only one. But if we had to choose among them we will say it Joshua Kimmich who is currently the best Midfielder in Europe (based on Previous season and current season). This certainly doesn't define others' class. Bruno Fernandes and Kevin De Bruyne are also hot favorite and fans' choice at the moment.
