The 10 Greatest Midfielders In Football History Have Been Named And Ranked

Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta has been named the best midfielder of all time ahead of German legend Lothar Matthaus and fellow club legend Xavi.

The 36-year-old Spanish midfielder spent the majority of his playing career at the Camp Nou and established a formidable partnership with Xavi.

Iniesta, who is currently captain of Japanese side Vissel Kobe, lifted a whopping nine La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, six Copa del Reys and six Spanish Super Cups.

The former Barcelona skipper also enjoyed silverware on the international stage as he captured two Euros (2008 and 2012) and the 2010 World Cup with Spain.

Sportskeeda named Iniesta top of a star-studded list of legendary players, saying his understanding with Xavi at Barcelona made them "undoubtedly the best-ever central midfield partnership."

The publication also pointed to the Spanish World Cup winner's "incredible vision, passing skills and an uncanny knack for performing when it matters the most."

Matthaus finished behind Iniesta in the rankings, with the 1990 Ballon d'Or winner branded an "extraordinary box-to-box midfield player who always seemed to be in the right position at the right time."

Xavi closed out the top three as the Barcelona legend played an instrumental role at both club and international level.

The 41-year-old Spaniard, who is currently managing Al Sadd, was vital to Barcelona and Spain's successful implementation of tiki-taka football in the late 2000s.

According to Sportskeeda, Xavi was a "supreme passer and playmaker" who was "capable of picking the right pass at the right time."

Legendary Premier League trio Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard all secured their respective places in the top 10.

Posted below are Sportskeeda's 10 picks for the best midfielders in football history.

10. Frank Lampard

9. Johan Neeskens

8. Luka Modric

7. Steven Gerrard

6. Paul Scholes

5. Andrea Pirlo

4. Didi

3. Xavi

2. Lothar Matthaus

1. Andres Iniesta

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Xavi, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Football, Andres Iniesta, Andrea Pirlo, Steven Gerrard, Luka Modric

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9