Who Are The 10 Best Defensive Midfielders in the World?
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Who Are The 10 Best Defensive Midfielders in the World?

Who Are The 10 Best Defensive Midfielders in the World?

In an age where the flashiest, boldest, most skillful players are made highlight reels across social media, there is very little room in the limelight for those that make their side tick. Pacy wingers, clinical strikers, and flashy midfielders are all heaped with praise, while those further back rarely garner the recognition that their ability truly deserves.

Defensive midfielders often take the brunt of this unfortunate quirk in the football supporting culture - though seen as a part of the offensive lineup due to the presence of the word “midfielder” in their job title, their true role is to sit back and protect the back 3, 4 or 5, while their more attacking minded teammates rampage up the other end of the pitch.

However, though their goal contribution figures fail to impress more often than not, one cannot fail to see their importance to the way those around them play. Defensive midfielders are the protectors, progressors and aggressors all at the same time, a set of traits found in very few players.

So we decided to grant some of the best of these midfield maestro’s the recognition they deserve - here are the 10 best defensive midfielders in the world in 2025.

10. Granit Xhaka, Sunderland

Though his focus may have shifted from challenging for the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen to avoiding a relegation battle with newly promoted Sunderland, Granit Xhaka’s role will change very little, if at all.

A strong-tackling enforcer with a wealth of high-level experience at the likes of Arsenal, Borussia Monchengladbach and of course Leverkusen, the Swiss captain brings leadership, hunger, and total commitment to any team he finds himself responsible for, as he is usually elected captain.

Captain of the Bayer Leverkusen invincibles two years ago, and more than capable of chipping in with important goals and assists, Xhaka brings much needed high-level expertise to what is a young, exciting Sunderland side, and with him sitting deep to protect the backline, Sunderland have a more than solid platform on which to build moves into the final third.

9. Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa, Napoli

The foundation of Napoli’s title-winning campaign last season, former Fulham player Anguissa has gone from strength to strength since making the move to Italy in 2021.

Failing to impress in his three seasons at the London based side, and failing to score in 66 games in all, the Cameroonian international has found a new lease of life in Naples, notching 155 appearances for the club in all competitions, and providing 12 goals along with 17 assists.

A strong runner with and without the ball, Anguissa’s breathless style and endless running make him a valuable cog in Antonio Conte’s system - and he seems to have taken to the iconic Italian coaches methods well. As well as tearing around the pitch in search of the ball, Anguissa managed his best scoring season yet for the club, netting six times, as well as setting up a further four for his peers.

8. Angelo Stiller, VFB Stuttgart

With lofty names such as Real Madrid, Liverpool Chelsea and Manchester United all showing close interest in the German in recent transfer windows, it is testament to the quality Stiller has shown since his move to Stuttgart in 2023.

Until his move to Stuttgart in 2023, Stiller was simply another average German midfielder destined to bounce between mid-table sides until retirement - however, his development since his move to south-west Germany has been nothing short of world class.

Five goals and 17 assists have seen his stock shoot upwards, and his composure on the ball, along with his eye for a devastating progressive pass has got Europe’s elite drooling. A key part in Stuttgart’s surprise second place finish and subsequent Champions League qualification in 2024, it is surely inevitable that Stiller lands a big move in the near future.

7. Sandro Tonali, Newcastle United

Touted as the next great Italian midfielder since his teenage years, Tonali has been a household name for Football Manager fans for well over half a decade. Garnering attention for his performances for a newly-promoted Brescia side in 2019/20, it didn’t take long before Italian giants AC Milan scooped up the silky midfielder the very next season.

After a stuttering start, Tonali quickly grew into the team, and managed seven goals and nine assists from deep in his last two seasons at the club - but his form caught the eye of the newly Saudi-backed Newcastle United, who splashed in excess of £55 million to acquire his services.

Safe to say the Magpies have not been disappointed. Quickly immersing himself in life at Newcastle, Tonali is never afraid to get his hands dirty - his energetic, and sometimes dirty, in-your-face style has endeared him to the St. James’ Park faithful, and at the age of just 25, there is still plenty more to come from the Italian.

6. Aurelien Tchouameni, Real Madrid

Though he may play for arguably football’s most famous club, Tchouameni’s rise to one of the world’s best disruptors has been a relatively silent one. Beginning his professional career in 2018, it was AS Monaco that gave him the platform to shine, and his presence at the base of midfield saw the outfit achieve back to back third placed finishes in Ligue 1.

When Real Madrid brought him in for around £68 million in 2022, the Frenchman was still a relatively unknown quantity, and with Rennes starlet Eduardo Camavinga arriving in the same transfer window, the two promising talents were expected to rotate in the CDM role.

However, it soon became clear that Tchouameni was the obvious choice to start in front of the defence - tall, muscular, quick and an excellent reader of the game, he relegated the more agile, attacking minded Camavinga to right-back duty, a switch that has rarely been altered since.

Though he is not one to actively search out the goal, Tchouameni’s skill set is so unique that he doesn't need to - he controls the game brilliantly from deep, and is more than happy to give the goalscoring license to those in front of him, favouring the warzone he loves to operate in.

5. Joshua Kimmich, Bayern Munich

Originally starting his career as a right-back, and the direct heir to Munich legend Philip Lahm, Kimmich’s move into the defensive midfielder role has been nothing short of a stroke of genius.

Purchased by Bayern for the measly sum of just £6 million in 2015 after an impressive season with RB Leipzig in the second tier, Kimmich immediately illustrated the bargain Bayern had just acquired. An outstanding creator (he has 107 assists in Bayern colours), and with an outrageously high football IQ, the German always seems to be three steps ahead of anyone else - even his own team mates at times!

It seems like Kimmich has been around for ever, but the fact of the matter is that he is still just 30 years old, arguably about to enter his prime, and with 22 major trophies under his belt, including nine Bundesliga’s and a Champions League, it is safe to say he is the most successful entry on this list.

4. Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool

Having been highly rated as a youngster at Ajax, Gravenberch’s move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 seemed to be the logical next step for a career that seemed destined for greatness.

However, the young Dutchman failed to integrate himself at the Allianz Arena, and after just one season, Liverpool picked up the midfielder for the relatively cheap price of £34 million - neither party have looked back since. Gravenberch has been an irresistible force at the bottom of Liverpool’s midfield, and has marked himself out as a tight-space escape artist and superb passer in his two seasons so far.

A true defensive midfielder in that his goals and assists do not reflect his quality, Gravenberch is the definition of a disruptor - one small lapse in concentration, or even a hint of indecision, and the Dutchman is on top of you. Standing at 190cm tall, it is rare that anyone escapes him with the ball.

3. Rodri, Manchester City

Though he may have played just 10 times since the start of last season thanks to a severe cruciate ligament injury, Rodri is still the reigning Ballon d’Or holder, and that holds more than a bit of weight in this list.

Though his absence has allowed the focus to settle on other up and coming defensive midfielders, football cannot simply forget the sheer quality the Spaniard illustrated on a weekly basis throughout the 2023/24 season. Netting nine goals, assisting 13, and seemingly winning the ball by methods of telepathy, he was a player you simply couldn’t take your eyes off, quite the feat for a defensive midfielder.

While he has not quite been the same since his injury, it is hard to blame him - to be sidelined with a potentially career-ending wound at the peak of his powers would have taken its toll on the Villarreal youth product, and it was only immense mental strength and his consummate professionalism that brought him back for the start of the 2025/26 campaign. Now back to full fitness, we speak for every football fan when we say we cannot wait to see him in full flow once more.

2. Moises Caicedo, Chelsea

The most expensive defensive midfielder in the history of the game, many thought Todd Boehly’s free-spending Blues had overpaid when they forked out a staggering £115 million on the Ecuadorian in 2023, scaring off Liverpool in the process.

At first, the critics seemed right - Caicedo gave away a penalty on his Chelsea debut, and a string of high-profile errors in the first half of the 2023/24 season had Blues fans with their heads in their hands, wondering if yet another big money signing was going to fail at Stamford Bridge. Then out of nowhere, Caicedo’s form turned.

The nerves were gone, and in their place came this absolute conviction that he was going to win the ball every time he contested for it. Capable of playing dirty when needed, Caicedo's timing of tackle, anticipation of danger, and growing leadership skills make him one of the best around. On top of these necessary traits, Caicedo’s offensive game is improving game after game, and his passing ability, as well as his tendency to score superb goals when called upon, make him invaluable to the Club World Cup champions.

1. Joao Neves, Paris Saint-Germain

The best defensive midfielder in the world by some margin last season, Joao Neves appears to have already peaked, despite his tender age of just 20. It is simply hard to see how he can improve on the outrageous quality he showed last season.

Leading PSG to a quadruple from the heart of the midfield, Neves was a key figure throughout the season, making 52 appearances in all, and notching five goals and nine assists. But it wasn’t the goal contributions that caught the eye - for a player who started the 2024/25 season as a 19-year-old, the maturity and assumed experience on display was quite unbelievable.

Neves couldn’t put a foot wrong: He knew where his team mates were at all times, picked the right pass every single time, and almost always found a way to avoid fouling the opposition, choosing his position with expert care. In the new season, the Portuguese international already has three goals to his name in just two games, underlining that he is as comfortable going forward as he is staying back.

But it is clear to us, and to all who watch him, that his greatest strengths lie in defence - with him anchoring the entire team together at the heart of midfield, this PSG side could go on to become one of the greats.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist

Harry Pascoe

Lead Writer

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