​You can view Ratings & Explanation for more information on how these lists are made.
​

​1
​
​2

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
​
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
​
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41

42
43​
44
45
46
47​
48
49
50

Frank Rijkaard
​
Jose Leandro Andrade

Obdulio Varela
Fernando Redondo
​​Luis Monti
​​Sergio Busquets
Victor Rodriguez Andrade
​​Danny Blanchflower
​Duncan Edwards​

​​Karel Pesek
​​​​Dave Mackay
​Toninho Cerezo​
​​​​​Nestor Rossi
Danilo Alvim
​​​​​Valery Voronin
​​​Zito
​​Rodri
​​Claude Makelele
​Horst Szymaniak
​Zlatko Cajkovski
​​​​Clodoaldo
​Dunga
​Pep Guardiola
​​​Mauro Silva
​
Didier Deschamps
​​​​Casemiro
​​​Rainer Bonhof
​​​Jose Carlos Bauer
​​Michele Andreolo​
​​Josef Smistik
​​​Javier Mascherano
​​​Luis Fernandez
​Uli Stielike
​​​​​Joshua Kimmich
​​​​​Antonio Rattin
Esteban Cambiasso
Nestor Goncalves
​​​​​​Romeo Benetti
Emerson Ferreira
​Gennaro Gattuso
​​​Ernest Needham
​
Wilson Piazza
​​Wim Jansen
Luigi Bertolini
​​​Paulo Sousa
​​Jimmy Dickinson
​​​​​Andreas Kupfer
​​​​​Ugo Locatelli
Svatopluk Pluskal
​​​​Jose Velasquez
​

NET
​
URU

URU
ARG
​​ARG
​SPA
URU
​​NIR
​ENG​

​​CZE
​​​​SCO
BRA
​​​​ARG​
​BRA
​​​​​RUS
​​​​BRA
​​​​SPA
​​FRA
​GER
​CRO
​BRA
​​BRA
​SPA
​​BRA
​
FRA
​​​​BRA
GER
​​​BRA
​​ITA
​​​AUT
​​ARG
​​FRA
​​​​​GER
​​​​GER
​​​ARG
​​​ARG
​URU
​​ITA
​BRA
​​ITA
​​​ENG
​
​​​BRA
​​NET
​ITA
​POR
​​ENG
​​​GER
​​​​​ITA
​CZE
​​​​PER

1980's
​
1920's

1940's
1990's
1930's
2010's
1950's
​​1960's
1950's

1920's
​​​1960's
1980's
​1950's
​1940's
​1960's
​1960's
​​2020's
2000's
1950's
1940's
​1970's
1990's
1990's
​​1990's
​
1990's
​​2010's
1970's
​​1950's
1930's
​1930's
2010's
​​1980's
​​​1980's
​​2020's
​1960's
2000's
1960's
​​1970's
2000's
2000's
​1890's
​
1970's
​1970's
1930's
​1990's
​1950's
​1940's
​​1930's
1950's
1970's

GOLD I

GOLD II

GOLD III​
GOLD III
GOLD III
GOLD III
GOLD III
GOLD III
GOLD III

GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
​GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
GOLD IV
​
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
GOLD V
​
SILVER I
SILVER I
​SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
​SILVER I
​SILVER I

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

​​​​Alemao
​Victor Benitez
Max Breunig
​​​​​​Fausto Dos Santos
​Alvaro Gestido
​Hans Kalb
Frantisek Kolenaty
​Gyula Lazar
​​​​​​Nils Middelboe
​Emmanuel Petit
​Alex Raisbeck
Ze Roberto

​​BRA
​PER
​GER​
​​​​BRA
URU
​GER
CZE
​HUN
​​​​​DEN
​FRA
​SCO
​BRA

1980's
​1960's
​1910's
1930's
1930's
1920's
1920's
1930's
​1910's
1990's
​1900's
2000's

SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
SILVER I
​​​SILVER I
​​​​SILVER I
​SILVER I
SILVER I
​​​SILVER I
​​​​SILVER I
​​​​SILVER I
​​​​SILVER I

​World Class Defensive-Midfielders by Nation
9 - Brazil
6 - Argentina
4 - Germany , Uruguay
3 - France , Italy , Spain
2 - England
1 - Austria , Croatia , Czech Republic, Netherlands , Northern Ireland , Russia , Scotland
​
​World Class Defensive-Midfielders by Decade
Frank Rijkaard
Frank Rijkaard
Serie A *2
Eredivisie *5
Champions League *3
Euros *1
3rd Balon D'Or *2
Jose Leandro Andrade
Jose Leandro Andrade
Primera Division (URU) *2
Olympics *2
World Cup *1
Copa America *3
​Highest SA POTY Rank: N/A
Duncan Edwards
Obdulio Varela
Primera Division (URU) *5
Copa America *1
World Cup *1
Highest SA POTY Rank: N/A

1    Frank Rijkaard
​
2    Jose L. Andrade

3    Obdulio Varela
4    Fernando Redondo
​5    Luis Monti
​6    Sergio Busquets
7    Victor R. Andrade
​8    D. Blanchflower
​9    Duncan Edwards

10   Karel Pesek
​​​​11   Dave Mackay
12   Toninho Cerezo
​​​13   Nestor Rossi
​14   Danilo Alvim
​15   ​Valery Voronin
​​16   Zito
​​​​​17   Rodri
​​18   Claude Makelele
​19   Horst Szymaniak
​20   Zlatko Cajkovski
​​​21   Clodoaldo
​22   Dunga
​​23   Pep Guardiola
​24   Mauro Silva
​
​​25   ​Didier Deschamps
​26   Casemiro
​​27   Rainer Bonhof
​​​28   Jose Carlos Bauer
​​​29   Michele Andreolo
​​30   Josef Smistik
​31   Javier Mascherano
32   Luis Fernandez
​​​33   Uli Stielike
​​​34   Joshua Kimmich
​​​​​​35   Antonio Rattin
36   Esteban Cambiasso
​​37   Nestor Goncalves
​38   Romeo Benetti
​39   Emerson Ferreira
40   Gennaro Gattuso
​​​​41   Ernest Needham
​
​42   Wilson Piazza
​​​43   Wim Jansen
​44   Luigi Bertolini
​​​45   Paulo Sousa
​​46   Jimmy Dickinson
​​​​​47   Andreas Kupfer
​​​​​​48   Ugo Locatelli
​​​49   Svatopluk Pluskal
​​​​50   ​​Jose Velasquez
​
​HON. MENTIONS
Alemao
Victor Benitez
​Max Breunig
Fausto Dos Santos
​Alvaro Gestido
​Hans Kalb
​Frantisek Kolenaty
​Gyula Lazar
Nils Middelboe
​Emmanuel Petit
​Alex Raisbeck
​Ze Roberto

NET
​
URU
​
URU
ARG
​ARG
​SPA
​URU
​​NIR
​ENG

​​CZE
​​​SCO
BRA
​​​​ARG​
​BRA
​​​​RUS
​​BRA
​​​​SPA
​​FRA
​GER
​CRO
​​BRA
​​BRA
​SPA
​BRA
​
FRA
BRA
GER
BRA
ITA
AUT
ARG
FRA
GER
GER
ARG
ARG
URU
ITA
BRA
ITA
​ENG

BRA
NET
ITA
POR
ENG
GER
ITA
CZE
PER


BRA
PER
GER
BRA
URU
GER
CZE
HUN
DEN
FRA
SCO
​BRA

I

II

III
III
III
​III
III
​III
III

IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
IV
​IV
​​IV
​​IV
​​IV

V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I


I
​I
​​I
I
I
I
​I
​I
​​I
​​​I
​I
​​I

​World Class Defensive-Midfielders by Nation
9 - Brazil
6 - Argentina
4 - Germany , Uruguay
3 - France , Italy , Spain
2 - England
1 - Austria , Croatia , Czech Republic, Netherlands , Northern Ireland , Russia , Scotland
​
​World Class Defensive-Midfielders by Decade

New List Entries since 2022:
  • 2023: Rodri