​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​
​​Rodri

​​Karel Pesek
​Toninho Cerezo​
​​​​​Nestor Rossi
Danilo Alvim
​​​​​Valery Voronin
​​​Zito
​​​​​​Dave Mackay
​Horst Szymaniak
​​​​​​​Clodoaldo
​Didier Deschamps
​​Claude Makelele
​Zlatko Cajkovski
​​Dunga
​Pep Guardiola

​​​​Rainer Bonhof
​​​​Casemiro
​​​Michele Andreolo​
​​​Josef Smistik
​​​Mauro Silva
​​​Jose Carlos Bauer
​​Uli Stielike
​​​​​Joshua Kimmich
​​​​Javier Mascherano
​​​Wim Jansen
​​​​​Antonio Rattin
Esteban Cambiasso
Nestor Goncalves
​​​Luis Fernandez
​​​​​​Romeo Benetti
Emerson Ferreira
​Gennaro Gattuso
​​​Ernest Needham
​
Wilson Piazza
​Svatopluk Pluskal
​​​​Paulo Sousa
Luigi Bertolini
​​​​​Andreas Kupfer
​​​​​Jose Velasquez
​​​​​Ugo Locatelli
​​Jimmy Dickinson
​

NET
​
URU

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

​GER
​​​​BRA
​​​ITA
​​​​AUT
​​​BRA
​​​BRA
​​​​​​GER
​​​​GER
​​​​ARG
​​​NET
​​​ARG
​​​ARG
​URU
​​FRA
​​ITA
​BRA
​​ITA
​​​ENG
​
​​​BRA
​​CZE
​​POR
​ITA
​​​GER
​​​​​PER
​​​​​ITA
​​​ENG

1980's
​
1920's

1940's
1990's
1930's
2010's
1950's
​​1960's
1950's
​​2020's

1920's
1980's
​1950's
​1940's
​​​​1960's
​1960's
​1960's
1950's
​​​​1970's
​1990's
2000's
1940's
​1990's
1990's

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

GOLD I

GOLD II

GOLD III​
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 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
​GOLD V

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 , Netherlands
1 - Austria , Croatia , Czech Republic, 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   Rodri
​
11   Karel Pesek
12   Toninho Cerezo
​​​13   Nestor Rossi
​14   Danilo Alvim
​15   ​Valery Voronin
​​16   Zito
​​​​​​17   Dave Mackay
​18   Horst Szymaniak
​​​​19   Clodoaldo
​​​20   ​Didier Deschamps
​​21   Claude Makelele
​22   Zlatko Cajkovski
​​23   Dunga
​​24   Pep Guardiola

​​​25   Rainer Bonhof
​26   Casemiro
​​​27   Michele Andreolo
​​28   Josef Smistik
​29   Mauro Silva
​​​30   Jose Carlos Bauer
​​​31   Uli Stielike
​​​32   Joshua Kimmich
​33   Javier Mascherano
34   Wim Jansen
​​​​​​35   Antonio Rattin
36   Esteban Cambiasso
​​37   Nestor Goncalves
38   Luis Fernandez
​39   Romeo Benetti
​40   Emerson Ferreira
41   Gennaro Gattuso
​​​​42   Ernest Needham
​
​43   Wilson Piazza
​​​​44   Svatopluk Pluskal
​​​45   Paulo Sousa
​46   Luigi Bertolini
​​​​​47   Andreas Kupfer
​​​​48   ​​Jose Velasquez
​​​​​​49   Ugo Locatelli
​​​​50   Jimmy Dickinson
​
​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
​​​​SPA
​
​​CZE
BRA
​​​​ARG​
​BRA
​​​​RUS
​​BRA
​​​​​SCO
​GER
​​​​BRA
FRA
FRA
CRO
​​​BRA
​SPA

GER
BRA
​ITA
AUT
BRA
BRA
GER
GER
ARG
NET
ARG
ARG
URU
FRA
ITA
BRA
ITA
​ENG

BRA
CZE
​POR
ITA
GER
​PER
ITA
ENG


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

I

II

III
III
III
​III
III
​III
III
III

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
V

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 , Netherlands
1 - Austria , Croatia , Czech Republic, Northern Ireland , Russia , Scotland
​
​World Class Defensive-Midfielders by Decade

New List Entries since 2022:
  • 2023: Rodri
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