Top 10 Best Central Midfielders in the World Right Now

Frenkie de Jong is a professional footballer from the Netherlands who plays as a midfielder for the Dutch National Team and the Spanish club Barcelona. He began his professional career with Willem II in 2015 but was later transferred to Ajax. Standing out as a defensive midfielder, he established himself as one of the most successful young players in Europe. Since rising through the ranks, he has appeared in 65 matches as a versatile player in central midfield, defensive midfield, and even as a center-back.

Known for his incredible passing ability, Frenkie de Jong is also a skilled dribbler. A combination that makes him one of the hottest talents in world football. Frenkie possesses extraordinary strength, composure, and awareness, and his comfort with the ball has helped him secure a position in one of his future clubs, Barcelona, on July 1, 2019, for a fee of 75 million Euros. Frenkie had his most successful year in the 2018-2019 season, winning the domestic treble with Ajax and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Yves Bissouma is a professional footballer from Ivory Coast with Malian roots. He plays as a midfielder for the Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and is also a member of the national football team of Mali. Bissouma began his training at the Majestic SC academy in Ivory Coast and later joined the Mali academy at the age of 13, where he underwent a 5-year training process. At 18, he joined AS Real Bamako, attracting the attention of French scouts. Bissouma signed his first professional contract with Lille OSC on July 7, 2016, four months after arriving from AS Real Bamako, with a three-year deal.

On July 17, 2018, Bissouma joined Brighton & Hove Albion in England. In the first match of the 2018-19 Premier League season, he made his debut for the Sussex club, which ended in a 0-2 loss to Watford. In the 2021–2022 season, Bissouma featured prominently in Premier League matches, making a total of 26 appearances. He played 25 of these matches as a starter and came on as a substitute once. On June 14, 2022, Tottenham Hotspur agreed to a £30 million deal for Bissouma. The Malian player signed a four-year contract with Tottenham.

Royal is the moniker of Emerson Aparecido Leite de Souza Junior, a professional footballer from Brazil who plays as a right-back for the Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur and the national team of Brazil. Emerson overcame two dismissals from top Brazilian clubs before making his move to Europe. He also faced a career-threatening injury. The right-back admits his eagerness to play for the Spanish champions. Emerson's passion for Barcelona began at the age of nine, playing football around the Emiliano Matarazzo area.

The Brazilian player excels more in attacking than defending, relying on his speed to intercept and retain the ball. However, there's one aspect of the game where Emerson stands out from the rest: his height. Standing at 1.83 meters, the Brazilian player becomes the tallest natural wing-back on both sides of the field. This height advantage allows him to assist with accurate crosses and provides him with an edge in aerial duels.

Born in Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey, Declan Rice initially made a mark in the local Chelsea club's books at the age of 7 before heading to southwest London for the early years and joining West Ham in 2014. Starting as a center-back, Rice's development with the Hammers continued rapidly, and he made his debut at the end of the 2016-17 season, featuring more prominently in the following campaign. It was when he transitioned to a midfield role under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini in the 2018-19 season that Rice truly started to shine, with his performances making him one of the standout midfielders in the Premier League, all before he turned 20.

After his debut against the Czech Republic at Wembley in March 2019, Declan Rice was part of the team that finished third in the opening UEFA Nations League finals and successfully completed the EURO 2020 qualifying campaign. By EURO 2020, Rice was an integral part of Southgate's plan, partnering with Kalvin Phillips in the central midfield, and he started in all seven matches for the England team on their way to the final. His performances at Wembley caught the eye of Gareth Southgate, and he was first called up to the England squad in March 2019, chosen to start the EURO 2020 qualifying campaign.

Tomas Soucek is a professional footballer playing as a midfielder for the Premier League club West Ham United and captaining the international team of the Czech Republic. Soucek started in the youth team of Slavia Prague at the age of 10 before going on several loan spells. However, a loan deal with West Ham United would solidify the move to the Premier League, where he would become one of the finest holding midfielders in the league. Soucek signed his first professional contract with Slavia Prague. Quickly loaned to Viktoria Zizkov in the Czech Republic, he played 14 matches for the club during the 2014/15 season, but despite finishing fourth, Zizkov still faced relegation due to financial difficulties.

After impressive performances at Viktoria Zizkov, Tomas Soucek secured a starting spot at Slavia Prague from the 11th round of the following season. The midfielder played 31 times across all competitions for the Czech national team in the 2015/16 season, scoring 7 goals and providing 1 assist. Soucek returned to Slavia in 2018 and helped the team reach the final of the Czech Cup. Slavia Prague topped the Czech First League with 83 points, clinching the Czech Championship. His outstanding performances during the season earned Soucek the title of Czech National Team Player of the Year in 2019. In July 2020, Soucek signed with West Ham for a fee of £20 million, and a month later, he was awarded the Czech Golden Ball.

Silas Katompa is a professional footballer from Congo who has signed a contract with the Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart as a forward. Silas Wamangituka earns £9,000 per week, £468,000 annually while playing for VfB Stuttgart, a club he joined in the 2019-20 season. In his debut season with the club, he earned £416,000. Silas began playing football in 2011, donning the Olympic Matete FC jersey until 2017, and he joined the Ales youth system in 2017-2018. His professional debut for Paris FC took place on August 31, 2018, in a 2–0 Ligue 2 victory against Troyes AC. On September 11, 2018, he signed his first professional contract with Paris FC for three years.

On August 13, 2019, Silas Katompa signed a 5-year contract with the German club VfB Stuttgart. In the ongoing season, the 1.89m tall forward has scored three goals for his team, making him the second-highest goal scorer in the squad. With two assists, he currently ranks third in the team alongside Tiago Tomás. With 23 shots taken so far, the player wearing the number 14 jersey is the second-highest goal scorer among VfB Stuttgart players. Silas Katompa has played 48 matches in his Bundesliga career, winning 14 of them. He has played every match in his Bundesliga career as a member of VfB Stuttgart.

Fabian Ruiz was born and raised in Los Palacios y Villafranca in Seville. He joined the youth team of the local club Real Betis and spent the first four years of his career there before short-term loan stints with Elche. He joined Napoli in 2018 and has since made 166 appearances for the Italian club, contributing 22 goals and 15 assists. He has earned 15 caps for La Roja. The 26-year-old Spanish midfielder spent four years with Partenopei after arriving from Real Betis in July 2018 in a deal worth around 30 million euros. Ruiz has developed into a powerful midfielder in the Campania capital, scoring 22 goals and providing 15 assists in 166 appearances for the club. He departed to Paris in a 24 million euro deal in the summer.

Fabian Ruiz impresses as a central midfielder breaking through opposition midfield lines to disrupt the last line of defense. Fabián Ruiz's emergence as a potentially world-class midfielder has led Spanish national team enthusiasts to believe they can dominate international football once again. Since winning the World Cup in 2010, between two European championships and most recently the retirement of the great Andres Iniesta, they have awaited the arrival of their next generation of leaders, and Fabián is proving himself to be among them. Recruited by Napoli in 2018 for £30 million from Real Betis, where he succeeded Giovani Lo Celso, Fabián has become one of the most influential midfielders in Serie A.

Wataru Endo is a professional footballer from Japan playing as a defensive midfielder and is the captain of the Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. He represents the national team of Japan. Endo began his professional career with Shonan Bellmare. Later, he played for Sint-Truiden until 2019. On August 13, 2019, Endo was loaned to VfB Stuttgart for the season, and in April 2020, Stuttgart signed a permanent deal with Endo. On November 26, 2020, Endo extended his contract with VfB Stuttgart until June 2024.

On February 25, 2022, Endo scored the only goal for Stuttgart in a 1-2 loss to TSG Hoffenheim. He again scored in the club's 3–2 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach. On May 14, 2022, he scored the decisive goal in injury time in a 2-1 win over 1. FC Köln to save Stuttgart from direct relegation and secure their position in the Bundesliga for the 2022–23 season. On July 23, 2015, Japan's coach Vahid Halilhodžić called up Endo for the squad participating in the 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup. He was named in Japan's squad for the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, [11] although he did not play in any of their matches.

Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni hails from Normandy but grew up in Bordeaux. He rose through the ranks at Bordeaux, making his debut at the age of 18 in a Europa League clash with Latvia's FK Ventspils. Within two years, he became a key player. Currently playing for Monaco, he joined the club in 2020 for a transfer fee of 16 million pounds, asserting himself as the club's highest-rated player. Two years after moving to Stade Louis II, he emerged as one of the standout midfielders in Ligue 1 and is also part of Didier Deschamps' French national team.

His domestic performances earned Aurelien Tchouameni his first call-up to France last year, and he has since made 8 appearances for Les Bleus, scoring his first goal in March against Ivory Coast. During this time, he has sought to learn as much as possible from experienced players like Karim Benzema and Paul Pogba. Pressure is something Tchouameni is accustomed to, as handling challenges has been a frequent occurrence early in his football career. He stands out in both defense and attack, possessing skills and attributes that few players around him can match.