In modern football, it is a necessity of any team that a specialized defensive midfielder holds the midfield together. Most outstanding defensive midfielders 2024.
Whoever calls himself a defensive midfielder must be a relentless passer, able to read every situation imaginable but also be talented on the ball.
Capable of intricately stroking it around at close range or picking a long-range pass.
Who then is a defensive midfielder? A defensive midfielder is a football player who plays in front of the defense.
He is responsible for breaking up oppositions attacks, winning the ball back, distributing it to teammates, protecting the defense, supporting the team’s transition from defense to offense.
Let us explore some of the defensive midfield players who has possessed the above mentioned qualities.
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5 Aurelien Tchouameni (France and Madrid)
Tchouameni is generally a versatile young Frenchman with a big future ahead of him at Real Madrid.
The defensive side of his game was on display plenty last season as he filled in at centre-back, but he is more effective in the defensive midfield role.
Real Madrid scouted Tchouameni during his time at Monaco and must have been impressed by the amount of defensive work, particularly tackles and interceptions.
He gets through, though his progressive game is not half shabby either. He has been living up to the amount he was bought and he is one of the first names on Carlo Ancelotti’s teamsheet.
Tchouameni is a French footballer who plays defensive midfield or centre-back for Laliga club Real Madrid and the France national team.
He was announced as Madrid player on 11th June 2022, and was signed on 1st July 2022, he signed a six year contract with the club.
The transfer was reported to be 80 million Euros, which could rise to 100 million due to additional fees.
He can either drop and focus screening the defense, closing down passing lanes and defending the central Channel.
He can also play in a box-to-box role, bringing the ball up the field and looking to play through-passes into the on-running forwards.
4 Bruno Guimaraes (Brazil and NewCastle)
Bruno stayed put on Tyneside- and he is far from complaining about. Bruno Guimaraes sets the standard at Newcastle.
When it comes to playing for the badge, putting in the kind of passion, aggression and intensity that Eddie Howe demands from everyone.
Bruno is a typical Brazilian midfielder: a deft touch, ability to split defenses either with a pass or a bustling dribble through the center of the pitch, and not afraid of the physical side of the game.
He was very good and perhaps underrated for a few years at Lyon, but first his first season at Newcastle cemented him as one of the best all-round midfielders in the world.
The Brazilian was arguably their most important player as they qualified for champions league and reached the Carabao cup final.
He was able to score 10 ten Goals and six assists in 2022/23 from 57 games played.
This is a great return for a midfielder who is also very good in tackle and does a lot of hard yards for the team.
He has continued to impress the club the season with the sky being the limit for his talents.
Guimaraes joined Newcastle on 30th January 2022 on a four-and-a-half-year contract and since then has been so exceptional and more of an asset to the team.
Bruno Guimaraes is essentially a specialist holding midfield out of possession, scurrying around looking to break up play as a sitting midfielder in a three-man unit.
But once Newcastle have the ball, Guimaraes transforms into an attacking box-to-box player who offers drive, creativity, goals and assists.
3 Granit Xhaka (Leverkusen and Switzerland)
Granit Xhaka left Arsenal as fan’s Favorite and this captured his remarkable renaissance at the Emirates.
He was often seen as a scapegoated midfielder with the Gunners supporters and he came to a head in October 2019 when he was jeered by fans while he trudged off the pitch.
Mikel Arteta arrived and the Swiss international was offered a new lease of life and he re-emerged as a key figure in north London. He is now central to Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible upsurge.
Xhaka signed for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year contract for a fee of 21.4 million Euros on August 2023. He played a key role in helping Leverkusen lift the Bundesliga trophy last season.
It was as though all heaven broke loose at the BayArena when Bayer Leverkusen beat Werder Bremen 5-0 to win the Bundesliga for the first time their history.
Xabi Alonso, the manner of their title success has been staggering. Leverkusen set a new Bundesliga record for most games unbeaten (29) from the start of a season after winning against Bremen at the weekend.
Alonso signed Xhaka from Arsenal and challenged the Swiss international to transform into a number six.
For Arsenal Xhaka operated as a left-sided eight in a 4-3-3 formation, but for Bayer Leverkusen he is playing as a left-sided deep midfielder alongside Exequiel Palacios in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
Xhaka is so good that players like Wirtz cannot be effective without help from Xhaka. The German international has benefited from the ability of the Swiss to deliver the ball in the best condition possible, to pass the ball progressively forward and to invade the opposition shape.
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2 Declan Rice ( Arsenal and England)
With respect to West Ham United fans, we have to admit it feels remarkable to us that Declan Rice has only been at Arsenal since last summer.
That is a tribute to what an established part of the firmament he has become at the Emirate Stadium.
He has improved at an incredible rate in recent years and is now leading Arsenal’s midfield.
Few players can match the England international’s sublime tackling rate, while he has also become a force at the other end of the pitch in attack.
Rice plays predominantly as a defensive midfielder and is also known for his athleticism and tackling ability.
In more recent times, he has begun to build a reputation as a more complete midfielder due to his ball carrying skills and ability to score goals from range, which has seen him be deployed in a more offensive role on occasion as a number eight. He has also been praised in the media for his passing ability.
1 Rodri ( Manchester city and Spain)
Rodri is not just one of the best midfielders in the world football, but one of the best players in the world.
Rodri was the key player for Manchester City last season and also deservedly won the player of the tournament award at Euro 2024.
As impressive as Rodri’s statistics are, he got nine goals and 13 assists for city last season. He is one of those players who you really need to watch to truly appreciate his value.
He makes the side tick for both club and country and will be a huge miss while he is out injured.
It just took a season or so for Rodri to get to grips with the premier league football, but since acclimatizing there have been few better in defensive midfield than the Spaniard.
Fast forward to the present day and Rodri has elevated his game back to the highest level, showing just how much of a world class operator he is.
Scoring the winner in the 2023 Champions league final also boosted his stock a fair bit, but even so, Rodri is best in his position right now.
