The best central midfielders of every era

Four eras, voted separately — a central midfielder is only ever compared with the central midfielders of his own time.

1930s–60s

Martin Peters

#1 · 1056 Elo

1970s–80s

Bryan Robson

#1 · 1114 Elo

1990–2009

Lothar Matthäus

#1 · 1319 Elo

2010–now

Xavi Hernández

#1 · 1230 Elo

1930s–60s

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The best central midfielders of the 1930s–60s, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Martin PetersWest Ham	1056	5–1	6
2	Alan BallEverton	1031	4–2	6
3	Mário ColunaBenfica	990	3–3	6
4	Josef MasopustDukla Prague	959	8–11	19
5	Igor NettoSpartak Moscow	918	0–4	4

Show all 8

The best central midfielders of the 1930s–60s, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Luis SuárezBarcelona	899	6–17	23
7	József BozsikHonvéd	894	1–7	8
8	DidiBotafogo	856	5–17	22

1970s–80s

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The best central midfielders of the 1970s–80s, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Bryan RobsonMan United	1114	16–6	22
2	Jean TiganaBordeaux	1086	8–1	9
3	Ossie ArdilesTottenham	1032	4–2	6
4	Carlos ValderramaAtlético Junior	1024	10–8	18
5	Paul BreitnerBayern Munich	1012	13–10	23

Show all 12

The best central midfielders of the 1970s–80s, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Johan NeeskensAjax	1007	11–11	22
7	Wim van HanegemFeyenoord	949	2–5	7
8	Alain GiresseBordeaux	940	3–6	9
9	Billy BremnerLeeds United	933	1–4	5
10	Graeme SounessLiverpool	872	6–15	21
11	Marco TardelliJuventus	847	5–18	23
12	FalcãoRoma	782	2–20	22

1990–2009

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The best central midfielders of the 1990–2009, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Lothar MatthäusBayern Munich	1319	29–2	31
2	Steven GerrardLiverpool	1317	25–1	26
3	Clarence SeedorfAC Milan	1275	25–2	27
4	Paul ScholesMan United	1205	16–1	17
5	Roy KeaneMan United	1191	19–5	24

Show all 17

The best central midfielders of the 1990–2009, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Andrea PirloAC Milan	1179	16–3	19
7	Patrick VieiraArsenal	1144	17–6	23
8	Frank LampardChelsea	1120	13–7	20
9	Michael BallackBayern Munich	1085	20–11	31
10	Edgar DavidsJuventus	1045	14–9	23
11	Dejan StankovićInter Milan	1030	3–2	5
12	Daniele De RossiRoma	1017	16–15	31
13	Stefan EffenbergBayern Munich	981	4–8	12
14	Juan Sebastián VerónLazio	976	14–21	35
15	Gaizka MendietaValencia	912	2–8	10
16	Michael EssienChelsea	899	7–17	24
17	Juninho PernambucanoLyon	875	0–9	9

2010–now

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The best central midfielders of the 2010–now, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Xavi HernándezBarcelona	1230	19–2	21
2	Luka ModrićReal Madrid	1228	20–4	24
3	Cesc FàbregasArsenal	1191	19–4	23
4	Jude BellinghamReal Madrid	1173	18–5	23
5	Paul PogbaJuventus	1136	21–8	29

Show all 35

The best central midfielders of the 2010–now, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Federico ValverdeReal Madrid	1127	8–0	8
7	PedriBarcelona	1124	8–1	9
8	Xabi AlonsoLiverpool	1110	19–13	32
9	Yaya TouréMan City	1099	15–7	22
10	Bastian SchweinsteigerBayern Munich	1095	14–10	24
11	Marco VerrattiPSG	1085	12–5	17
12	Ilkay GündoğanMan City	1064	13–9	22
13	Moussa DembéléTottenham	1055	4–1	5
14	Ivan RakitićBarcelona	1050	14–12	26
15	Claudio MarchisioJuventus	1050	6–5	11
16	KokeAtlético Madrid	1040	6–3	9
17	Toni KroosReal Madrid	1038	11–11	22
18	Frenkie de JongBarcelona	1033	6–3	9
19	Nicolò BarellaInter Milan	1032	5–3	8
20	Thiago AlcântaraBayern Munich	1029	14–11	25
21	Blaise MatuidiPSG	1002	4–4	8
22	Leon GoretzkaBayern Munich	996	3–3	6
23	Jordan HendersonLiverpool	988	3–4	7
24	VitinhaPSG	987	3–3	6
25	João NevesPSG	977	2–4	6
26	Radja NainggolanRoma	967	2–4	6
27	Fabián RuizPSG	956	4–6	10
28	Sami KhediraReal Madrid	944	3–6	9
29	Sergej Milinković-SavićLazio	938	2–7	9
30	Enzo FernándezChelsea	930	0–4	4
31	Alexis Mac AllisterLiverpool	928	1–7	8
32	Arturo VidalJuventus	913	10–19	29
33	Marcos LlorenteAtlético Madrid	900	2–9	11
34	Bruno GuimarãesNewcastle	867	0–9	9
35	Dani ParejoValencia	843	0–10	10

How is this ranked?

Every duel shows two central midfielders from the same era. Fans pick the greater one. The winner gains rating points and the loser drops them, more after an upset.

Who votes?

Anyone visiting Make Your GOAT. No account is needed, and each device is limited to 30 votes a minute.

Does it change?

Yes. The table moves with every vote. This page shows it as it stood at most an hour ago.