The best defensive midfielders of every era

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

1930s–60s

Duncan Edwards

#1 · 1127 Elo

1970s–80s

Frank Rijkaard

#1 · 1100 Elo

1990–2009

Emmanuel Petit

#1 · 1064 Elo

2010–now

Rodri

#1 · 1238 Elo

1930s–60s

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The best defensive midfielders of the 1930s–60s, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Duncan EdwardsMan United	1127	22–7	29
2	Obdulio VarelaPeñarol	965	4–4	8
3	Danny BlanchflowerTottenham	930	2–6	8
4	ZitoSantos	921	7–13	20
5	Antonio RattínBoca Juniors	910	1–5	6

Show all 8

The best defensive midfielders of the 1930s–60s, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Luis MontiJuventus	909	7–21	28
7	José Leandro AndradeNacional	859	6–19	25
8	Dave MackayTottenham	691	0–23	23

1970s–80s

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The best defensive midfielders of the 1970s–80s, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Frank RijkaardAC Milan	1100	15–11	26
2	Luis FernándezParis Saint-Germain	1021	4–2	6
3	Sergio BatistaArgentinos Juniors	992	3–3	6
4	Toninho CerezoSampdoria	950	2–4	6
5	Uli StielikeReal Madrid	930	1–4	5

Show all 7

The best defensive midfielders of the 1970s–80s, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	GérsonBotafogo	846	6–20	26
7	ClodoaldoSantos	792	4–20	24

1990–2009

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The best defensive midfielders of the 1990–2009, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	Emmanuel PetitArsenal	1064	13–10	23
2	Claude MakéléléReal Madrid	1061	16–12	28
3	Pep GuardiolaBarcelona	1056	11–7	18
4	Mark van BommelBayern Munich	1017	6–3	9
5	Didier DeschampsJuventus	998	14–16	30

Show all 15

The best defensive midfielders of the 1990–2009, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Diego SimeoneAtlético Madrid	973	5–5	10
7	Fernando RedondoReal Madrid	970	9–15	24
8	Gennaro GattusoAC Milan	961	10–15	25
9	Mauro SilvaDeportivo La Coruña	948	2–5	7
10	Esteban CambiassoInter Milan	943	9–13	22
11	Michael CarrickMan United	935	6–10	16
12	DungaFiorentina	933	9–13	22
13	Gilberto SilvaArsenal	926	2–6	8
14	EmersonRoma	898	9–19	28
15	Demetrio AlbertiniAC Milan	870	7–17	24

2010–now

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The best defensive midfielders of the 2010–now, ranked by community Elo
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
1	RodriMan City	1238	23–2	25
2	Sergio BusquetsBarcelona	1186	18–5	23
3	Joshua KimmichBayern Munich	1161	23–7	30
4	CasemiroReal Madrid	1144	18–12	30
5	N'Golo KantéChelsea	1109	15–9	24

Show all 18

The best defensive midfielders of the 2010–now, from number 6
	Player	Elo	Won–lost	Duels
6	Aurélien TchouaméniReal Madrid	1059	7–4	11
7	FabinhoLiverpool	1051	5–2	7
8	Javier MascheranoBarcelona	1012	17–15	32
9	Nemanja MatićChelsea	996	3–4	7
10	Thiago MottaPSG	989	3–4	7
11	FernandinhoMan City	987	13–15	28
12	JorginhoChelsea	952	3–6	9
13	Axel WitselBorussia Dortmund	949	3–7	10
14	Hakan ÇalhanoğluInter Milan	932	2–6	8
15	Declan RiceArsenal	920	8–16	24
16	Javi MartínezBayern Munich	910	1–7	8
17	Miralem PjanićJuventus	901	1–9	10
18	Moisés CaicedoChelsea	888	2–9	11

How is this ranked?

Every duel shows two defensive 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.