TOP 10 Attacking Midfielders in modern day football

Attacking Midfielder- He is one of the most important players in the squad of any club as he is the one, who has the responsibility of linking the play from the back line to the forward.They are responsible for dictating the flow of the game, to act as the string pullers and the engine for the team, along with being a potent attacking option for the team.

Here, we present to you our list of top 10 attacking midfielders in the world based on their performance last season.

10) Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany & Manchester United)

The recently bought Manchester United star, is one of the best all rounders in world of soccer. Acclaimed as a warrior by his fellow team-mates, the 31-year-old is capable of setting the tempo of a game with his impressive passing repertoire; with the ability of shooting from a distance. It is not a coincidence that this youth product survived many managerial sackings and regular squad clear outs at the Allianz Arena, before making a move to United in July 2015. A true Bavarian indeed.

9) Mesut Ozil (Germany and Arsenal)

Arsenal ace Mesut Ozil, has excelled after joining the north London outfit under the guidance of French tactician Arsene Wenger. With great technical ability, the German ace acts as the controller between the midfield and attack. In the Champions league game against Napoli last season, it was the Gunners’ best Champions League performance in the last season as Ozil orchestrated the attack and even scored an atypical goal from outside the box. He played centrally and made everyone around him considerably better. He will definitely be one of the key players for Arsenal in their quest for winning the tittle.

8) Paul Pogba (France and Juventus)

One of the best young talents in World Football arena at the moment, Pogba had a great season with The Old Lady, as the player scored 11 goals from 43 appearances for the club in all competitions. The figure looks great, given the fact that, he is a 22-year-old and plays as an attacking midfielder for the club. Some of his goals were such a beautiful sight to see from a distance; so much so that you can make a whole playlist of his long range goals.

His value at the club has increased with the departure of Carlos Tevez and the legendary midfielder Andrea Pirlo, as he is the main creative head of the team now.

7) Cesc Fabregas (Spain and Chelsea)

Fabregas created a total of 93 chances last season and the fans got to see a rejuvenated Fabregas under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, as the Spaniard was one of the vital reasons for the Blues’ excellent form which eventually led to them  winning  the Premier League title. He gave 18 assists and scored 3 goals with a pass accuracy of 85 %. He was rightly labeled as a model player by the club’s gaffer and the Stamford Bridge fans will be hoping for a similar form this season and will look forward to  present itself as one of the able contenders for the Champions League 2015-16.

6) Kevin de Bruyne (Belgium and Manchester City)

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 De Bruyne has certainly performed very well for Wolfsburg as he starred in and won the German Cup final against Borussia Dortmund in May, elatedly spoiling Jurgen Klopp’s farewell party. The 24-year-old proved that he has a special talent, by breaking the record for the number of assists in a Bundesliga season, as the midfielder gave a staggering 21 assists in his last season with the German club with a decent 10 goal haul in 34 league matches.

5) Luka Modric (Croatia and Real Madrid)

Resembling Xavi in style, the former Tottenham man is a magician of football, when playing at his best and has been one of the driving causes of  Real Madrid’s triumph of the La Decima- their tenth Champions League title in 2013-14. Injuries have undermined the Croatian during his time at the Bernabeu and Real miss him when he isn’t there. This was  evident in their last season in which they went trophyless. Modric may not have a big number in his goals scored section, but, compensates for that with his genius tempo-setting performances, that make him such a prized commodity in world of soccer and thus deserves the fifth spot in our list.

4) David Silva (Spain and Manchester City)

The tough confines of the Premier League do not appear ideally suited to the Spanish midfielder’s subtle skills. But, after a slow start following his move from Valencia to Manchester City in 2010, the playmaker has emerged as one of the best players in the league. If Silva had not made it as a player, he would have wanted to become a surgeon, which comes as little surprise given the way he slices through Premier League defenses with those deft through balls and incisive dribbles.

3) Andres Iniesta (Spain and Barcelona)

Scorer of Spain’s World Cup winning goal against Holland in the 2010 World Cup final, the midfield star is one of the country’s most loved players and is even spared the usual hostile reception that Barcelona players receive when they visit Real Madrid. He is an  excellent dribbler, who is superb at linking midfield and attack and won the Player of the Tournament as Spain retained the European Championship in 2012. Although, now 31, he is still absolutely mesmerizing to watch when playing at his best which was evident in his performance in the Champions League 2014-15 final, which fetched him the Man of the Match award.

2) James Rodriguez (Colombia and Real Madrid)

Rather unheard of prior to the World Cup, James Rodriguez’s glittering performances for Colombia earned him a million dollar move to the Spanish capital. In his two seasons with The Vikings, the attacking midfielder has shown why he cost Los Merengues, around €80m, with some top notch performances.

The two goals he scored against Betis recently are just a testament to the incredible talent this 24-year-old Colombian possesses.

1) Eden Hazard (Belgium and Chelsea)

Touted as one of the best young talents in the World Football, the Belgium international is a worldclass dribbler and has scored some amazing goals under the regime of Jose Mourinho. His partnership with Costa and Fabregas were instrumental in Chelsea winning the Premier League 2014-15.

He was the highest rated Premier League player (7.96) by whoscored.com with 14 goals and 9 assists to his credit with a passing success of 87%. The 24-year-old looks set to be one of the candidates for Ballon d’or after Messi and Ronaldo step down from their regime sometime in the future.