The 23rd installment of Barney Corkhill's Greatest Ever series is here!
In this series, I will look at the greatest talents to grace various sports. Here, I continue to look at football, this time counting down the top 10 central midfielders of all time.
Again, to avoid confusion, I have included defensive midfielders and attacking midfielders in this countdown.
I can safely say that this was the hardest out of any of my Greatest Ever countdowns so far.
Enjoy!
10. Ruud Gullit (NED)
Narrowly beating countless other legends onto this list is Ruud Gullit. Gullit was part of the famed Dutch trio who played for AC Milan in the late 1980s and early 1990s, along with Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten.
This combination helped Milan to unparalleled success, winning three Serie A titles and two European Cups. He won yet more silverware at his other clubs, including three Dutch league titles, a Dutch Cup, an Italian Cup, and an FA Cup.
For Holland, he played a huge part in the rebirth of "Total Football", helping them to success in Euro '88. He went on to win 66 caps for the Netherlands. In 1987, Gullit was named the European and World Footballer of the Year, the latter of which he would win again two years later.
9. Lothar Matthaus (GER)
No player has played in more World Cup matches than Lothar Matthaus. He has appeared in 25, spanning five World Cups, another record for an outfield player. His commanding presence in the middle of the park made him the perfect candidate for captaincy, and he became one of the best skippers in German football history.
During his club career, he won seven Bundesliga titles, three German Cups, a Serie A title and two UEFA Cups, while at international level, he won the 1980 European Championships, and added a World Cup winners medal a decade later.
Individually, he was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1990, and became the first ever winner of the World Player of the Year award a year later. His haul of 150 caps for Germany is the highest in the country's history.
8. Zico (BRA)
Few, if any, players have been able to hit a free-kick like Zico, and his game in open play was just as impressive. He was often called "the White Pele", and the real Pele once said that Zico was the one player that came closest to him.
His finishing was almost as clinical as Pele's, as his goalscoring record clearly shows. He won seven Rio State Championships and four Brazilian Championships in his club career, but never managed to capture the World Cup with Brazil, despite being part of the great 1982 side.
He won 88 caps for Brazil, scoring a remarkable 66 goals from attacking midfield.
7. Raymond Kopa (FRA)
Equally adept at playing up front as he was in attacking midfield, Raymond Kopa was part of the great Real Madrid side of the late 1950s. After helping Stade de Reims to the 1956 European Cup final, in which they lost to Madrid, he was quickly snapped up by the Spanish giants.
In his career, Kopa won a whole host of silverware, including four French League titles, two Spanish League titles and three consecutive European Cups. He was also part of the French squad for the 1954 World Cup, in which he was named Young Player of the Tournament, and the 1958 World Cup, where he was named Player of the Tournament, becoming the only player to win both awards.
He went on to win 45 caps for France in his 10-year international career.
6. Michael Laudrup (DEN)
Michael Laudrup is one of very few players to have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona. His elegant style made him a favourite with the fans, and his magnificent passing made him a favourite with his team-mates.
Raul has said that Laudrup is the best player he has ever played with while Romario agreed, going on to say that Laudrup was the fourth best player in the history of the game, level with Zinedine Zidane.
Unfortunately for Laudrup, however, he missed out on Denmark's greatest triumph, the 1992 European Championships, after a dispute with the coach. Despite this, his trophy cabinet wasn't exactly empty. He won a Serie A title, five La Liga titles, a Spanish Cup, a Dutch League title, a Dutch Cup, and a European Cup during his illustrious career.
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