Even the best attacking midfielders in the world were deemed as luxury players not too long ago. They were seen as anachronistic throwbacks to a time of laissez-faire off-ball effort; expendable, if you want to really compete.
Things have turned 180 degrees and playmakers are now deemed to be as essential as anyone else. Attacking midfielders have a vital role to play in the modern game, not just in their influence with the final pass but everything leading up to it: intensity off the ball, setting the tempo and dictating a game.
No.10s are back, all right…
How our experts decided the best attacking midfielders in the world
“Attacking midfielder” is a broad term that can be used to describe all kinds of players and formations. Our experts decided to look for any players loosely described playmakers and No.10s, whether they operate in a 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or any other kind of formation. We assessed midfielders who operate centrally but are tasked primarily with leading the attack – though we have compiled lists for the best central midfielders in the world and the best defensive midfielders in the world, too.
Our experts devised their own top 10s, as just 12 different players made the cut – assessing each player's current ability, form this season and last, and their historic achievements and impact on the role. We then collated each expert's score to come up with an average of who made the cut: any player who also plays in another position was only included in the list in which they got the most votes.
If you're looking for a forward who might play a little further forward, we've got it covered. We have lists of the best right-wingers in the world, the best left-wingers in the world and the best strikers in the world.
We've ranked players behind the midfield, too. Our lists include the best goalkeepers in the world, the best centre-backs in the world, the best right-backs in the world and the best left-backs in the world. We also have a list of the best players in the world right now in any position. Let's go!
10. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
Antoine Griezmann will go down as one of the most underrated footballers of all time and one of France's greatest ever. The most assists at the last two editions of the World Cup. The defining figure in Les Bleus' sophomore triumph in 2018. It's hard to believe he's never so much as lifted a league title.
And throughout, Griezmann has reinvented himself from a sort-of-space-invader looking for the chinks in defences' armours to become a more rounded creator. Diego Simone's greatest-ever player? He has to – and he's still doing the business for Atletico Madrid.
9. Dani Olmo (Barcelona)
Dani Olmo took a slightly circuitous route to the very top. The Spaniard did not play in his homeland after leaving Barcelona as a youth player, joining Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, before a move to RB Leipzig, where he emerged as a gifted and creative attacking midfielder.
A superb Euro 2024 campaign with winners Spain – he shared the Golden Boot with five other players after scoring three times – earned Olmo a move back to Barcelona, and he has impressed with the Blaugrana so far.
8. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
An attacking midfielder in the purest sense, Bruno Fernandes has dominated the creative metrics in the Premier League since his arrival at Old Trafford back in 2020.
Fernandes has thrived despite the ever-present chaos at Manchester United with remarkable consistency, topping the charts for minutes played and chances created while playing a staring role in the Red Devil’s recent domestic trophy success. Perhaps a victim of his own loyalty, Fernandes’ ability could have earned him a shot at competing for the biggest trophies on earth, while his honours list would be littered had different decisions been made.
7. Phil Foden (Manchester City)
2023/24 was the epitome of everything we'd come to expect from Phil Foden's burgeoning career ever since he first stepped on the scene: a starring role a-top Manchester City's midfield, scoring for fun with Pep Guardiola's other superstars supplying Foden for a Player of the Year accolade.
The Stockport Iniesta is still seemingly on a spiritual comedown from that stunning campaign, with just one goal in the Prem this season at the time of writing, and a languid Euro 2024 with England. But class is permanent – and Foden is a special talent. So much so that he's still one of the most feared footballers on Earth.
6. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Injuries have taken their toll and he may be slowing down slightly at 33, but Kevin De Bruyne remains one of the most brilliant attacking midfielders ever to grace the Premier League. He is second on the division’s all-time assists chart with 113, a total bettered only by Ryan Giggs (162).
His incisive passes and low, whipped crosses have left defenders disoriented for years, and his Premier League opponents will likely breathe a sigh of relief when his time at City comes to an end.
5. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Having broken onto the scene at 17, Florian Wirtz spent the first two years of his senior career establishing himself as perhaps the most exciting youngster in Europe before a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament looked set to prevent him from ever touching that lofty potential. Two years down the line, Wirtz has played a leading role in Bayer Leverkusen’s invincible league triumph, winning the Bundesliga Player of the Season award and reestablishing himself.
Drawing interest from the world’s biggest teams, Wirtz looks destined to be recognised among the greatest players on earth as he continues his whirlwind development in the coming years. “Alongside Jamal Musiala, he’s considered the jewel in Germany’s footballing crown and already a guaranteed starter for the Nationalmannschaft,” says FourFourTwo's German football expert, Ed McCambridge. “A generational talent of rare intelligence and technical ability, if he doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or, I’ll eat my Lederhosen.
4. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Wonderkids so rarely live up to their potential but Martin Odegaard has bucked the trend to become one of the best midfielders in the world. Last season saw the Norwegian drop deeper to control – and though he’s the kind of No.10 that guarantees 10+ goals from the edge of the penalty area, his ability to control games was what so nearly led Arsenal to the title.
The heartbeat of Mikel Arteta’s side, Odegaard has poise on the ball, playing with grace and never being afraid to stop time altogether in possession. He’s not just one of the best ability wise, he’s one of the best footballers to watch in the world, too.
3. Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
Manchester City might be regretting their decision to sell Cole Palmer to Chelsea for just £40 million last year. At the time it seemed like a sizeable fee for a relatively unproven youngster, but now it looks like a bargain.
The England international scored 22 Premier League goals in a remarkable debut season, and has started in a similar vein in 2024/25. His ability to play penetrating passes, to create something from nothing or curl an inch-perfect shot into the top corner from an improbable angle, is unmatched in the Premier League.
2. Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
Jamal Musiala isn't just one of the most productive footballers on Earth but one of the most aesthetically pleasing. The Bayern Munich star is seemingly capable of shifting his entire body at once to evade challenges, making him a unique dribbler and an elite disruptor of defences.
While Germany's gain is England's loss, Musiala playing for Die Mannschaft makes perfect sense. He's not just the jewel in the Bavarian crown and his nation's sweetheart, he's the very embodiment of everything German football aspires to be: exciting, relentless on and off the ball, and capable of always finding a way.
1. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
What more can you say about the man who’s rapidly on course to become his country’s defining star of a generation?
The Stourbridge Madridista’s unique combination of maturity, physical acumen and acute intelligence made him one of the standout teenagers in English football from the minute he made his Birmingham debut: now, he’s lighting up the Bernabeu with whatever Real Madrid require of him. Last season it was goals, this term it may be the need to deliver a little more creativity.
Bellingham’s got the complete skillset, though and looks destined to become England’s first Ballon d’Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001. Now if he could only avoid the same burnout…
