Top 10 Best Defensive Midfielders In Football Right Now

June 3, 2021 By Sourav

While attacking midfielders mainly work for delivering the ball to the wingers and strikers to get the goals, defensive midfielder primarily works to protect the ball from getting into their half. They not only provide the first defending wall to the opponent’s attacker but also hold back and work even as a full-back. A good defensive midfielder has a strong positional sense along with speed and strength. Besides great accuracy, they are usually extremely good at tackling and interception. And, here goes our exclusive list of the best defensive midfielders in football right now.

Best Defensive Midfielders In Football Right Now | 2021 Updates

We have already made a list of the best football forwards and also about the best football strikers. But, the series will be incomplete with the defensive pillars of Football. So, here goes our exclusive list of the best defensive midfielders in 2021.

10. Fabinho

A product of Fluminense youth academy, Fabinho currently plays as a defensive midfielder for the Premier League side, Liverpool. Besides, he also plays for the Brazil national football team.

He started his senior footballing journey with the Fluminense first quad in 2012. Shortly after, he took his transfer to Rio Ave before joining Monaco in 2015. And in 2018, he joined one of the Premier League champions, Liverpool.

Fabinho recently helped his national side Brazil to win the Superclásico de las Américas in 2018. Besides, he was also a part of the Brazil team that participated in the Copa América twice consecutively in 2015 and 2016.

He helped Liverpool to win both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup in 2019. Besides, he also previously helped Monaco to win the Ligue 1 in the 2016-17 season.

9. Sergi Roberto

One of the best defensive midfielders, Sergi Roberto, currently plays for La Liga side Barcelona. Besides, he also makes appearances for the Spanish national team. Other than the CDM role, he can also play as a full-back or even as a central midfielder.

A product of La Masia youth academy, he started his footballing career with the Barcelona B team in 2009. And in 2010, he has earned his promotion to the Barcelona first team.

Sergi Roberto won the Catalan Footballer of the Year in 2017. Besides, he has also earned his place in the UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI in 2016. He helped Barcelona to win La Liga six times and Copa del Rey five times till now.

Moreover, he helped Barcelona to win both the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup twice till now. He also helped the team to win the UEFA Super Cup twice till now.

8. Frenkie de Jong

One of the strongest footballers, Frenkie de Jong, currently plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga side Barcelona. Besides, he also plays as a CDM for the Netherland national football team.

He started his senior footballing journey with Willem II and then moved to Jong Ajax. Shortly after, he moved to Ajax in 2016. And recently before the 2019-20 football season, he finally took his transfer to Barcelona.

Frenkie de Jong has earned his place in both the FIFA FIFPro World11 and IFFHS Men's World Team in 2019. Besides, he also earned his place in the UEFA Nations League Finals Team of the Tournament in 2019.

He won both the Dutch Football Talent of the Year and UEFA Midfielder of the Season in 2019. He also recently helped the Dutch team to become the runner-up in the UEFA Nations League in 2019.

7. Ilkay Gündogan

German football star Ilkay Gündogan currently plays as a central midfielder for the recent Premier League winner, Manchester City. Besides, he also plays for the German national football team.

He started his footballing journey at the VfL Bochum youth academy. Shortly after, he started his senior footballing career with VfL Bochum II in 2008. After playing for FC Nürnberg and Borussia Dortmund, he moved to Manchester City in 2016.

Ilkay Gündogan has earned his place in the ESM Team of the Year in 2013. And, he helped Manchester City to win the Premier League twice consecutively in 2018 and 2019. He also helped City to win both the FA Cup and EFL Cup in 2019.

Moreover, he also helped them to secure the FA Community Shield twice consecutively in 2018 and 2019. And with Borussia Dortmund, he won the Bundesliga in 2012.

6. Steven Nzonzi

Without any doubt, Steven Nzonzi is one of the best defensive midfielders in 2021. He currently plays for the Turkish club Galatasaray and also for the French team. He is currently on a loan term from Italian Serie A side AS Roma.

Nzonzi started his senior footballing career with Amiens and then took his transfer to Blackburn Rovers in 2019. He then spent his time in Stoke City and Sevilla before finally joining AS Roma in 2018.

Steven Nzonzi recently received the Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 2018. Besides, he has also won the La Liga Player of the Month award in 2017. He also earned his place in the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season in the 2015-16 season.

He recently helped the France national team to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Besides, he also helped Sevilla to win the UEFA Europa League in 2016.

5. Eric Dier

One of the best defensive midfielders of modern times, Eric Dier currently plays for the Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Besides, he also plays for the England national team.

A product of Sporting CP youth academy, he started his footballing journey with Sporting CP B team. He has then earned his promotion to the Sporting CP first-team in 2012. And in 2014, he finally moved to Tottenham Hotspur.

Eric Dier recently helped the England team to secure the third place in the UEFA Nations League in 2019. Besides, he also helped Tottenham Hotspur to become the runner-up of the UEFA Champions League in 2019.

He also previously helped the Spurs to become the runner-up of the Football League Cup in 2015. Dier recently became a part of the English team that took part in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

4. Javi Martínez

Spanish defensive midfielder, Javi Martínez, currently plays for the Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Besides, he also plays for the Spanish national football team. He started his senior footballing journey with the Osasuna B team in 2005.

Shortly after, he took his transfer to Athletic Bilbao in 2006. After spending six years at Bilbao, he finally took his transfer to the Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in 2012.

Javi Martínez won the La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year award in 2010. He helped the Spanish national team to win the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Besides, he also helped them to win the UEFA European Championship in 2012 and become the runner-up of the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013. He also helped Bayern Munich to win both the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in 2013.

3. Nemanja Matić

One of the best defensive midfielders, Nemanja Matic, currently plays as a CDM for the Premier League club Manchester United. Besides, he also plays for the Serbian national football team. He started his senior footballing journey with Kolubara in 2005.

But, he has earned his first big break with Chelsea in 2014. And in 2017, he finally moved to the Premier League side Manchester United.

Nemanja Matic won the Manchester United Goal of the Season award in 2018. Besides, he also became the FIFA Puskás Award runner-up in 2013. He received the Serbian Footballer of the Year twice consecutively in 2014 and 2015.

With Chelsea, he won the Premier League twice in2015 and 2017. Besides, he also helped the sin to win the FA Cup in 2010 and become the runner-up in 2017.

2. Casemiro

Brazilian football star Casemiro currently plays for one of the richest football clubs, Real Madrid. Besides, he is also an integral part of the Brazilian national football team.

A product of São Paulo youth academy, he started his senior footballing career with the team’s first-team in 2010. He then joined Real Madrid on loan in 2013. In that same year, he permanently moved to Real Madrid.

Casemiro became a part of the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season twice till now. He also recently helped the Brazilian team to win the Copa América in 2019.

With Real Madrid, he won both the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup thrice till now. Besides, he also helped them to win La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de España once each. He then helped them to win the UEFA Super Cup twice.

1. Sergio Busquets

Without any doubt, Sergio Busquets is definitely among the best defensive midfielders of current times. He currently plays for La Liga side Barcelona besides appearing for the Spanish national team.

A product of La Masia youth academy, he has earned his promotion to the Barcelona second team in 2007. And after a single season, he has earned his place in the Barcelona first-team. And since then, he became an integral part of Barcelona.

Sergio Busquets won the Prince of Asturias Awards in 2010. Besides, he also received the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit in 2011. He won both the Bravo Award and La Liga's Breakthrough Player in 2009.

He also became a part of the La Liga Team of the Season and UEFA La Liga Team of the Season in 2016. Busquets helped the Spanish team to win the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Final Words

So, here goes our list of the top 10 best defensive midfielders in football right now. We hope that you liked this list. And, don’t forget to send us your valuable opinion about this list in the comment box below.