The golden book of football history isn’t merely about the evolutions, but also the legends who made it more than just a sport. Getting kicked by several players for years, football has made it to the net of popularity across the world. As the game continues to advance, its green fields still reflect several names, who have left their spirits alive amidst the followers.

From the centre row of the pitch, we have picked five most relevant midfielders of all time.

Zinedine Zidane

A former professional football player and an attacking midfielder, Zinedine Zidane is now seen in the dugout of Real Madrid. Since his first professional appearance at the age of 17 with Cannes in May 1989, Zidane crossed the route to become one of the greatest players of all time.



Known as Zizou in football sphere, he scored his first goal against Nantes in February 1991. His incredible journey had several notable milestones, including the 1998 FIFA World Cup victory, where he scored twin goals in the final and was named to the All-Star Team.

After becoming a French football hero, he moved to Real Madrid in 2001 for a world record fee of €77.5 million at the time and remained at the position for eight years. In 2004, his name shined in the FIFA 100 list of world’s greatest living players.

Currently a manager of Real Madrid, the 47-year-old still holds the position amidst world’s most celebrated midfielders. Capped 108 times by France, he is also one of the only eight players to have achieved the title of FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d’Or.

Luís Figo

Although he retired more than a decade ago, Luís Figo is still regarded as one of the greatest players of his generations. His career is a mixed bag of street football, futsal and professional football, which he started filling at the age of 11.

Played both as a winger and an attacking midfielder, Luís Figo entered the professional game with Sporting CP in 1989. He scored his first goal after two years in a 1–0 home win against Marítimo at the 1991–92 season of Portuguese football.

The 47-year-old transferred from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000, at a world record fee of €62 million at the time. He is known for winning the 2000 Ballon d’Or and 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year. Figo was also named in FIFA 100 list of world’s greatest living players.

He is the greatest Portuguese players of all time, who scored 32 goals and won 127 caps for the Portugal national team — a record later broken by Cristiano Ronaldo. Moreover, Luís Figo has recorded 106 assists, the second-most in the La Liga history, after Lionel Messi. The series of his remarkable games and victories ended after his retirement on May 31, 2009.

Xavier Hernández

Recognized for his tiki-taka passing style of play, Xavier Hernández is also viewed as one of the finest central midfielders in football history. The Barca legend is the most successful player in Spanish football history and the greatest central midfielders of all time.

Xavi made his first team debut in 1998 and scored his first goal the same year in the Super Cup final against Mallorca. He scored 85 goals and played a total of 767 games for Barcelona, the club’s highest. He was also the first player to play 150 combined European and FIFA Club World Cup matches in the club’s history. With Barca, he also won eight La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles.

In his international career with Spain, Xavi won hearts with his game at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, after Spain’s victory. With a 91 per cent passing success rate, he was also named in the World Cup All-Star Team. He was capped 133 times for the Spain national team, before retiring from international football in 2014.

Xavi Hernández also won the La Liga Midfielder of the Year title for three consecutive years in 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2010–11, under Barcelona. In 2015, he joined the Qatari club Al Sadd on a three-year contract and retired from professional football in May 2019. Since then, he is the manager of Qatar’s Al Sadd.

Paul Scholes

Giving all his professional playing years to Manchester United, midfielder Paul Scholes came through the club’s youth academy. Although he turned a professional in 1993, he did not make his full debut into the senior squad until the 1994–95 season.

In the 17 league appearances of his breakthrough season, Scholes scored five goals — two of which were scored in the debut match in a 2–1 victory over Port Vale in the Football League Cup.

Between 1993–2013, Paul Scholes scored over 150 goals in 718 appearances, which are third highest in the club’s history. His success shelf gives space to 25 trophies, which includes two UEFA Champions League titles and 11 Premier League titles — more than any other English players.

In his international career, the 45-year-old represented the England national team from 1997 to 2004 and gained 66 caps. A number of midfielders, including Xavier Hernández and Zinedine Zidane praised Scholes as the “best central midfielder” and the “greatest midfielder of his generation”.

In August 2004, Scholes announced his retirement from international football and finally retired from the club in May 2013. Besides, he also managed the Oldham Athletic in 2019 and currently the co-owner of Salford City.

Andrea Pirlo

His technique creativity and ball control made the former Italian footballer, Andrea Pirlo, one of the greatest upholders of the midfield. He began his career as an attacking midfielder in 1995 with his hometown club Brescia, assisting it in winning a Serie B title and promotion to Serie A in 1997.

However, with his move to Inter Milan in 1998, Pirlo’s performance on field also took a shift towards bad. The 40-year-old re-emerged, as he was transitioned into a deep-lying playmaker by AC Milan’s manager Carlo Ancelotti, after he joined the club in 2001.

Andrea Pirlo developed into a world-class midfielder and won several titles including two UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, a FIFA Club World Cup, and others. In 2011, he joined Juventus and moved to the Major League Soccer franchise New York City in 2015.

At international level, Pirlo is the fifth-most capped player in the Italian national team’s history, with 116 caps between 2002 and 2015. In 2006, he won the FIFA World Cup trophy, with three Man of the Match titles, including the final — more than any other player. Andrea Pirlo announced his international retirement in 2015 and from the professional football in 2017.