Here is a list of the Top 10 Midfielders in World Football:
10. Yaya Toure – The Ivorian in my eyes is nothing short of world class. He is built like an Ox and moves like a freight train and this narrows down exactly how powerful he is. Being a product of the Barcelona system gives you the idea behind his good touch and fair passing range for a defensive midfielder. At one point in time, his coach, Roberto Mancini used him as the attacking midfielder for the team as his qualities shone bright in that position. He is truly versatile and he provides Man City’s back line extensive protection along with his partners De Jong/ Barry. Toure is in his prime and Manchester City will reap the rewards of having one of the best midfielders in the world in their starting line-up.
9. Kaká - A player that was once known as the best footballer in the world continues to give all he has at the highest level for Real Madrid. Kaká is comfortable with both feet and he is lethal in front of the goal if given the space. Known for his pass-first mentality, Kaká enjoys setting up his teammates in the play rather than scoring, a true mark of an attacking midfielder. His vision is of the highest quality, maybe only second to 2 or 3 players on this list. However, his biggest problem is fitness and he continues to struggle to keep fit, as his persistent knee problems have slowed the blossoming of his career.
8. Wesley Sneijder – The Dutch play-maker has had a wonderful few years of football and has found himself quite unlucky to not be a winner of a World Cup, Ballon D’or or FIFA World Player of the Year award. He had a stellar world cup and football season with his respective teams, scoring goal after goal in the most important games. For Wesley, if he wasn’t banging in the goals he was orchestrating them. He is easily one of the best players in the world right now and with his passing, awareness and lethal shot, these qualities place him on this list as he continues to ply his trade with Inter Milan and aim to conquer more glory.
7. Mesut Özil – The German genius has earned his spot in this "Top 10 List" by simply being the best play-maker of 2010-2011. He sets up more goals than any other player. This statistic alone speaks volume and tells the public the strides Özil has made since becoming a house hold name in football. Known to me as the “Crab”, based on his horizontal movement which is very similar to an actual crab, Özil skillfully moves around the pitch avoiding other players and gets those killer through balls to his teammates like a walk in the park. He has age on his side and will find himself near the top of the list in the years to come. He is truly an excellent footballer.
6. Luka Modric – The tiny Croatian is simply a magician on the ball. Small in physique but do not be fooled, he is one of the most difficult players to get off the ball. What makes Modric stand-out as one of the best midfielders in the BPL is his football intelligence. He is always two steps ahead of his opponent and doesn’t need to be strong, fast or have any other physical aspect to be good. He depends totally on his talent, which is reading and knowing the game to a level higher than anyone else on the field. His vision is extraordinary and although Modric may not score the goal or lay off the final assisting pass he is usually the most instrumental person in the play. 
5. Cesc Fabregas – The Catalan born midfielder continues to grow and become even more of a phenomenal player with each progressing game. From his green days in the Barcelona academy when labelled as a prodigy, he matured and developed into an established player under the stewardship of Arsene Wenger, during this time years of public flirting with the Catalan side ensued, primarily because of his rapid progression and meteoric rise in world football and he finally returned to his beloved Barcelona as the world class player he is now. Cesc is blessed with amazing vision and touch, cut from the classy cloth of most Catalan players. A high football IQ keeps him ahead of his opponents, given his lack of physical strength and speed which was never needed. He is young and can be one of the names you call for in years to come when speaking of the best in football.
4. Xabi Alonso – Speaking of technique? Not many stand above him. He enjoys passing like how strikers enjoys scoring goals. He is instrumental to everything Real Madrid does. You can find Xabi Alonso starting the play just after winning the ball back from the opposition either by his timely tackling or ability to read the play and intercept a pass. These are also skills that must be honed for a player who is position very deep midfield. He finds himself box to box, dictating play and controlling the tempo of the game. Along with his neat short passes, Alonso also has immaculate long range distribution, which makes him a potential danger from all areas of the pitch. Goalkeepers have learned that even from the half line he can cause trouble.
3. David Silva – This player is one of the most under rated footballers for the past three years. Placed high on this list simply because he undoubtedly and deservedly belongs here. David Silva is poetry in motion, easily one of the smallest players on the field, yet obtains one of the biggest collection of slithering, silky moves to shake off any opposition. He displays class as he glides around the pitch playing final balls to the highest degree, leaving his strikers with the simplest of tasks at times. His vision is also of the highest order, and Silva just seems to know what is going on around him at all times. At the young age of 25, he will have plenty of time to eventually find himself at the top of this list sometime in the near future.
2. Xavi - Simply put, football legend, Xavi is the perfect example to any central midfielder in what exemplifies a player in this position to be world class. What would Barcelona be without him? He will go down as one of the greatest players in the world. Xavi’s vision, ball control, passing range and awareness never seems to let him down as he rarely if ever has a bad game these days. He always dominates his opposition’s midfield and makes them look like amateurs by the most simple of passes in an unstoppable manner.
1. 1. Andres Iniesta – Many may see this as a controversial decision by placing Iniesta ahead of his Catalan team mate Xavi. But Iniesta has a few things going in his favour. Firstly, Iniesta is four years Xavi’s junior, giving him more than enough time to achieve more than his teammate and simply put, Iniesta just offers that extra edge and zest. If needed, Iniesta can play Xavi’s role to maximum potential and ping the ball around for fun. But when Barcelona needs that player (bar messi) to create that inch of space or beat their opponent to create an opening, look no further than Andres Iniesta. He glides around the park like most Spanish players, with his opponents left to either watch him in his waltz or foul as they never get close enough for the right tackle.
He is such a class player and it can be seen in all of his magical moments, namely the Champion’s League clash with Chelsea in the semi-finals, where he was the player who made that bit of difference to win it for his team, and last but not least, the one moment he will forever hold above his Barcelona compatriot, the winning goal of the 2010 FIFA world cup.
Notable Mentions
Steven Gerrard – The Liverpool captain has been a sensational player for years and has been instrumental in everything that Liverpool have won within his time. He has all the attributes to consider him the COMPLETE midfielder. His stand out attribute continues to be his shooting and finishing, where in England he is still second to none from outside the 18 if given the space. He is in the latter years of his career but still continues to be an outstanding asset and Liverpool missed his presence last season while he was injured.
Javi Martinez – The Bilbao player is growing towards hero status in his hometown as he continues to perform when he puts on his club's shirt. Javi Martinez would be a guaranteed start in the Spain set-up, were it not for the Barcelona biased, let me add a well deserved Barcelona biased, team selection. He is a player in "the Sergio Busquets role" but has a bit more to offer. He reads the game like some of the best players in his position would. For a more defensive minded player he helps dictate play in the midfield and is a positional player, one of the key aspects of a central midfielder. For Javi, it is only a matter of time before he is picked up by one of Europe’s best clubs.Other Players worth notable mention:
Michael Essien, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Javier Pastore, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Kwadwo Asamoah, Nuri Sahin.
