Lee Clattermole. The kind of player Allardyce/Souness/Warnock/Dyche love. He was alright in his Wigan days tbf. Never an international or top 6 level player though.
The ability to slide in, not make any contact with the opponent, scoop the ball out from the players feet, get back up and play a simple pass, is seriously underestimated as it's very difficult to do (especially with so many players pretending to be fouled), but Kante was the master of it.
Gattuso deserved more than an honorable mention. Over 10 years of elite football past 2000. Pivotal to Milan’s success in the 2000’s. Perhaps the second most important player in Italy’s 2006 WC victory.
Shows the age of Archie and the bias he has towards the Premier League because he watches it the most. Kante was fantastic, top 10 for sure but such a short longevity at the top level and a mercenary end to his career doesn't make him top 7 at all
Absolutely. He was a beast. Pirlo was able to do what he did because he had gattuso by his side. He had vidal in juventus too. But EPL fans only saw those players in the champions league, thus the bias. That said, it is very difficult to argue that gattuso was better than the 7 players alfie mentioned in this video.
No van Bommel? Hard to believe honestly. He is was the perfect CDM, extremely strong in defense, ability to play dirty without getting red cards and really great passing. He was instrumental for Bayern and shortly before retirement (!) made a huge impression at AC Milan where he was key in the last blossoming under Berlusconi and many fans preferred him to Pirlo.
@@johnmitchell2269 Torsten spent to many appearances on a right flank to be considered as a dedicated DM. In addition to his classical box-to-box playing attitude, when he was marked as a DM. He was a good player, but hard to mention even in honorables. I'd better pick Sebastian Kehl as an honarable mention as he was a really great DM
I believe a Dm is more diverse than most people realise, Carrick, Busquets, Alonso and to some extent Pirlo, are so different to players like Kante, Viera, Keane, Essien, Matuidi, Seedorf( at some point) are seen as box to box but also are Dm's etc.
talk about bullseye. You were about the opposite to Heskey to understand the diverse DM is, to him scoring goals. Heskey should establish a pub. Because no striker in the world could "hit it" over the bar as him. And this is from a pool-supporter
If Essien hadn't gotten so badly injured he'd be in there for sure. He sort of wound down to the point in which he looked average. But in his prime he was a beast.
On 27 September 2014, in the match against 1. FC Köln, Alonso broke the record for most passes completed in a Bundesliga game, with 196. Thats quite a number!
Just re-watch those longballs... My favourite players are (1) Zidane, (2) Gerrard, (3) Pirlo, (4) Alonso - but not even Pirlo or Gerrard could play quite the same long passes as Xabi, he could knock an extra 20 meters into the pass and STILL pass it with a centimeter-precision. I miss those 4, glad Xabi's doing well in Leverkusen :)
He seems to be just as equally gifted as a coach now, he has been brilliant in Bayer Leverkusen and this season even on top of the league table over Bayern Munich.
I do think Alonso has become overrated a little. A very good player, but only bloomed consistently after he left Liverpool. His first and second-last seasons were his only standouts at Anfield - there was a reason Benitez wanted to ship him out.
As a Barca fan that watched Busquets week in week out for years.. I was almost astonished every single time I watched him play. His passing, dribbling, awareness and positional intelligence was like nothing Ive ever seen. I still believe hes as underrated as they come, as in my opinion I believe hes one of the greatest footballers in general
Busquets is brilliant but he needs a system built for him otherwise he crumbles. The greatest exponents of any position rarely require this. Even using a modern example like Kante (not greater than Busquets just using an example), Kante was a Keane-esque box to box for Leicester, a double pivot with Pogba for France, and a destroyer for Chelsea and excelled in each role.
John obi mikel is so underrated,every midfielder is playing like him today even the supposedly cam play like him,its got to be basquet or makalele or mikel, remember mikel was the first with that kind of style in the epl and everyone in england didnt understand it ,in my opinion he would ve been way more appreciated if he went to inter,juve or milan when the offers came,him staying at chelsea so long didnt help his cause
@@core_russell3869Underrated my ass, a slow and weak player with ok techique who did it only with the best players in the history of the game. Put him in that Leicster team instead of Kante and he would do nothing. Lucky player just like Pique.
I usually listen to Alfie's videos on my drive into work, but they just hit so different with the visual representation of the endless puns he lands lmao
As a Man City fan, even I didn’t expect Fernandinho to make the Top 7. Purely ability wise Fernandinho probably isn’t even top 15, but he simply has an insane longevity, he’s literally still improving at the age when Kante is already washed up 😂
I feel Jon Obi Mikel is one of the most underrated holding midfielders ever, he literally for over a decade was literally how Chelsea simply decided to shut up shop and end a game.
Underrated by our fanbase, too. We simply didn't know what we had until he'd gone. Of course we also had Matic and Kanté towards the end of his time here, but Mikel was just very efficient in the perceived simplicity of his game, especially for someone who was actually meant to be an attacking mid.
While I'm aware he doesn't quite measure up to the mentions here, when it comes to a defensive midfielder, the one that always comes to mind for me first is Torsten Frings - what a champ he's been for Werder Bremen and Germany during the time he was active, an absolute monster in the midfield.
Alonso wasn't a holding midfielder - Mascherano had that role for Liverpool, Madrid had Khedira and for one season Essien before a young Casemiro stepped up, whilst Busquets played the role for Spain! Alonso played the Quarterback/Pirlo role alongside the holding mid! Alonso could play the holding role when needed but he usually played ALONGSIDE a dedicated holding mid so he shouldn't get in this 7.....Especially not ahead of the likes of Makelele, Kante and Fernandinho!
Shush. If you play in a double pivot, like Alonso did at Liverpool, Bayern and Madrid, you play Holding! He should definitely be hear. Your logic makes absolutely no sense. "Holding Mid" is a positional name, it does not mean you have to be a tackler. Pirlo was a Holding Mid and never made a tackle in his life. He is ahead of the names you mentioned necause of his technical ability and his accolades. Would you honestly have those guys in your team over a peak Alonso?? I don't think so.
Alfie can't agree with himself what DM is really about. But if truth is told, it's very difficult nowadays. It was way, way easier before. Back then in yesteryear, you had two central midfielders. One was attacking the other was defending. But then came great coaches and decided to eff things up. The old 4-4-2 was out. And in came all kind of variants. And btw Makele didn't create his role in PL, he did it Real Madrid. The lead hunchos at Real Madrid didn't understand how important Makele were, until he was gone. Makele had it all. He could read the game. He knew when and how to move. His tackles was great and could pass. Makele was the main reason that things who could happen, never happen. But it's difficult to judge anyone on "nothing happen". You would think Kante was the son of Makele. Because Kante was like seeing Makele. And those two is 6 and 7, what the f
@@danielsnekkerhaug141 True. When Makelele left, Madrid stopped winning titles, and Chelsea started winning them. Selling Makelele for Beckham was a suckers bet. They sold more jerseys though lol. Hence when Capello took over in 2006 his first signing was Mamadou Diarra from Lyon. A proper CDM. They won the title that year.
@@dlamini77 A double pivot has a Destroyer AND a Playmaker. Holding Mid describes the Destroyer NOT the Playmaker! Today you see the terms Defensive Mid, Central Midfielder and Attacking Mid - Alonso and Pirlo would come under the second of those three terms NOT the first! - The only reason a team would play two destroyers is if said team was parking the bus - Liverpool, Real Madrid, Spain and Bayern Munich are not the teams one would associate with "parking the bus"!
@@franohmsford7548 not necessarily! A double pivot can have a "Destroyer" and a Box to Box Midfielder. There's no single formula to this. My point is ALL those guys are Holding mids because they play in front of the defenders, regardless of whether they are Playmakers or what. Pirlo was a Regista, his job was to get the ball from Nesta or Maldini and spray it around the pitch. Van Bommel's job was to break up play. They played the exact same position, for the same club. Holding Mid! Juventus on the other hand played with 2 Holding Mids under Conte, Pirlo and Vidal. Vidal was a Box to Box player though.
Interesting you say the 18/19 City V Liverpool match is the single highest quality Prem match you’ve seen. I’d be interested to see what other Prem matches rank on your list according to the decade as I actually watch classic games in full when I have free time.
don't know if it's much of a video idea, but i'm quite interested in the topic of club relationships in the transfer market. like what clubs historically have the best relationships, or have often sold the most players between each other, why that might be, etc.
Busquets was a genius, best player I've ever seen to take possession under pressure in midfield/defensive half of the field and swivel and get away from the pressure, he seemed to have complete 360 degree vision
Because Yaya will more than likely feature as a CM not a defensive midfielder. He never really played as a defensive mid for City where he undoubtedly played his best football.
I don't think people actually thought makelele invented the role. He was just good at it that it became shorthand. If I'm wrong then people really are morons. Also they obviously never played CM/FM
Kante’s “quantity” is brief, but his “quality” was so good that he was arguably the best player in each of his most important championships: 2015-16 PL, 2016-17 PL, 2020-21 CL, 2018 WC. Certainly a greater DM than Fernandinho, Casemiro, and Makelele imo.
Not fernandinho but I'll give you the other 2. Fernandinhos ability to pass and with the ball at his feet made him better than Kanye but casemiro has no place on this list imo and makelele while a great player was not complete like other players on this list
@@darragho6358 Casemiro and Makelele definitely has a place. They are quintessential DM destroyers and master of the defensive side. Has so many vital performances but as always tend to be overlooked because what they do is not as flashy. They are easy inclusions in a top defensive midfielder list with only the matter of placement up to debate.
Fernandinho is clear of Kante. Kante's peak was higher, but Fernandinho maintained a high level for a lot longer. * seasons at City and he was incredible in every one
@@darragho6358 Fernandinho wasn’t Busquets where his technical ability was so much better than Kante’s that it outweighed his inferiority in defensive work and dominating the midfield. It was marginally better and that isn’t enough to say he was greater overall in any reasonable fan’s mind, and we haven’t even talked about Fernandinho’s failed international career where he couldn’t dislodge a supposedly lesser DM in Casemiro.
@@nikolas8203 Terrible opinion backed by an exaggeration. Fernandinho arrived in summer 2013, so assuming he was top class from the get-go that gives him 13-14 and 14-15: 2 seasons more of top class DM play than Kante who arrived in 2015. Fernandinho remained a starter til the 2020-21 season, then was phased out as his game declined naturally due to age. Kante missed pretty much all of 2022-23 due to injury, and around half of 2019-20 to injury as well, but played the 2020-21 season and was monstrous. You’re talking about roughly 3 and a half more seasons than Kante, at a level that was nowhere near world class, nevermind good enough to outweigh Kante’s literally league, Champions League, and World Cup winning quality of play.
As a Serbian and Chelsea fan i think that Nemanja Matic is missing here, myb not in first 7 but i think that he must have his place in honourable mentions, ty and goodbye!
I'm brazilian and I remember Casemiro back when he was playing for São Paulo. And he was NOTHING like the Casemiro you know. Ok, not nothing like, but he was a gifted, offensive central midfielder which had kind of a primadonna attitude and seemed honestly kinda disinterested on the field. His change in attitude in Europe was absolutely amazing. And yeah, I think he's way better than Sergio Busquets. Maybe Busquets would be like in 5th place....
It's all opinion based, but Macherano and Veratti (who wasnt even mentioned) would make my top seven. Vidal was always an out and out number 8 though. Honourable mention to Torsten Frings, who was much better than Leicester flop Theo Zagorakis.
I would have liked to see Javi Martinez in HMs. He was very underrated came into the era of Great Midfielders unfortunately for him won all sorts of trophies for the club and Country. Definitely up there
I think even every single Madrid fan would tell you that Sergio busquets was and will always be the greatest CDM the world has ever seen. That’s how great and amazing he was on and off the ball
Thank you so much for mentioning Sami Khedira. A lot of people overlook him and it's an absolute shame, Khedira/Ozil was such a beautiful midfield pairing
When you're done with the final 7 in this series (Strikers I suspect?) I think you should do it one more time, but reversed. Aka the 7 worst gk, cb, lb, etc, to play consistently at an "elite" level (top 5 leagues) since 2000 I think it'd be very entertaining, and might prove a challenge for you 😊
I think your ranking is quite accurate in this series and as a natural central midfielder who sometimes play in defensive midfield when required,good friends!!!:-D
The 99/2000 season was when I started watching football at 10 years old. All I have seen of Redondo was his heel trick to get past Henning Berg from wide left, and put it on a plate for Raúl to tap-in Real Madrid's 3rd goal at Old Trafford. Naturally I assumed he was a more attacking bias midfielder based on that.
Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 559) I will not give up until the video is made or Alfie himself tells me to stop. Everyone else telling me that will be ignored. If you don't believe my number, just go back to the previous videos. I'm at the bottom most of the time, but I'm there.
I asked ChatGPT 4 to do this following the criteria set out in the video. Here's what it says: 7. Fernandinho: While a mainstay for Manchester City and instrumental in their domestic success, he might not have the same international reputation as some others on the list. 6. Casemiro: Despite his immense importance to Real Madrid in recent years, he's still building his legacy compared to some of the more seasoned players on this list. 5. N'Golo Kanté: His meteoric rise with Leicester City and subsequent success with Chelsea and France has been remarkable. However, his career post-2000 is shorter than some others here. 4. Xabi Alonso: Known for his incredible passing range and vision, Alonso was a key player for several top European clubs and the Spanish national team. 3. Patrick Vieira: A dominant force in the midfield, especially during Arsenal's "Invincibles" season. His leadership and physicality set him apart. 2. Sergio Busquets: Busquets' consistency for Barcelona and Spain over the years, combined with his technical abilities, make him one of the best in his position. 1. Claude Makélélé: Given the impact he had on the role itself and his performances for both Real Madrid and Chelsea, Makélélé takes the top spot. The term "Makélélé role" became synonymous with the defensive midfield position, highlighting his influence on the game.
And Chatgpt doesn't have a long ass intro, favor players from 100 years ago, make unnecessary differentiations that no one asked for, nor is does chatgpt deepthroat English AND Barcelona players.
I also asked it who would be 10th - 8th: 10. Javier Mascherano: Initially starting as a defensive midfielder, Mascherano showcased his tenacity and tackling prowess at clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona. At Barça, he often played as a centre-back but his roots in the midfield shouldn't be forgotten. 9. Michael Essien: The Ghanaian was a powerhouse for Chelsea during his prime. His combination of physical strength, stamina, and technical skill made him a crucial component of Chelsea's midfield in the 2000s. 8. Andrea Pirlo: While often regarded more for his deep-lying playmaking abilities, Pirlo's defensive contributions, especially in terms of positioning and intercepting, were key for clubs like AC Milan and Juventus. His vision and passing from a deeper role bridged defence and attack seamlessly.
There’s a huge premier league bias here. The only player here who didn’t feature in England is Busquets, despite the general assessment that the premier league was weaker than some of the other leagues, particularly Serie A, for a number of years at the start of the century.
No reasonable football fan would argue against the inclusion of Vieira, Kante, Makelele, and Alonso. Casemiro is somewhat debatable but given he’s been Brazil’s starting DM for almost a decade now and won everything with a legendary Madrid team his inclusion isn’t controversial either. Busquets is indisputable. Which leaves 1 spot that’s relatively up for grabs. Fernandinho’s selection is questionable but that’s the only genuinely debatable option, the remaining 5 of 6 are simply a coincidence that all played in England.
Fernandinho is beyond questionable. Gattuso, Cambiasso, Mascherano, Vidal (more of an 8, but he was considered for this list), Van Bommel, De Rossi and Kimmich were all better picks than Fernandinho. All of those guys played at the top level for over a decade (except maybe Vidal, but he was outrageous during his peak). And they were all WC-cup or CL-winners or finalists. Fernandinho only made a splash in the Prem, never on the international stage
@@kiriakoz well how do you define attacking midfielders? In Italy they called it "regista"? Usually it was a offensive midfielder, but then came Pirlo and he had position just in front of central defenders. But he could pass short and long, to both sides But if attacking midfielders is based on definition from 20-30 years ago, i would go with Matthew Le Tissier. Even tough he was a lazy eff, he could do almost everything with the ball. But don't tell him to run. He will, sadly, forever be undervalued outside Southampton. In Southampton however he is numero uno. God is in second
@@danielsnekkerhaug141 you make some good points there. I agree that Le Tiss was a top attacking mid, but to OP's point, not neccessarily a playmaker. Pirlo is a deep lying playmaker but to your point he almost redefined the position by dropping deep to give himself more time. He didn't care where he was positioned, just what it gave him the time and opportunity to do from that position really. I know he's an obvious choice, but I thought Zidane was a good classical playmaker, played AM, showed great vision and could setup a pass anywhere on the pitch. Anyway, all good choices, thanks for the trip down memory lane with some of your decisions.
Sergio remains still the most underrated player ive ever watched. Only a certain level player like Sergio could force a player considered the best in the world for their position like Rodri to play out of position (he played as a CB) in the world's biggest tournament. Absolute legend. ❤️💙
This is a complicated one on the longevity factor. So many attacking and box-box midfielders settled into holding midfield for their later years. Not many go a career as a holding midfielder. Scholes and Pirlo both started as 10s, played for years as 8s, then became deep lying playmakers. Zanetti was a career full-back then played holding midfield beside Cambiasso as Inter Milan won the treble. Philipp Lahm also a career right-back transitioned into holding midfield. 442 was the popular formation at the turn of the century. Central midfielders were both 8s and would take turns going forward or staying back based on the play of that moment. If we tried to pick out defensive midfielders from the 90s, there would be a limited pool of players we could define their role as just that.
Solid list as always. Pirlo would be my number 1, even ahead of busquets, but I'm guessing we will have to wait until the cm video to see where he ends up.
out of all 7 only kante could influence a game single handedly to win a game. put kante in luton, they have a chance. put busquets in luton not much would change besides tidiness at the back
Kimmich being an honourable mention is a downgrade. He's never had a bad or low level season since 17/18 season and from 20-23 I don't see any peak from any DM this century.
@@brandonmiotke neither zidane, nor xavi or iniesta are defensive midfielders. all three of them are quintessential central midfielders, not defensive ones.
@@SaschaHusenbeth I wasn’t saying that they were defensive midfielders. I was saying that to me the best midfielders (any type) that I have ever watched are Zidane, Iniesta, Xavi, and Kante.
How is it possible to not have Pirlo as one of the seven? Because his position on the field was right in front defenders. But the truth is he didn't have any defensive skills at all. And Casemiro as second? That's rich
Position and role are two different things. Pirlo’s job isn’t to protect the defensive line: that’s why he’s always been partnered with DMs and workhorses.
I think you should have mentioned that Busquets was arguably the best player at Euro 2020, showing that even though Barcelona were going through a difficult time he was at a point both Spain and Barcelona’s best player. Without Xavi and Iniesta.
I don't disagree with the top 7, but do think Carrick should be higher up the honourable mentions. Despite Busquets possibly being the best in this role, Guardiola said that Carrick was the only Utd player he would've had in his Barça team that bossed Utd in 2 CL finals in 3 years. That is high praise from the manager who's ideal formation is 10 midfielders and a goalkeeper.
hmm i can understand Carrick not making the 7 but he was definitely better than those whos company you put him with and some of who you said were close to the list. Very underrated.
Great video as always but in the future (after you finish this series of sevens) it would be nice to change the criteria to "Best players who played their most/best football of their career in the [insert decade/century]" when you do similar sevens in the future. That way, you will always compare entire careers - not part of one career against part of another career. If you were to do the greatest midfielders of every decade, for example, Xavi would be placed too low in both the 00s and the 10s, simply because his best years were 2005-2015.
🇧🇬 🇧🇬 🇧🇬 Day 10 - Alfie, please do a video on the pitiful situation the Bulgarian national football team is currently in. Here are a couple of points to give you an idea about what I'm talking about: - Currently, the team is in a streak of 8 winless games, at the bottom of its qualification group for the 2024 Euro, with no chances of qualifying, after losing to opponents such as Montenegro and Lithuania. - The team's last win was almost a year ago - on 16.11.2022 in a friendly against Cyprus. Our last win in an official match was more than a year ago - on 26.09.2022 against North Macedonia. - The national football team of Bulgaria has been constantly performing bad for at least the last 20 years. The last big tournament we played was the 2004 Euro in Portugal, where we were humiliated in the group stage. - Many supporters blame the current bosses of the Bulgarian Football Union for this downfall. The most notable of them are Borislav Mihaylov, Emil Kostadinov and Yordan Lechkov - 3 players who were part of the great 1994 WC team which reached the semi-finals of the tournament. Sadly, those people's success as players has been overshadowed by their lack of capability or willingness to resolve many of the problems in our football - the out-of-date training systems, the poor football infrastructure etc. What's worse is that they refuse to resign a failure after another and they have changed the rules of the union in a way that makes them irremovable for more than 18 years. - Recently a couple of players from the next generation - Dimitar Berbatov, Stiliyan Petrov and Martin Petrov started a campaign, trying to overthrow the aforementioned but as I said the rules are in the bosses' favour. - Meanwhile fans are getting really angry with the situation and are starting to take measures. During the last couple of weeks, at many matches of the First and Second Football Leagues the fans were chanting against Mihaylov and company and displayed banners against them. Of course, the BFU fined the clubs for "obscene chants and banners". - There is a campaign on social media calling fans of all local clubs to put their differences aside and come to the Euro qualifier with Hungary on 16.11 and show their disapproval of the current BFU leaders. That's the main points, I'm sure that if you dig a little you'll find much more. Please consider doing such a video, the anti-BFU sentiments are getting stronger and we need to disturb those self-serving ex-legends in every way possible. Thank you and keep up the good work!
"Bastain Scweinstiger" the only player to successfully eliminate messi in a match... he wasn't a traditional defensive midfielder with him started his career on the wing but when my boy stepped in that midfield role between 2010-2015 i believed that only sergio busqeuts could be considered better than him
He wasn’t a DM, he was a CM. He always had a more defensive partner at Bayern, while for Germany his chemistry with workhorse Khedira meant they split the defensive work relatively equally.
When I didn’t see Lee Cattermole in the honourable mentions I was sure he was going to get top spot. Unbelievable.
he play for sunderland mate
Lee Clattermole. The kind of player Allardyce/Souness/Warnock/Dyche love. He was alright in his Wigan days tbf. Never an international or top 6 level player though.
Under-appreciated
who?
George Boateng > Lee Cattermole
You're forgiven for putting Kante 7th, as it was a good justification
I thought it was called the "Makelele role" because he was the prime example of that position, rather than people think he invented that position.
Modern fans think Neuer invented sweeper keeping and Messi invented the deep lying CF (“false nine”)
@@hitthurdeauxNeuer I can understand somewhat since he made it popular, but there were a ton of deep lying 9s before Messi lol
@@toastedt140yeah definitely, even R9 would probably count as a better example tbh because he always dropped deep to pick up the ball and run
@@MuntzFCnone of them played false better than messi none
@@shaquillethomas1544 no but he said who invented it, not who played it best, R9 was a huge earlier example of a 9 who dropped deep
Alfie's made Freddie Adu more popular or relevant by mentioning him almost every video than he ever was when he was playing😅
Not at all. I'm guessing you're under 25.
@@DimBeam1 Not really 🤣
Football Manager made Adu more popular than reality, as he was one of the most sought after wonderkids :P
Javi Martinez should have been at least an honorable mention
Ngolo Kante is something special, the way he moved across the pitch while doing is job was special to watch.
did he float or something?
Leicester would never have won PL without him. He and Mahrez/Vardy were the main reason
The ability to slide in, not make any contact with the opponent, scoop the ball out from the players feet, get back up and play a simple pass, is seriously underestimated as it's very difficult to do (especially with so many players pretending to be fouled), but Kante was the master of it.
In Fifa you mean
@@ПламенГеоргиев-к9жsome people get their opinions from watching football with their eyes, not a video game
Gattuso deserved more than an honorable mention. Over 10 years of elite football past 2000. Pivotal to Milan’s success in the 2000’s. Perhaps the second most important player in Italy’s 2006 WC victory.
The thing is tho as good as he was at his job his quality on the ball was far less than anyone else in the 7
Shows the age of Archie and the bias he has towards the Premier League because he watches it the most. Kante was fantastic, top 10 for sure but such a short longevity at the top level and a mercenary end to his career doesn't make him top 7 at all
It's because he didn't play for the EPL
The bias is there
the amount of copium in these replies… it’s an epidemic
Absolutely. He was a beast. Pirlo was able to do what he did because he had gattuso by his side. He had vidal in juventus too. But EPL fans only saw those players in the champions league, thus the bias. That said, it is very difficult to argue that gattuso was better than the 7 players alfie mentioned in this video.
No van Bommel? Hard to believe honestly. He is was the perfect CDM, extremely strong in defense, ability to play dirty without getting red cards and really great passing. He was instrumental for Bayern and shortly before retirement (!) made a huge impression at AC Milan where he was key in the last blossoming under Berlusconi and many fans preferred him to Pirlo.
CL semi final with PSV and WC final aswell
@@Thomas-jl8xr Well no 7 has CL and WC winner medal tbf.
@@vatsalsingh1555 true, but was just to show some of what he did. Van bommel won a CL with barca though and played another final with Bayern
No mention of Veratti or Frings
@@johnmitchell2269 Torsten spent to many appearances on a right flank to be considered as a dedicated DM. In addition to his classical box-to-box playing attitude, when he was marked as a DM. He was a good player, but hard to mention even in honorables. I'd better pick Sebastian Kehl as an honarable mention as he was a really great DM
I believe a Dm is more diverse than most people realise, Carrick, Busquets, Alonso and to some extent Pirlo, are so different to players like Kante, Viera, Keane, Essien, Matuidi, Seedorf( at some point) are seen as box to box but also are Dm's etc.
talk about bullseye. You were about the opposite to Heskey to understand the diverse DM is, to him scoring goals. Heskey should establish a pub. Because no striker in the world could "hit it" over the bar as him. And this is from a pool-supporter
If Essien hadn't gotten so badly injured he'd be in there for sure. He sort of wound down to the point in which he looked average. But in his prime he was a beast.
Alonso was a different breed of good. Growing up watching him was a pleasure such a effortlessly gifted player and a top lad as well
On 27 September 2014, in the match against 1. FC Köln, Alonso broke the record for most passes completed in a Bundesliga game, with 196.
Thats quite a number!
Most underrated regista
Just re-watch those longballs... My favourite players are (1) Zidane, (2) Gerrard, (3) Pirlo, (4) Alonso - but not even Pirlo or Gerrard could play quite the same long passes as Xabi, he could knock an extra 20 meters into the pass and STILL pass it with a centimeter-precision. I miss those 4, glad Xabi's doing well in Leverkusen :)
He seems to be just as equally gifted as a coach now, he has been brilliant in Bayer Leverkusen and this season even on top of the league table over Bayern Munich.
I do think Alonso has become overrated a little. A very good player, but only bloomed consistently after he left Liverpool. His first and second-last seasons were his only standouts at Anfield - there was a reason Benitez wanted to ship him out.
As a Barca fan that watched Busquets week in week out for years.. I was almost astonished every single time I watched him play. His passing, dribbling, awareness and positional intelligence was like nothing Ive ever seen. I still believe hes as underrated as they come, as in my opinion I believe hes one of the greatest footballers in general
Busquets is brilliant but he needs a system built for him otherwise he crumbles. The greatest exponents of any position rarely require this. Even using a modern example like Kante (not greater than Busquets just using an example), Kante was a Keane-esque box to box for Leicester, a double pivot with Pogba for France, and a destroyer for Chelsea and excelled in each role.
Busquets is the most overrated player ever. Lucky for him that he played with Messi, Iniesta, Xavi. Otherwise he would be irrelevant.
@@stefan5730same for every other player on this list you absolute donut
@@fatherfly4067Not for Kante, he did it with Drinkwater
John obi mikel is so underrated,every midfielder is playing like him today even the supposedly cam play like him,its got to be basquet or makalele or mikel, remember mikel was the first with that kind of style in the epl and everyone in england didnt understand it ,in my opinion he would ve been way more appreciated if he went to inter,juve or milan when the offers came,him staying at chelsea so long didnt help his cause
Atleast Alfie had Fabinho in the honourable mentions. Imo he was absolutely terrific as a sole pivot and destroyer for Liverpool from 18/19 to 21/22.
Fabinho was brilliant but doesn't have the longitude of others listed
@@AdamOBrien29more than Kante.
@@Vahapetautuskante was from 14/15 to 18/19 around the same time..
@@Vahapetautus pass the marijuana
Busquets' assist to Messi when he left the ball for Leo and let him dribble literally half a pitch made Sergio a legend
Sergio was so underated and under appreciated, I'm not a Barca fan but I do think he was amazing
Any other player would have done something else... Busquets did what only he could do, the right decision.
@@olusojisylvestertomilola6445Absolutely
@@core_russell3869Underrated my ass, a slow and weak player with ok techique who did it only with the best players in the history of the game. Put him in that Leicster team instead of Kante and he would do nothing. Lucky player just like Pique.
@@stefan5730a Stanford graduate won’t work as a toilet cleaner !
I usually listen to Alfie's videos on my drive into work, but they just hit so different with the visual representation of the endless puns he lands lmao
His puns are life 😂
Kante would be no.1 if he had managed to stay fit tbh. I don't think anybody else on the list could have done that job at Leicester.
In his heyday Kante’s impact on the field was greater than any of these mentions. He was so disruptive to Leicester and Chelsea’s opponents
Honestly without Kante I don't think Leicester win the league
@@BigBadSevThats pretty obvious
Glad you mentioned Fernandinho, what an unbelievable player
Unbelievably terrible
As a Man City fan, even I didn’t expect Fernandinho to make the Top 7. Purely ability wise Fernandinho probably isn’t even top 15, but he simply has an insane longevity, he’s literally still improving at the age when Kante is already washed up 😂
Fernandinho over the likes of Cambiasso, Gattuso and De Rossi is pure Serie A disrespect, just like Seedorf missing out on the central midfield 7
shouldnt be in top 10 altogether. Fellow man city fan here@@LuigiLuigi728
I feel Jon Obi Mikel is one of the most underrated holding midfielders ever, he literally for over a decade was literally how Chelsea simply decided to shut up shop and end a game.
Underrated by our fanbase, too. We simply didn't know what we had until he'd gone. Of course we also had Matic and Kanté towards the end of his time here, but Mikel was just very efficient in the perceived simplicity of his game, especially for someone who was actually meant to be an attacking mid.
Don't wanna sound too zesty, but handsome mf as well 😅
UCL final MOTM 2012
Prime Essien also. That guy was a monster for Chelsea.
While I'm aware he doesn't quite measure up to the mentions here, when it comes to a defensive midfielder, the one that always comes to mind for me first is Torsten Frings - what a champ he's been for Werder Bremen and Germany during the time he was active, an absolute monster in the midfield.
Alonso wasn't a holding midfielder - Mascherano had that role for Liverpool, Madrid had Khedira and for one season Essien before a young Casemiro stepped up, whilst Busquets played the role for Spain!
Alonso played the Quarterback/Pirlo role alongside the holding mid!
Alonso could play the holding role when needed but he usually played ALONGSIDE a dedicated holding mid so he shouldn't get in this 7.....Especially not ahead of the likes of Makelele, Kante and Fernandinho!
Shush. If you play in a double pivot, like Alonso did at Liverpool, Bayern and Madrid, you play Holding! He should definitely be hear. Your logic makes absolutely no sense. "Holding Mid" is a positional name, it does not mean you have to be a tackler. Pirlo was a Holding Mid and never made a tackle in his life. He is ahead of the names you mentioned necause of his technical ability and his accolades. Would you honestly have those guys in your team over a peak Alonso?? I don't think so.
Alfie can't agree with himself what DM is really about. But if truth is told, it's very difficult nowadays. It was way, way easier before. Back then in yesteryear, you had two central midfielders. One was attacking the other was defending. But then came great coaches and decided to eff things up. The old 4-4-2 was out. And in came all kind of variants. And btw Makele didn't create his role in PL, he did it Real Madrid. The lead hunchos at Real Madrid didn't understand how important Makele were, until he was gone. Makele had it all. He could read the game. He knew when and how to move. His tackles was great and could pass. Makele was the main reason that things who could happen, never happen. But it's difficult to judge anyone on "nothing happen". You would think Kante was the son of Makele. Because Kante was like seeing Makele. And those two is 6 and 7, what the f
@@danielsnekkerhaug141 True. When Makelele left, Madrid stopped winning titles, and Chelsea started winning them. Selling Makelele for Beckham was a suckers bet. They sold more jerseys though lol. Hence when Capello took over in 2006 his first signing was Mamadou Diarra from Lyon. A proper CDM. They won the title that year.
@@dlamini77 A double pivot has a Destroyer AND a Playmaker.
Holding Mid describes the Destroyer NOT the Playmaker!
Today you see the terms Defensive Mid, Central Midfielder and Attacking Mid - Alonso and Pirlo would come under the second of those three terms NOT the first!
-
The only reason a team would play two destroyers is if said team was parking the bus - Liverpool, Real Madrid, Spain and Bayern Munich are not the teams one would associate with "parking the bus"!
@@franohmsford7548 not necessarily! A double pivot can have a "Destroyer" and a Box to Box Midfielder. There's no single formula to this. My point is ALL those guys are Holding mids because they play in front of the defenders, regardless of whether they are Playmakers or what. Pirlo was a Regista, his job was to get the ball from Nesta or Maldini and spray it around the pitch. Van Bommel's job was to break up play. They played the exact same position, for the same club. Holding Mid! Juventus on the other hand played with 2 Holding Mids under Conte, Pirlo and Vidal. Vidal was a Box to Box player though.
Interesting you say the 18/19 City V Liverpool match is the single highest quality Prem match you’ve seen. I’d be interested to see what other Prem matches rank on your list according to the decade as I actually watch classic games in full when I have free time.
I'm sure you'd find the term "cringe" but hearing your 7 "streets won't forget" players would be interesting
don't know if it's much of a video idea, but i'm quite interested in the topic of club relationships in the transfer market. like what clubs historically have the best relationships, or have often sold the most players between each other, why that might be, etc.
Kante is one my all time best midfielder...
I'm a bit bias but Kante at his best is a crazy motor
Kante made Drinkwater, Morgan and Huth look like workd class player's. Id take him to build my team around in his prime
Think Brozovic deserves an honorable mention here
he is class for sure but I can’t rank him near even the honorable mentions tbf
Don't be ridiculous
I was screaming at my TV for you to give a shout-out to Zagorakis and you did it. You’re a freaking legend of the nuance bro.
Cheers from America
Busquets was a genius, best player I've ever seen to take possession under pressure in midfield/defensive half of the field and swivel and get away from the pressure, he seemed to have complete 360 degree vision
Busquets is the most overrated player ever. Lucky for him that he played with Messi, Iniesta, Xavi. Otherwise he would be irrelevant.
@@stefan5730 Nah.
How people omit Yaya Toure from these discussions will always suprise me.
He was more of a CM to be fair, given he was kinda offensive sometimes
Because Yaya will more than likely feature as a CM not a defensive midfielder. He never really played as a defensive mid for City where he undoubtedly played his best football.
Fernandinho never won the champions league or World Cup, Kanye player for less time but won more, that makes him even greater
I don't think people actually thought makelele invented the role. He was just good at it that it became shorthand. If I'm wrong then people really are morons. Also they obviously never played CM/FM
Kante’s “quantity” is brief, but his “quality” was so good that he was arguably the best player in each of his most important championships: 2015-16 PL, 2016-17 PL, 2020-21 CL, 2018 WC. Certainly a greater DM than Fernandinho, Casemiro, and Makelele imo.
Not fernandinho but I'll give you the other 2. Fernandinhos ability to pass and with the ball at his feet made him better than Kanye but casemiro has no place on this list imo and makelele while a great player was not complete like other players on this list
@@darragho6358 Casemiro and Makelele definitely has a place. They are quintessential DM destroyers and master of the defensive side. Has so many vital performances but as always tend to be overlooked because what they do is not as flashy. They are easy inclusions in a top defensive midfielder list with only the matter of placement up to debate.
Fernandinho is clear of Kante. Kante's peak was higher, but Fernandinho maintained a high level for a lot longer. * seasons at City and he was incredible in every one
@@darragho6358 Fernandinho wasn’t Busquets where his technical ability was so much better than Kante’s that it outweighed his inferiority in defensive work and dominating the midfield. It was marginally better and that isn’t enough to say he was greater overall in any reasonable fan’s mind, and we haven’t even talked about Fernandinho’s failed international career where he couldn’t dislodge a supposedly lesser DM in Casemiro.
@@nikolas8203 Terrible opinion backed by an exaggeration. Fernandinho arrived in summer 2013, so assuming he was top class from the get-go that gives him 13-14 and 14-15: 2 seasons more of top class DM play than Kante who arrived in 2015. Fernandinho remained a starter til the 2020-21 season, then was phased out as his game declined naturally due to age. Kante missed pretty much all of 2022-23 due to injury, and around half of 2019-20 to injury as well, but played the 2020-21 season and was monstrous. You’re talking about roughly 3 and a half more seasons than Kante, at a level that was nowhere near world class, nevermind good enough to outweigh Kante’s literally league, Champions League, and World Cup winning quality of play.
As a Serbian and Chelsea fan i think that Nemanja Matic is missing here, myb not in first 7 but i think that he must have his place in honourable mentions, ty and goodbye!
Gilberto Silva, Gattuso and Mascherano missing out is - surprising. Fair play giving them an honourable mention, though. Great video.
My man Alfie giving an honourable mention to Theo Zagorakis. Very pleasantly surprised 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 🇬🇷
I've got to have Vidal in mine, he was brilliant
People don't appreciate how great that Chile squad was and what they achieved as underdogs.
More box to box
i see him as a CM
My mom told me I was the best dm, so I’ll believe her
John Obi Mikel honourable mention ftw. Good video alfie
I'm brazilian and I remember Casemiro back when he was playing for São Paulo. And he was NOTHING like the Casemiro you know. Ok, not nothing like, but he was a gifted, offensive central midfielder which had kind of a primadonna attitude and seemed honestly kinda disinterested on the field. His change in attitude in Europe was absolutely amazing.
And yeah, I think he's way better than Sergio Busquets. Maybe Busquets would be like in 5th place....
100% agree that the 18/19 City V Liverpool 1-1 draw is the highest quality game in English top flight history.
It's all opinion based, but Macherano and Veratti (who wasnt even mentioned) would make my top seven.
Vidal was always an out and out number 8 though.
Honourable mention to Torsten Frings, who was much better than Leicester flop Theo Zagorakis.
Lmfaooooo, Kante at 7 is CRIMINAL 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I would have liked to see Javi Martinez in HMs. He was very underrated came into the era of Great Midfielders unfortunately for him won all sorts of trophies for the club and Country.
Definitely up there
Was looking for Martinez comments. He definitely deserved a HM
I think even every single Madrid fan would tell you that Sergio busquets was and will always be the greatest CDM the world has ever seen. That’s how great and amazing he was on and off the ball
Ramires, Philip lahm, yaya toure deserved a mention i think
Lovely list.
Thank you so much for mentioning Sami Khedira. A lot of people overlook him and it's an absolute shame, Khedira/Ozil was such a beautiful midfield pairing
I love the Fernandinho praise
I do miss Emerson and Thorsten Frings in the honorable mentions.
Emerson is a serious honourable mention dude was the best DM for a few seasons before juve got demoted
@@darragho6358 Absolutely! Amazing player!
When you're done with the final 7 in this series (Strikers I suspect?) I think you should do it one more time, but reversed. Aka the 7 worst gk, cb, lb, etc, to play consistently at an "elite" level (top 5 leagues) since 2000
I think it'd be very entertaining, and might prove a challenge for you 😊
I think your ranking is quite accurate in this series and as a natural central midfielder who sometimes play in defensive midfield when required,good friends!!!:-D
Fred was never a CDM, but United tried to use him to fill that role when he was definitely a BBM
The 99/2000 season was when I started watching football at 10 years old. All I have seen of Redondo was his heel trick to get past Henning Berg from wide left, and put it on a plate for Raúl to tap-in Real Madrid's 3rd goal at Old Trafford. Naturally I assumed he was a more attacking bias midfielder based on that.
That money Leicester spent just to get relegated the next year, then you see what kante went to Saudi for. Damn
Time compression? It actually took Leicester 7 years to get relegated.
@@drs-xj3pb no I’m saying they could’ve got him back before going to Saudi
Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 559)
I will not give up until the video is made or Alfie himself tells me to stop. Everyone else telling me that will be ignored.
If you don't believe my number, just go back to the previous videos. I'm at the bottom most of the time, but I'm there.
Awesome work thanks.
I asked ChatGPT 4 to do this following the criteria set out in the video. Here's what it says:
7. Fernandinho: While a mainstay for Manchester City and instrumental in their domestic success, he might not have the same international reputation as some others on the list.
6. Casemiro: Despite his immense importance to Real Madrid in recent years, he's still building his legacy compared to some of the more seasoned players on this list.
5. N'Golo Kanté: His meteoric rise with Leicester City and subsequent success with Chelsea and France has been remarkable. However, his career post-2000 is shorter than some others here.
4. Xabi Alonso: Known for his incredible passing range and vision, Alonso was a key player for several top European clubs and the Spanish national team.
3. Patrick Vieira: A dominant force in the midfield, especially during Arsenal's "Invincibles" season. His leadership and physicality set him apart.
2. Sergio Busquets: Busquets' consistency for Barcelona and Spain over the years, combined with his technical abilities, make him one of the best in his position.
1. Claude Makélélé: Given the impact he had on the role itself and his performances for both Real Madrid and Chelsea, Makélélé takes the top spot. The term "Makélélé role" became synonymous with the defensive midfield position, highlighting his influence on the game.
And ChatGpT doesn't make any Freddy Adu jokes. Nice.
Alfie > chatgpt
And Chatgpt doesn't have a long ass intro, favor players from 100 years ago, make unnecessary differentiations that no one asked for, nor is does chatgpt deepthroat English AND Barcelona players.
I also asked it who would be 10th - 8th:
10. Javier Mascherano: Initially starting as a defensive midfielder, Mascherano showcased his tenacity and tackling prowess at clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona. At Barça, he often played as a centre-back but his roots in the midfield shouldn't be forgotten.
9. Michael Essien: The Ghanaian was a powerhouse for Chelsea during his prime. His combination of physical strength, stamina, and technical skill made him a crucial component of Chelsea's midfield in the 2000s.
8. Andrea Pirlo: While often regarded more for his deep-lying playmaking abilities, Pirlo's defensive contributions, especially in terms of positioning and intercepting, were key for clubs like AC Milan and Juventus. His vision and passing from a deeper role bridged defence and attack seamlessly.
And fred killed me 😂 great video agree with everything 🤙🏾💯
There’s a huge premier league bias here. The only player here who didn’t feature in England is Busquets, despite the general assessment that the premier league was weaker than some of the other leagues, particularly Serie A, for a number of years at the start of the century.
No reasonable football fan would argue against the inclusion of Vieira, Kante, Makelele, and Alonso. Casemiro is somewhat debatable but given he’s been Brazil’s starting DM for almost a decade now and won everything with a legendary Madrid team his inclusion isn’t controversial either. Busquets is indisputable. Which leaves 1 spot that’s relatively up for grabs. Fernandinho’s selection is questionable but that’s the only genuinely debatable option, the remaining 5 of 6 are simply a coincidence that all played in England.
Fernandinho is beyond questionable. Gattuso, Cambiasso, Mascherano, Vidal (more of an 8, but he was considered for this list), Van Bommel, De Rossi and Kimmich were all better picks than Fernandinho. All of those guys played at the top level for over a decade (except maybe Vidal, but he was outrageous during his peak). And they were all WC-cup or CL-winners or finalists. Fernandinho only made a splash in the Prem, never on the international stage
There is no way Fernandhino is ahead of Kante... Im sorry😂
waaay longer peak and in total a longer career at the top level. so yes, there is a way. it's a classical Ronaldinho situation
Still patiently waiting for you to make the 7 greatest playmakers of all time
Search for "7 Greatest Attacking Midfielders of All Time", it's pretty much the same list as he'd probably make for the video you suggest.
Yeah but Messi isn’t an attacking midfielder, neither is Pele
@@wandilemtambo9962 Is Pele a playmaker? Seemed to be on the end of everything for Brazil. Brilliant footballer, no doubt, but playmaker?
@@kiriakoz well how do you define attacking midfielders? In Italy they called it "regista"? Usually it was a offensive midfielder, but then came Pirlo and he had position just in front of central defenders. But he could pass short and long, to both sides
But if attacking midfielders is based on definition from 20-30 years ago, i would go with Matthew Le Tissier. Even tough he was a lazy eff, he could do almost everything with the ball. But don't tell him to run. He will, sadly, forever be undervalued outside Southampton. In Southampton however he is numero uno. God is in second
@@danielsnekkerhaug141 you make some good points there. I agree that Le Tiss was a top attacking mid, but to OP's point, not neccessarily a playmaker. Pirlo is a deep lying playmaker but to your point he almost redefined the position by dropping deep to give himself more time. He didn't care where he was positioned, just what it gave him the time and opportunity to do from that position really. I know he's an obvious choice, but I thought Zidane was a good classical playmaker, played AM, showed great vision and could setup a pass anywhere on the pitch.
Anyway, all good choices, thanks for the trip down memory lane with some of your decisions.
Sergio remains still the most underrated player ive ever watched. Only a certain level player like Sergio could force a player considered the best in the world for their position like Rodri to play out of position (he played as a CB) in the world's biggest tournament. Absolute legend. ❤️💙
My favourite joke with Kante was: "planet earth is covered by 70% water. The other 30% are covered by Kante" 😂
This is a complicated one on the longevity factor. So many attacking and box-box midfielders settled into holding midfield for their later years. Not many go a career as a holding midfielder. Scholes and Pirlo both started as 10s, played for years as 8s, then became deep lying playmakers. Zanetti was a career full-back then played holding midfield beside Cambiasso as Inter Milan won the treble. Philipp Lahm also a career right-back transitioned into holding midfield.
442 was the popular formation at the turn of the century. Central midfielders were both 8s and would take turns going forward or staying back based on the play of that moment. If we tried to pick out defensive midfielders from the 90s, there would be a limited pool of players we could define their role as just that.
Solid list as always. Pirlo would be my number 1, even ahead of busquets, but I'm guessing we will have to wait until the cm video to see where he ends up.
Kantes peak was insane
out of all 7 only kante could influence a game single handedly to win a game. put kante in luton, they have a chance. put busquets in luton not much would change besides tidiness at the back
Love your videos but how does Kante and Viera count as DMs but Pirlo doesn't?
He was a regista
@@diptanildebnath8463 And Kante and Viera were box to box midfielders
Fabinhos one of the most underrated players in the world
This was the toughest 7 to guess. I've got 7, 3 and 2 right and just about to see top spot which I guess will be Busquets.... Slam me if I'm wrong...
Kimmich being an honourable mention is a downgrade. He's never had a bad or low level season since 17/18 season and from 20-23 I don't see any peak from any DM this century.
Not watched it yet, but Rodri has to make it
Alonso, what a footballer. Absolutely fantastic
That's unlike you. Central midfielders as well? Wow. Then it's going to be really packed
love this series
How would you rank them in terms of peak over one season?
I thought this is a list of best DMs to have played in PL post 2000 until the last part of the video😂
The Prem bias is unreal in this
Fred though 😂
It says greatest not biggest longest achiever. Kante on his day was the greatest cdm I've seen
Agree. He, in my eyes, is one of the best midfielders to ever live just based on ability. For me it goes Zidane/iniesta, Xavi, and then Kante.
@@brandonmiotke neither zidane, nor xavi or iniesta are defensive midfielders. all three of them are quintessential central midfielders, not defensive ones.
@@SaschaHusenbeth I wasn’t saying that they were defensive midfielders. I was saying that to me the best midfielders (any type) that I have ever watched are Zidane, Iniesta, Xavi, and Kante.
How is it possible to not have Pirlo as one of the seven? Because his position on the field was right in front defenders. But the truth is he didn't have any defensive skills at all. And Casemiro as second? That's rich
Position and role are two different things. Pirlo’s job isn’t to protect the defensive line: that’s why he’s always been partnered with DMs and workhorses.
I think you should have mentioned that Busquets was arguably the best player at Euro 2020, showing that even though Barcelona were going through a difficult time he was at a point both Spain and Barcelona’s best player. Without Xavi and Iniesta.
Hello Alfie! Could you please do a video where you rank the top 7 players with the best five year stretches?
I was rewatching that of the goalkeepers then I saw this.
Where is Bastian Schweinsteiger
CM
Didn't know Vieira played for both Milan clubs
You should have done it as best from 2004-05-present, and then a separate list from 1985-2005.
I wonder why Alfie didn't use the greatest photo of Busquets taken during the match against Inter Milan in 2010 :)
I don't disagree with the top 7, but do think Carrick should be higher up the honourable mentions. Despite Busquets possibly being the best in this role, Guardiola said that Carrick was the only Utd player he would've had in his Barça team that bossed Utd in 2 CL finals in 3 years.
That is high praise from the manager who's ideal formation is 10 midfielders and a goalkeeper.
the fact pirlo isn't in the list is a crime
hmm i can understand Carrick not making the 7 but he was definitely better than those whos company you put him with and some of who you said were close to the list. Very underrated.
What On Earth Is Going On At Sampdoria?
Video suggestion: The Rise of La Liga in the 2000’s.
Yaya not making atleast the honourable mentions is criminal
Great video as always but in the future (after you finish this series of sevens) it would be nice to change the criteria to "Best players who played their most/best football of their career in the [insert decade/century]" when you do similar sevens in the future.
That way, you will always compare entire careers - not part of one career against part of another career.
If you were to do the greatest midfielders of every decade, for example, Xavi would be placed too low in both the 00s and the 10s, simply because his best years were 2005-2015.
Would be interested to see a Chelsea Academy Sold 11. Surely no worse than they are now and with several billions saved.
Name the xi......
@@joehunt390 no
@@UnleashtheFiore exactly stupid comment
@@joehunt390 my name's Jordan not stupid comment
@@UnleashtheFiore 🤣🤣 good try
I really hope you are considering Paul Scholes as a CM and not a CDM. Leaving him off the list is CRIMINAL.
kante won a world cup.
So did umtiti and I wouldn’t put him near a list like this
Nope fool France did
@@nishant54africa?😂
🇧🇬 🇧🇬 🇧🇬
Day 10 - Alfie, please do a video on the pitiful situation the Bulgarian national football team is currently in. Here are a couple of points to give you an idea about what I'm talking about:
- Currently, the team is in a streak of 8 winless games, at the bottom of its qualification group for the 2024 Euro, with no chances of qualifying, after losing to opponents such as Montenegro and Lithuania.
- The team's last win was almost a year ago - on 16.11.2022 in a friendly against Cyprus. Our last win in an official match was more than a year ago - on 26.09.2022 against North Macedonia.
- The national football team of Bulgaria has been constantly performing bad for at least the last 20 years. The last big tournament we played was the 2004 Euro in Portugal, where we were humiliated in the group stage.
- Many supporters blame the current bosses of the Bulgarian Football Union for this downfall. The most notable of them are Borislav Mihaylov, Emil Kostadinov and Yordan Lechkov - 3 players who were part of the great 1994 WC team which reached the semi-finals of the tournament. Sadly, those people's success as players has been overshadowed by their lack of capability or willingness to resolve many of the problems in our football - the out-of-date training systems, the poor football infrastructure etc. What's worse is that they refuse to resign a failure after another and they have changed the rules of the union in a way that makes them irremovable for more than 18 years.
- Recently a couple of players from the next generation - Dimitar Berbatov, Stiliyan Petrov and Martin Petrov started a campaign, trying to overthrow the aforementioned but as I said the rules are in the bosses' favour.
- Meanwhile fans are getting really angry with the situation and are starting to take measures. During the last couple of weeks, at many matches of the First and Second Football Leagues the fans were chanting against Mihaylov and company and displayed banners against them. Of course, the BFU fined the clubs for "obscene chants and banners".
- There is a campaign on social media calling fans of all local clubs to put their differences aside and come to the Euro qualifier with Hungary on 16.11 and show their disapproval of the current BFU leaders.
That's the main points, I'm sure that if you dig a little you'll find much more. Please consider doing such a video, the anti-BFU sentiments are getting stronger and we need to disturb those self-serving ex-legends in every way possible. Thank you and keep up the good work!
"Bastain Scweinstiger" the only player to successfully eliminate messi in a match... he wasn't a traditional defensive midfielder with him started his career on the wing but when my boy stepped in that midfield role between 2010-2015 i believed that only sergio busqeuts could be considered better than him
He wasn’t a DM, he was a CM. He always had a more defensive partner at Bayern, while for Germany his chemistry with workhorse Khedira meant they split the defensive work relatively equally.