I appreciate the Ballack mention, he was Ballon D’or levels for about 2 years and carried the German National team practically his whole career. Germany during the 2002-2008 was basically pass to Ballack, even more apparent in the 2006 world cup where Lehmann would straight up throw to him whenever he caught the ball.
Almost no one would have said Seedorf was better than Gerrard, Lampard, and Scholes when they were actually playing, and I say that as someone who always loved Seedorf, even when he was getting dogs abuse for ten years from a lot of AC Milan fans who didn't rate him.
Yes definately and Toni Kroos look at the world cup he had in 2014 plus all the Champions leagues he won and no mention of Claude Makelele who was more important to every team he played than any of the English guys and im English myself@@daarom3472
@@HITCSevens no one from the UK, agreed. But there is a Continent as well, with several countries who have also produced excellent players and have fans. Seedorf at 18 was a starter in the Ajax team that won the 1994/1995 CL, played for Real Madrid, Inter and AC Milan and was a starter / star in all those teams. The only argument against Seedorf would be that he played quite a few years before the 2000's and won 2 of his CL's before 2000. But then the same argument applies to Scholes. Both were top players into their 30ies. I'm not saying there is no argument to be made for either Lampard, Gerrard or Scholes but the fact that they are all part of this top 7 and 3 German players who were clearly as good if not better (Schweini, Ballack, Kroos) says a lot.
the fact that busquets was nr 1 for defensive midfielders and top 2 spots for central midfielders were xavi and iniesta just shows how insanely good that midfield was for barcelona
It literally was the best midfield for its balance. Xavi being the main playmaker, Iniesta being box to box midfielder, and Busquets destroying anyone that came close to him.
@@christianrodriguez5346They’re overrated every time Chelsea played that midfield they get outplayed they literally had to bribe officials to get a draw
It truly brought a smile to my face to hear Torsten Frings’ name in the honorable mentions. Truly an immaculate Footballer, and the man responsible for making me a lifelong Werder Bremen fan
Not only does inter sold Pirlo to Milan, but they also sold Seedorf to Milan as well. Cannavaro to Juve and Roberto Carlos to Madrid, Coutinho to Liverpool
Yep. Moratti II’s reign before calciopoli was littered with poor decisions regarding players and managers. And where he made the right choices (Ronaldo, Vieri, Recoba, Adriano), they were dreadfully unlucky players.
@@rafaelcarvalho9031 no those players mentioned would’ve been too old for the 2010s. But Inter did let Cancelo, Coutinho, Icardi, Shaqiri, Banega, Kovacic, Bonucci, Telles, and Gabigol slip through their fingers.
To. HITC Sevens, Yes, you're right _ it's just your opinion,not a fact that Xavi is at No.1 because in my opinion _ he's not. Iniesta is deserved to be at No. One Position but no doubt Xavi will come after that at No. 2 as per Selection format of this video. Greatest Midfielder of all time- 1. Maradona, 2. Iniesta, 3. Zidane, 4. Xavi, 5. Beckham.
Mark Nobles omission from this list is simply unbelievable, quite frankly, I am appalled that the greatest English midfield of his generation couldn’t get a sniff. Alfie, this is a step too far.
I would say Kroos should be in this seven given what he achieved and how pivotal he was to the Madrid, bayern and Germany midfields over the past 10 years
Yeah I totally expected Kroos to be in this video at 5th or 6th too, honestly think it’s a little too English-centric to put all three of Gerrard, Lampard and Sccholes in the top 7 😅😅
I think it would be safe to replace Scholes with Kroos, just on the basis of individual success and raw talent. Scholes was a hard worker but Kroos is generational.
To. HITC Sevens, Yes, you're right _ it's just your opinion,not a fact that Xavi is at No.1 because in my opinion _ he's not. Iniesta is deserved to be at No. One Position but no doubt Xavi will come after that at No. 2 as per Selection format of this video. Greatest Midfielder of all time- 1. Maradona, 2. Iniesta, 3. Zidane, 4. Xavi, 5. Beckham.
@Hassykay3 Scholes is the better passer both short and long range and is better at dictating play. He is also a way bigger goal threat. There is no discussion here. Kroos definitely should have been on the list above Gerrard and Lampard though.
@Hassykay3 neither can I. Your first argument told me all I needed to know about your level of knowledge anyway. Which is that it is recent. Scholes is known for everything you described Kroos as, and more. Your memory is clearly lacking my friend. Please find some footage on Scholes, you will enjoy it. His England debut alone is exquisite.
@@DaleFCB10 he won everything with two teams plus the national team, and in every single scenario he was the main playmaker and the reference point for all of his teammates. Gerrard scored more goals, but othet than that Kroos is the better and more impactful player
I do believe Kroos should feature over Scholes in 7th since he's, IMO, at least as talented with immense consistency, won countless trophies, is germany's most successful player OAT and he played all his football post 2000
@@maximusorbis2548 You have to look at the competition in said league to determine the value of the titles. Bayerns team has been valued nearly twice as high as their closest competitors over the last ten year’s whereas Madrid is competing against Barcelona and Athletico who can either match up or at least compete with them. A la liga title is worth more than a bundesliga title with Bayern.
@@a.e.a. oh god please stfu. We are talking trophy count, the actual number of trophies won which muller has more. We are not debating the merit of each trophy you weirdo
I'll never forget seeing the graphic after the PSG game in 2013 where Xavi ended up with 96 passes and a completion percentage of 100%. Especially considering it wasn't just a bunch of simple dinks or back passes or whatever, some of these were 30-40 yards out to the flanks and such. Even if you're playing against a 4th-tier team, getting almost 100 passes completed without missing one is WILD. But this was a freaking Champions League knockout stage match. When I started getting into watching football, he was the guy who I ended up noticing because he just tended to orchestrate everything gloriously from that center, like he was the brain of the single entity that was either Barca or Spain.
@@JimTheFly he was not just their orchastrator he was their main creater he was their main main when it's comes to doing all those running and stuff He was surely one of the greatest
To. HITC Sevens, Yes, you're right _ it's just your opinion,not a fact that Xavi is at No.1 because in my opinion _ he's not. Iniesta is deserved to be at No. One Position but no doubt Xavi will come after that at No. 2 as per Selection format of this video. Greatest Midfielder of all time- 1. Maradona, 2. Iniesta, 3. Zidane, 4. Xavi, 5. Beckham.
great to see Xavi getting the respect he deserves. besides dominating every midfield, he got big assists in 2 euro finals, 2 ucl finals, 4 in 1 el clasico (which is more than modric in his whole career) and in a wc semi final. And then some people still say that he lacked final 3rd involvement compared to iniesta/modric
Xavi is the best ever imo. Him running 11+Km in the WC finale is very underrated as well. Dude was the engine, the brain, and the leader at the same time.
Xavi & Iniesta will forever be the greatest midfield pairing of all time. They *were* Tiki-Taka, and that style of play has never worked quite as well without them. And to think they also got to overlap with a young Busquets as a holding midfielder. On their best days, absolutely unbeatable.
I would ve thought winning the Euros in 2000, leading France to the 2006 World Cup Final, excellent performances in Euro 2004 and winning the 2002 Champions League with a 15 yard volley was enough of a legacy to get Zidane into the top seven, even if he did retire in 2006. It was only six years, but what a six years.
When the criteria is quality and quantity of performances, it's super hard to make it when everyone else played at least twice as many games as you. If it was the greatest since 1990, he'd be a shoe-in.
Perhaps I'm biased by international games, but I don't remember Scholes or Lampard ever coming close to dominating games like Ballack or Zidane. Like Gerrard they were able to turn a mediocre team into a title contender. I don't know if there is a better definition what it means to be a "great" player...
Thank you for putting Xavi at no1. Iniesta and Modric are legendary but Xavi isn't given the respect he deserves. He was better than them both honestly!
@@Kushagra.j Xavi was more than a controller he was also main chances creater of that Barcelona team and he was a mazella too Xavi used to run a lot like in 2010 world cup where he was 31 he ran 80km most in whole tournament also he was a one of the greatest big game player of all time
@@midfielderlounge2592 I mean if you got iniesta next to you that don’t really run a lot then ofc you’re gonna be doing all the running. Plus Kroos can’t be the main creator for Madrid when they’ve got Modric. And he plays deeper than Xavi too as well.
IT REALLY IS NOT A SHOCKER CONSIDERING THAT THE 3 ABOVE WE JUST ON ANOTHER LEVEL MAYBE HE COULD BEAT PIRLO BUT NOW WAG IN HELL WILL HE BE ABOVE XAVI OR INIESTA. IM SORRY BUT THOSE TWO STAY IN THE TOP 2
Not sure about the order but cant argue about the names. Pirlo is my favourite. He was effortless. "That" performance against england resulted in my first ever tweet(i couldn't resist). His shot/free kicks were spectacular. He is one of those players that I enjoyed to watch. I could watch a match that he was involved in even if i couldn't care about the other 21 players or what teams they were. What a great video to watch. Midfielders are the most interesting players for me. The period of Messi and Ronaldo dominance changed football and not for the better. The obsession fans have of the individual outweighs everything now. We as fans can look deeper than who scores the goals. Yes attackers have the magic but the midfielder's have the shift. They are up against the technically best players.
@@nicodiangelo7051 I think the new fans don't rate him because of the decline of Serie A after 2010 and the others played either in the PL or Real Madrid/Barca. He was probably the most talented out of all 7 in the list.
@@ashton5249 ye but imo he’s still behind Xavi and around the same as Iniesta. But he dosent make top 2 for this list because he has a portion of his career before 2000. Anyone that claimed Pirlo is overrated is delusional though
I thought that, over time, Scholes had dropped out of the English CM trio debate. He himself said both Gerrard and Lampard were far more talented than him in a recent interview.
What's he going to say, "I'm the best?". Anyway, they were 3 different types of player. Scholes was always the best midfielder I'd ever seen in this country.....till KdB came along...
I love to see those guys getting the praise they deserve. If it weren't for Cristiano and Messi, Xavi and Iniesta would've won atleast a Ballon D'or each. Imo they both are in the same league as Zidane.
I agree with top 4, but the rest... I mean putting all 3 Englishman in this 7 without putting there any of the 3 Germans is controversial, to say the least. Additionally, I personaly think that suggesting than Ballack was better than Schweinsteiger is a terrible and not funny joke.
Ballack is easily Germany’s best midfielder omitting Matthaus. What are you on, in fact he probably had the most dominant season for a midfield in the 00s
@@Hassykay3 Kroos played a pivotal role in 5 UCL wins and 1 World Cup Win, he won several national championships and cups and is a 6-time club world champion. How is Modric on 4 and Kroos not even on the list. They should be here in back to back places, both in front of the 3 English players
When I saw the thumbnail and saw Xavi in the second position I knew that something was wrong! I mean, who can possibly be better than Xavi? That man had the ability to see 10 seconds in the future!!! Jokes aside, his vision of the game was, and still is, unmatched
😂 Nigel Quashie is not someone I thought would get a mention here - he did help Pompey win the 2003 Division one title but then ruined his reputation with our fans by following Harry Redknapp to Southampton. He had a habit of skying shots from outside the box and Pompey fans to this day chant his name when an away player does similar. So that's his legacy maybe?
Came to post the same. "Quashie, Quashie, Quashie" is very probably lost on most fans when their striker shoots for the moon. I think he regrets that move.
Glad to see Xavi recognized as the real master of that Barça midfield. Not saying Iniesta wasn't amazing, he definitely was, but Xavi was the one who truly managed the game and routinely put up better numbers than Iniesta
Putting the only Ballon d'Or winner and the guy with the most individual awards in this list in 4th is disrespectful. People should show more respect to Modrić...
Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 567) 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.
Since I was a kid Xavi was always my favorite midfielder with Lampard being a close second. But when I started watching Pedri he quickly took my top spot. I hope he stays injury free and wins trophies to be talked amongst players like in this video. At his age none of them were as good as him and he definitely has the potential to be better than them if he keeps improving. His style of play is also second to none, he is always fun to watch.
Anybody putting modric over iniesta/xavi have probably not been around 2006-2015 much. Absolutely nobody would put modric in the same sentence as iniesta and xavi back when they were still playing at the highest level. Modric is absolutely class. But xavi and iniesta individually have changed football.
I know Kroos is is one of he midfield greats but I wouldn't put him on this list either just because of the sheer talent there is to unpack. Maybe the silver lining for him making the cut is that his career was played all in the 21st century compared to Scholes who played maybe his best season in 1998-99 and Lampard who had well established himself pre-2000 but I'd only place him as high as 7.
@@damjanp7920no it’s not. The disrespect Gerrard gets is astounding he is easily the best of that generation. He was quite literally the most wanted midfielder
Every year since retirement Scholes gets better. An underrated player that has become incredibly overrated over time. The fact that hes 7th over Kroos/Xabi Alonso/Schwein/Ballack/Toure/and Im sure many more is laughable. During his time, it was Gerrard/Lampard in the PL. Man U fans decided to shoehorn Scholes into that conversation and its been the biggest piece of revisionist history in the PL.
Modric at number 4 is criminal, the only one with a ballon dor there. He should be number 2 at worst and number 1 in my list due to his ballon dor, his 5 UCL and his longevity.
Just to put a little more context into Xavi and Iniesta story --- When Pep was end of his career and was replaced by Xavi in barcelona he said - you are going to replace me but there is another who is going to replace all of us . The person he was mentioning was Iniesta. However, there was one thing that pep naturally could not see at that point. That the style of Xavi was going to be far far different than Iniesta and both will do different things in the same area. Iniesta was an attack minded CM. His flair , dribbles , skill and control while contributed to control of mid field , It always followed the idea of attack, and attack. That's why in naked eyes it seemed like Iniesta was "better" in one to one. But Xavi was a different beast, he didn't care about dribbling or winning one to one. He was playing chess as a CM . Control was his game. It means he was mapping his team and the opponents. And he was moving the chess pieces around to create the ultimate loophole, WHILE , fixing the loopholes that Messi or Iniesta or villa or Eto'o was creating in their dash towards opponent D-box. While he got the ball he rarely lost it. And when he didn't have it he was creating a lasso to fish it out in Mid field. It's insane ingenuity the way he set up his traps or break opens the defense . I would not have accepted anyone else rather than him in that NO 1 spot. But we will also have to keep in mind he was not alone in this. He was one side of that triangle. That triangle that won everything.
Not really. Pirlo was by far the better player, the only reason he is not rated highly is because he played major part of his career before 2010 so new fans don't rate him higher. Remember the time when he schooled Modric when they faced in the match between Italy and Croatia.
@@post-surreal I am sure you started watching football after 2015 because no one takes Ballon D'or seriously when determining the quality of a player. In that sense, we can even say that Modric is better than Xavi and Iniesta just because he has a balon d'or. Pirlo had a very good world cup in 2006 and just because Italian football declined exponentially after 2010 doesn't mean Pirlo's impact for the country can be questioned.
🇧🇬 🇧🇬 🇧🇬 It's day 12 and probably I'm getting a little annoying. Sorry for that. For those who don't know I'm trying to convince Alfie to do a video on the pitiful situation of the Bulgarian national football team. You'll find my original comment down below. I'm writing this preamble because something very dishonest happened today. The Bulgarian Football Union, citing commands from UEFA regarding safety, moved the upcoming match between Bulgaria and Hungary from the "Vasil Levski" stadium in Sofia to "Hristo Botev" in Plovdiv. And now the match will be played behind closed doors. Why? Because the fans were planning to attend the match in Sofia and demand the resignation of Borislav Mihaylov, the current chairman of the BFU, under whose management in the last 18 years, football in Bulgaria is going through catastrophic events. I'm sure we'll find another way to express our demands. But then again, the cowardly act of moving tha match and stopping fans from attending it, shows once again that Mihaylov and his henchmen don't care about the fans and the good of the sport. They only care about their high-paid, poorly done jobs. Original comment for more context: - Currently, the Bulgarian national football 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!
I think Wesley sneijder should also get an honourable mention. If Iniesta didn't score the mentioned goal and Robben would have done his part, he likely would have been treble and world cup winner in one year.
Alfie I would like you to do a video of Where Are They Now? of the FC Barcelona Squad that started the 2021-22 season. Currently there are very few players from that season that still remain at FC Barcelona
My Favourite Player of All Time: Cesc Fàbregas ● Fabregas was 17 years old during virtually the entirety of his breakthrough season of 04/05 and made 33 league appearances (24 starts) in a side just off the back of winning the previous seasons league without losing a game, finished 2nd in that current campaign and won the FA Cup. Just let that sink in. Absolutely frightening 😲. ● Youngest Arsenal goalscorer: (16 years 212 days v Wolves Dec 2003) Youngest Arsenal goalscorer in League: (17 years 113 days v Blackburn Aug 2004) Youngest Arsenal goalscorer in Europe: (17 years 217 days v Rosenborg Dec 2004) ● Only he and Evan Ferguson have 10+ goals/assists to their names as 18 year olds in the Premier League era who weren't from England. Had to get that one in as an Irishman 😄. ● Statistics show that in the five years prior to Fàbregas's departure from Arsenal, Fàbregas created 466 goal-scoring chances, made 86 assists and scored 48 goals, all three statistics topping those of new teammates Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, despite both having made more appearances in the same period. ● 09/10 League Season: Apps: 27 Goals: 15 Assists: 15 Who knows what numbers he would have finished with that season if he'd avoided a few niggling injuries during the first half of that campaign and not fractured his leg to Barca in March and been ruled out for the remainder of the season. I've no doubt that he would have comfortably broken the record of 20 assists in a PL season and, in all likelihood, would have 20+ League goals to his name alongside it. All from CM at 22 years of age in his second season as club captain as well, it's worth noting. ● All-time leader in history of assists for Spanish national team. ● Most assists as a CM in the 21st century ahead of the likes of Lampard, Gerrard, Iniesta & Xavi. ● Only player in PL era to record 10+ assists in 6 separate seasons. ● 2nd All Time Leader in assists in PL history to Ryan Giggs, who spent 9 and a half more seasons than him in the PL . ● Made captain of Arsenal at the tender age of 21 as well. He was absolute magic
it does get a bit ropey when you position KDB as an attacking midfielder but Lampard as a CM. both defaulted to an 8 role, but were regularly the most attacking portion of their respective trios. more-so than say Scholes, who played in a central pair, both also played fairly frequently as a 10.
Love these videos. As a non-Englishman, it seems hard to believe 3 of the top 7 central midfielders were English and played in weaker England teams that we know today and achieved little in major tournaments from 2000-2012. Paul Scholes scored once in 33 England caps post 2001 and left international football in 2004 while Zidane was a primary force globally to 2006 winning the Euros, two confederations cups and going to the World Cup final in 2006 while scoring 19 goals in 59 games
I myself as a central midfielder,totally agree with his inclusion of this title and have adored them ever since my childhood years,good friends!!!LONG LIVES RESPECTIVELY TO ALL OF THEM,GOOD FRIENDS!!!🙏
I’d have Kroos in over Scholes and that’d be my exact list. I’m 100% sure there’s gonna be at least one salty madrid fan in the comments who says Modric is number 1
I don't enjoy Iniesta, not because I don't like football I can admit he is brilliant but because I am Dutch and every time I see him play I feel sour about the World Cup 2010 final again.
@@Username-mn7pc Not really, we have a rivalry with Argentina because of the 1978 world cup final (sadly that is the only game we lost in regular time to Argentina), but took revenge in 1998. 2006 and 2014 were scoreless draws. Losing on penalties always sucks so it stings a bit but our teams in 2014 and 2022 weren't great so it happens. Because of the dutch connection in Barcelona pretty much everybody here respects or loves Messi. How can you not? The only international teams we hate are Germany and Portugal.
@@Username-mn7pc Because we always lose to Portugal. We have played them 14 times and only won 1 Euro qualification match and that was in 1992. In 8 competitive games we won 1 game, drew 1 and lost 6. They have our number.The battle of Neurenberg in the 2006 world cup is also famous.
I always wonder though : put Xavi into a team that isn't made up of the world's finest players in their respective positions, and would he have had the same impact? Or, conversely, would another midfielder (like Gabi today) have been able to play similarly in the Barca team of a decade ago?
What? Xavi would easily still dominate,xavi was one of the main player for spain winning the WC and Euros fool,put xavi in Real Madrid,Bayern,Arsenal, Man U and other clubs he easily would still perform
Xavi did not bench Guardiola, they often played together - Xavi played a lot during Guardiola's last few years, specially as Guardiola was injured all the time.....but Guardiola leaving still was a shock.....everyone loved Xavi but we still didn't know he would go on to become the player he became.....people just don't seem to appreciate how good Guardiola was, he reinvented the position
@@Hassykay3 I should add which makes me question if you did actually watch...... Costa was at chelsea after lampard left they never played together...... 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@Hassykay3 chelsea rarely played with a no. 10/cam when they did it was in a 4231 and lampard was part of the 2, players like Oscar, mata etc where used ahead of lampard in that role! He may have played cam on occasion but for the majority if his career He was a cm, including at West ham and city both prior and after chelsea..... Not to mention the clown that did the video even stats in the beginning players selected in the video primarily played in centre mid Good try again
@@Hassykay3 you didn't watch and you are neither a fan if chelsea or lampard so makes sense you know more than someone who watched him week in week out...... The most popular formation in his time at chelsea was a 433 with no cam, yes he had a licence to get forward but being able to get forward doesn't mean he is playing a role further up the pitch such as cam etc, he still had to do his cm responsibilities.... It's like John stones at city, he goes into midfield and beyond when city have possession doesn't mean he is a mid, he is still a centrehalf but has a licence to get forward
As someone who was a fan of both MMA and football, I’m glad someone finally pointed out how there’s a big chance any football players that are 35+ years old and playing 70-80 matches per season with perfect fitness and almost no injury issues are likely to be on the juice. Of course, it’s not possible to compare fighters and footballers but footballers train and play all year round and each games lasts 90min. These are people are beyond normality…maybe.
At least you remembered to mention Seedorf. I advise you to watch Deco playing again, specially if you are saying Cesc or Ballack were better. Zidane was not and 8 imo.
id go 7 Kroos 6 Seedorf 5 Pirlo 4 Modric 3 Zidane (his peak was just too high even though he only played 6 years in the 21st century) 2 Iniesta 1 Xavi HMs: scholes, lampard, gerrard, toure, fabregas, ballack
@@midfielderlounge2592 Not at all. Man was player of the match in like four games in 2006 World Cup. He was also player of the season in Italy for like four consequtive seasons when he played for Juventus. Personally, I think he is the best midfielder I have ever witnessed, though I am willing to give it to Xavi too.
@@EdwinKaranja-zp4oc nah man Pirlo was overrated Even his euro 2012 was so overrated because of that performance against England He got exposed badly on final like that was the horrendous performance He wasn't good at semi final too Ozil was the best midfielder that year Pirlo has never been the midfielder in any season
Steven Gerrard is simply the most overrated player of all time. At some point you have to put your trophies on the table and his simply don't stack up. If you take away just two games from his career (FA cup 06 & CL 05 finals) then he wouldn't be brought up in any of these conversations
Top 7 Greatest Central Midfielders Since 2000 : 1__ Iniesta [ WC, EC, CL winner | WC's winner goal scorer | 1 of the Best Dribbling/Passing player ever ] 2__ Xavi [ WC, EC, CL winner | Great team Leader | 1 of the Best Passing player ever ] 3__ Modric [ CL, BO winner | WC Finalist | 1 of the Best Dribbling/Passing player ever ] 4__ Vieira [ WC, EC winner | Invincibles 2004 | Great team Leader ] 5__ Kanté [ WC, CL winner | Best Tackling player ever ] 6__ Kroos [ WC, CL winner | 1 of the Best Passing player ever ] 7__ Gerrard [ CL winner | Liverpool Greatest player ever | Great team Leader | 1 of the Best Long Shots goal Scorer ever ] 8_ Lampard 9_ Scholes 10_ Fabregas 11_ Rakitic 12_ Schweinsteiger
I saw someone looking like Iniesta at the Dubai marina mall today and thought 'nah, why would he be here, he lives in Japan'. Only after this video i realize it's probably him since he now lives here!
it has already been 5 years since messi left Barca? That is terrifying. The slow march of time does not stop. I remember the pic of him sitting on the pitch with his shoes and socks off after his last game. What a player. How blessed are we to have watched these players play the beautiful game.
I appreciate the Ballack mention, he was Ballon D’or levels for about 2 years and carried the German National team practically his whole career. Germany during the 2002-2008 was basically pass to Ballack, even more apparent in the 2006 world cup where Lehmann would straight up throw to him whenever he caught the ball.
huge English bias here again. Seedorf and Schweinsteiger should be comfortably ahead of all 3 English guys mentioned here.
Almost no one would have said Seedorf was better than Gerrard, Lampard, and Scholes when they were actually playing, and I say that as someone who always loved Seedorf, even when he was getting dogs abuse for ten years from a lot of AC Milan fans who didn't rate him.
Yes definately and Toni Kroos look at the world cup he had in 2014 plus all the Champions leagues he won and no mention of Claude Makelele who was more important to every team he played than any of the English guys and im English myself@@daarom3472
@cameroncopus9737 Claude Makelele was a defensive midfielder. There's a separate video for defensive midfielders.
@@HITCSevens no one from the UK, agreed. But there is a Continent as well, with several countries who have also produced excellent players and have fans.
Seedorf at 18 was a starter in the Ajax team that won the 1994/1995 CL, played for Real Madrid, Inter and AC Milan and was a starter / star in all those teams.
The only argument against Seedorf would be that he played quite a few years before the 2000's and won 2 of his CL's before 2000. But then the same argument applies to Scholes. Both were top players into their 30ies.
I'm not saying there is no argument to be made for either Lampard, Gerrard or Scholes but the fact that they are all part of this top 7 and 3 German players who were clearly as good if not better (Schweini, Ballack, Kroos) says a lot.
the fact that busquets was nr 1 for defensive midfielders and top 2 spots for central midfielders were xavi and iniesta just shows how insanely good that midfield was for barcelona
Aaaand the entire Spain golden generation PLUS Leo fucking Messi cost them $0. It's truly the homegrown lottery to end all homegrown lotteries.
It literally was the best midfield for its balance. Xavi being the main playmaker, Iniesta being box to box midfielder, and Busquets destroying anyone that came close to him.
@@christianrodriguez5346They’re overrated every time Chelsea played that midfield they get outplayed they literally had to bribe officials to get a draw
@@braddiddy8417 0 ball knowledge
@@Jumpylegs It’s all facts every time Chelsea played them they got dealt with just go watch the games
7 biggest what if’s in football history?
What if Neymar never left Barcelona?
What if Messi switched nationalities to Spain?
What if Pogba wasn't injury prone?
What if the Munich air disaster never happened?
What if Abramovic bought Spurs instead of Chelsea?
What if Man City didn't cheat for a decade?
What if Neymar never left barca?
What if Ronaldo never got that knee injury?
What if R9 never was injury prone?
What if Klopp had the money Pep had? 😭
What if Messi is a human?
Yes
It truly brought a smile to my face to hear Torsten Frings’ name in the honorable mentions. Truly an immaculate Footballer, and the man responsible for making me a lifelong Werder Bremen fan
USA still remembers him for that 2002 incident 😂
Not only does inter sold Pirlo to Milan, but they also sold Seedorf to Milan as well. Cannavaro to Juve and Roberto Carlos to Madrid, Coutinho to Liverpool
They could've had a dynasty like Juventus in the 2010s had they kept those players alongside R9.
Inter won 5 league titles and row plus the treble what more could they want from 2006-2010
Yep. Moratti II’s reign before calciopoli was littered with poor decisions regarding players and managers. And where he made the right choices (Ronaldo, Vieri, Recoba, Adriano), they were dreadfully unlucky players.
@@rafaelcarvalho9031 no those players mentioned would’ve been too old for the 2010s. But Inter did let Cancelo, Coutinho, Icardi, Shaqiri, Banega, Kovacic, Bonucci, Telles, and Gabigol slip through their fingers.
To. HITC Sevens, Yes, you're right _ it's just your opinion,not a fact that Xavi is at No.1 because in my opinion _ he's not. Iniesta is deserved to be at No. One Position but no doubt Xavi will come after that at No. 2 as per Selection format of this video.
Greatest Midfielder of all time- 1. Maradona, 2. Iniesta, 3. Zidane, 4. Xavi, 5. Beckham.
Mark Nobles omission from this list is simply unbelievable, quite frankly, I am appalled that the greatest English midfield of his generation couldn’t get a sniff. Alfie, this is a step too far.
Ikr, first Lee Cattermole, now this
No caps tho
@@viernes_3c768 too good for England
Jimmy Bullard though...
Mark Noble and Lee Bowyer duo fantastico
I would say Kroos should be in this seven given what he achieved and how pivotal he was to the Madrid, bayern and Germany midfields over the past 10 years
Yeah I totally expected Kroos to be in this video at 5th or 6th too, honestly think it’s a little too English-centric to put all three of Gerrard, Lampard and Sccholes in the top 7 😅😅
I think it would be safe to replace Scholes with Kroos, just on the basis of individual success and raw talent. Scholes was a hard worker but Kroos is generational.
@KingYahshua To reduce Scholes to being "a hard worker" is insane. He was the most technically gifted English footballer I have ever seen.
@@KingYahshua Scholes is miles more talented than Kroos
To. HITC Sevens, Yes, you're right _ it's just your opinion,not a fact that Xavi is at No.1 because in my opinion _ he's not. Iniesta is deserved to be at No. One Position but no doubt Xavi will come after that at No. 2 as per Selection format of this video.
Greatest Midfielder of all time- 1. Maradona, 2. Iniesta, 3. Zidane, 4. Xavi, 5. Beckham.
Kroos has to be ahead of scholes at least in 21st century. It is just a prem biased to have all three Gerard, lampard and scholes in this list
Kroos should be ahead of Pirlo too it's Xavi Iniesta Modric Gerrard kroos
@@midfielderlounge2592Pirlo in top 3 is totally deserved
Kroos does nothing better than Scholes
@Hassykay3 Scholes is the better passer both short and long range and is better at dictating play. He is also a way bigger goal threat. There is no discussion here. Kroos definitely should have been on the list above Gerrard and Lampard though.
@Hassykay3 neither can I. Your first argument told me all I needed to know about your level of knowledge anyway. Which is that it is recent. Scholes is known for everything you described Kroos as, and more. Your memory is clearly lacking my friend. Please find some footage on Scholes, you will enjoy it. His England debut alone is exquisite.
Kroos lacking from the top 7 is just ridiculous mate. Far more impactful than the three Englishman
He was not more impactful than Steven Gerrard
@@DaleFCB10 he won everything with two teams plus the national team, and in every single scenario he was the main playmaker and the reference point for all of his teammates.
Gerrard scored more goals, but othet than that Kroos is the better and more impactful player
English bias that all 3 of them are on the list😂
@@eriktoth7 lol no he is not Gerrard is level ahead
@@eriktoth7in all seriousness, you could say the same for casemiro too.
I do believe Kroos should feature over Scholes in 7th since he's, IMO, at least as talented with immense consistency, won countless trophies, is germany's most successful player OAT and he played all his football post 2000
Actually Thomas muller is Germany’s most successful player
@@escape2nirvanaMüller has more league and Cup titles but what are those compared to 4 CL titles
@@a.e.a.but he has wayyyyyy more league titles. That has to count for something plus it’s not like he hasn’t won the cl
@@maximusorbis2548 You have to look at the competition in said league to determine the value of the titles. Bayerns team has been valued nearly twice as high as their closest competitors over the last ten year’s whereas Madrid is competing against Barcelona and Athletico who can either match up or at least compete with them. A la liga title is worth more than a bundesliga title with Bayern.
@@a.e.a. oh god please stfu. We are talking trophy count, the actual number of trophies won which muller has more. We are not debating the merit of each trophy you weirdo
Xavi was absolutely one of the greatest big game player of all time
I'll never forget seeing the graphic after the PSG game in 2013 where Xavi ended up with 96 passes and a completion percentage of 100%. Especially considering it wasn't just a bunch of simple dinks or back passes or whatever, some of these were 30-40 yards out to the flanks and such. Even if you're playing against a 4th-tier team, getting almost 100 passes completed without missing one is WILD. But this was a freaking Champions League knockout stage match.
When I started getting into watching football, he was the guy who I ended up noticing because he just tended to orchestrate everything gloriously from that center, like he was the brain of the single entity that was either Barca or Spain.
@@JimTheFly he was not just their orchastrator he was their main creater he was their main main when it's comes to doing all those running and stuff
He was surely one of the greatest
@@JimTheFlyIniesta was way better!
@@midfielderlounge2592Iniesta was way better!
To. HITC Sevens, Yes, you're right _ it's just your opinion,not a fact that Xavi is at No.1 because in my opinion _ he's not. Iniesta is deserved to be at No. One Position but no doubt Xavi will come after that at No. 2 as per Selection format of this video.
Greatest Midfielder of all time- 1. Maradona, 2. Iniesta, 3. Zidane, 4. Xavi, 5. Beckham.
great to see Xavi getting the respect he deserves. besides dominating every midfield, he got big assists in 2 euro finals, 2 ucl finals, 4 in 1 el clasico (which is more than modric in his whole career) and in a wc semi final. And then some people still say that he lacked final 3rd involvement compared to iniesta/modric
Xavi is the best ever imo. Him running 11+Km in the WC finale is very underrated as well. Dude was the engine, the brain, and the leader at the same time.
@@samizayn5666not better than scholes
Xavi had the privilege of being spanish
@@french_toast223 spain had the privilege of having Xavi
@@Thomas-jl8xr xavi would be nothing without la masia handing everything to him on a silver pladder
Xavi & Iniesta will forever be the greatest midfield pairing of all time. They *were* Tiki-Taka, and that style of play has never worked quite as well without them. And to think they also got to overlap with a young Busquets as a holding midfielder. On their best days, absolutely unbeatable.
Kroos, one of the most underrated players of all timee
I would ve thought winning the Euros in 2000, leading France to the 2006 World Cup Final, excellent performances in Euro 2004 and winning the 2002 Champions League with a 15 yard volley was enough of a legacy to get Zidane into the top seven, even if he did retire in 2006. It was only six years, but what a six years.
When the criteria is quality and quantity of performances, it's super hard to make it when everyone else played at least twice as many games as you. If it was the greatest since 1990, he'd be a shoe-in.
I agree that Zidane only played for 6 years but it is true Alfie isn't a huge Zidane fan 😂
He was my favourite (non-Hull City) player growing up, I always wore the number 5 shirt because of him!
@@HITCSevens Really then I must have that mixed up didn't you make a video about Zidane being inconsistent or am I mistaken?
@@HITCSevens Second to Carlton Palmer since 1990
Perhaps I'm biased by international games, but I don't remember Scholes or Lampard ever coming close to dominating games like Ballack or Zidane. Like Gerrard they were able to turn a mediocre team into a title contender. I don't know if there is a better definition what it means to be a "great" player...
From 96-06 Zidane was underperforming at club level
Thank you for putting Xavi at no1.
Iniesta and Modric are legendary but Xavi isn't given the respect he deserves. He was better than them both honestly!
Great Video. But only an Englishman could Rank Lampard Scholes and Gerrard above Kroos and Seedorf.
not really. Lampard and Scholes maybe but Gerrard is miles ahead of Kroos and Seedorf
@@matthewbanton7077 Gerrard doesn't even lace Kroos boots
@@_hunter_x_hunter_5809 you must be very, very young if you think that
The English midfielders get too disrespected. Lampard and Gerrard individually are the best
@@matthewbanton7077scholes was miles better than Gerrard and seedorf. What are you talking about?
I'd have Kroos in the 7 but I definitely agree about the number 1 selection. Love Xavi
Agreed. Kroos is actually underrated man
@@chris.48for sure. He's the closest one to Xavi himself! Very similar playstyle especially kroos at Madrid where he's the controller
@@Kushagra.j Xavi was more than a controller he was also main chances creater of that Barcelona team and he was a mazella too Xavi used to run a lot like in 2010 world cup where he was 31 he ran 80km most in whole tournament also he was a one of the greatest big game player of all time
@@midfielderlounge2592 absolutely agree with he was playing three roles at one that's why he was rated more
@@midfielderlounge2592 I mean if you got iniesta next to you that don’t really run a lot then ofc you’re gonna be doing all the running. Plus Kroos can’t be the main creator for Madrid when they’ve got Modric. And he plays deeper than Xavi too as well.
Kroos not making this list is absolutely beyond ridiculous. He should definitely be in front of Scholes, Lampard and Gerrard.
Modrić 4th? Shocker. He is one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He is right up there with Zidane and Xavi.
You’re right shocker
not shocking at all.. all three players in this vid are better than him
IT REALLY IS NOT A SHOCKER CONSIDERING THAT THE 3 ABOVE WE JUST ON ANOTHER LEVEL MAYBE HE COULD BEAT PIRLO BUT NOW WAG IN HELL WILL HE BE ABOVE XAVI OR INIESTA. IM SORRY BUT THOSE TWO STAY IN THE TOP 2
@@itsrudy_2769sorry mate he’s better than Xavi and Iniesta .. your so biased
@@cadesky6029totally not a biased opinion at all. Lol
Not sure about the order but cant argue about the names. Pirlo is my favourite. He was effortless. "That" performance against england resulted in my first ever tweet(i couldn't resist). His shot/free kicks were spectacular. He is one of those players that I enjoyed to watch. I could watch a match that he was involved in even if i couldn't care about the other 21 players or what teams they were.
What a great video to watch. Midfielders are the most interesting players for me. The period of Messi and Ronaldo dominance changed football and not for the better. The obsession fans have of the individual outweighs everything now. We as fans can look deeper than who scores the goals. Yes attackers have the magic but the midfielder's have the shift. They are up against the technically best players.
The issue with Pirlo was that he spent a little too much time before 2000 I think
@@nicodiangelo7051 I think the new fans don't rate him because of the decline of Serie A after 2010 and the others played either in the PL or Real Madrid/Barca. He was probably the most talented out of all 7 in the list.
@@ashton5249 ye but imo he’s still behind Xavi and around the same as Iniesta. But he dosent make top 2 for this list because he has a portion of his career before 2000. Anyone that claimed Pirlo is overrated is delusional though
0:05 Eric Djemba-Djemba is actually a legend in Denmark, so... yeah he IS one of the best cm of all time
to me there is no other for nb.1 spot then Luka Modrić
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 what are you smoking
I thought that, over time, Scholes had dropped out of the English CM trio debate. He himself said both Gerrard and Lampard were far more talented than him in a recent interview.
What's he going to say, "I'm the best?". Anyway, they were 3 different types of player. Scholes was always the best midfielder I'd ever seen in this country.....till KdB came along...
@nevilleneville6518 true, last time Ronaldo said he was the best, social media thought it was a shot on Messi
For me kroos over Scholes and also luka over pirlo because of his amazing croatia performances and ofc the ballon dor..but a good list
I love to see those guys getting the praise they deserve. If it weren't for Cristiano and Messi, Xavi and Iniesta would've won atleast a Ballon D'or each. Imo they both are in the same league as Zidane.
Modric is so underrated.
Overrated*
Overrated*
@@bigballsbolshevik5703 how is he overrated he has a balon d'or that he won during the messi and ronaldo era
@@dracks6508 that’s why he’s overrated he didn’t deserve it
I agree with top 4, but the rest... I mean putting all 3 Englishman in this 7 without putting there any of the 3 Germans is controversial, to say the least. Additionally, I personaly think that suggesting than Ballack was better than Schweinsteiger is a terrible and not funny joke.
Ballack is easily Germany’s best midfielder omitting Matthaus. What are you on, in fact he probably had the most dominant season for a midfield in the 00s
@@blank1933 Wth? I agree on Matthäus but Ballack didn't even come close to Overrath Schuster Netzer and so on ..
English bias once again, ommiting Kroos is a joke, he won more international trophies than number 7-5 combined
@@Hassykay3 Kroos played a pivotal role in 5 UCL wins and 1 World Cup Win, he won several national championships and cups and is a 6-time club world champion. How is Modric on 4 and Kroos not even on the list. They should be here in back to back places, both in front of the 3 English players
Also omitting Seedorf
When I saw the thumbnail and saw Xavi in the second position I knew that something was wrong! I mean, who can possibly be better than Xavi? That man had the ability to see 10 seconds in the future!!! Jokes aside, his vision of the game was, and still is, unmatched
😂 Nigel Quashie is not someone I thought would get a mention here - he did help Pompey win the 2003 Division one title but then ruined his reputation with our fans by following Harry Redknapp to Southampton.
He had a habit of skying shots from outside the box and Pompey fans to this day chant his name when an away player does similar. So that's his legacy maybe?
Came to post the same. "Quashie, Quashie, Quashie" is very probably lost on most fans when their striker shoots for the moon. I think he regrets that move.
I would have put lampard in the CAM list
Nothing like coming home after an exam and Alfie having put up a new video
Glad to see Xavi recognized as the real master of that Barça midfield. Not saying Iniesta wasn't amazing, he definitely was, but Xavi was the one who truly managed the game and routinely put up better numbers than Iniesta
So you didn't know before now abi? He dictate the temple of a football game
Xabi Alonso dude
A DM not a CM. However, he is one of the best (my favorite) that I've ever seen.
Agree with the list 100%
Putting the only Ballon d'Or winner and the guy with the most individual awards in this list in 4th is disrespectful. People should show more respect to Modrić...
Kroos and Modric both have to be top 4. Simply incredible players we take for granted
Kroos? No. He’s consistently excellent but his peak is nowhere near top 4 quality.
The way Alfie starts with flops is unparalleled.
Toni Kroos & Clarence Seedorf where are they?
Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 567)
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.
"We don't do silliness on this channel" remembers april 1st this year
Since I was a kid Xavi was always my favorite midfielder with Lampard being a close second. But when I started watching Pedri he quickly took my top spot. I hope he stays injury free and wins trophies to be talked amongst players like in this video. At his age none of them were as good as him and he definitely has the potential to be better than them if he keeps improving. His style of play is also second to none, he is always fun to watch.
Anybody putting modric over iniesta/xavi have probably not been around 2006-2015 much. Absolutely nobody would put modric in the same sentence as iniesta and xavi back when they were still playing at the highest level. Modric is absolutely class. But xavi and iniesta individually have changed football.
Toni kroos should have been ahead of the three English man
If Kroos was English he’d be number one on this list lol it’s so insane to see how underrated he is in these conversations
I know Kroos is is one of he midfield greats but I wouldn't put him on this list either just because of the sheer talent there is to unpack. Maybe the silver lining for him making the cut is that his career was played all in the 21st century compared to Scholes who played maybe his best season in 1998-99 and Lampard who had well established himself pre-2000 but I'd only place him as high as 7.
If Kroos was English he’d be viewed as a less talented but more successful Scholes.
Witnessed Andrea pirlo for Italy against Ireland and to say he was the best on the pitch by a mile would be doing him an injustice.. Sooooo good
Pirlo should be number one on this list.
Lampard. Scholes & Gerrad over Kroos is just mad to me
how is that mad, Gerrard was far better than Kroos
@@matthewbanton7077 hahah you must be a brit
@@damjanp7920 ??? it is objectively absurd to say that Kroos was anywhere near Gerrard as a player
@@matthewbanton7077 clown opinion
@@damjanp7920no it’s not. The disrespect Gerrard gets is astounding he is easily the best of that generation. He was quite literally the most wanted midfielder
Every year since retirement Scholes gets better. An underrated player that has become incredibly overrated over time. The fact that hes 7th over Kroos/Xabi Alonso/Schwein/Ballack/Toure/and Im sure many more is laughable.
During his time, it was Gerrard/Lampard in the PL. Man U fans decided to shoehorn Scholes into that conversation and its been the biggest piece of revisionist history in the PL.
Modric at number 4 is criminal, the only one with a ballon dor there. He should be number 2 at worst and number 1 in my list due to his ballon dor, his 5 UCL and his longevity.
Average VARdrid fan:
@@EliasRoy yaawn
@@EliasRoycorrect
Ballon dor:stolen
UCLs:played at Madrid
Skill and statistic>longevity
@@bigballsbolshevik5703
For Xavi & Iniesta:
Ballon d'Or: 0
UCLs: players at Barca
what's your point lmao
Just to put a little more context into Xavi and Iniesta story --- When Pep was end of his career and was replaced by Xavi in barcelona he said - you are going to replace me but there is another who is going to replace all of us . The person he was mentioning was Iniesta.
However, there was one thing that pep naturally could not see at that point. That the style of Xavi was going to be far far different than Iniesta and both will do different things in the same area. Iniesta was an attack minded CM. His flair , dribbles , skill and control while contributed to control of mid field , It always followed the idea of attack, and attack. That's why in naked eyes it seemed like Iniesta was "better" in one to one.
But Xavi was a different beast, he didn't care about dribbling or winning one to one. He was playing chess as a CM . Control was his game. It means he was mapping his team and the opponents. And he was moving the chess pieces around to create the ultimate loophole, WHILE , fixing the loopholes that Messi or Iniesta or villa or Eto'o was creating in their dash towards opponent D-box. While he got the ball he rarely lost it. And when he didn't have it he was creating a lasso to fish it out in Mid field. It's insane ingenuity the way he set up his traps or break opens the defense . I would not have accepted anyone else rather than him in that NO 1 spot. But we will also have to keep in mind he was not alone in this. He was one side of that triangle. That triangle that won everything.
1. Busquets
2. Busquets
3. Busquets
4. Xavi
5. Kroos
6. Makelele
7. Redondo
Interesting, Torsten Frings as a mention? Wasn't expecting that
I’d personally have Luka over Pirlo and def put Kroos in the 7. (I am not a Madrid fan by any means, just trying to be objective)
Not really. Pirlo was by far the better player, the only reason he is not rated highly is because he played major part of his career before 2010 so new fans don't rate him higher. Remember the time when he schooled Modric when they faced in the match between Italy and Croatia.
Modric career started in 2014 . Madrid fans wanted him out in 2013
@@Username-mn7pc he was the best young player at euro 2008 and one of the best CAMs in the PL with Tottenham
@@ashton5249 Modric has more individual awards and has been more talismanic for both club and country
@@post-surreal I am sure you started watching football after 2015 because no one takes Ballon D'or seriously when determining the quality of a player. In that sense, we can even say that Modric is better than Xavi and Iniesta just because he has a balon d'or. Pirlo had a very good world cup in 2006 and just because Italian football declined exponentially after 2010 doesn't mean Pirlo's impact for the country can be questioned.
🇧🇬 🇧🇬 🇧🇬
It's day 12 and probably I'm getting a little annoying. Sorry for that. For those who don't know I'm trying to convince Alfie to do a video on the pitiful situation of the Bulgarian national football team. You'll find my original comment down below.
I'm writing this preamble because something very dishonest happened today. The Bulgarian Football Union, citing commands from UEFA regarding safety, moved the upcoming match between Bulgaria and Hungary from the "Vasil Levski" stadium in Sofia to "Hristo Botev" in Plovdiv. And now the match will be played behind closed doors. Why? Because the fans were planning to attend the match in Sofia and demand the resignation of Borislav Mihaylov, the current chairman of the BFU, under whose management in the last 18 years, football in Bulgaria is going through catastrophic events.
I'm sure we'll find another way to express our demands. But then again, the cowardly act of moving tha match and stopping fans from attending it, shows once again that Mihaylov and his henchmen don't care about the fans and the good of the sport. They only care about their high-paid, poorly done jobs.
Original comment for more context:
- Currently, the Bulgarian national football 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!
I hear you, man! Hope Alfie does, too.
I think Wesley sneijder should also get an honourable mention. If Iniesta didn't score the mentioned goal and Robben would have done his part, he likely would have been treble and world cup winner in one year.
Alfie I would like you to do a video of Where Are They Now? of the FC Barcelona Squad that started the 2021-22 season. Currently there are very few players from that season that still remain at FC Barcelona
My Favourite Player of All Time: Cesc Fàbregas
● Fabregas was 17 years old during virtually the entirety of his breakthrough season of 04/05 and made 33 league appearances (24 starts) in a side just off the back of winning the previous seasons league without losing a game, finished 2nd in that current campaign and won the FA Cup. Just let that sink in. Absolutely frightening 😲.
● Youngest Arsenal goalscorer:
(16 years 212 days v Wolves Dec 2003)
Youngest Arsenal goalscorer in League:
(17 years 113 days v Blackburn Aug 2004)
Youngest Arsenal goalscorer in Europe:
(17 years 217 days v Rosenborg Dec 2004)
● Only he and Evan Ferguson have 10+ goals/assists to their names as 18 year olds in the Premier League era who weren't from England. Had to get that one in as an Irishman 😄.
● Statistics show that in the five years prior to Fàbregas's departure from Arsenal, Fàbregas created 466 goal-scoring chances, made 86 assists and scored 48 goals, all three statistics topping those of new teammates Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, despite both having made more appearances in the same period.
● 09/10 League Season: Apps: 27
Goals: 15
Assists: 15
Who knows what numbers he would have finished with that season if he'd avoided a few niggling injuries during the first half of that campaign and not fractured his leg to Barca in March and been ruled out for the remainder of the season. I've no doubt that he would have comfortably broken the record of 20 assists in a PL season and, in all likelihood, would have 20+ League goals to his name alongside it. All from CM at 22 years of age in his second season as club captain as well, it's worth noting.
● All-time leader in history of assists for Spanish national team.
● Most assists as a CM in the 21st century ahead of the likes of Lampard, Gerrard, Iniesta & Xavi.
● Only player in PL era to record 10+ assists in 6 separate seasons.
● 2nd All Time Leader in assists in PL history to Ryan Giggs, who spent 9 and a half more seasons than him in the PL .
● Made captain of Arsenal at the tender age of 21 as well. He was absolute magic
modric 4th is criminal
it does get a bit ropey when you position KDB as an attacking midfielder but Lampard as a CM.
both defaulted to an 8 role, but were regularly the most attacking portion of their respective trios. more-so than say Scholes, who played in a central pair,
both also played fairly frequently as a 10.
I mean you'd have to include Gerrard in that group too. His best seasons were where he was only just behind Torres.
Amma come back here after de bruyne retires to see him above pirlo and modric (maybe not pirlo but definitely above modric)
I'm kind of surprised that xavi Alonso was not mentioned
Xabi Alonso?
Love these videos. As a non-Englishman, it seems hard to believe 3 of the top 7 central midfielders were English and played in weaker England teams that we know today and achieved little in major tournaments from 2000-2012. Paul Scholes scored once in 33 England caps post 2001 and left international football in 2004 while Zidane was a primary force globally to 2006 winning the Euros, two confederations cups and going to the World Cup final in 2006 while scoring 19 goals in 59 games
It is a biased list.
De Bruyne should be an honorable mention.
De bruyne should be ahead of scholes, gerrard, lampard and modric
I'm sure he will put De Bruyne in the attacking midfielders video.
KDB is more on the AMF side.
I myself as a central midfielder,totally agree with his inclusion of this title and have adored them ever since my childhood years,good friends!!!LONG LIVES RESPECTIVELY TO ALL OF THEM,GOOD FRIENDS!!!🙏
Kroos.
I’d have Kroos in over Scholes and that’d be my exact list. I’m 100% sure there’s gonna be at least one salty madrid fan in the comments who says Modric is number 1
Who needs Zidane when you've got Tim Sherwood?
The fact that toni kroos is not on this list😢
7 longest intros in hitc sevens history
I've been waiting for these for so long....😁😁
I don't enjoy Iniesta, not because I don't like football I can admit he is brilliant but because I am Dutch and every time I see him play I feel sour about the World Cup 2010 final again.
@@Hassykay3 No, I love Robben. Hate Casillas' big toe for being slightly too wide and Iniesta for scoring the winning goal. Simple as :)
@@MattijnPlayzdont dutch hate Messi and Argentina? They beat you in 2014 and 2022 world cup
@@Username-mn7pc Not really, we have a rivalry with Argentina because of the 1978 world cup final (sadly that is the only game we lost in regular time to Argentina), but took revenge in 1998. 2006 and 2014 were scoreless draws. Losing on penalties always sucks so it stings a bit but our teams in 2014 and 2022 weren't great so it happens. Because of the dutch connection in Barcelona pretty much everybody here respects or loves Messi. How can you not? The only international teams we hate are Germany and Portugal.
why portugal tho??they have no history in wc@@MattijnPlayz
@@Username-mn7pc Because we always lose to Portugal. We have played them 14 times and only won 1 Euro qualification match and that was in 1992. In 8 competitive games we won 1 game, drew 1 and lost 6. They have our number.The battle of Neurenberg in the 2006 world cup is also famous.
I always wonder though : put Xavi into a team that isn't made up of the world's finest players in their respective positions, and would he have had the same impact? Or, conversely, would another midfielder (like Gabi today) have been able to play similarly in the Barca team of a decade ago?
He is just a Spanish Joe Allen mate
What? Xavi would easily still dominate,xavi was one of the main player for spain winning the WC and Euros fool,put xavi in Real Madrid,Bayern,Arsenal, Man U and other clubs he easily would still perform
Nice video as usual
Xavi did not bench Guardiola, they often played together - Xavi played a lot during Guardiola's last few years, specially as Guardiola was injured all the time.....but Guardiola leaving still was a shock.....everyone loved Xavi but we still didn't know he would go on to become the player he became.....people just don't seem to appreciate how good Guardiola was, he reinvented the position
Nah Kroos is easily over Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard
He performed in every big stage of football and has more accomplishments
Lampard is an attacking midfielder so kroos or yaya should've featured
Clearly you didn't watch him play......
@@Hassykay3 I never said he didn't get forward, he clearly did, he also got back though and was defending in and around his box.....
Good try though 👏
@@Hassykay3 I should add which makes me question if you did actually watch...... Costa was at chelsea after lampard left they never played together...... 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@Hassykay3 chelsea rarely played with a no. 10/cam when they did it was in a 4231 and lampard was part of the 2, players like Oscar, mata etc where used ahead of lampard in that role! He may have played cam on occasion but for the majority if his career He was a cm, including at West ham and city both prior and after chelsea.....
Not to mention the clown that did the video even stats in the beginning players selected in the video primarily played in centre mid
Good try again
@@Hassykay3 you didn't watch and you are neither a fan if chelsea or lampard so makes sense you know more than someone who watched him week in week out......
The most popular formation in his time at chelsea was a 433 with no cam, yes he had a licence to get forward but being able to get forward doesn't mean he is playing a role further up the pitch such as cam etc, he still had to do his cm responsibilities....
It's like John stones at city, he goes into midfield and beyond when city have possession doesn't mean he is a mid, he is still a centrehalf but has a licence to get forward
As someone who was a fan of both MMA and football, I’m glad someone finally pointed out how there’s a big chance any football players that are 35+ years old and playing 70-80 matches per season with perfect fitness and almost no injury issues are likely to be on the juice.
Of course, it’s not possible to compare fighters and footballers but footballers train and play all year round and each games lasts 90min. These are people are beyond normality…maybe.
Before I press play, I just hope Deco and Seedorf are in this list.
At least you remembered to mention Seedorf. I advise you to watch Deco playing again, specially if you are saying Cesc or Ballack were better. Zidane was not and 8 imo.
Deco will be considered for the attacking midfield video, because he played more games there than he did in central midfield.
@HITCSevens Fair enough. I'm looking forward to watching that. And last but not least, thank you for your amazing content!
id go
7 Kroos
6 Seedorf
5 Pirlo
4 Modric
3 Zidane (his peak was just too high even though he only played 6 years in the 21st century)
2 Iniesta
1 Xavi
HMs: scholes, lampard, gerrard, toure, fabregas, ballack
00:23 - Great nod to Coach Bobby Knight. Little early 2000s internet easter egg
For me it's Pirlo who made the biggest impression, but nonetheless, Xavi is the top atm.
I seriously believe Pirlo's vision and long-range passing technique will never be matched.
@@EdwinKaranja-zp4oc I feel is the most overrated out of 7 I would put Kroos ahead of him
@@midfielderlounge2592 Not at all. Man was player of the match in like four games in 2006 World Cup. He was also player of the season in Italy for like four consequtive seasons when he played for Juventus. Personally, I think he is the best midfielder I have ever witnessed, though I am willing to give it to Xavi too.
@@EdwinKaranja-zp4oc nah man Pirlo was overrated Even his euro 2012 was so overrated because of that performance against England
He got exposed badly on final like that was the horrendous performance
He wasn't good at semi final too Ozil was the best midfielder that year
Pirlo has never been the midfielder in any season
@EdwinKaranja-zp4oc it's arguable who had the better passing range between him and Kroos
Steven Gerrard is simply the most overrated player of all time. At some point you have to put your trophies on the table and his simply don't stack up. If you take away just two games from his career (FA cup 06 & CL 05 finals) then he wouldn't be brought up in any of these conversations
Seedorf and Kroos deserved a mention
Top 7 Greatest Central Midfielders Since 2000 :
1__ Iniesta [ WC, EC, CL winner | WC's winner goal scorer | 1 of the Best Dribbling/Passing player ever ]
2__ Xavi [ WC, EC, CL winner | Great team Leader | 1 of the Best Passing player ever ]
3__ Modric [ CL, BO winner | WC Finalist | 1 of the Best Dribbling/Passing player ever ]
4__ Vieira [ WC, EC winner | Invincibles 2004 | Great team Leader ]
5__ Kanté [ WC, CL winner | Best Tackling player ever ]
6__ Kroos [ WC, CL winner | 1 of the Best Passing player ever ]
7__ Gerrard [ CL winner | Liverpool Greatest player ever | Great team Leader | 1 of the Best Long Shots goal Scorer ever ]
8_ Lampard
9_ Scholes
10_ Fabregas
11_ Rakitic
12_ Schweinsteiger
Xavi is the greatest midfielder of all time. He is above Platini, Mathaus, and my favorite player as an arab kid, Zidane.
Idk about Platini, it's difficult to split players who are this good.
No platini was better
I like this list, just would have switched modric and pirlo
I briefly worked with a coach in Singapore 11 years ago. He couldn't stand pirlo and thought he was robbing a living 😅
I waited with baited breath to see who was a better midfielder than Andres Iniesta………..I’m still waiting.
Best possible carribean XI, like West Indies football team. Just thinking about how Cole Palmer is from st kitts and Nevis for some reason.
Big fan of the bob knight photo given his recent passing. 0:24. I would love to know how many viewers love big ten college b-ball and football alike.
Lampard was easily the most technically gifted out of Gerrard and Scholes. Factually wrong to say otherwise, clear biased
Seadorf and Kroos should be on the list
I saw someone looking like Iniesta at the Dubai marina mall today and thought 'nah, why would he be here, he lives in Japan'. Only after this video i realize it's probably him since he now lives here!
Xabi Alonso deserved a mention 😔
Is de bruyne classed as an attacking midfielder ? Or do you think he has just not played enough games yet?
YOU ARE THE BEST! HELLO FROM LAS VEGAS ❤
it has already been 5 years since messi left Barca? That is terrifying. The slow march of time does not stop. I remember the pic of him sitting on the pitch with his shoes and socks off after his last game. What a player. How blessed are we to have watched these players play the beautiful game.
Bro only two years