7) Cesc Fabregas – Barcelona & Spain
It’s a shame that it doesn’t look like Premier League fans will see Cesc at close-quarters any time soon. For any other club side in the world, Fabregas would be the pinnacle of the team – but Barcelona have an embarrassment of midfield riches like no other.
6) Yaya Toure – Manchester City & Ivory Coast
The highest Premier League operator on this list – Toure has been absolutely brilliant since arriving in Manchester. Arguably the world’s strongest midfielder, Toure’s physical presence on a football field is virtually unrivalled. The Ivorian was key to City’s maiden title win in 2011/12, and is still the first name on their team sheet.
5) Javi Martinez – Bayern Munich & Spain
When Bayern shelled out an enormous £38m for the Spaniard, some felt that he was overpriced. Martinez has proved his doubters wrong however. Taking Brazilian battler Luiz Gustavo’s midfield spot, Martinez dominated Barcelona’s midfield in a 7-0 aggregate victory in the Champions League semi-finals last season, and helped his German side secure a fantastic treble.
4) Andrea Pirlo – Juventus & Italy
When Italy beat England in the Euro quarters last year, there was a begrudging acceptance that we had watched a player who was head and shoulders above anything else on the park. Pirlo is a beautifully slick midfielder to watch, with intricate passing, perfect touch, and dangerous set-pieces. The fact he can barely run and we still rate him as the world’s fourth best centre-midfielder shows how brilliant he really is.
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