The 10 best midfielders of the Premier League era

Jordan Henderson moved into the big league this week with the signing of a new lucrative five-year contract at Liverpool. He looks certain to take over from Steven Gerrard as Liverpool captain next season and he is now a regular in England’s central midfield. However, the new deal means big things will be expected as he must become one of the best in that position in the Premier League, like these other ten have shown over the years.

ROY KEANE:

FOR more than a decade at Old Trafford, Roy Keane was the heartbeat at Manchester United. There were plenty more glamorous and talented players at the club than the Irishman, but no one put the team first in quite the same way as he did. And with him marshalling the midfield, United’s attacking players had the ideal platform on which to shine. Keane learnt from the senior heads when he arrived about the importance of maintaining United’s high standards and he certainly made sure of that when he was captain. Keane had his dark side, but that helped to create the aura around him, which would intimidate many of his opponents.

PATRICK VIEIRA:

IF you were looking to create the perfect midfielder, don’t bother, just get Patrick Vieira. Strong? Check. Good in the air? Check. Great tackler? Box-to-box player? Eye for a goal? Yes to all of them. Vieira was signed just before Arsene Wenger became manager in 1996, but the 20-year-old was obviously recommended by the future Gunners boss. With all those attributes, it was no surprise that Vieira became an Arsenal legend as he was a fixture in two double-winning sides and as the captain of the 2003/2004 ‘Invincibles’ team.

FRANK LAMPARD:

OVER his 13 years at Chelsea, Frank Lampard transformed himself from the decent player he had been at West Ham into one of the best players in the league. For five seasons in a row between 2006 and 2010, he finished with at least 20 goals a season as he was the goalscoring midfielder par excellence not just in the Premier League, but in world football. Frank left Stamford Bridge last summer having collected every major medal and as the club’s all-time top scorer and a key component in their greatest ever period.

YAYA TOURE:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RZpuZnSie8s

EVERYONE thought Manchester City had signed a defensive midfielder when they brought in Yaya Toure from Barcelona in 2010. Instead, he revealed himself to be a powerhouse who has scored some of the most important goals in the club’s history. Toure has scored in the FA Cup semi-final and final and the League Cup final, as well as in the key matches in City’s title triumphs in 2012 and 2014. The Ivorian has been the epitome of a big-match player, while his passing ability is second to none. It’s no surprise that City have not been the same force this season when Toure’s form has suffered a big dip.

PAUL SCHOLES:

TO watch Paul Scholes in his prime was to witness a master at work. Scholes burst onto the scene at Manchester United as a midfielder with an eye for a goal and while that skill was always there, he became known for his control of the game in midfield. It’s to his credit that Spain and Barcelona great Xavi named him as the most complete midfield player in the last 20 years, and French superstar Zinedine Zidane spoke of how he rated Scholes as a bigger danger on the field than David Beckham. It is now two years since he definitively retired at Old Trafford and United have still not found a player to replace him however difficult that may be.

STEVEN GERRARD:

IF Roy Race had played in the Premier League era, he would have worn the number eight shirt for Liverpool. How many times has Steven Gerrard come to the rescue over the years at Anfield? But it’s not just the number of times, it’s how spectacular the interventions have been, such as the 2005 Champions League final and the 2006 FA Cup final. He will leave Liverpool this summer having never won the Premier League, and he will forever be haunted by his slip against Chelsea last April when the Reds were in pole position. But leave that aside for a second and remember some of those brilliant goals.

XABI ALONSO:

XABI ALONSO spent five seasons at Liverpool, but it’s perhaps only since he left that we all realised just how good he had been. In that time, he won the Champions League and the FA Cup, but it was Steven Gerrard who took all the headlines. But ask Gerrard and he will tell you that Alonso is the best passer of a ball with whom he has ever played. Look at the path of Alonso and Liverpool since they split. Alonso has won the World and European Cup with Spain, the Champions League and La Liga with Real Madrid and he could do the Bundesliga and Champions League double with Bayern Munich this season. Liverpool have managed one League Cup.

CLAUDE MAKELELE:

CLAUDE MAKELELE was not a player you would pay to watch. But try telling managers and players that he wasn’t important. Makelele was not a shirt seller and so was deemed surplus to requirements at Real Madrid by President Florentino Perez. Chelsea said ‘Thanks very much’, and he was crucial in his five years in West London. The Frenchman had mastered the holding midfield role, offering the perfect shield to his defence with his reading of the game. He was so good that suddenly every other team was trying to find their own Makelele, but few managed it.

EMMANUEL PETIT:

EMMANUEL PETIT makes this list based on his three years at Arsenal, rather than his subsequent return to the Premier League at Chelsea after a year at Barcelona. It may not have been long but his French partnership alongside Patrick Vieira was instrumental in Arsenal’s run to the double in 1998. Their battles against Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt for Manchester United made those fixtures essential viewing in that time. It was a combination of desire, hard tackling and good football and it was brilliant to watch.

GARETH BARRY:

ONLY three players have made more Premier League appearances than Gareth Barry. He made his debut as a 17-year-old left-sided central defender for Aston Villa in 1998, but it’s in midfield where he has excelled. His career picked up under Martin O’Neill at Villa, and he continued to excel in his four years at Manchester City, where he was a vital, if under-rated, cog in the engine room during the title-winning season of 2011/12. Not blessed with great pace, but he could read the game well and always provide an option for team-mates. This season, he became the first player to reach 100 yellow cards in Premier League football, but that should not be held against him a key part of a central midfielder’s job is to break up play, whether by fair means or foul.