The 10 midfield duos with the highest win percentage in the 21st century | OneFootball

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Every great team has a solid midfield running the show for them in the middle of the park. Barcelona's legendary success throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s likely wouldn't have been quite as profound if it wasn't for Xavi and Andres Iniesta holding the fort in the middle.

Surprisingly, though, the Spanish legends aren't even among the top 10 midfield duos in terms of winning percentage since the turn of the century. Popfoothave shared the top 10 midfield partners with the best win record in games, with the Barcelona icons only managing to win 67.1% of their 486 games together. Now, sure, that's largely down to the insane amount of games they played together, but it's not as though the 10 who made the list only teamed up once or twice.

With some incredible names making up the top 10, including a couple of stars on more than one occasion, here are the top 10 midfield pairings with the highest win percentage in the 21st century.

10 Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta - 71.1%

Making up two thirds of one of the greatest midfield trios of all-time, it's no surprise to see Sergio Busquets and Iniesta pop up together on this list.

The pair spent over a decade teaming together at Barcelona, winning more than a handful of trophies in the process. Having played alongside one another 440 times, they won 313 games, for a win percentage of 71.1%. No one in this list played together or won more games together as a duo.

In fact, Busquets and Iniesta won more games together than anyone else on this list even played alongside one another, aside from the former and Xavi, whose 314 games played is one more than this pair's winning record. Not a bad way to start things off at all here.

9 Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho - 71.3%

Despite playing alongside each other for just 157 matches, it feels as though Gundogan and Fernandinho were a dominant pair, winning just about everything there is to win in England, including numerous Premier League trophies.

The pair both thrived under Pep Guardiola, and spent six years as teammates at Manchester City. Comparing their total matches played together to other entries on this list shows that they aren't exactly the most experienced duo in this top 10, but they still managed to record an impressive win percentage, with their 112 wins leading to a success rate of 71.3%.

We're not sure how much this should really count, though, with the Brazilian spending a large portion of the tailend of his City career playing in the centre of defence as opposed to the midfield, but it's still an impressive stat and worth the shoutout anyway.

8 Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta - 71.7%

Following Cesc Fabregas' highly anticipated move to Barcelona, he wasted no time establishing himself as a key midfielder at the club, leading to a pretty successful pairing alongside Iniesta. Whether it was for club or country, the pair worked magic together, so it's no surprise to see how much success they had when they played together.

Despite lining up alongside each other just 187 times, they picked up 134 wins in total, winning numerous league titles, a couple of European Championships and even a World Cup. Their win percentage of 71.7% is impressive, but when you pair that with the silverware it earned as a result, it's even better.

7 Blaise Matuidi and Marco Verratti - 71.8%

When you consider that Matuidi and Verratti were midfield stalwarts in what was the first real dominant Paris Saint-Germain team following their big-money takeover, it's no surprise that the pair had unbelievable success alongside one another.

While the Italian has gone on to make the second most appearances of anyone to ever play for PSG, his pairing with Matuidi saw him create one of the most successful midfield duos of all-time. The stars played alongside each other on 174 occasions, winning 125 of the matches.

It's a pretty wild record, and a testament to just how good they were and just how dominant that PSG side was during their time together. All in all, the pair spent six seasons playing together and their 71.8% winning percentage is pretty damn impressive.

6 Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger - 72.1%

Whether it was their performances alongside one another that saw Germany become the most dominant nation in football, or their incredible success at Bayern Munich, Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger were a match made in heaven, and it seemed as though the pair did nothing but win when they played together.

With numerous league titles, a World Cup and even a Champions League, the duo were as good as it got during their time together. With 179 matches alongside each other, they won 129, picking up a winning percentage of 72.1%, very impressive indeed.

It's a crime we didn't get to see more of the pair together, with Kroos leaving Bayern for Real Madrid at just 24 years old, before he even really hit his prime. To be fair to the now 33-year-old, though, the move to Spain has been pretty successful in all honesty. Still, there's no telling the success they could have continued to have together. His staying may have even seen Schweinsteiger remain at the club and opt not to join Manchester United in 2015. Who knows.

5 Sergio Busquets and Xavi - 73.6%

While Xavi and Iniesta don't land on this list, Busquets manages to do so with both of the Barcelona icons and it seems his partnership with the former was slightly more successful than his outings with the latter.

With 314 appearances together, the duo were both firmly entrenched in Barcelona's midfield and are the second most experienced pairing in this list, behind Busquets' partnership with Iniesta.

Over those 314 appearances, they won 231 games together, which earned them a 73.6% winning percentage. Considering how many more games they played together compared to the pairs above them, this might be the most impressive ranking.

4 Bernardo Silva and Rodri - 74%

Over the course of 173 games, Silva and Rodri have endured incredible success together. The pair have been firmly entrenched in Man City's midfield as Guardiola's side has won everything there is to win in football.

From multiple Premier Leagues to a Champions League trophy last season, the silverware they've picked up together is absurd, and it's reflected in their winning percentage when they play together. With 128 wins, the duo's winning percentage of 74% is mighty.

The only pair in this entire list who are still playing together, there's a chance this winning percentage might fall going forward, but there's just as good a chance it could get even better as they both continue to thrive within Guardiola's system. There's a very real possibility Silva and Rodri could be number one on this list when all is said and done, with plenty more silverware under their belts to go with it.

3 Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic - 74%

While Busquets has had great success alongside Xavi and Iniesta, it's his pairing with Rakitic that's proven to be the most successful in Barcelona history.

The pair picked up the exact same winning percentage as Silva and Rodri, with 74%, but considering they played 77 more games together, it's a much bigger achievement. Busquets and Rakitic played 250 games alongside each other in the Barcelona midfield, emerging on the victorious side of things 185 times.

Couple that with the incredible amount of silverware they won together, including four La Liga titles and a Champions League triumph, and you have one of the greatest midfield tandems of all time. Astounding.

2 Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri - 74.7%

While their 150 games together is the least of any pairing on this list, there's no taking away how impressive Gundogan and Rodri were together during their time as teammates.

Following the Spaniard's arrival at the Etihad, they quickly created a formidable partnership in the centre of the park for City, winning 112 games together during that time. The highlights undoubtedly being their historic treble last season, the winning percentage of 74.7% is better than pretty much everyone. Apart from another City pairing, anyway.

With Rodri showing no signs of slowing down whatsoever, the pair could have gotten even better if it wasn't for Gundogan's departure in the summer, with the German leaving Manchester for Barcelona in what he described to be a dream move.

1 Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva - 77.9%

It's a testament to not only how good City have been over the years, but how great both Gungodan and Silva have been for the side that they've featured throughout this list with other teammates, but top it together.

With 226 games together, only three duos in this list have played together more times, but no one has the winning percentage these guys do. With 176 wins together, their winning percentage of 77.9% is staggeringly high.

They just worked together wonderfully, and it's no surprise that Guardiola's side has seen the success it has, when it had talent and chemistry in the midfield like it did with these two men.