Modric, De Bruyne, Casemiro: Who's the best central midfielder of the last decade? | OneFootball

Luka Modric joined a very select group of players on Tuesday night after receiving a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd.

The Croatian was simply sublime as his team blew Liverpool away 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League tie.

At 37-years-old he is ageing like a fine wine and reminding everyone just why he was awarded the Ballon d'Or for his exploits in 2018.

And his performance got us here at GIVEMESPORT thinking, where does Modric rank in the echelons of the greatest central midfielders from his era?

We decided to rank, who we feel to be, the 10 best central midfielders of the last decade in the wake of his stunning Anfield performance.

2 The 10 best central midfielders of the last decade10. Cesc Fabregas

An artist in its purest form, watching Fabregas at his best was a beautiful experience for those in attendance.

The Spaniard, who had an uncanny art for unlocking even the most stubborn of defences, was a specialist when it came to creating opportunities for his teammates.

His tally of 111 Premier League assists makes him second on the all-time list, behind only the hardened campaigner, Ryan Giggs.

A once unstoppable force, Toure's peak years were undoubtedly better than most on this list.

Manchester City surely saw the best of the explosive midfielder with an eye for goal. His 2013/14 season will go down in history as one of the finest individual campaigns to date, in which the Ivorian scored 20 league goals and assisted a further nine.

Unfortunately, the big man did fade away soon after his peak and consequently manages what might be considered a harsh ninth place by some.

8. Casemiro

The Brazilian might be regarded as the best defensive midfielder in the world right now, after proving his worth at Real Madrid winning five Champions League titles.

Now at Manchester United, Casemiro has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water and is a big component of what's making Erik ten Hag's team successful.

7. Toni Kroos

Another Madrid mainstay, Kroos simply doesn't know how to lose. From starting his career with Bayern Munich, the German lifted Bundesliga titles like they were going out of fashion before winning the Champions League with the club in 2012/13.

Since moving to Spain he's barely broken stride and continues to win in the same fashion as always. A true champion.

6. Sergio Busquets

Now in his mid-thirties Busquets' powers have finally started to desert him, but unlike Modric, all that does is prove that he's actually human.

It doesn't change the years spent at the base of a Barcelona midfield which has won everything there is to win.

More recently, he remains one of the final hallmarks of a Barcalona squad which will echo throughout eternity for generations to come.

5. David Silva

Silva is one of those rare breeds of player that defies the vouched for principles such as physicality, tiresomeness and hard-graft from midfielders.

Like Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, the Man City legend shows it's what you've got upstairs that counts just as much as your ability to run and bully.

Numbers will never do justice to Silva, but his genius was there for all to see in his Premier League years.

4. Andres Iniesta

We think it would be obvious to most football fans that Iniesta would top this list had it ranged back further, but he left Barcelona in 2018 and therefore hasn't had quite the same impact upon the last decade as others in this top 10. Nevertheless, his inclusion was more than necessary based off his four or five contributing seasons.

A true proponent of the beautiful game, if Silva was special then Iniesta was the real OG. Whilst most of his career highlights would have come between 2005-2012, he famously bossed the 2014/15 Champions League final against Juventus, calling the shots that resulted in a 3-1 victory.

When he did step aside four years later to make way for the next generation, he did so having won 20 trophies across the previous 10 years. Footballing royalty.

3. N'Golo Kante

For much of the last decade, Kante has unequivocally been the best defensive minded midfielder out there.

But we would actually go as far to say that, for large swathes of that time, he was arguably the greatest of all-time in his role.

The football world had never seen the likes of Kante before he burst onto the scene with Leicester City and then continued to do the business at Chelsea.

A real game changer.

2. Kevin De Bruyne

What can be said about this midfield maestro? Certainly the Premier League's best player across the past five years, De Bruyne's brilliance and level of consistency is undeniable.

He combines the beauty of the likes of Fabregas and Silva, whilst putting up numbers that vastly exceeds the two in terms of combined goals and assists.

A generational star.

1. Luka Modric

But there are certain things De Bruyne lacks. A Ballon d'Or, sure. Champions League titles, absolutely. One man, though, has a Ballon d'Or to his name and European titles in abundance - and he goes by the name of Luka Modric.

His longevity at the top combined with his consistent levels of brilliance make Modric a worthy winner of this top 10. He'll go down in the history books alongside the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Andrea Pirlo as one of the most beautiful orchestrators of all-time.