Jude Bellingham Leads The Ranking Of The Top 20 Midfielders In World Football Right Now
Jude Bellingham sits at the very top of the pile as the best midfielder in world football heading into the 2026/27 season.
The 23-year-old Real Madrid star wore the iconic No 5 shirt and scored seven goals at the 2026 World Cup, with only Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe bagging more in North America.
Playing alongside Vinicius Junior and Mbappe, Bellingham has not only held his own but elevated Real Madrid’s overall level, which is no mean feat in such a star-studded environment.
PSG’s Vitinha takes second place after finishing third in the 2025 Ballon d’Or standings, behind only Lamine Yamal and PSG teammate Ousmane Dembele.
The Portuguese midfielder won the Nations League with his country and lifted the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup with PSG, becoming a multiple Champions League winner in the process.
Barcelona’s Pedri claims third spot, with his manager Hansi Flick left lost for words by his performances, while teammate Dani Olmo has openly spoken about how easy Pedri makes it to play alongside him.
At just 23 years old, Pedri is already a World Cup winner following Spain’s triumph in 2026, adding to his three La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey medals earned with Barcelona.
Bruno Fernandes sits fourth on the list, with Pep Guardiola having called the Manchester United captain one of the best creative players he has ever seen, a claim backed up by his 21 Premier League assists in 2025/26.
Declan Rice comes in fifth, continuing to thrive at Arsenal following his £105m move from West Ham United in 2023, capping a strong 2025/26 campaign by lifting the Premier League title.
Rice first exploded onto the global stage with his free-kick double against Real Madrid in the Champions League, and his energy, tackling and ability to contribute goals give him what appears to be a complete midfield game.
Rodri ranks sixth after a difficult injury-hit period at Manchester City, which ended with him recapturing his very best form at the 2026 World Cup, where he was crowned the tournament’s best player as Spain lifted the trophy in New Jersey.
Federico Valverde is seventh, with the Uruguayan cementing his world-class status by scoring a Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City in March 2026, one of the most memorable individual performances in recent European competition history.
Joao Neves ranks eighth after back-to-back Champions League triumphs with PSG, making his initial £50m move from Benfica look an absolute bargain under Luis Enrique in Paris.
Dominik Szoboszlai takes ninth place, with Liverpool manager Arne Slot labelling him “unbelievable” as the Hungarian played a key role in the Reds comfortably winning the Premier League title in a more advanced position.
Bruno Guimaraes rounds out the top ten after completing a £75m move to Arsenal in the summer of 2026, having scored nine and assisted eight in all competitions for Newcastle during the 2025/26 season as club captain.
The full top 20 also includes Moises Caicedo of Chelsea, Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich, Elliot Anderson of Manchester City, Sandro Tonali of Spurs, Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea, Martin Odegaard of Arsenal, Scott McTominay of Napoli, Fabian Ruiz of PSG, Luka Modric of AC Milan, and Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal.