Sport
Who are the best Premier League midfielders ever?
Kevin De Bruyne brought up a century of assists for Manchester City in Sunday’s 4-0 rout of Crystal Palace, with Pep Guardiola’s side building momentum in a tight Premier League. De Bruyne has stepped things up in recent weeks as City rack up the wins to move closer to rivals Manchester United and Liverpool in what seems to be a three-horse title race. But where does De Bruyne rank among the best midfielders of the Premier League era? We have picked out five of the greatest players with comparable CVs to the brilliant Belgian.
5 of the best Premier League midfielders ever
Cesc Fabregas (350 appearances, 50 goals, 111 assists)
Arguably the most similar elite playmaker to De Bruyne in the league’s history, Fabregas might have spent his peak years with Barcelona but when he does retire he will undoubtedly be remembered as a Premier League great. Fabregas emerged at Arsenal at the age of just 16 and, within a couple of years, had become one of the Gunners’ most important players.
Between the 2006–07 and 2010–11 seasons – a period during which he assumed the Arsenal captaincy – no player in Europe’s top five leagues created more chances than Fabregas. Only Ryan Giggs created more Premier League goals than Fabregas’ career assist tally of 111.
It was a shame for the Spaniard that the Gunners were on the decline when he was at his best, leading to him returning to Barca, but when he came back to the Premier League in 2014 he finally won the titles his career deserved.
Fabregas won two Premier League crowns in four full seasons at Stamford Bridge, as well as the 2018–19 Europa League, and is now helping Monaco to push for honours in Ligue 1.
Steven Gerrard (504 appearances, 120 goals, 92 assists)
He might not have won a Premier League title – that fateful slip against Chelsea at the end of the 2013–14 season will never be forgotten – but few would argue against Gerrard being in the same class as the likes of De Bruyne and many would put him of the pile when it comes to the best midfielders ever to grace the Premier League.
Gerrard’s most important and memorable performances for Liverpool arguably came outside of the Premier League, however.
He was inspirational as the Reds produced an all-time comeback classic to beat AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final. Gerrard’s piledriver against West Ham also took the 2006 FA Cup final to extra-time, then they won it on penalties. Critics might say Gerrard tried to do everything on his own too often – but it usually worked.
Frank Lampard (609 appearances, 177 goals, 102 assists)
Years after both players retired, the debate over whether Gerrard or Lampard was the greater Premier League midfielder continues to rage in some quarters. In terms of pure numbers, Lampard appears to have the edge, though playing over 100 more Premier League games than Gerrard certainly helps.
He can also point to the three Premier League titles he helped Chelsea to win, as well as pipping Gerrard in the 2005 Ballon d’Or – the Blues star finishing in second, behind Ronaldinho, with the Liverpudlian in third.
For England, at least, it was a shame Lampard and Gerrard were so similar, both high-energy midfielders who liked to operate box-to-box and make late runs into the penalty area. Leaders of the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ for the Three Lions, they made an uneasy midfield pairing. With Gerrard closing in on the Scottish title with Rangers, it seems likely the coming years will see these greats facing off in the Premier League again – this time as managers.
Roy Keane (366 appearances, 39 goals, 33 assists)
Paul Scholes has his cheerleaders but we have instead plumped for Keane, the leader of the Manchester United team that was dominant for so many years under Alex Ferguson.
Keane played in a deeper role to Gerrard and Lampard, so he cannot compare in terms of goals and assists. But 17 major trophies during his 12 years at Old Trafford is an exceptional return on the British transfer record fee of £3.75 million that was paid to sign him from Nottingham Forest.
Though Keane won seven Premier League titles at United, he will surely regret missing the 1999 Champions League final – that amazing comeback against Bayern Munich – due to suspension. Keane initially impressed as a manager with Sunderland but a mediocre spell with Ipswich Town means he now displays his combative nature in the Sky Sports studio, rather than in the dugout.
Patrick Vieira (307 appearances, 31 goals, 34 assists)
Like with Gerrard and Lampard, it is almost impossible to talk about Keane without mentioning his great rival, Arsenal star Vieira. Their running battles are the stuff of Premier League legend.
Both men provided the driving energy and leadership in the beating heart of their teams, with Vieira playing a key role as the Gunners famously went unbeaten in the 2003–04 season, a feat that may never be repeated.
Though the Frenchman won four FA Cups and three league titles at Arsenal, it arguably should have been more – defeat to Barca in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final was a low point. No player was shown more red cards in the Premier League than Vieira’s eight but that dodgy disciplinary record does not affect his reputation as one of the all-time best midfielders in the Premier League.
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