Although the modern game has seemingly phased out the No. 10, there are still plenty of footballers finding ways to make an impact in the attacking midfield, either playing there in a scheme with two flexible attacking mids or moving up into that area of the pitch from a 4-3-3.
And even still, there are a few 10’s getting to play in that traditional CAM role regularly, such as Bruno Fernandes, or in certain systems based on opponent, such as Paulo Dybala.
So in honor of this wonderful position and the creators who inspire us to try out some killer through passes on our local community pitch, let’s rank the best attacking midfielders in world football right now.
We’ll leave out players who primarily play as an 8 or on the wing and stick to only players who have frequently earned minutes in the attacking midfield over the past couple of seasons.
10. Rayan Cherki
Rayan Cherki is a young prospect you HAVE to know. He has been on the radar of elite clubs like Real Madrid for years, but Lyon have resisted any offers of a sign-and-loan deal or similar ideas. They have played their cards with the young attacking midfielder perfectly, knowing that Cherki is one of the best young players to come out of France since Kylian Mbappé.
Lyon have gradually integrated Cherki into the first team, giving him his biggest run of games in the 2022/23 season.
And Cherki was one of the most efficient creators in Ligue 1, proving impossible to stop at times with the quality of his close control, crosses, and killer passes in the box.
Per 90 minutes, Cherki averaged 3.8 dribbles completed and 3.2 key passes.
By this time next year, he could be in the top three of this list if he can keep up that production over the course of a 38-game Ligue 1 season. The 19-year-old is ready for superstardom.
9. Lorenzo Pellegrini
Lorenzo Pellegrini might be one of the most underappreciated players in European football. He was the main star of Roma before Paulo Dybala came along, and while he was overshadowed by the incoming Serie A MVP candidate, Pellegrini remained one of the most important players in Serie A to his team, doing a lot of the dirty work necessary to help La Joya excel.
The 27-year-old averaged 2.2 key passes, 1.8 fouls drawn, and 1.0 dribbles completed per game with 9 total goal contributions for the Giallorossi as an all-around monster in midfield.
Pellegrini also provides quality defensive work, winning possession and then immediately springing forward to start a new opportunity for Roma.
Before Dybala’s arrival, Pellegrini had three straight seasons with at least 10 goal contributions, including a marvelous 2021/22 campaign in which he had nine goals and five assists as one of the top attacking midfielders in Europe.
8. Bruno Fernandes
A polarizing player, Bruno Fernandes isn’t a true midfielder because he cannot keep possession, make the safe passes necessary to recycle the ball, or defend space at a high level. But when he is able to get the freedom of the 10 role and an ample share of the ball, Fernandes is one of the best volume creators in world football.
To back that up, Fernandes led all players in Europe’s top five leagues last season with 219 shot-creating actions. When restricting the stat to shot-creating actions from open play, nobody was within even 35 of Fernandes.
The Portuguese international has scored at least eight goals in each of the last seven seasons, whether with Sporting CP or Manchester United. In the prime of his career, Fernandes is one of the most productive players in the final third.
7. Dominik Szoboszlai
RB Leipzig have waved goodbye to Dominik Szoboszlai, as Liverpool secured the signature of one of the most talented young technicians in world football this summer for 70 million euros (his release clause). Szoboszlai first emerge on the radar in 2021, link to clubs like Real Madrid before he really broke out. He joined Leipzig, which proved to be the perfect move for him.
After a quality 2021/22 season with six goals and eight assists, Szoboszlai was even better in his second Bundesliga season.
Szoboszlai was one of the best players in the league, shifting to the right wing and averaging a full key pass per game more (1.3 to 2.3) and well over a full dribble completed per game (0.6 to 1.7) as a more dynamic and physical player.
Still only 22 years old, Szoboszlai has the potential to become one of the best players in world football. His ability to score scorcher from beyond the box has to be respected and makes for brilliant highlight reel moments, but Szoboszlai is truly a playmaker at heart.
6. Kai Havertz
Arsenal just signed Kai Havertz from Premier League rivals Chelsea, and with Gabriel Jesus and either Folarin Balogun or Eddie Nketiah occupying the striker positions, Havertz figures to slot in as an attacking midfielder in 2023/24.
That’s a more natural position for the German international, who made a name for himself in the Bundesliga as a goal-scoring playmaker for Bayer Leverkusen.
Before choosing Chelsea in 2020, Havertz was on the radar of virtually every top club in Europe, having scored 17 goals as a 19-year-old.
Though not the most prolific finisher for the Blues, Havertz was held in high regard for his goal-scoring and technical brilliance in the German top flight. With confidence, Havertz could challenge for the No. 1 spot on this list, as he has every single tool necessary to be a superstar. Mikel Arteta should provide an ideal environment for the 24-year-old.
5. Martin Ødegaard
Arsenal’s new captain, Martin Ødegaard was one of the best players in the Premier League last season and helped the Gunners win so many matches with his decisive passes and curled finishes from the edge of the box.
Ødegaard played more like a center midfielder, coming in off the right-hand side with his left foot, but because they had so much possession and such a great combination between defensive right back Ben White and world-class right winger Bukayo Saka, Ødegaard could afford to drift freely as a playmaker.
The result was that Ødegaard was one of the most productive players in the entire Premier League, actually tying (highly) inverted left winger Gabriel Martinelli for the team lead with 15 goals.
Along the way, the Norwegian international added a healthy seven assists with 2.1 key passes and 1.3 dribbles completed per game.
After walking away from Real Madrid, Ødegaard has fulfilled his destiny as one of the world’s best players in any position.
He showed these same world-class attacking traits in 2019/20 while on loan from Madrid to Real Sociedad, with only a knee injury holding him back.
Arsenal is exactly where he belongs, and in this environment, he is showing the all-around quality in midfield that Madrid didn’t seem to think he had in terms of helping the defense and consistently progressing play.
4. Paulo Dybala
Roma reached the Europa League Final and qualified for the 2023/24 Europa League tournament despite facing a myriad of injuries while dealing with a squad that didn’t have enough depth or investment. But one of their wisest investments was the chief reason for elevating the club to this level.
Paulo Dybala joined Roma for free in the summer 2022 transfer window with a clear point to prove after Juventus effectively low-balled him, believing their club legend’s injury-proneness meant his best days were behind him.
Instead, Dybala’s Roma finished above their rivals, while Dybala had his best season since, arguably, the one he scored a jaw-dropping 22 goals for Juve in 2017/18.
No single player in Italian football – not even Napoli’s superstars – raised a team’s level more than La Joya.
3. Jamal Musiala
Everyone knew Jamal Musiala would end up being a special player, but the fact that he is this good, this quickly is a testament to his sheer quality.
Truly, Musiala is even better than the most bullish prognosticators expected.
Without him, Bayern Munich would not have won the Bundesliga this season, and it was fittingly the young German international’s curled effort that sealed the title for Die Roten on the final Matchday of the 2022/23 campaign.
He was beyond brilliant throughout the season from start to finish, playing at as high of a level as anyone in the German top flight. Musiala scored 12 goals with 10 assists, showing the highest levels of intensity for a Bayern side that demands nothing less than the best athletically and mentally from its players.
At 20 years old, Musiala is already the best player on one of the most prestigious teams in world football, creating a high volume of chances for others and proving impossible to stop in tight areas.
Intelligent with his movement off the ball and decision-making on it, Musiala just keeps growing in confidence and tactical nous with each passing game.
2. Kevin De Bruyne
Neymar is the best attacking midfielder in the world on his day, but because of his consistency from year to year and week to week, ultimately the top spot has to go to Kevin De Bruyne.
He did his best to keep playing through the pain, and even though he wasn’t on the field when Manchester City won the Champions League, he was very much one of their most important players in both his first career UCL triumph and in his latest Premier League title victory.
De Bruyne was nearly as impressive as his record-breaking teammate Haaland in the 2022/23 Premier League season. The Belgian maestro cooked up some more delightful assists, putting up 16 with 7 goals to boot.
He now has five career league seasons with at least 15 assists. De Bruyne created 3.1 key passes per match, as the solidity provided by Rodri and John Stones allowed KDB to be even more attacking than ever.
The moments of sheer genius De Bruyne is capable of almost defy logic. He sees the game in a way that nobody else can – even legendary manager Pep Guardiola is often left astounded by the cues De Bruyne picks up on, the passes he spots, and the goals he scores. De Bruyne is clearly setting the standard for a playmaker in modern football.
1. Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham was more of a No. 8 for Borussia Dortmund than a No. 10, but even then, you could tell that he was destined to become a special No. 10 for Real Madrid after joining the record Spanish champions in the summer 2023 transfer window.
Real Madrid go hard after unique, generational talents, and they identified Bellingham as a must-have early on. After signing Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni in previous transfer windows while holding onto the experienced Dani Ceballos, Real didn’t necessarily need another top midfielder. However, Bellingham was too good to pass up on.
Already the leading goal-scorer in LaLiga, Bellingham has ended up being the most important piece of the puzzle in Madrid’s quest to make do without Karim Benzema.
Bellingham’s leadership, football intelligence, work ethic, and other intangibles have been massive, but his end product has truly been defining.
For all he brings to the table as a progressor, goal-scorer, defensive presence, and creator, Bellingham is quite clearly the best 10 – and best overall midfielder – in the world.
