In the calendar year where a midfielder finally won the Ballon d’Or by breaking Messi-Ronaldo duopoly, which other midfield maestros dazzled the world with their magic?
They don’t score many goals, they are not in the headlines week in week out, but the midfielders are the heart and soul of football. And they deserve credit for their hard work in the middle of the field. All thanks to Luka Modric’s Ballon d’Or, the millennial kids can finally understand that football is much more than just goals.
But the Croatian captain wasn’t the only magician of 2018. There were a number of midfielders who worked silently throughout the year for both club and country. Here are five best midfielders of 2018:
5. Christian Eriksen:
The Danish midfielder is pure gold! He creates opportunities, he cuts the defense into the half with his passing and he even shoots from outside the box with exceptional precision. It’s no wonder that Tottenham have put a price tag of €250m on Christian Eriksen.
Despite few injuries, the 26-year old was at his usual best throughout the year. Eriksen played a huge role in Tottenham’s 3rd place finish in the 2017-18 campaign, as the midfielder bagged 10 goals and 10 assists where he started 37 games. THIRTY-SEVEN!
Eriksen was again the main-man for Denmark in the World Cup after he had singlehandedly booked a ticket for Russia back in 2017. With one goal and one assist, Eriksen took Denmark to the round of 16, where they lost to Croatia in the penalties. (Where he, unfortunately, missed the very first penalty)
But it had no effect on Eriksen’s performance as the midfielder is back in London and playing some quality football with Spurs. Eriksen already has 5 goals and 8 assists in all competitions this season, including a crucial late winner against Inter.
