In brief
Steven Gerrard is the best midfielder in Premier League history, according to Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.
Shearer chose Paul Scholes, while Richards put Frank Lampard in second.
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City did not rank in either pundit’s top five.
On the BBC’s Match of the Day Top 10, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards listed the top ten Premier League midfielders of all time. The pair reached a united decision on their number one pick despite their disagreements over several other prospects.
In the Top 10 series, which has been going on for a few years, Richards, Shearer, and Gary Lineker debate some of the best players or events in Premier League history.
This time, the well-known commentators undoubtedly made some contentious decisions after agreeing on the ten players to rank. Kevin De Bruyne, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas, Paul Scholes, Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane, N’Golo Kante, David Silva, and Yaya Toure were among the players available for selection.
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Given that some of the greatest players, like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, and Robert Pires, were left off the list, this top 10 is already contentious enough. The two have chosen to use fully central players instead. The two have ranked them from 10 to 1 as shown here.
Midfielders in Micah Richards’ Top 10
There is no Frank Lampard among the top five.
Richards’ ranking of his old England and Manchester City teammate Frank Lampard in seventh place is the biggest surprise of the entire list. The retired defender believes there are six better midfielders than the highest-scoring player in Premier League history, who is considered by many to be among the finest.
The 36-year-old named Patrick Vieira in third place. Vieira and Richards once shared a locker room at the Etihad Stadium. Only his long-time opponent Roy Keane and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard are superior to the man who famously led Arsenal to an undefeated league season in 2003–04. As commentators, Richards and Keane have formed a strong alliance, and according to his colleague, the Irishman is the second-best midfielder in Premier League history.
The former Manchester City defender gave the following explanation for why he chose the Manchester United star for his top 10 list, ahead of greats like Scholes, Vieira, and Lampard:
“I just follow my instincts, and Keane was excellent, wasn’t he?
But Roy, didn’t he score a lot of goals? He was more than just a midfield defensive player. He didn’t go into that role till he had injuries. He played box-to-box prior to it. You feel safe, don’t you, when you have someone like Roy on the pitch? He will complete the task.
The other two players in Richards’ top five are David Silva and Paul Scholes. With the fantastic Spaniard frequently drifting into wide areas and occasionally even playing as a left-winger, the latter performed a significantly different role than the other individuals in consideration. His technical prowess is comparable to that of Scholes and the other top names on this list.
Due to the fact that these decisions were taken at the beginning of 2023, Kevin De Bruyne is ranked relatively low on the list of Manchester City ambassadors. Since then, the Belgian has led his team to four straight Premier League titles and a record treble, so perhaps this is different now. Richards believes that despite their significant contributions to Leicester City, Chelsea, and Manchester City’s championship victories, N’Golo Kante, Cesc Fabregas, and Yaya Toure do not make the top five.
The Top 10 Premier League Midfielders by Micah Richards
Rank
The player
Premier League Teams
One
Gerrard, Steven
Liverpool
2.
Keane, Roy
Manchester United and Nottingham Forest
3.
Vieira, Patrick
Manchester City and Arsenal
4.
Scholes, Paul
United Manchester
5.
Silva, David
City of Manchester
6.
Toure Yaya
City of Manchester
7.
Lampard, Frank
Manchester City, Chelsea, and West Ham
8.
De Bruyne, Kevin
Manchester City and Chelsea
9.
Fabregas Cesc
Chelsea and Arsenal
10.
Kante N’Golo
Chelsea and Leicester City
The Top 10 Midfielders by Alan Shearer
The top three are made up of three English people.
Gerrard was ranked first by both, and Scholes and Keane were also featured in the top five, which the two agreed with. Shearer and Richards are both in the top five and finish ahead of their former comrade De Bruyne, indicating that they are both huge fans of David Silva.
Keane finished higher than Vieira on both lists, and Shearer ranked the Gunners’ unstoppable star as low as sixth. The punditry team has also tried to resolve several long-running arguments. Due in large part to the Frenchman’s revolutionary influence on Leicester City during his 12-month tenure at the King Power Stadium, Kante finishes ahead of Toure and Fabregas for the Newcastle hero.
Third spot goes to Lampard, who played for England with Shearer. For the Chelsea icon, who scored 177 Premier League goals throughout his amazing career, this slot machine looks more familiar. According to a man who frequently shared a pitch with all three of the English greats, Gerrard, Scholes, and Lampard should be in that order.
Speaking about the former Liverpool player, Shearer was gushing about the top-ranked former midfielder who has never won a Premier League championship with the Reds:
“I kind of respect him for what he accomplished at Liverpool. I respect him for having the option to leave but choosing to stay at his club, leaving his mark there, and doing so in that manner.”
The Top 10 Premier League Midfielders by Alan Shearer
Rank
The player
Premier League Teams
One
Gerrard, Steven
Liverpool
2.
Scholes, Paul
United Manchester
3.
Lampard, Frank
Manchester City, Chelsea, and West Ham
4.
Silva, David
City of Manchester
5.
Keane, Roy
Manchester United and Nottingham Forest
6.
De Bruyne, Kevin
Manchester City and Chelsea
7.
Vieira, Patrick
Manchester City and Arsenal
8.
Kante N’Golo
Chelsea and Leicester City
9.
Toure Yaya
City of Manchester
10.
Fabregas Cesc
Chelsea and Arsenal
The Premier League’s greatest midfielder is Steven Gerrard.
Together, the two created a combined top 10.
Gerrard is unrivalled in the midfielder argument, according to Shearer and Richards, and it’s definitely a fair shout. He helped create the groundwork for Jurgen Klopp’s success in later seasons, and during his storied career, he was often the driving force behind an inconsistent Liverpool team.
The question of whether of Gerrard, Lampard, and Scholes was superior is a topic of continuous discussion in football, particularly among England supporters, as Scholes spent a significant portion of his national career filling in at left midfield. The argument is apparent to Shearer and Richards; Gerrard easily wins first, followed by Scholes and Lampard in third.
The Premier League’s Top 10 Midfielders in Total
Rank
The player
Premier League Teams
Premier League appearances
Objectives
Helps
One
Gerrard, Steven
Liverpool
504
120
92
2.
Scholes, Paul
United Manchester
499
107
55
3.
Keane, Roy
Manchester United and Nottingham Forest
366
39
33
4.
Silva, David
City of Manchester
309
60
93
5.
Vieira, Patrick
Manchester City and Arsenal
307
31
34
6.
Lampard, Frank
Manchester City, Chelsea, and West Ham
609.
177
102
7.
De Bruyne, Kevin
Manchester City and Chelsea
280
70
118
8.
Toure Yaya
City of Manchester
230
62
32
9.
Kante N’Golo
Chelsea and Leicester City
227
Twelve
17
10.
Fabregas Cesc
Chelsea and Arsenal
350
50
111
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