Summary
Having a strong midfield is vital in today’s football, as the midfield is the engine room of the team, where players need a high work rate and level of stamina, while also possessing great technical attributes like passing and dribbling.
This is the same inFootball Manager 2024, where midfielders are extremely important. Players can opt for different styles of center midfielders, like attacking-orientated players who look to create and get into the box, or more defensive-minded center midfielders who can help the defense in difficult moments. These are players who are predominantly center midfielders, not defensive midfielders or attacking midfielders who can play at center midfield.
Updated Jun 22, 2025 by Henry Whiting:Midfielders come in many different variations, some with better technical abilities and passing stats, while others are more tailored to playing in defensive positions and thrive without the ball. However, for the best center midfielders in the world, managers in Football Manager 2024 will look for more balanced players who can essentially do it all for their team.
Players like Jude Bellingham, Pedri, and Eduardo Camavinga have an extra amount of attractiveness for managers as they are young players with the potential to grow in talent, price, and be the cornerstone for the future of their clubs. Choosing the best center midfielder may not be as straight forward as looking at just the players' star rating, but this list has been updated with more options to help make the decision easier.
8Bruno Guimaraes
Tenacity And Technicality
Bruno Guimaraeshas all the attributes of a workhorse center midfielder, with high Work Rate, Bravery, and Aggression. He compliments this brawler-like tenacity with great technical skills. He has 18 Passing, 18 Technique, and 18 First Touch, along with 16 Dribbling, which allows him to carry the ball up the pitch with ease from defensive areas to attacking areas.
This makes hima very balanced center midfielderwho can work well as a box-to-box midfielder, as a deep-lying playmaker, or as a standard center midfielder. Bruno is only 25, meaning he has years to develop his game, making him a very good option and a player with many green lights to his profile.
7Aurelien Tchouameni
Strength And Solidity
If managers inFootball Manager 2024are looking for a solid midfielder with a very balanced crop of stats, Real Madrid midfielderAurelien Tchouameniis a great option. The French center midfielder is slightly more defensive than he is offensive, with his best stats leaning towards things like Tackling and Anticipation, which both come in at 16.
He has 17 Stamina, along with 16 Natural Fitness and 16 Strength, which shows off his physical prowess that compliments his other stats nicely. He is also 6 foot 2 inches, which is a great height for a physical midfielder. Tchouameni’s technical stats are also very balanced, with 15 Passing, Marking, Composure, and Decisions, that all combine to make Tchouameni a solid all-around midfielder.
6Pedri
Great Technical Ability And Potential
WhilePedriis more of a player for the future, he is definitely still one of the best midfielders in the world at the moment. Pedri’s play style is often compared to that of Barcelona legend Iniesta, with his simple yet effective dribbling that is beautiful to watch. Pedri’s Dribbling stat is 17, and he has a First Touch stat of 18, which is likely to grow as he is only 20 years old.
Pedri also has 17 Passing, 18 Technique, and 18 Vision, which are all highly important attributes for a center midfielder. He isn’t just a creative center midfielder though, as he also has good stats for defensive-based attributes, such as 17 Anticipation, 16 Decisions, and 16 Stamina. An important attribute that is rarely this high for a player of such a young age is Pedri’s 16 Composure. This suggests that he is a calm player, which is very important and impressive.
5Nicolo Barella
Stamina And Defensive Work Rate
When it comes to players who will simply not stop running for their team,Nicolo Barellais one of the best. With his small frame at only 172 cm and 68 kg, Barella is a real fighter in midfield, winning the ball back constantly for his team and, with 16 Passing, being able to kick-start a counter-attack with ease
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Barella’s technical stats are not amazing, but his mental and physical stats are elite. He has 20 Aggression, combined with 19 Determination, 18 Work Rate, and 18 Stamina. These stats are reminiscentof prime Ngolo Kante, although Barella still needs to go up a few gears before he can reach Kante’s level as a legendary center midfielder. At 26 years old, Barella certainly has time on his hands, so he is a player who is great from the get-go but has the potential to become even greater.
4Eduardo Camavinga
Versatility And High Potential
Eduardo Camavingais one of the many star talents at Real Madrid, often operating as a left-back, but predominantly thriving in center midfield alongside Jude Bellingham. Camavinga has a very spider-like build, with the ability to stretch out and intercept or tackle, usually winning the ball effortlessly. This is accompanied by pace, strength, and solid passing that makes him quite a complete midfielder.
The thing about Camavinga isthat he is only 20 years old, so he is far from complete, making his completeness at such a young age frightening. His base stats are good, with 18 Stamina and Work Rate being his highest stats. However, his technical stats do need some improvement. 15 Passing, Tackling, and Technique are the best technical stats for him, so players could look to focus his development on building his technical attributes to really make Camavinga basically unstoppable.
3Frenkie De Jong
Close Dribbling And Intelligent Play
Players who can beat a man in midfield and then play a killer pass into their attacking players are extremely valuable assets to a team.Frenkie De Jongis one of those players, with smooth dribbling that makes the opponents' pressure crumble. He has great visionfor picking out a simple pass, along with longer passes that make him a perfect player for a deep-lying playmaker role.
De Jong isn’t all just dribbling and passing though, with 17 Anticipation, making him great at intercepting the ball and causing turnovers for the opposition. At 26 years old, he isn’t a youth prospect anymore, so his attraction in terms of having bundles of potential is less than it used to be. However, he is still a developing player who can push on to become one of the best midfielders in the world. Players could look to build his defensive stats to make him more of a complete midfielder.
2Federico Valverde
Rapid Pace And Balanced Stats
After being more of an understudy of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos,Fede Valverdehas cemented himself as part of Real Madrid’s young and promising midfield. With 17 for Pace, Natural Fitness, Stamina, and Acceleration, Valverde has quite remarkable attributes for a center midfielder. He has winger physicality stats that make him a unique and interesting playerthat can be very fun to utilize in different playing styles.
He isn’t just a physical phenomenon either, with 17 for Long Shots, Teamwork, and Work Rate. Work rate and Teamwork are both expected to be high stats of a center midfielder. However, his 17 Long Shots stat adds to his unusual attributes, which combine to make him a real threat from midfield. He can punish the opposition with his attacking prowess, but can also get back quickly and with his high Stamina. These attributes mean that he can work brilliantly as a box-to-box midfielder.
1Jude Bellingham
Immense Potential And Game Domination
The English superstarwho is leading Real Madrid and Englandat only 20 years old,Jude Bellinghamis very much one of those generational talents that come around every decade or so. After making his move from German team Borussia Dortmund to Spanish giants Real Madrid, Bellingham has done nothing but excel. With 20 Determination, it is clear that the only way is up for Jude Bellingham inFootball Manager 2024.
His mental, technical, and physical stats are all very good, with his mental stats being his standout area. In fact, all of his mental stats are 16 and above, apart from only 4 stats. He has 16 for Dribbling and Technique, which when combined with his 15 Tackling and Passing makes him able to perform well offensively and defensively; exactly what is needed from a center midfielder. The fact that his Leadership stat is 16 at only 20 years of age is simply ridiculous, with Bellingham having the potential to grow into one of the most complete and impressive English players of all time.
