Best of the middle men

Grafters, visionaries, hotshots, marathon men - midfielders come in many forms. Here we take a look at the good and the great in each guise...

The Playmaker
The midfield his kingdom, the ball an object of his bidding. There’s always one man whom others look for to change the game with a defence-splitting pass that looked so simple when you caught it again on TV, but no-one else saw at the time...

Best in show When the modern good-and-the-great are discussed there’s always a sparkle in the eye when one name crops up: from his teenage years at the Cliff, it was clear Paul Scholes was destined for big things. Possessed of a breathtaking vision starkly at odds with his unassuming demeanour, Scholes owns a range of passing, short and long, that defies belief. With a master key in his boots, he’s unlocked the doors of the shrewdest defences for 15 years - his lights remain undimmed. Scholes’ chipped pass with the outside of his boot over the Stoke City defence for Ryan Giggs this season was a moment to make the heart sing – though, sadly, no goal came of it. Then there’s his goals (plenty with his head, too), 144 and counting – Barça en route to Moscow in 2008, Bradford in 2000/01…