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The best midfielders in Serie A history includes World Cup and Ballon d’Or winners
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Some were one-club icons, others played for multiple of Italy’s biggest clubs
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Who are the best Serie A midfielders of all-time?
Serie A has been through a malaise over the last decade or so, falling off the pace set by Europe’s other top leagues. Teams atop Serie A odds are no longer the best in the continent, a far cry from the glory days of the 1990s.
The majority of the best Serie A midfielders ever come from an earlier era: The great teams between the 1980s and 2000s. Several of the players in our list were even teammates, celebrating domestic and continental glory together.
Most of these players were not a threat to appear among the Serie A top scorers, but being a great midfielder is about so much more than goals. Here are the 10 best midfielders in Serie A history.
10) Daniele De Rossi
Daniele De Rossi’s game has sometimes been reduced to that of a midfield bruiser. While cautions were often an issue for the Rome native, he was far more than Italy’s answer to Lee Cattermole.
De Rossi spent the best part of two decades in the Roma first team, and for much of that time, he was among the best box-to-box midfielders in the world. Only 29 players in Serie A history have recorded more appearances.
Team success was limited to a couple of Coppa Italia triumphs, but De Rossi’s longevity and diverse skillset earns a place among our top 10.
9) Clarence Seedorf
Finishing just shy of 400 Serie A appearances, Clarence Seedorf represented Sampdoria and Inter before becoming part of Carlo Ancelotti’s Dream Team in Milan.
The Dutchman won two Scudetti and two Champions Leagues and was twice named to the UEFA Team of the Year. Seedorf could do it all, an all-action midfielder with the technique to create, and the willingness and instincts to break up play.
He could have fitted into any team in the world. It just so happened that his peak coincided with Milan building a team including Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso and Kaka.
8) Michel Platini
Only playing in Serie A between 1982 and 1987, Michel Platini’s Serie A career was short-lived compared to many of his competitors for a spot on this list. What he lacked in quantity, though, Platini made up for in quality.
He scored 103 goals in just 222 appearances for Juventus, twice won the Scudetto and lifted the European Cup in 1985. All three of his Ballon d’Or wins came during his Juve stint, too.
Platini was a masterful technician, a gifted creator and a genius at set pieces. The controversy in his post-playing career has left a cloud over his legacy, but there’s no doubting his place among the greatest Serie A midfielders.
7) Francesco Totti
Second all-time in goals scored, Francesco Totti was one of the better Serie A picks among these 10 players. Er Bimbo de Oro could easily be included in a list of forwards, but he spent the majority of his career as a number 10.
His loyalty to Roma has rightly earned plaudits around the world, yet focusing on his status as a one-club legend shouldn’t distract from what a special player he was.
Named Serie A Footballer of the Year in 2000 and 2003, Totti’s play has been admired at least as much as his record-breaking longevity.
Compliments mean more from all-time greats, and the The Eighth King of Rome has plenty, including Platini referring to him as an ‘artist’.
6) Zinedine Zidane
Similar to Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane spent only five seasons in Serie A, all of which were with Juventus. Zidane twice won Serie A in that span, was twice a Champions League runner-up and led France to success at two major tournaments.
The Frenchman won the Ballon d’Or in 1998, was in the FIFA XI in three of his Serie A seasons and earned Serie A Football of the Year in 2000-01.
Of course, when Zidane left Serie A for Real Madrid, he became the most expensive footballer of all-time with a transfer fee of €77.5 million.
5) Frank Rijkaard
Former Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard only played in Serie A between 1988 and 1993, but that was plenty of time to make a lasting impression.
Standing at 6’3, Rijkaard was an imposing figure at the base of I Rossoneri’s midfield, breaking up play and dictating the tempo while possessing the engine to get forward when necessary.
The Dutchman went back-to-back with Milan in the European Cup and Serie A, and was named Serie A Footballer of the Year in 1992.
Two third-place finishes in the Ballon d’Or to end the 1980s illustrate what a talent he was, particularly given how the award is often biased towards attacking talents.
4) Roberto Baggio
Fan bases across Italy got to enjoy the brilliance of Roberto Baggio.
The 1993 Ballon d’Or winner spent his whole career in Bel Paese, starting with Vicenza, and representing Fiorentina, Juventus, Milan, Bologna and Inter before finishing up at Brescia.
Though best remembered for his play as a 10, Baggio was the complete package. He operated at centre forward for Italy on occasion, could torment defences from wide positions and even slotted into an orthodox central midfield role when required.
Baggio will always be one of the faces of Serie A’s glory years. His medal cabinet is not as crowded as many others featured here, but his football brought as much joy as anyone.
3) Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit’s game was a fitting representation of Total Football. The Dutchman was freakishly adept across multiple positions.
Comfortable at the back or leading the line, Gullit was still generally regarded as a midfield player, leading to his placing here.
Winning three Scudetti and a pair of European Cups during his time in Serie A, Gullit won a Ballon d’Or winner and was a runner-up at Milan and lifted the Coppa Italia with Sampdoria.
The blend of football intelligence, physical attributes and near-perfect technique made Gullit an almost unique talent.
2) Diego Maradona
This one doesn’t need much explanation. Diego Armando Maradona arrived in Naples with Napoli languishing in Serie A predictions, far from competing with the powers in the north of the country.
El Pibe de Oro turned football in Naples on its head. He led the club two a pair of Serie A titles and a UEFA Cup, winning a pair of Ballons d’Or on the way.
Napoli took the unusual decision to retire the number 10 jersey in Maradona’s honour – a fitting tribute to arguably the sport’s greatest ever.
1) Andrea Pirlo
It’s only a few years since Andrea Pirlo featured in online sports betting. Dubbed il professore by Juventus fans, Pirlo was one of the greatest players of his generation, and is one of a select group to play for Juventus, Inter and Milan.
Inter moved Pirlo on, and he became an integral player for Milan, winning two Champions Leagues.
It was at Juventus, though, that he ascended to become one of the world’s best, starring as Juventus dominated Italian football.
Pirlo won four Scudetti with the Old Lady, and was named Serie A Footballer of the Year three times in a row.