Kevin De Bruyne is crowned the BEST Premier League midfielder of all-time by voters
Kevin De Bruyne is voted the BEST Premier League midfielder of all time by voters – narrowly topping the list ahead of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes… but what other current player is in the top 10?
- The City star is one of only two players currently in the top 10 in the league
- Patrick Viera rounded out a top five full of Hall of Fame honors
- On Saturday, De Bruyne became the faster PL player to reach 100 assists
Kevin De Bruyne has been named the best Premier League midfielder of all time, beating the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes to take the title.
In a poll by football data outlet Visual Game, the two-time PFA Players’ Player of the Year is one of two midfielders currently playing in the top 10 in the league.
Steven Gerrard came second in the poll and current Chelsea manager Frank Lampard swept in number three.
Paul Scholes and recently departed Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira rounded out the top five.
Three of De Bruyne’s teammates at City made the top 20, including Rodri, in 17th, Ilkay Gündogan in 18th and Bernando Silva in 20th.
City star Kevin De Bruyne topped a poll as the best Premier League midfielder of all time
Steven Gerrard came in a close second under the weighted points system used in the poll
Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes rounded out the top four after finishing behind the Belgian
City, Chelsea and Manchester United share first place as the clubs best represented by players in the top 30, with each club having eight players coming for their squad.
With the exception of De Bruyne, all of the top five midfielders – plus Roy Keane who was voted eighth – have retired and have since been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame for their achievements.
The other player still competing with De Bruyne in the league is N’Golo Kante, who clinched the final spot in the top 10 after success at Leicester and Chelsea.
De Bruyne has been back in shape lately, after a brief hiccup at the start of the year.
During City’s 4-0 defeat of Southampton on Saturday, the Belgian became the fastest player in Premier League history to score 100 assists in the league.
He beat former record-holder Cesc Fabregas from first place by some margin, achieving the feat – which only five players have managed – 56 games quicker than the Chelsea and Arsenal legend.
Fabregas also got a nod in the poll as he finished in ninth place, joining Yaya Toure, David Silva, Keane and Kante to round out the top 10.
Former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp praised De Bruyne as ‘a genius’.
Did your choice of the best midfielder in Premier League history make it into the top 10?
N’Golo Kante is the only other current Premier League player to make the top 10
De Bruyne further proved his talent in midfield by knocking Cesc Fabregas out of first place as the fastest Premier League player with 100 assists.
Both Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher named the player in their all-time Premier League XIs after a strong display against RB Leipzig in City’s 7-0 round of 16 Champions League defeat.
While the poll was inevitably divisive, with some fans citing partisanship and recency as factors in the ranking, users on Twitter admitted that De Bruyne was worthy of the top spot.
One of them responded to the poll and said, “Rightly so. De Bruyne is the best premium midfielder of all time.
Another added: “Seems good. The people have spoken’.