# Who is the best midfielder in Real Madrid history?

> From Zidane's Panenka to Modrić's Ballon d'Or — vote for the greatest midfielder in Real Madrid history.

*By YPB Team · Published May 27, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-midfielder-in-real-madrid-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Zinedine Zidane**
   French genius whose mesmerising technique and peerless vision delivered a Champions League final volley for the ages in 2002 and three La Liga titles across his five-year spell in Madrid.
2. **Luka Modrić**
   Croatian maestro who won the 2018 Ballon d'Or and four Champions League titles with Real Madrid, redefining the holding midfielder role with an intelligence and elegance rarely seen.
3. **Toni Kroos**
   Germany's metronomic passer who spent a decade at Real Madrid winning five Champions League titles and 23 trophies, completing more passes per game than almost any player in history.
4. **Claude Makélélé**
   Defensive midfield pioneer whose excellence for Real Madrid was so influential that the 'Makélélé role' became the universal term for the position, providing the engine for the Galácticos era.
5. **Michel**
   Spanish playmaker who spent 14 years at Real Madrid in the 1980s and early 1990s, winning three consecutive La Liga titles and embodying the Castilla style of play at its finest.
6. **Bernd Schuster**
   German creative force who reinvented himself at Real Madrid and was named European Player of the Year in 1988 while helping the club to back-to-back La Liga titles.
7. **Pirri**
   Versatile Madrid legend who spent 16 remarkable years at the club across the 1960s and 1970s, winning eight La Liga titles and contributing both goals and defensive work from midfield.
8. **Guti**
   One of Real Madrid's most gifted and stylish playmakers, whose dazzling technique and vision made him a cult hero at the Bernabéu across 13 seasons and five La Liga titles.
9. **Michael Laudrup**
   Danish maestro who was among the world's finest players during his time at Real Madrid, combining effortless elegance with devastating effectiveness in the heart of midfield.
10. **Isco**
   Spain's gifted technician who made 353 appearances for Real Madrid and won five Champions League titles, dazzling with short-passing combinations and an instinctive reading of tight spaces.
11. **Predrag Mijatović**
   Montenegrin midfielder who scored the solitary goal that won Real Madrid the 1998 Champions League final against Juventus, cementing his place in the club's pantheon.

Tags: football, real madrid, legends, la liga, midfielders