Ranking the 5 central midfielders with most goals in the 21st century
In football, players in different positions have different goals on the pitch. Strikers are expected to score goals and goalkeepers are expected to keep the ball from finding its way into the goal.
Similarly, central midfielders in football are expected to be good tacklers, passers and readers of the game. They are meant to control the game, but some central midfielders excel in another facet of the game, i.e., scoring.
A number of midfielders have enjoyed good spells in front of goal in the past, including Ruud Gullit and Michel Platini. In the modern game, every player on the pitch is expected to be good at multiple skills. Hence, we have seen and continue to see many central midfielders in the 21st century who find their names on the scoresheet quite often.
On that note, here is a list of the five highest goalscoring central midfielders who played in the 21st century.
#5 Cesc Fabregas (140 goals)
Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas is fondly remembered for his ability to pick a pass like very few other players could. This general perception of Fabregas masked his goalscoring ability, as the Spaniard scored a good number of goals from his midfield position.
Fabregas made his professional bow at 16 years of age for Arsenal and went on to become the club's captain before moving to Barcelona in 2011.
The midfielder has scored 140 goals in his career so far for club and country. The midfielder has scored 125 goals in club football and 15 for Spain's national team. His most prolific spell came as an Arsenal player, when he scored 57 goals. He also managed 42 goals as a Barcelona player and 22 for Chelsea.
2014-15 Cesc Fabregas was insane man, and we still haven't found his replacement. https://t.co/1o8QPhvlF4
The 34-year-old currently plies his trade in the French Ligue 1 with AS Monaco, and he has scored four goals since joining in 2019. The midfielder is an expert at arriving in the box, and has enabledabled him to score many goals in his career.
#4 Arturo Vidal (141 goals)
Known for his trademark fiery temper and standout hairstyle, Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal is one of the most recognizable players in the world. The Inter Milan man has scored an impressive number of goals in his career to date.
Vidal has turned out for many of Europe's elite sides like Inter Milan, Juventus, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
The combative midfielder has surprisingly scored 141 goals in his career so far for club and country. His 109 goals have come in the colours of his various clubs, and he has scored 32 times for Chile. His most prolific spell in front of goal was as a Juventus player when he scored 48 times.
Arturo Vidal vs Roma
[@kingarturo23]
Solid performance โ๏ธ
83 Touches
85% Pass accuracy
4/5 Aerial duels
4/8 Ground duels
https://t.co/7VMQGXHZ23
Vidal, 34, is still a key player for Inter Milan this season, having already made 25 appearances. He has found the net twice this season for Simone Inzaghi's side.