The midfielders separate a proper team from the mediocre ones. We look at the top five midfield nominees of the season, who were the heart and soul for their respective teams , and deserve to be the midfielder of the year
Ivan Rakitic (FC Barcelona)
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The Swiss born Croat must be in dreamland at the moment. After making a dream move to Barcelona at the start of the season, Rakitic would have bitten your hand off if you would have said he`d end up with a Champions League winners medal in his first season at Barcelona, let alone bagging the treble. Rakitic ended up winning all three trophies on offer and most importantly, played a crucial role in central midfield throughout the season.
The former Schalke man has taken the role of club legend Xavi, and formed a formidable partnership with the likes of Iniesta and Busquets which helped the devastating triumvirate of Messi, Neymar and Suarez to wreak havoc in the opposition half. Not many would exclude Rakitic from their fantasy team, and ita s a no brainer that he finds himself top of the charts for our midfielder of the season.
Marco Verratti (PSG)
A real terrier in midfield, the 22 year old Verratti enjoyed the most productive season of his club career, by winning the domestic quadruple with French club Paris Saint-Germain. Already a senior Italy international, the young Italian is set to fill the huge boots of Andrea Pirlo as Italy`s regista.
He also has a touch of Gattuso about him, with his no nonsense approach and tenacious tackles. The manner in which he bossed the trio of Ramires, Matic and Fabregas in the famous 2-2 draw at the Bridge drew gasps, and should the youngster keep his focus, we can get to see a real special player in the coming years.
Kevin De Bruyne (Vfl Wolfsburg)
Wolfsburg maybe one of the duller cities in Lower Saxony, but there was nothing dull about Vfl Wolfsburg or their talisman Kevin De Bruyne this season. Wolfsburg finished runners-up to champions Bayern Muenchen and it is safe to say that De Bruyne was the catalyst to a very memorable season. Wolfsburg ended the season with their first ever German Cup victory and played party pooper to Juergen Klopp`s farewell game. The fact that the Borussia Dortmund players were more intent on taking out De Bruyne and stopping his influence shows how much has changed for the Belgian in the past two years. From being a Chelsea reject to one of the most coveted midfielders in Europe, De Bruyne has surely relaunched his career with a bang.
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
It takes a lot of guts to pay a substantial amount of money to bring back a former player, and Jose Mourinho knew exactly what he was doing when he resigned Nemanja Matic from Benfica for 25 million euros. Chelsea needed a barrier in midfield to protect the back four, and Matic, through his presence in midfield, has done just that ever since he rejoined Chelsea in the winter transfer window last year. The powerful Serbian helped Chelsea win their first title in Mourinho`s second reign at the club and formed a formidable partnership alongside Cesc Fabregas in holding the midfield together and providing service to the likes of Hazard, Willian and Diego Costa.
Paul Pogba (Juventus)
Not a day goes by for a Manchester United fan without full of regrets. Reason? United had a monster of a midfielder in their midst, but he was sold to Juventus without being given a proper chance to establish himself at Old Trafford. One team’s loss has become another team’s gain and United fans and Sir Alex Ferguson in particular, would surely realise Paul Pogbaa s worth after his performances for The Old Lady in the last two years, and especially this season. The French midfielder, who according to Henry, is a mix of Makelele and Viera, had a brilliant season at Juve, winning the domestic double and then agonisingly falling short of a Champions League medal. There are rumors of him making a big money move to one of the richer European clubs, and Juventus would expect around 50 to 60 million pounds for their prized asset. With many suitors vying for his signature, the next season seems to be an exciting prospect for Pogba, and he would also be hoping to lead France to European glory on home soil next year.
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