10 Best Midfield Duos in Premier League History Ranked by Richards and Shearer

The middle of the park is arguably the most important area of the football pitch, serving as a bridge between the defence and attack, where players have to be as well-rounded as they come. Midfielders need to have energy to burn while also being composed enough to spot a pass, gritty enough to make big tackles, and even have an eye for goal. It’s a very specific skill set and not one that everyone can possess.

That’s where your partner can come in handy. You might be the most creative player in the world, but also hate defending. Stick someone next to you who loves getting stuck into challenges, and then your weakness is protected.

This foundation has seen some iconic duos grace some of the greatest Premier League teams, especially in the days of the tried and trusted 4-4-2, where the men in the middle were often the key to finding success. As such, it can often be debated as to which is the best duo in the top flights’s long and storied history. Another pair that decided to try and answer this question were Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on Match of the Day Top 10.

The former England internationals have previously done the same thing regarding the division’s best front threes of all time, with Manchester United triumvirate Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Carlos Tevez receiving the honor. Now, they have turned their attention to the engine room, and with the help of co-host Gary Lineker, they have whittled the best midfield partnerships down to a top 10.

Micah Richards’ Top 10

Leicester City’s Kante and Drinkwater make an appearance

Working from bottom to top, the former Manchester City man started with a surprising pairing. Despite only having one season together, Richards chose to include Leicester City‘s N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater in tenth place. It may have only been one season, but it was a special one. The two were crucial elements of the Foxes’ improbable Premier League win back in 2015/16, where they started the season at 5000/1 odds. Interestingly, both Kante and Drinkwater would link up again after both making moves to Chelsea, although the latter didn’t have as much success as the former at Stamford Bridge.

They were followed by French teammates Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit and then Liverpool’sSteven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso. Richards then opted to select fellow City cohorts Yaya Toure and Fernandinho in seventh. Despite admitting that he thought the Brazilian wasn’t good enough when he first joined, the pundit waxed lyrical about his Ivorian partner and came to the conclusion that they were an ideal pairing.

The bottom half of the former Aston Villa captain’s list was rounded off by another Patrick Vieira appearance, this time being paired alongside Brazilian Gilberto Silva. The two goliaths were Arsenal’s go-to men in midfield when they completed a remarkable invincible season in 2004.

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Next came Chelsea‘s solitary inclusion, with Frank Lampard and Michael Essien’s respective abilities to let off howitzers allowing them to take fifth spot. Paul Scholes made his first appearance in fourth, alongside Michael Carrick. However, it wouldn’t be the last time he would be featured.

Spots three and two were also taken up by players who have donned the colors of City. Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho just pipped Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan to second. However, it was a pair of their crosstown rivals that took pole position. Treble winners Scholes and Roy Keane were selected as Richards’ best midfield duo, even if Keane did leave his partner out when building his ultimate United XI. Despite being teased about his relationship with the Irish legend, Richards listed the sporting achievements of the two as to why they deserved the number one spot.

Alan Shearer’s Top 10

Chelsea’s Lampard and Essien crack the top five

Shearer is arguably better placed to make a compelling argument for this list, with the Premier League record scorer relying on midfield players to provide him with assists. However, his top 10 doesn’t sway too far from his colleagues’.

Like Richards, the former England skipper named Kante and Drinkwater in tenth place. He was quick to heap the majority of the praise on Kante, saying that he had never seen a player cover that much distance in his entire career.

They were followed by Alonso and Gerrard, as Shearer felt they deserved to be slightly lower down the pecking order than his co-host did. The same can be said for Vieira and Silva, who followed in eighth. They were identical in their ranking of Toure and Fernandinho, but the Geordie was quick to leap to the defense of Vieira and Petit, two of the greatest Frenchmen to play in the Premier league, who he had at number six.

That, however, was where the differences ended for Shearer and Richards, whose top five ended up being exactly the same. As the leading man of the trio, it was then down to Lineker to finalise the top 10.

The Final Top 10

Man Utd and Man City duos dominate the top five

In the end, Lineker chose to agree with Shearer that the Liverpool partnership should be in ninth place, as opposed to the eighth that Richards had them in. However, the 1986 World Cup golden boot winner did swap sides later, believing that the combination of Vieira and Silva trumped that of the Frenchman and his compatriot Petit.

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The top five remained self-explanatory, with all three men in agreement with one another. This meant that the duo of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes were crowned as the best midfield partnership in Premier League history.

Having been part of a Manchester United side that effortlessly swept away the competition in the 1990zs and early 2000s, the selection of these two hardly comes as a surprise. Multiple doubles and the first ever domestic and European treble in 1999 mean that the legendary pairing have cemented their legacy in Premier League history for years to come.