Argentina national team's reputation in the world football is no longer in doubt. The country has won various championships in both South America and international level. Not only that, Argentina also produces a lot of players who are very influential in the development of world's football.
In this article, I give you a list of 15 best Argentine midfielders of all time. These midfielders have a variety of different positions, ranging from attacking midfielder, winger, central midfielder, and defensive midfielder. Among those fifteen players on this list, who is your favorite?
15. Angel Di Maria
Given his young age and performances at Real Madrid since 2010, I decided to include di Maria as one of Argentina's best midfielder of all time. The player who plays as a winger has proven to be a good partner for Cristiano Ronaldo and has made a lot of goals and assists for Real Madrid. Together with the Argentine national team, di Maria won the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2007. He was also part of the squad that won the gold medal in 2008 Olympics.
14. Daniel Bertoni
Bertoni is a retired right-winger who led Argentina win the 1978 World Cup. Throughout his career, Bertoni played in 31 games and scored 12 goals for Argentina. One of the most important goal he has ever scored is the one in the 1978 World Cup final match against Netherlands, where the goal eventually helped Argentina become a world champion. Bertoni had long career playing for Italian clubs such as Fiorentina, Napoli, and Udinese.
13. Matias Almeyda
Matias Almeyda is a former defensive midfield whose his main duty was to destroy the opponent's attack. His duet with Diego Simeone at Lazio helped this club win a Serie A title in the 1998-99 season. In the same season, he was even crowned as the best player of the Italian League. Almeyda played for Argentina in the period 1996-2005, and his best achievement with the national team is winning silver medal in the 1996 Olympic.
12. Ariel Ortega
Ingenious, cunning, and creative. Ariel Ortega was a midfielder who became the number one playmaker of the Argentina national team after the retirement of Diego Maradona. He is also known as a very temperamental player. Just like Almeyda, the best achievement of Ortega as Argentina national team player was winning a silver medal in 1996 Olympics. After winning six Primera Division Argentina titles with River Plate, Ortega decided to pursue a career in Europe. He played for some European major clubs such as Sampdoria, Parma, and Valencia.
11. Pablo Aimar
Aimar's best period occurred when he played at Valencia in the period 2001-2006. Within those five years, he managed to help Valencia win La Liga twice, breaking the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona. His brilliance continued when he played for Benfica, where he led the club to win a Portuguese League title and for Portuguese Cup trophies. If only he weren't hit by injuries, I'm sure Aimar is certainly capable of achieving more accomplishments as a footballer.
10. Fernando Redondo
Fernando Redondo is one of the few defensive midfielders who can show beauty within harsh playing style. He was a vital part of the team Real Madrid in the period 1994-2000, where he led the club win two La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies. He also led Argentina win the 1992 Confederations Cup and Copa America 1993. Unfortunately, since 1999, Redondo's performance dropped dramatically as he was hit by prolonged injuries.
9. Osvaldo Ardiles
Osvaldo Ardiles is one of the few Argentine players who had successful career in the British Premier League. During his period playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the period 1978-1988, he led the club to win an FA Cup trophy and a UEFA Cup trophy. He is known as a talented central midfielder who is prolific in scoring. Ardiles also had a very important role in helping Argentine national team win the World Cup 1978.
8. Javier Mascherano
Although his main position is a central defender, Mascherano is also skilled enough to play as a defensive midfielder. This player has become a mainstay of Barcelona since 2010 and has won two La Liga titles and one Champions League trophy. His career with the national team of Argentina is also quite brilliant, where Mascherano helped Tango team win the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. So far, Mascherano has played in 95 matches and scored two goals for Argentina.
7. Juan Sebastian Veron
Creative, visionary, and he is a type of player who can change the flow of the game. Veron is a central midfielder who had successful career in Italy, especially with Lazio and Inter Milan. Signed from Parma in 1999, Veron was able to help this team to be a champion of Serie A in his first season. With Inter Milan, he also won a Serie A title and two Coppa Italia trophies. When he finally returned to play in the Argentine league with Estudiantes, Veron also still showed his best, even twice elected as South America's best player in 2006 and 2009.
6. Javier Zanetti
Loyal, tough, and famous as a great leader. Zanetti is a player who can play as a wing-back or right-winger. He has played for Argentine national team since 1994. At club level, Zanetti's career with Inter Milan is also very bright. He won five Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia trophies and one Champions League trophy. Over the seven years playing for the Tango, Zanetti played in 145 international matches and scored five goals.
5. Esteban Cambiasso
Esteban Cambiasso is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. This player has equally good offensive and defensive ability. Not surprisingly, from 2004 to the present he has always been a mainstay of Inter Milan's midfield line. With a total of 23 trophies that he won, Cambiasso is the most successful Argentina player in the history of football, even more successful than legendary names such as Diego Maradona and Alfredo di Stefano.
4. Juan Román Riquelme
Although his career in Europe was not as great as many people expected, Riquelme is still a player who should be named as one of Argentina's best midfielder of all time. He is known as a visionary playmaker who has a very good passing ability and prolific in scoring through set-pieces. Riquelme also helped Argentina national team win the 2008 Olympics and the U-20 World Cup in 1997.
3. Diego Simeone
Simeone is one of the players with the highest number of appearances for Argentina national team. He played for Tango team for 14 years, from 1988 to 2002 and won two Copa America trophies and one Confederations Cup trophy. At club level, Simeone won the Spanish League title with Atletico Madrid and the Serie A title with Lazio. Throughout his career, Simeone is known as a very energetic, hardworking midfielder who has special talent in tightly marking the opposing team's playmaker.
2. Jorge Burruchaga
Burruchaga was a true partner of Diego Maradona in the 1980s. Maradona-Burruchaga duet led Argentina win the World Cup 1986. In the tournament, he became a key victory in the final match against West Germany, in which his two goals were able to help Argentine win with a score of 3-2. Throughout his career, Burruchaga played 59 times and scored 13 goals for the national team.
1. Diego Maradona
Without a doubt, Diego Maradona is Argentina's best midfielder of all time. Not only in Argentina, this genius player should even be dubbed as the best midfielder in football history. Played as an attacking midfielder, Maradona is famous as a very fast player with exceptional dribbling and passing skills. In addition to bringing Argentina to win the 1986 World Cup, Maradona also won two Italian league titles with Napoli and a Spanish League title with Barcelona.
