5 Greatest Midfielders in La Liga History

While La Liga does not have significant exposure and fanfare, like that of the English Premier League, one thing it has always done is enrich the talent and give the world the most technical players of all time. Not only ferocious midfielders but also the best midfielders whose passes were a piece of art during the time, and it continues to be a big school for the upcoming footballers.

The Spanish top flight has been the midfielders’ den for the longest time. Every year, a midfielder spawns from nowhere and goes on to become a sudden superstar, may it be from a top club or the clubs that are struggling to survive relegation. What made this was the legendary midfielders who made a career at the center of the park. 

Here are the 5 greatest midfielders in La Liga history who have made it to the record books:

1. Xavi Hernandez 

Barcelona's midfield superstar, Xavi Hernandez, racked up an incredible 500+ La Liga games in a career spanning close to two decades (1998-2015). Xavi controlled the games at the heart of the midfield with laser-precision passing.

Xavi’s stats are mind-blowing - 90% pass completion rate in multiple seasons, averaged 130 passes per game in his peak years (2008-2012) under Pep Guardiola, and created over 200 clear goal-scoring chances. Beyond numbers, Xavi revolutionized the midfielder's role in Spain. He won 8 La Liga titles, made 40+ assists in crucial matches, and completed more than 1000 passes in some Champions League campaigns.

The most impressive part was Xavi managing 20+ assists in three different La Liga seasons when midfielders weren't exactly known for assist numbers.

2. Andrés Iniesta

Playing alongside Xavi for Barcelona (1996-2018), Iniesta brought artistry to midfield dominance. In other words, Iniesta was a poet and his passes were poetry in motion. In 440+ La Liga appearances, the Catalan maintained an 89% pass success rate while completing 674 successful dribbles - astonishing numbers for a central midfielder.

Iniesta scored fewer goals (35 in La Liga) but his 84 assists tell only half the story. He created over 350 big chances, made 29,000+ successful passes, and picked up just 38 yellow cards in 16 seasons. The numbers are significantly low considering how much time he had possession of the ball. His trophy haul includes 9 La Liga titles, proving his consistent excellence.

3. Luka Modrić 

Real Madrid's Croatian wizard has been bossing La Liga ever since he moved from the Premier League outfit, Tottenham Hotspur. In 370+ league appearances, Modrić has maintained an 89% pass accuracy while completing more successful dribbles (502) than most forwards.

While the 39-year-old Croatian central midfielder had a slow start to his Real Madrid career, his stats improved with age. Between 2016 and 2021, he averaged 2.3 key passes per game, created 187 big chances, and covered more ground than players ten years younger. Five La Liga titles, 28 goals, and 65 assists don't tell the whole story of his influence. At 39, he averages significant minutes per game, putting the youngsters to shame.

4. Zinedine Zidane

During his 2001-2006 Real Madrid spell, Zidane turned midfield play into high art. Though he spent equal time in the Spanish top flight and Italian top flight, Zinedine Zidane's numbers were spectacular at Santiago Bernabeu. Zidane had 37 goals and 38 assists in 155 appearances. He averaged 4.2 successful dribbles per game in his peak season (2002/03), created 250+ chances, and maintained 80% pass accuracy when most midfielders hovered around 75%.

Zidane went on to win two La Liga titles and recorded the highest number of assists (18) for a midfielder in the 2002/03 season. His 28 man-of-the-match awards in the 2003/04 season remains a record for midfielders. He came back to La Liga as a coach for Real Madrid, won three Champions League on the trot, and left on high- a career special for any manager. 

5. Luis Figo 

Before becoming football's most controversial transfer, where the pig heads were thrown at him, Figo dominated La Liga's midfield for both Barcelona (1995-2000) and Real Madrid (2000-2005). His stats are eye-popping - 106 goals and 137 assists in 429 La Liga matches.

In his best season (2000/2001), Figo recorded 7 goals and 19 assists in the Spanish top flight - numbers that modern wingers would envy. Luis Figo completed 2,394 successful dribbles across his La Liga career, created 890+ chances, and won four league titles. He maintained an 83% pass completion rate while attempting more creative and difficult passes than most midfielders of his era.