Best defensive/central midfielders in the Bundesliga of the 2025/26 season so far

Every six months, Kicker publishes a ranking of the best players in the Bundesliga, as well as the best German players abroad, divided into a number of categories.

The German football magazine has now released its winter rankings, reflecting performances from the first half of the 2025/26 season.

Below, you can see the rankings for defensive/central midfielders.

World Class

None.

International class

1. Joshua Kimmich, FC Bayern

2. Aleix Garcia, Bayer Leverkusen

3. Felix Nmecha, Borussia Dortmund

National class

4. Angelo Stiller, Stuttgart

5. Grischa Prömel, Hoffenheim

6. Ibrahim Maza, Bayer Leverkusen

7. Aleksandar Pavlovic, FC Bayern

8. Johan Manzambi, Freiburg

9. Wouter Burger, Hoffenheim

10. Nicolas Seiwald, RB Leipzig

11. Leon Avdullahu, Hoffenheim

12. Jens Stage, Werder Bremen

13. Xaver Schlager, RB Leipzig

14. Marcel Sabitzer, Borussia Dortmund

15. Rani Khedira, 1. FC Union Berlin

16. Albert Sambi Lokonga, Hamburger SV

17. Kaishu Sano, Mainz