Best defensive midfielders in Bundesliga

The highest-potential defensive midfielders in Bundesliga, ranked on Field Insider.

At a glance

J. Manzambi of SC Freiburg is the standout for raw talent across defensive midfielders in Bundesliga, with a Field Insider Rating of 90.3, and Álex Grimaldo has been the form player this season, grading 67.1, and M. Beier leads the scoring with 9 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: J. Manzambi has improved his Season rating most, up +45.6 on last season, while D. Svensson's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +41.4 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, M. Beier of Borussia Dortmund is the most valuable name in this group at 147.4.

Borussia Dortmund · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

J. Manzambi+45.6SsN

SC Freiburg · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by best potentialCustomise →

#	Player	Team	Age	Season	Rating
1	J. Manzambi Defensive midfielder	SC Freiburg	20	55485.1%	9017%
2	M. Beier Defensive midfielder	Borussia Dortmund	23	538.1%	894.7%
3	L. Avdullahu Defensive midfielder	1899 Hoffenheim	22	32	86
4	J. Leweling Defensive midfielder	VfB Stuttgart	25	58286.1%	8615%
5	W. Burger Defensive midfielder	1899 Hoffenheim	25	6069.7%	8629.6%
6	A. Stiller Defensive midfielder	VfB Stuttgart	25	504.4%	84±0%
7	F. Rieder Defensive midfielder	FC Augsburg	24	48249.3%	8417.8%
8	F. Nmecha Defensive midfielder	Borussia Dortmund	25	4528.8%	847.6%
9	J. Bellingham Defensive midfielder	Borussia Dortmund	20	3032.2%	826.2%
10	D. Svensson Defensive midfielder	Borussia Dortmund	24	37168.3%	82103.2%
11	A. Pavlović Defensive midfielder	Bayern München	22	3047.3%	801.6%
12	José María Andrés Baixauli Defensive midfielder	VfB Stuttgart	21	31	8012.4%
13	A. Kemlein Defensive midfielder	Union Berlin	21	27131.6%	779.6%
14	M. Culbreath Defensive midfielder	Bayer Leverkusen	18	14	76
15	Y. Engelhardt Defensive midfielder	Borussia Mönchengladbach	25	44125.3%	768%
16	H. Massengo Defensive midfielder	FC Augsburg	25	40251.3%	7511.9%
17	A. Pyrka Defensive midfielder	FC St. Pauli	23	2950.8%	75101.9%
18	J. Fujita Defensive midfielder	FC St. Pauli	24	474.9%	7521.8%
19	W. Mikelbrencis Defensive midfielder	Hamburger SV	22	25±0%	7410.6%
20	N. Remberg Defensive midfielder	Hamburger SV	26	4124.5%	730.7%
21	A. Zehnter Defensive midfielder	VfL Wolfsburg	21	2228.6%	732.4%
22	Í. Bergmann Jóhannesson Defensive midfielder	1. FC Köln	23	2841.2%	721.1%
23	E. Fernández Defensive midfielder	Bayer Leverkusen	23	2049%	7220.9%
24	A. Sambi Lokonga Defensive midfielder	Hamburger SV	26	42149.7%	686.4%
25	T. Krauß Defensive midfielder	1. FC Köln	25	3735.8%	686.3%
26	J. Sands Defensive midfielder	FC St. Pauli	26	4314.4%	6751.6%
27	L. Oppie Defensive midfielder	FC St. Pauli	24	1821.4%	6744.8%
28	J. Niehues Defensive midfielder	1. FC Heidenheim	25	262510%	6713.9%
29	J. Schöppner Defensive midfielder	1. FC Heidenheim	27	4518.6%	6416.1%
30	S. Lynen Defensive midfielder	Werder Bremen	27	4010.3%	6418.1%
31	J. Ryerson Defensive midfielder	Borussia Dortmund	28	53112%	6413.9%
32	L. Assignon Defensive midfielder	VfB Stuttgart	26	1268.3%	6321.5%
33	M. Muheim Defensive midfielder	Hamburger SV	28	470.9%	622.5%
34	E. Palacios Defensive midfielder	Bayer Leverkusen	27	2413.6%	6214.5%
35	R. Fellhauer Defensive midfielder	FC Augsburg	28	476.9%	61±0%
36	Aleix García Defensive midfielder	Bayer Leverkusen	29	52107.7%	589.1%
37	M. Eggestein Defensive midfielder	SC Freiburg	29	4610.7%	5716.9%
38	Vinicius Souza Defensive midfielder	VfL Wolfsburg	27	2628.6%	5715.9%
39	N. Dorsch Defensive midfielder	1. FC Heidenheim	28	30252.3%	5413%
40	Álex Grimaldo Defensive midfielder	Bayer Leverkusen	30	67128.2%	5319.4%
41	A. Karazor Defensive midfielder	VfB Stuttgart	29	2745.5%	5224.2%
42	K. Jakić Defensive midfielder	FC Augsburg	29	313%	4920.8%
43	B. Jatta Defensive midfielder	Hamburger SV	28	21195.8%	490.6%
44	D. Giannoulis Defensive midfielder	FC Augsburg	30	4417.8%	4625.3%
45	L. Ritzka Defensive midfielder	FC St. Pauli	28	1633.8%	4522.3%
46	J. Kimmich Defensive midfielder	Bayern München	31	496.7%	4526.7%
47	M. Saliakas Defensive midfielder	FC St. Pauli	29	2912%	4429.6%
48	L. Goretzka Defensive midfielder	Bayern München	31	4450%	4311.6%
49	A. Castro-Montes Defensive midfielder	1. FC Köln	29	2017.9%	426.7%
50	A. Beck Defensive midfielder	1. FC Heidenheim	29	1648.4%	3933%