Aarran Summers

The majority of Champions League winners possessed at least one great creative midfielder. We look back on our top five to have played and lifted the UEFA Champions League. 

5 Paul Scholes 

"There is no doubt that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. [...] One of my regrets is that opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself."
Zinedine Zidane on Scholes
 
Paul Scholes is widely regarded as one of the all-time footballing greats. His distribution was immense – his pass success rate and his long ball accuracy put many creative midfielders to shame. A two-time winner of the Champions League, Scholes could also find the goal, and some of those were incredible strikes. Despite suffering from asthma, Scholes made the game look easy. A legend for Manchester United. 

 4. Andrea Pirlo
 
"I thought God exists because it's truly embarrassing just how good he is."
Gianluigi Buffon on Pirlo signing on a free transfer for Juventus in 2011
 
Andrea Pirlo was certainly not the quickest and by no means the most attacking of midfielders. He was though a player who could control the tempo of a game with brilliant ease and create excellent openings. 

Pirlo was a two-time Champions League winner. His position as the deep-lying playmaker was made for him. He was also a free-kick specialist too- a player known for incredible style on-and-off the pitch.

3. Xavi

"He is the best player in the history of Spanish football."
Lionel Messi on Xavi
 
Iniesta's achievements for club and country were sensational, but he would not have achieved them had he not had his star partner alongside. Hailed, as one of the best midfielders the world has ever seen, Xavi's link-up play with Iniesta made them a deadly attacking combination. A brilliant playmaker with an eye for a deadly pass, Xavi's vision was also second to none. Superior and composed, he was widely regarded as a near-perfect playmaker, bagging four Champions League titles in the process.

2. Andres Iniesta

 
"Andres is for me the most talented player in the history of Spain." 
Xavi's open letter to Iniesta after the latter's final game for Barcelona in 2018.
 
A humble player with extraordinary talent, Andres Iniesta possesses ability in many departments, despite coming to the end of a spectacular career. Iniesta is a four-time winner of the Champions League. He is known for his quick feet, and his mesmerising dribbles make him a dangerous opponent for any defender. Iniesta could score too – his stunning goal in stoppage time against Chelsea in 2009, saved Barcelona from elimination. They would go onto win the competition and secure the treble. 
 

1. Zinedine Zidane

 
"He plays if he had silk gloves on each foot. […] He's one of the best I have ever seen." 
Real Madrid legend, Alfredo di Stefano, when Zidane won the 2003 World Player of the Year 
 
Zinedine Zidane was an artist on a football pitch. Effortless and flawless, the Frenchman is arguably one of the greatest players of all time. He displayed great technique when out-battling opponents and he also had an eye for the back of the net. He scored a wonder goal in the 2002 Champions League Final at Hampden Park in Scotland. That was his only triumph in the competition as a player. He did possess an angry temperament at times, but he was a genius in every sense of the word.