Attacking midfielders of the highest grade are like gold dust in modern football.
While systems around Europe are starting to phase out the classic attacking ten, there is still the need for creative midfielders to pull strings, whip in free kicks and score the odd banger from distance.
Here are the best 25 attacking midfielders in the world, ranked as part of our 2023 Welcome to World Class series.
Pote, as he's widely known, spearheaded Sporting CP’s first league title-winning campaign since 2002 in 2020/21 with 23 goals. He's an output machine and has evolved into more of a creator.
Goncalves has drawn lazy comparisons to former Sporting star Bruno Fernandes but, while the pair did enjoy similar breakout seasons, their technical profiles do differ.
Pote isn't the most aesthetic of playmakers and he's instead a player who relies a ton on instinct and intuition. Still, he's a menace in and around the box with his skill set being well-balanced.
Crucially, he is a player who doesn't need many touches to have an impact on matches — an attribute some of the world's best midfielders boast.
The main reason why Nottingham Forest are still a Premier League club right now, Morgan Gibbs-White has come into his own since taking the keys of their attack.
The 23-year-old is only getting better and better with each passing game.
Is there a more entertaining player in the Premier League than Eze right now?
Probably not.
The England international is a joy to watch when in full flow.
Julian Brandt has been a big name in the Bundesliga for a long time now and while some may have expected him to go onto slightly bigger things, the German is still an extremely impressive attacking midfielder.
Had Borussia Dortmund managed to deliver the