Bruno Fernandes, Martin Odegaard, and James Maddison are in order according to Kevin De Bruyne as the three best creative midfielders.

To rank several topics from 1-3, the Manchester City player appeared on Sky Sports Premier League. Following a terrible injury on the first day of the season, he is currently sidelined indefinitely.

The most intriguing thing De Bruyne was asked to respond to was ranking the most creative midfielders, a position De Bruyne holds in the video. Future Ballon d’Or winners, stadium ambience, and teammate haircuts are all covered in the video.

De Bruyne had to decide between Fernandes, Odegaard, and Maddison during the event, which was moderated by Joe Thomlinson of Football Daily. The decision produced some intriguing outcomes.

But how did he rank them? Well, it’s time to find out.

3. James Maddison

Surprisingly, De Bruyne made his choice immediately, assigning Maddison the lowest grade in his evaluation. The former Leicester City star, who has for a long time been one of England’s best attacking midfielders, has settled in well at Tottenham Hotspur since joining Ange Postecoglou’s team in the summer.

De Bruyne has pleased the Englishman, but before he can safely choose him over the other two midfielders on the list, he needs to play for a bigger club.

He stated: “Maddison is also really creative, but I need to see more of him in a big team, so that can change, so that’s why I put [him as] the number three.” He then went on to explain his thinking.

If his first two matches for Spurs are any indication, Maddison isn’t wasting any time in demonstrating his ability to perform for one of England’s top clubs.

2. Martin Odegaard

The City star finally ranked Odegaard second on his list after giving the top two more thought. Given that the club only paid £30m for his services a few years ago, the Arsenal player has been a complete steal.

He made significant progress last season, especially, and helped the Gunners launch their first serious title threat in a long time.

He had his greatest season of his career last year with 15 goals and 8 assists, but De Bruyne recognized that he was much younger than Fernandes.

Having said that, he went on to say: “I feel Odegaard was amazing last year, but obviously he’s younger, so there’s a difference in that.”

Nevertheless, he continued to heap praise on the Norwegian, saying: “Odegaard is very creative and he’s a little more controlled.”

1. Bruno Fernandes

It seems De Bruyne is a huge fan of Fernandes, and rightfully so. The Portuguese star has been nothing short of magnificent since joining Manchester United in January 2020.

He’s largely been the club’s most important and influential player over the last three years, even in some of its worst periods. With at least 15 goal contributions in every season he’s spent at Old Trafford, there’s no denying how impactful Fernandes is offensively for United and there are few creative midfielders who can match his output.

This is something De Bruyne recognises and played a role in his decision. When asked about why he put the United man at number one, the 32-year-old said: “I think he’s a creative machine.

“I think he’s always there. He takes a lot of risks also, and I like it. Obviously, he’s been doing so well.”

He also touched upon how long Fernandes had been churning out high-quality performances in the top flight, saying: “He’s also been doing it a long time.”

All three players are absolutely top-class, though, so there’s likely no real wrong or right answer. With De Bruyne’s credentials, though, we won’t be arguing with him anytime soon.