The best under-21 central midfielders in the Bundesliga so far this season
As of 8 November 2026, The Prism ranks Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund, 21) as the best under-21 central midfielder in the Bundesliga, with a standing of 67 out of 100, ahead of Noël Aséko and Ezechiel Banzuzi.
6 rankedagainst all 24284+ league minutes8 measuresUpdated 8 November 2026How we rank
Each dot is one of the 24 central midfielders; further right is better. The dashed line is the middle of the group.Francis Onyeka's page
Each figure with his place among the 24 central midfielders. Fewest is best for times dispossessed per 90.
Player
Standing
Key passes
Accurate passes
Pass completion
Tackles + int.
Dribbles
Big chances
Non-penalty goals
Dispossessed
1Jobe Bellingham
67
1.2611th
36.758th
83%11th
4.191st
0.5612th
0.289th
0.0016th
0.427th fewest
2Noël Aséko
51
1.0813th
25.2518th
82%13th
3.2410th
1.513rd
0.0014th
0.0016th
0.6510th fewest
3Ezechiel Banzuzi
38
0.6523rd
32.3713th
83%12th
3.506th
0.918th
0.0014th
0.268th
1.6820th fewest
4Laurin Ulrich
34
1.794th
25.3417th
79%16th
2.7614th
0.1621st
0.0014th
0.0016th
2.2723rd fewest
5Maurice Krattenmacher
34
0.9716th
11.6923rd
62%23rd
2.1421st
2.531st
0.1911th
0.781st
2.1421st fewest
6Francis Onyeka
31
0.8518th
8.8024th
60%24th
1.9922nd
1.145th
0.288th
0.287th
2.2722nd fewest
Where all 24 sit
Every central midfielder in the Bundesliga with 284 minutes or more, on The Prism standing. Blue is this ranking's top 10; the other 18 are named in The Prism.
Since last season
The same players' standings last season, among their league's central midfielders then.
↑Jobe Bellingham49 last season, 67 now
↓Ezechiel Banzuzi51 last season, 38 now
How this ranking is made
Central midfielders aged 21 or under in the Bundesliga 2026/27 with at least 284 league minutes, ranked on key passes per 90, accurate passes per 90, pass completion, tackles and interceptions per 90, dribbles per 90, big chances created per 90, non-penalty goals per 90 and times dispossessed per 90. Each measure is a percentile against every central midfielder in the league with the same minutes, so a young player is judged by the standard of the whole position, not only of his age group. 9 matchdays have been played, so the minutes bar is 284. It rises as the season goes on, until it reaches 450, about five full matches.
What each measure counts for, out of 100:
Key passes per 9020Accurate passes per 9015Pass completion15Tackles and interceptions per 9015Dribbles per 9010Big chances created per 9010Non-penalty goals per 9010Times dispossessed per 905
Jobe BellinghamBorussia Dortmund · 21 · England
671st of 6
Noël AsékoEintracht Frankfurt · 20 · Germany
512nd of 6
Ezechiel BanzuziRB Leipzig · 21 · Netherlands
383rd of 6
Laurin UlrichPaderborn · 21 · Germany
344th of 6
Maurice KrattenmacherElversberg · 21 · Germany
345th of 6
