Claude Makelele says Arsenal currently have a player who’s even better than N’Golo Kante

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If there’s anyone on the planet who knows what it means to be a defensive midfield player, it’s Claude Makelele

Indeed, for the longest time, the defensive midfield role was named after Makelele after he revolutionised the way the game was played with the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea.

The Frenchman is a true legend of the game, and he’s inspired tons of players to become incredible holding midfielders.

Speaking to TalkSPORT, Makelele has been comparing some of the great defensive midfielders of the past generation, and he made quite an interesting claim about one Arsenal player.

Indeed, Declan Rice is a world-class player these days, and according to Makelele, he’s even better than N’Golo Kante.

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Claude Makelele picks Declan Rice over N’Golo Kante

Makelele was asked to choose between N’Golo Kante and Declan Rice as he compared some of the game’s great holding midfield players.

Kante was an unbelievable player at his best for both Chelsea and Leicester City, but Makelele prefers Rice.

Of course, Kante and Makelele were often compared as they were French stars who took Chelsea to a new level in their holding midfield roles.

However, despite the constant Kante comparisons, Makelele picked Rice over the Chelsea great.

Claude Makelele’s defensive midfield decisions

Makelele wasn’t only asked to pick between Rice and Kante.

The French icon was asked to choose between a number of greats of the game, and he gave some very interesting answers here.

Makelele ultimately landed on Sergio Busquets as the greatest defensive midfielder of the players mentioned, and it’s hard to argue with that.

Yes, Rodri is a Ballon d’Or winner, but Busquets truly revolutionised the game with Barcelona in the early 2010s.

Makelele was the player who defined the defensive midfield role in the 2000s, but in terms of what that role has since become, Busquets is the player who has defined that transformation.

Declan Rice is one of the best in the Premier League, but he has a long way to go before he can be considered on the level of a player like Busquets or even Makelele.