Top 10 midfielders of all time according to AI as Gerrard & Lampard snubbed

"Dominating the midfield is the most important thing in modern football." That is according to Real Madrid star Toni Kroos, who is one of the best midfielders to play the game.

However, despite winning one World Cup and four Champions League titles, Kroos has not earned himself a place in the top 10 of the world's greatest midfielders of all time, according to ChatGPT.

There are a number of other surprising exclusions, including Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Sergio Busquets, who have all arguably done enough to be included on the list.

Meanwhile, 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric also hasn't made the top 10, although several ex-Real Madrid stars are in. With that in mind, Mirror Football have taken a look at AI's greatest midfielders:

A former centre-forward who later made his name as a midfielder, Socrates enjoyed a hugely successful career and established himself as one of Brazil's most important players in the early to mid-1980s.

However, Socrates only had one professional spell in Europe with Fiorentina during the 1984/85 season, having made a name for himself at Corinthians in his native Brazil.

One of Socrates' most remarkable moments, however, occurred when he agreed a one-month player-coaching deal with ninth-tier English outfit Garforth Town in 2004 - a decade after retiring.

Having started his managerial career in impressive fashion, Alonso will be hoping to have a similar impact on the coaching front as he did as a player. The Spaniard came through the ranks at Real Sociedad before earning a £10.7million move to Liverpool in 2004.

During his time at Anfield, Alonso won the Champions League and FA Cup but moved to Real Madrid following a five-year spell on Merseyside. A classy operator, Alonso was known for his excellent passing range and superb control, with the midfielder finishing his career at Bayern Munich.

A versatile midfielder, Rijkaard enjoyed a stellar club career by winning seven league titles, one Champions League and several other major honours.

Albeit short stints at Real Zaragoza and Sporting CP, Rijkaard played for two other clubs Ajax and AC Milan - and what an impact he made. He made 540 club appearances, scoring 98 goals.

As for his international career, Rijkaard played 73 times for the Netherlands and helped his nation to one European Championship back in 1988.

The Manchester United legend is widely recognised as one of the greatest English midfielders of all time. A one-club man, Scholes won 16 domestic major trophies at Old Trafford.

Scholes also claimed two Champions League winners' medals and ended his time at the Red Devils with 718 appearances, scoring an impressive 155 goals.

Former Germany ace Matthaus was primarily a box-to-box midfielder and could pretty much do anything in the middle of the park. He featured for Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and MetroStars during his club career, totalling over 700 appearances.

A 150-time German international, Matthaus enjoyed a stunning 1990 where he helped his nation win the World Cup, following a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final.

A passing master, Barcelona legend Iniesta was simply sublime to watch. And he backed that up with the accolades he won during a masterful 22-year stay at Camp Nou, winning a host of major trophies, including La Liga on nine occasions and the Champions League four times.

He started off as a defensive midfielder but slowly progressed forward into more of a No.6, with Iniesta eventually adding goals to his game. The ex-Spain international scored the winner in the 2010 World Cup final.

Iniesta's midfield partner at Barcelona, Xavi has been named one place above his former team-mate on this list - and controversially so. Despite this, Xavi's reputation speaks for itself.

He relied largely on his ability to find and exploit space as a deep-lying playmaker and he did that role to perfection, being the lynchpin in the most successful Barcelona side in history. Like Iniesta, Xavi finished his career away from Barcelona and ended on 945 club appearances with 113 goals.

Moving into the top three, Zidane is known mainly for his creativity, dribbling and elegance. The World Cup winner namely starred for Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid in his club career.

Zidane was spectacular for the France national team as well, and made 108 appearances for his country, scoring 31 goals. He retired with a glittering trophy cabinet, having won 16 trophies including the Champions League.

This is a name fans may be more familiar with since retiring from professional football due to his ill-fated time as the president of UEFA. But as a player, Platini was simply sensational.

The former France international is regarded as one of the finest passers, as well as one of the best dead-ball specialists in history. He clocked over 300 goals during a stunning career at Juventus, Saint-Etienne and Nancy while coming away with a host of major trophies in the process.

Topping this list is Cruyff, who is known to have revolutionised football at Ajax, Barcelona and in the Netherlands. He was an elegant football with was comfortable on either foot and scored all types of goals.

Cruyff won a number of league titles and three straight European Cups at Ajax while winning a La Liga title at Barca. He ended his club career with 400 goals in 713 appearances, and although he won just 48 caps for the Netherlands, he netted a remarkable 33 times.