Some players have even dedicated themselves to supplying assists instead of goals. Kevin De Bruyne and Mesut Ozil, arguably two of the best playmakers of the last decade, have both stated they prefer to create.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have proven that, with the pair bagging the most assists since 2000 according to Transfermarkt. Luis Suarez hasn’t fared badly either in a solid third-place.
| No. | Player | Assists | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 319 | 862 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 258 | 1006 |
| 3 | Luis Suarez | 256 | 713 |
| 4 | Mesut Ozil | 253 | 653 |
| 5 | Angel Di Maria | 235 | 695 |
| 6 | Cesc Fabregas | 234 | 800 |
| 7 | Xavi Hernandez | 230 | 950 |
| 8 | Franck Ribery | 227 | 649 |
| 9 | Thomas Muller | 224 | 667 |
| 10 | Steffen Hofmann | 201 | 629 |
| 11 | Andrey Arshavin | 201 | 700 |
| 12 | Kevin De Bruyne | 200 | 520 |
| 13 | David Silva | 200 | 754 |
| 14 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 196 | 861 |
| 15 | Arjen Robben | 193 | 703 |
| 16 | Neymar | 190 | 501 |
| 17 | Thierry Henry | 190 | 716 |
| 18 | Dries Mertens | 188 | 691 |
| 19 | Dusan Tadic | 185 | 587 |
| 20 | Andres Iniesta | 182 | 849 |
Ozil, the best assist-maker?
In terms of assists-per-game, Ozil came out on top with an average of 0.39. While De Bruyne, who is 12th on the above list, and Neymar (16th) followed close behind on 0.38.
| No. | Player | Assists-per-game |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesut Ozil | 0.39 |
| 2 | Neymar | 0.38 |
| 3 | Kevin De Bruyne | 0.38 |
| 4 | Lionel Messi | 0.37 |
| 5 | Luis Suarez | 0.36 |
