10 Best Playmakers in Football History [Ranked]

Goals are the single-most important aspect of football, no matter how they go in – but there is an art to the playmaking side of the sport, which essentially makes it the ‘beautiful game’.

You can have swarms of prolific goalscorers, brutish defenders, energetic wingers and tireless full-backs in the greatest teams in history, but football at its most intrinsic comes through technical geniuses, treating the pitch as their canvas as they get down to creating art to be remembered for years.

Playmakers, as they are coined, provide that moment that gets fans out of their seats, rewinding highlight reels and talking about them for years to come – though only a select few are noted as the best ever. Here, GIVEMESPORT takes a look at the top 10 playmakers in footballing history.

Ranking factors

• Assists – How many times the playmaker in question helped another player put the ball in the back of the net.
• Vision – How often they played a pass that nobody else on the pitch could see.
• Longevity – How long they contributed on the pitch throughout their careers.

10

Michel Platini

At the foot of the list is Platini, who really set the standard for playmaking in Europe throughout the late 1970’s and 1980’s.

Being a key player for Juventus in their dominant spell across the continent in the 1980’s, as well as boasting an incredible record for France and performing incredibly well for Nancy and Saint-Etienne in his home nation, Platini has done it all.

Although he was more noted for his goalscoring exploits, Platini’s eye for a pass saw him edge ahead of other nominees to win three consecutive Ballon d’Or titles in the mid 1980’s.

9

Zico

Brazil’s emergence into the wider world on a terrestrial level in 1970 saw them become the first real world superstars – and Zico soon continued that legacy with an outstanding career.

Another No.10, Zico was a star who could be deployed anywhere in midfield, such was his ability to manipulate the ball in various ways to help his teammates punish their opponent in the final third.

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Able to use both feet, adept with flair and an incredible technique, it’s his passing that saw him become one of the world’s first-ever notable ‘playmakers’.

He didn’t win a major tournament with Brazil, which somewhat places him down the list in comparison to other players – but in terms of being a pioneer, his legacy inspired a whole new generation which showcased just how good he was.

8

David Silva

When talking about some of the Premier League’s most underrated players, Silva is certainly up there.

The archetypal deep-lying playmaker, the former Valencia man began his career as an all-action attacking midfielder blessed with pace, refining his game later in his career to sit within the hustle and bustle of an emerging Manchester City side, before later dropping back to recycle possession and come up with a spate of long-range passes to allow the team to largely dominate the 2010s.

There aren’t many better players who have played in the Premier League in terms of composure. Silva always seemed to have acres of space even on the edge of the box, as Pep Guardiola’s men probed opponents who were forced to sit back thanks to Silva’s brilliance, and his outstanding performance in City’s 6-1 win over Manchester United will remain a Hall of Fame outing for years to come.

101 Premier League assists, as well as 16 in the Champions League and 13 in the FA Cup, all from deep within the City midfield – it’s no wonder Silva makes this list, even if others will take more applause.

7

Juan Roman Riquelme

Riquelme may not have had the glittering career that others on this list have had, but in terms of cult heroes who were excellent at one particular aspect of the game, Riquelme is the quintessential shout for playmakers.

Shaping the ‘enganche’ role for years to come, Riquelme was considered as one of the best playmakers in the world during his prime – and due to his lack of pace and athleticism compared to other players, he let his feet do the talking instead.

Excelling for Boca Juniors, Riquelme’s legacy was perhaps struck by a failed move to Barcelona under Louis van Gaal – though after just one season, he showed La Liga what he could do at Villarreal over a four-year period before returning to Boca to excel in his homeland once again.

Drawing comparisons to Diego Maradona, Riquelme is clearly a player with immeasurable talent and, in terms of strictly playmaking, he’s up there with the best, having recorded 134 assists at club level.

6

Andres Iniesta

Some football fans may think that Iniesta operated from deep in the midfield throughout his career at Barcelona, keeping play ticking with famed midfield trio partners Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets – but it’s his ability to impact play in the final third that puts him in the upper echelons of the playmaking world.

Iniesta featured as the most advanced of the three thanks to his superb dribbling skills, being able to fly further up the pitch to support players such as Pedro, David Villa, and, of course, Lionel Messi.

And his intertwined link-up play with the famed La Masia graduates saw him rack up outstanding numbers on both an individual and personal level.

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161 assists throughout his career, including an outstanding 93 from just 508 games in central midfield, showed that it was no wonder that Iniesta won nine La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies and six Copa del Rey winners medals, as well as three international tournaments.

5

Kaka

The last player to win the Ballon d’Or before Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s decade-long dominance of the award, Kaka was the world’s best player a little under two decades ago – and with good reason.

Who could forget his assist to Hernan Crespo in the 2005 Champions League final vs Liverpool, his quick-thinking IQ to score at Old Trafford and leave two Manchester United players in a heap on the floor, or his ability to dance through players at the 2006 World Cup with genuine ease?

It’s his passing that Kaka will be remembered for the most, though. The FIFA website even labelled him as having the ‘capacity to glide effortlessly past opponents and provide defence-splitting passes’ – evidently showing how well he garnered attention from across the world.

At over 6ft, he didn’t quite have the frame of a nimble playmaker, but Kaka still made it work. Only a spell dogged by injuries at Real Madrid puts him further down this list, but with 163 assists at club level – including 25 in the Champions League – he deserves his place in the upper echelons.

4

Kevin de Bruyne

The Premier League will be a division worse off without De Bruyne. Recently announcing his departure for Napoli due to his expiring contract, De Bruyne will end a 10-year affiliation with the club as their greatest-ever player, and potentially the Premier League’s best-ever midfielder.

121 assists in just 288 Premier League games is an outrageous tally, reaching unprecedented levels never seen before in terms of assists-per-game – and it’s not only been in the English top-flight.

He burst onto the scene in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg, registering 36 assists in just 85 games as a 23-year-old, and that gave him the standing to excel at City.

261 assists in 651 games is out of this world, and his six Premier League trophies attest to that – especially with highlight reels including his best-ever assist at home to Stoke City. Sit back and watch.

3

Diego Maradona

One of the world’s first-ever superstars, Maradona could do things with a football that still haven’t been replicated today.

Incredible dribbling, a low centre of gravity and a footballing IQ that not many can rival even to this day, the late Argentine will forever be immortalised in footballing history.

Becoming a star at hometown side Argentinos Juniors, and featuring plentifully at Barcelona, it was his time at Napoli that saw Maradona become a world-heralded star, winning the 1986 World Cup and becoming a cultural icon across the globe.

With a reported 254 assists throughout his career, as well as one of the best dribbling outlays ever and an incredible end product, there is no doubting Maradona’s place this high up the list.

2

Mesut Ozil

Coming in for the silver medal is Ozil. A player who tested himself on the big stage in England, Germany and Spain, his catalogue of assists is something to marvel at, and when asked about the archetypal ‘playmaker’, he’s always the quintessential recommendation. Sure, De Bruyne may have been the better player with more to his game, but in terms of playmaking, Ozil is the first player many think of.

57 assists for Arsenal in the Premier League in 184 appearances, 53 for Real Madrid in La Liga in 105 outings – more than one assist every two games – and 37 in 101 Bundesliga showings, even as a youngster, showed his keen eye for a pass.

Ozil even went as far as admitting that he preferred to assist players, rather than score a goal, a rare trait for an elite professional player – and with an overall record of 219 assists in just 645 club games, as well as 40 in just 92 caps for Germany, shows his dedication to supplying teammates.

The German even embarked on a run of seven consecutive matches assisting Arsenal players in 2015/16, going from the end of September until the New Year with just two games in which he didn’t assist any player in the top-flight, and although he couldn’t record enough to break the tally for that season, it’s a campaign that will go down in folklore.

1

Lionel Messi

There is nobody who ever has, or potentially ever will, have the footballing IQ of Lionel Messi.

Always in the conversation when naming the world’s greatest-ever player, constantly noted as one of the game’s most prolific goalscorers, and certainly one of the best dribblers, Messi has had it all. But a largely underrated aspect of his game is his playmaking, a trait that sets him apart from the rest.

443 goals in 442 La Liga games is outstanding in itself, but 169 assists is equally stunning, whilst 33 assists in 130 Champions League outings has shown his proficiency on the biggest club footballing stage.

30 assists for Paris Saint-Germain in 58 Ligue 1 games, 18 in 41 MLS outings for Inter Miami and many others dotted around everywhere make for an immaculate record.

Passing as an end product is a talent that so many players have had down the years, but combined with Messi’s incredible dribbling and vision, nobody is better than the Argentine legend.