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Traditionally, the playmaking role fell heavily on the shoulders of a club's No. 10 or creative/attacking midfielder. That has changed over the years as wingers and fullbacks have increasingly played a more prominent role in not only setting up goalscoring opportunities, but scoring goals too.
There is nothing quite like a player carrying the ball forward and threading the eye of the needle pass or running down the flank and delivering the perfect cross. The
Premier League has played home to some of the best playmakers in world football, but who are the top 10 creative players in England's top-flight today?
Betway investigates:
10. Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
He might have missed most of the 2019/20 season through injury, but there is no denying that a fully fit Pogba is one of the best midfielders in world football. The Frenchman and 2018 FIFA World Cup winner registered two assists in United's 4-0 win over Chelsea in the opening day of the season and directly contributed to 22 goals (13 goals and nine assists) in the previous campaign.
9. Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Key to Leicester City's historic Premier League winning season, Mahrez often doesn't get the credit he deserves in a Manchester City jersey. The Algerian winger has eight assists in 23 Premier League games this season (third most in the league) and has also created the third most 'big chances' with 14. An underrated playmaker if there ever was one.
8. James Maddison (Leicester City)
A true modern-day playmaker, Maddison brings not just creativity but goalscoring to the playmaker role. The Foxes No. 10 has scored six and assisted another three goals for Leicester this season as they push for a UEFA Champions League spot. He is also third in chances created this season with 75 in 2,403 minutes of play.
7. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
The Portuguse midfielder has only played five Premier League games, but seldom has a player had such a big impact at a new team as he's had at Manchester United this season. Fernandes has directly contributed to five goals and played an integral role in the club's upturn in results before the coronavirus pandemic halted play.
6. Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
Another exciting English No. 10, Grealish was key to Villa's promotion back to the Premier League and will be key in their push for survival. At 24 years of age, he is one of the youngest club captains in the league and with seven goals, six assists and six big chances created he is one of the most influential. In total, he has created 69 chances this season.
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5. Joao Moutinho (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
The veteran midfielder sits a bit deeper than those who accompany him on this list, but that hasn't slowed down his playmaking abilities. He has created the sixth most chances (63) and assisted six goals this season. Moutinho has been a vital cog in what is a very good Wolves team full of goalscoring threats.
4. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
A controversial inclusion on our list considering he has only assisted two goals this season. Ozil has suffered a huge decline in form over the past few seasons, but on his day he is still one of the top playmakers in world football. The German midfielder has assisted 54 goals in 184 Premier League games for the Gunners.
3. David Silva (Manchester City)
The archetypal playmaker, Silva has been key to City's success over the last decade and will be sorely missed once he leaves the club at the end of the season. He is seventh on the all-time assist list with 90 in 301 Premier League games, with seven of those coming in the 2019/20 season. The Spaniard embodies all the attributes of a creative midfielder with a perfect blend of vision, spacing and with 57 goals to his name, he also boasts a clear eye for goal.
2. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Can you be a playmaker from right-back
Henry Winter of The Times asked. Well, it seems so! Alexander-Arnold is redefining the role of a modern day full-back. Not only does he roam up and down the touchline, but get in positions where he dictates play and decides games. He has assisted an incredible 12 goals (2nd most) this season, created 16 'big chances' (2nd most) and created a total of 75 chances in 2,550 minutes of play. Revolutionary.
1. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
If there ever was a modern day playmaker, De Bruyne would be that footballer. The Belgian midfielder has been phenomenal in the final third this season. He not only leads the league with 16 assists, 23 big chances created and 96 chances created in total - De Bruyne has also scored eight goals in 26 matches. Blessed with superb passing ability, he is everything a coach and teammate dreams of.
Who misses out: Emiliano Buendía, Adama Traore, Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Son Heung-Min, Georginio Wijnaldum, Roberto Firmino, Nicolas Pepe, Pascal Gross, Dwight McNeil.
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