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The Premier League is one of Europe's top five leagues. It is the richest football league in the world and is widely considered to be the most competitive one as well.
A plethora of top players across positions, especially goalscoring midfielders, have graced the English top flight over the years. Some of them have helped their teams win multiple titles in the competition while scoring and assisting goals galore.
On that note, here's a look at the five midfielders with the most goal contributions in the history of the Premier League.
Spoiler Alert: No active players make the list. James Milner (142) and Kevin De Bruyne (134) narrowly miss the top five.
#5 David Silva - 153 (60 goals, 93 assists)
David Silva is one of the premier midfielders to have graced the English top flight, especially in the last decade.
After arriving on English shores from Valencia in the summer of 2010, Silva spent a hugely successful ten-season stint with Manchester City. During this period, the 36-year-old made over 300 Premier League appearances, winning the competition four times. City won over 200 of these games.
Silva tallied over 150 goal contributions in the Premier League, with 71 of them coming in City's four triumphant campaigns. Though he was not a prolific goalscorer, the midfielder racked up almost 100 league assists.
Now at Real Sociedad, Silva hasn't quite replicated his City exploits, bagging only three goals and seven assists across competitions in over 50 games.
#4 Cesc Fabregas - 161 (50 goals, 111 assists)
Cesc Fabregas had a fabulous 14-season spell in the English top flight. Making his name as a precocious teenager in the early 2000s, the 34-year-old is one of only four players to register over 100 assists in the competition.
Although he spent eight seasons at Arsenal in the 2000s and early 2010s, Fabregas won the competition twice with Chelsea. The Spaniard made exactly 350 appearances in the Premier League, winning 200 games .
The Monaco midfielder's last goal in the English top flight came during Chelsea's 2017-18 campaign.
#3 Paul Scholes - 162 (107 goals, 55 assists)
Paul Scholes is one of the best and most successful midfielders to have graced the Premier League.
With nearly 500 appearances in the competition spanning 19 seasons, all for Manchester United, Scholes won 11 titles. The former England international contributed more goals - over 100 - in the English top flight than he did assists.
In one of his most successful campaigns in the competition in 2002-03, Scholes scored 14 times and bagged three assists.
The 47-year-old bagged at least one goal in each of his 19 seasons in the English top flight. His 11 titles in the competition include two separate three-peats.
#2 Steven Gerrard - 212 (120 goals, 92 assists)
Steven Gerrard is widely regarded as one of the best players never to have won the Premier League.
One of only two players with over 200 goal contributions in the English top flight, Gerrard spent 17 seasons in the competition, all with Liverpool. The current Aston Villa manager bagged a rich haul of 120 goals and almost 100 assists in the English top flight.
In one of his best seasons in the competition, the 41-year-old bagged 13 goals and as many assists in 2013-14. However, Liverpool suffered a spectacular implosion on the cusp of their first league title in the Premier League era as the Reds finished two points behind Manchester City.
Gerrard contributed 16 goals and nine assists in 2008-09 as the Reds ended four points adrift of champions Manchester United.
#1 Frank Lampard - 279 (177 goals, 102 assists)
Frank Lampard is arguably the best goalscoring midfielder in the history of the Premier League.
The current Everton manager is the only player in the competition's history to score over 100 goals and 100 assists. In 609 appearances in the English top flight across 20 seasons, Lampard won the competition three times - all with Chelsea.
The former England international was a key player in the Blues' triumphant league-winning teams in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Lampard contributed a colossal 13 goals and 18 assists as the Blues won their first league title in five decades (2003-04). The following season, the midfielder tallied 16 goals and eight assists as Chelsea successfully defended their title.
In 2009-10, Lampard bagged 22 goals and 14 assists as Chelsea won their their league title in six years. The Englishman's 177 strikes in the Premier League make him the competition's fifth-most prolific scorer and the top-scoring midfielder.
