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#3 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Thomas Muller first grabbed headlines as a goalscorer. Raumdeuter (space interpreter) as he is called, Muller is one of the most intelligent attackers on the planet. His teammates benefit greatly from having Muller on their side.
It's not just his passing or vision that makes him the playmaker he is. The 31-year-old showcases incredible intelligence in the final third and his movements help create a lot of space. That's why Robert Lewandowski scores an insane number of goals every season.
Suffice to say, Muller's influence in terms of playmaking is way more than his numbers suggest. He scored 15 goals and 24 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions this past season.
#2 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Kevin De Bruyne is arguably the most dominant midfielder of his generation. He has been pivotal to Manchester City's success under Pep Guardiola. He was recently voted PFA Players' Player of the Year and played a starring role in Belgium's run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.
The difference that De Bruyne makes to Belgium was evident in their Euro campaign. The 30-year-old is a terrific playmaker who makes everyone around him play better. De Bruyne is definitely one of the greatest midfielders to have ever graced the Premier League.
His technical proficiency makes him a threat like no other. De Bruyne often pulls off passes only a few other players can even conceive. He whips in delightful crosses that can make wingers go green with envy.
The Belgian international scored 10 goals and provided 18 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for the Cityzens in the 2020-21 season. At Euro 2020, he scored one goal and provided two assists in four appearances.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. With the ball at his feet, Messi is simply unstoppable when he is in full swing. His skillset is replete with deft touches, flicks, tricks, backheels, defence splitting passes, curlers into the top bin... you name it.
He is a creative force who has solutions to every problem that is thrown at him. That's why even at the age of 34, he continues to operate at a level that most players find hard to keep up with.
In the 2019-20 season, Messi scored 31 goals and provided 27 assists in just 44 appearances across all competitions. But in the 2020-21 season, he had to shoulder the load of goalscoring as Luis Suarez had already left the club.
He scored 38 goals and provided 14 assists in 47 appearances for the Catalans in the 2020-21 season. Messi guided Argentina to Copa America triumph and also won the Golden Boot and the Best Player award at the continental competition. He scored four goals and provided five assists in the tournament.
