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As per UEFA country coefficients, the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 are the top five leagues in Europe right now. The leagues are immersive, they are broadcast globally, and are home to the best players in the world right now.
Standing out in one of the top-five European leagues is hardly a walk in the park, but some maestros tend to make it seem like one. Today, we will take a look at five footballers who have mastered the art of providing assists and are currently leading the charts in Europe.
Here are five footballers who have provided the most assists in the top-five European leagues since the start of the 2018-19 season:
#5 Jadon Sancho (Manchester United) - 41 assists
Manchester United spent an eye-popping €85 million to bring Jadon Sancho to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021. The former Borussia Dortmund winger produced numerous exceptional performances for the Bundesliga outfit, drawing attention from several big clubs in the process.
The Old Trafford club ultimately won the race and were hoping for the player to take the Premier League by storm.
Unfortunately for the Red Devils, nothing has gone according to the script yet. The left-winger has struggled to adjust to the Premier League and has only produced one goal in the English top-flight so far.
His performances in United’s colors are a far cry from his Dortmund days. Between August 2018 and May 2021, Sancho was one of the biggest names in the Bundesliga.
The Englishman used to make full use of his intelligence, pace, and creativity to pop up with match-winning goals and assists. In his last three seasons in the Bundesliga, the 21-year-old made 92 appearances, registering 37 goals and 41 assists.
In the 2018-19 season, Sancho was the league’s leading assist provider with 14.
#4 Filip Kostic (Eintracht Frankfurt) - 42 assists
The Bundesliga has a knack for creating nimble-footed and intelligent wide midfielders. Eintracht Frankfurt man Filip Kostic is a proud member of that elite club. Having been impressed with his spell at Hamburger SV, Frankfurt decided to go for the 29-year-old left midfielder in the summer of 2018.
Then-manager Adi Hutter thrust him directly into the team, giving him complete freedom to make a tangible impact.
Encouraged by his coach’s faith, Kostic produced his best-ever season in the Bundesliga, registering six goals and ten assists in 34 appearances. The following season, he bagged 11 assists in the German top-flight, emerging as one of the most creative midfielders in the league.
His most productive season in the Bundesliga came in 2020-21 when he scored four times and provided 14 assists. This season, too, he has started strongly, already bagging three goals and seven assists.
Overall, the former Hamburger has bagged 42 assists since August 2018 and is set to add a few more before the season wraps up.
#3 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) – 42 assists
Since Jurgen Klopp's appointment in 2015, Liverpool have created most of their goalscoring opportunities through their flying full-backs. Their academy graduate and the team’s undisputed right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, has been a clear standout in the Premier League and in Europe.
The England international is quick off his mark, reads the game well and has a penchant for whipping in inviting crosses into the opposition box. The 23-year-old is also the Reds’ primary set-piece taker and has established himself as the perfect man for the job.
The Englishman has been one of the first names on Klopp’s team sheet over the last three-and-a-half seasons, playing 123 league games. He has bagged 42 assists in that time frame, emerging as the Premier League’s leading assist provider.
#2 Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) – 48 assists
Arguably the most complete forward in the history of football, Lionel Messi is not only an exceptional goalscorer but also an ingenious creator. The right-winger loves to drop deep from time to time to fetch the ball from the middle and ping lofted throughballs into dangerous areas.
His game-reading allows him to see passes no one else does and he makes full use of his gift by setting up his teammates.
Before moving to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain last summer, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner used to wreak havoc in La Liga in Barcelona colors.
Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, the Argentine registered 91 goals and 43 assists in the Spanish top-flight. In Ligue 1, the 34-year-old has scored once and created five goals for PSG so far this season.
#1 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) – 64 assists
Bayern Munich stalwart Thomas Muller sits pretty at the top of our list and deservedly so. The Germany international has been in top form over the last three years, doing his reputation utter justice.
The self-proclaimed “Raumdeuter" (the interpreter of space) intelligently slides into little pockets of space in the opposition half and regularly pops up with decisive contributions.
The Bavarians complete dominance in the Bundesliga is primarily down to their scintillating attacking play, and Muller tends to be at the heart of it. He does not always come off as the most polished footballer out there, but he rarely loses his calm in front of goal.
The 32-year-old has played 117 matches since the start of the 2018-19 Bundesliga season, registering 64 assists and 31 goals.
