In brief
Since Scottish internationals deceived England in the late 19th century, passing has been a crucial component of the game.
World-class passers have played in various places on the pitch and in various levels.
The technique of passing has been perfected by World Cup winners, cult figures, and Ballon d’Or winners.
The fixation on passing is not a recent development. Since the first international football game in 1872, more than a century before possession statistics were available, there has been an interest in how players handled a ball and those who were particularly skilled in this area.
At the West of Scotland Cricket Ground at Partick, England’s hosts held them to an unexpected goalless draw. Scotland’s ‘pattern-weaving’ strategy allowed them to win a clean sheet despite the visiting team’s superior height, speed, and strength. This would be the initial domino in a series of tactical plans that gave rise to tiki-taka and the current style of play of the majority of top clubs.
The game has been dotted with ephemeral maestros throughout the next 150 years. These spiritual offspring of those Scottish weavers have arrived from all over the world, demonstrating the universal importance placed on the pass, which is the most fundamental component of every football game.
Ranking Elements
Assists: In football, the last pass before a goal is the most crucial.
Influence: By moving the ball across the field, the best passers are able to command their entire squad.
Accuracy: The pass completion rate alone can be incredibly deceptive. Only when presented in a suitable context is this metric taken into consideration.
Longevity: People who have stayed at the top of their field for a long time are always more remarkable.
Level: The hallmark of a legendary person is their ability to stand out among the world’s top players.
Football’s greatest passers in history
Rank
The player
The country
Career
1.
Lionel Messi
Argentina
From 2003 to the present
2.
Pele
Brazil
1956–1977
3.
Xavi Hernandez
Spain
From 1997 to 2019
4.
De Bruyne, Kevin
Belgium
From 2008 to the present
5.
Scholes, Paul
England
1993–2013
6.
Laudrup, Michael
Denmark
From 1981 to 1998
7.
Mesut Ozil
Germany
From 2005 to 2023
8.
Zidane Zinedine
France
From 1989 to 2006
9.
Busquets, Sergio
Spain
From 2007 to the present
10.
Kroos, Toni
Germany
2007–2024
11.
Pirlo, Andrea
Italy
1995–2017
The greatest football passers in history, captured in images
11Andrea Pirlo
1995–2017
At the conclusion of the 2011–12 season, Andrea Pirlo’s total command of a football was put to the test. Even after Pirlo damaged his right knee, Antonio Conte couldn’t afford to rest his deep-lying playmaker as he pushed his squad to go for an undefeated league season. The intelligent Italian was able to enter the game, but he was forced to play four games using just his left foot.
Pirlo completed 87% of his passes, set up 23 opportunities for his teammates, four of which were completed, and helped Juventus score 10 points with that all-star foursome. If Pirlo had been barred from utilising either foot, perhaps the opposition would have had better results.
Career Information
Famous clubs
Juventus and AC Milan
The country
Italy
Games
872
Helps
159
10Toni Kroos
2007–2024
Toni Kroos was admired by Juan Roman Riquelme, a lazy Argentine number 10 who could move the ball about rather effectively himself. Riquelme, who dubbed him “the Roger Federer of football,” admired the German midfielder’s ability to let the ball do all the work.
He can go outside, play, and return home without even taking a bath because he won’t perspire, get filthy, or have to throw up.
Kroos’ confidence in possession was a common joke at the end of a famous career that included an unprecedented six Champions League final appearances. Carlo Ancelotti pretended to be disgusted when he informed a reporter that his player had missed one pass in the previous game, following the celebration of winning La Liga in 2023–2024. “Tomorrow, we train,” the Italian smiled.
Career Information
Famous clubs
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich
The country
Germany
Games
868
Helps
187
9Sergio Busquets
2007–Present
The players used their passes to communicate during Barcelona’s tiki-taka dominance’s heyday; each ball’s direction, spin, and pace were infused with information. Sergio Busquets spoke the rhythmic language more fluently than anyone else.
No one thinks of the gangly, one-paced, holding midfielder as an athlete. Few, however, were as adept at manipulating the ball as Busquets. Vicente del Bosque, the former manager of Spain, is claimed to have observed: “You watch the entire game, and you don’t see Busquets.” You watch the entire game when you watch Busquets. Pep Guardiola, the player Busquets most admired as a child, snatched the mesmerising minimalist who won every major trophy for club and country out of the Spanish third division.
Career Information
Famous clubs
Barcelona
The country
Spain
Games
927
Helps
61
8Zinedine Zidane
1989–2006
Because of his extraordinary talent, Zinedine Zidane’s passing range is obscured by an incredible array of other skills. The ideal big-game player, who was blessed with what may have been the best first touch of any football player in history, was known for his goals in World Cup and Champions League finals.
When one looks past the dazzle of his genius, Zidane’s skill at passing is evident. The French master was practically four-footed, able to use the outside edge and instep of both boots. Zidane had to find ever-more inventive methods to get the ball to his colleagues, who were all too eager to get it back to the number ten, because he was always surrounded by a fleet of snapping tackles. Bixente Lizarazu, Zidane’s teammate from France, famously remarked, “We just give the ball to Zizou and he works something out when we don’t know what to do.”
Career Information
Famous clubs
Real Madrid and Juventus
The country
France
Games
798
Helps
172
7Mesut Ozil
2005–2023
People were mistakenly led to wonder how much work Mesut Ozil actually put out because of his unwaveringly relaxed manner. The new generation of contemporary playmakers was brought in by a committed professional who travelled more miles than anyone would have thought possible. These unimposing figures put creativity above everything else and may be positioned wherever along the front line.
For the former Real Madrid and Arsenal mastermind, no stage was too huge. After a season in the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, Europa League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Premier League, Ozil emerged as the most prolific assist provider.
While Ozil’s time in north London was marred by the bitter ending of his Arsenal tenure, the sadness that engulfed the locker room upon his departure in 2013 demonstrated his brilliance in Madrid. While Cristiano Ronaldo worried, Xabi Alonso praised him as “the perfect player” and said, “The sale of Ozil is very bad news for me.”
Career Information
Famous clubs
Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Werder Bremen
The country
Germany
Games
737
Helps
258
6Michael Laudrup
1981–1998
A “dream,” a “magician,” or just “the greatest player in history.” Michael Laudrup’s trophy-filled career brought him a lot of favourable labels. He was even referred to as the “King of Spain” by the King of Spain at one point.
Laudrup’s unwavering awareness of space on the pitch was the source of the admiration he generated. The Dane was able to play passes that few noticed and even fewer could execute by seeing even the smallest opening in an opponent’s backline’s tight stitching. Laudrup was too eager to pick out a pass, if anything. In a regrettable statement, Michel Platini said, “Michael had everything except for one thing: he wasn’t selfish enough.”
Career Information
Famous clubs
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, and Ajax
The country
Denmark
Games
671
Helps
73
5Paul Scholes
1993–2013
Paul Scholes is one of the few football players who is as highly regarded by his teammates. Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi Hernandez, and Zinedine Zidane have all written hefty books praising the 11-time Premier League champion. Ronaldinho, a legendary figure from Brazil, famously said, “I want to pass like him.” Who gave him that instruction?
Scholes always had the natural talent to hit the ball, but for the first ten years of his career, he concentrated more on shooting than passing. The old song that echoed through Old Trafford’s fans was, after all, “Paul Scholes scores goals.” One of the club’s best-ever academy graduates developed his game to stay in the first team, moving towards the centre circle and winning over football fans worldwide as Sir Alex Ferguson filled his roster with more and more forward-thinking foreign talent.
Career Information
Famous clubs
United Manchester
The country
England
Games
779
Helps
95
4Kevin De Bruyne
2008–Present
Kevin De Bruyne’s childhood idolisation of Michael Owen, who was perhaps the first player in the Premier League era to so blatantly exploit superior physical gifts, is understandable. De Bruyne is a force to be reckoned with when he gets going, even though he isn’t nearly as jet-heeled as the former England international. De Bruyne is harassing players who collaborate with the top sports scientists in the game, while Owen was chasing after defenders who drank alcohol on most weeknights.
De Bruyne’s style has a sharp edge that almost overpowers the beauty of his genius. The engine of Manchester City’s current dominance can execute any pass, but few can match his trademark delivery. He can arrive wide on the right, and nobody is better in the world at zipping a low ball between the defenders and onto his teammate’s instep.
Career Information
Famous clubs
Manchester City and Chelsea
The country
Belgium
Games
739
Helps
309
3Xavi Hernandez
1997–2019
For Xavi Hernandez, passing is not just a practical ability. Football’s foundational element is this. The midfield metronome for Barcelona and Spain complained, “Some teams can’t or don’t pass the ball,” when he was playing. “For what purpose are you playing? What’s the point? Football isn’t like that. Play, pass, combine. That’s football, at least to me.
Xavi, who ended his career with more than 200 assists for club and country, was frequently misrepresented as a crab football player who merely shuffled the ball sideways. It definitely helps to have a player as prolific as Lionel Messi on the receiving end of those passes, but the Catalan midfielder accomplished much more than just set up goals.
Picking his way through opponents and working with teammates to keep everyone interested, Xavi dominated the whole contest flow. “Sometimes,” Xavi stated to The Guardian, “I even think to myself: man, so-and-so is going to get annoyed because I’ve played three passes and haven’t given him the ball yet.”
Career Information
Famous clubs
Barcelona
The country
Spain
Games
1,062
Helps
241
2Pele
1956–1977
Pele is regarded as one of the best goal scorers in history, and with good reason. The three-time World Cup champion scored almost 1,000 goals for Santos and Brazil before retiring early in New York, according to his own somewhat contentious tally. Pele, however, maintains that finishing was not his strongest suit.
Many people remember me for my goals, yet more often than not, I assisted others in scoring. I have a lot more help.
Pele, who operated directly behind his team’s center-forward, was an expert at waiting for a gap to open in front of him. This tactic, known in Argentina as “la Pausa” or the pause, is highly regarded. Pele’s span, halt, and stroke of the ball into the path of an onrushing Carlos Alberto during the 1970 World Cup final is the most well-known instance of this deliberate nonchalance. No player has ever recorded more assists in a single summer since the Brazilian’s sixth of the competition.
Career Information
Famous clubs
Santos
The country
Brazil
Games
1,366
Helps
N/A
1Lionel Messi
2003–Present
In 2012, Lionel Messi scored 91 goals and recorded 26 assists, shattering Gerd Muller’s absurd calendar-year scoring record. The Argentine’s long-time teammate at the club and international levels, Javier Mascherano, encapsulated the special dual danger that his old comrade provides.
He is capable of initiating the action and completing it. Players typically have a choice between the two. However, he is unique.
Messi finished the season with a double-digit assist total 12 times throughout his final 15 seasons of European club football. Only three other players in the twenty-first century have accumulated more than six seasons of ten or more league assists, and no one else can match this feat of creative consistency. “Football isn’t for you if you can’t connect with Messi,” Xavi once shrugged.
Career Information
Famous clubs
PSG and Barcelona
The country
Argentina
Games
1,105
Helps
418
