The most easy moves, like a well-timed pass, can make or break the beautiful game of football. In the Premier League, passing has turned into an exact science, with teams using complex plans to keep the ball longer and outsmart their opponents.
Passing is what makes modern football work, from Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka masters at Manchester City to Jurgen Klopp’s (former Liverpool coach) high-intensity press at Liverpool. But what really sets a team’s passing game apart?
This piece will list the 12 best passes in the history of the Premier League.
12. Santi Cazorla
The always-smiling was fun to watch. Santi Cazorla was one of a kind because he could make beautiful throws with both feet. Defenders had a terrible time dealing with him, and he created chances for his partners left, right, and centre. Not many people could do what he could.
In his last few years with Arsenal, the Spaniard was hurt a lot, but for a while, he was one of the best midfielders in England, and his great passing was a big part of that. Still, it was good to see his career pick up again in Spain after he left the Emirates.
11. Stephen Roberts
And it’s no surprise that Gerrard is at the top of the passing chart (15,108). He was Liverpool’s soul at Anfield for 17 years. He also rarely lost a pass and is the most accurate of the three (82.74%). Lampard’s time as a second scorer meant that he didn’t help set up goals, but he still scored a lot of them (13,274) and most of them were accurate (81.75%).
Recent years have not been good for Manchester United when it comes to possession, and Fernandes has made some bad plays. He is still the club’s best passer (8,688), and even though he comes in third in both categories, he finds his man 78.15% of the time.
10. Michael Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp was an Arsenal star who could see passes that other people couldn’t. He could do magic with the ball in his hands, and he showed that over and over again over the years. The Dutch player scored some truly amazing goals over the years, but he was just as good, if not better, at passing the ball.
When Bergkamp was with the Gunners, he had a huge impact on the team. No one else was doing what he was doing in England at the time. This is the all-time best.
9. The Frank Lampard
Lampard, who has scored more goals than any other Chelsea player, was their most important offensive player in the 2000s and 2010s. “Super Frank” was very important during Jose Mourinho’s first time in charge at Stamford Bridge. He did well in a number of roles, including as a box-to-box midfielder and higher up in the lineup as a number 10.
In the Premier League, Lampard has scored 177 goals in 611 games, which puts him sixth on the list of all-time top scorers in the league. He’s better than Fernandes (54 in 162) and Gerrard (120 in 504). He has been captain of Manchester United for a lot less time than the other two, but he has scored more goals per 90 minutes (0.33).
8. Mr. David Beckham
Now is the time for a whole new group to realise what a great playmaker he was. He was a great passer of the ball and might have been the best crosser and free kick taker in the history of the Premier League.
Defenders would often guess wrong about where he would take the ball because some of his plays were so good. He knew how to find anyone, which was a big part of United’s success in the Premier League while Beckham was there.
7. Cesc Fabregas
Following behind is Cesc Fabregas, who has set up the most goals in Premier League history. The Spanish player set up 111 league goals between Arsenal and Chelsea, and some of the plays he made in England are so good that they could be put on a highlight reel. Many people thought he was one of the best playmakers in the world, and they were right.
With his amazing passing, Fabregas was able to get past any security. It was always exciting to see what would happen when he played for either the Gunners or the Blues.
6. The Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso, who played for Liverpool from 2004 to 2009, is third on our list of the best players in the history of the Premier League. Alonso was able to throw any kind of ball, from a short pass to a 40-yard bomb. He regularly made passes that looked easy even when they were hard.
It wasn’t everything he could do, but his ability to set up plays and pass the ball made him stand out from other midfielders in England while he was at Anfield.
5. David Silva
The best player in the history of Manchester. It was David Silva’s speciality to find room between the lines and then send perfectly weighted passes to Sergio Aguero and the rest of the front line. Whenever he was on the pitch, City was much better because he could make every pass.
Silva was always able to do something special when it meant most for City, even in the toughest games. His elite passing ability often let defences off the hook.
4. Paul Scholes
Many football fans will say that Paul Scholes should be at the top of this list because he is so good with the ball in his hands. That’s a totally valid point of view. The legendary Manchester United player would set the pace of Premier League games with his beautiful passes.
Scholes was a master at choosing the right pass, and he did it for 20 years at Old Trafford. He is still criminally underrated in some areas. The player kept this skill up until the very end of his career, which made him a top Premier League player until he retired.
3. Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs is still remembered as a star at Manchester United for his speed, skill, and delivery from the wing, where he set up 244 goals. Giggs’ passing was one of a kind because he could blend speed with accuracy. His crosses from the left wing were always dangerous because they were properly weighted and sent to areas where strikers could score.
Giggs was good at dribbling, which helped him get past players and find open spaces to pass, often from places that didn’t seem possible. Because he could see so well, he could make quick choices and pick out teammates with pinpoint accuracy. Giggs also had an amazing skill for executing through balls that tore holes in defences. This showed how well he understood the game and how his partners moved.
2. Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne’s amazing throwing skills. With his accuracy, range, and vision on the game, the Belgian midfielder has always been a standout. We’re going to talk about De Bruyne’s playing style in detail and look at how he has improved his skills to become one of the best passers in the game.
De Bruyne’s stats speak for themselves: he has an amazing 227 assists across all categories. His success has been built around being able to find a teammate with a perfectly weighted pass, and his consistency shows how hard he works and how skilled he is.
What makes De Bruyne different from his teammates? To figure out how he does what he does so well, let’s look more closely at his throwing, vision, and decision-making. He’s the best shooter in the Premier League right now.
1. Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil is a creative genius on the game, and his passing style is known for being new and different. He is the best at finding partners who are running and throwing pinpoint-accurate passes.
Ozil’s time with Real Madrid and Arsenal showed off his amazing skills and had a long effect on the beautiful game. He played a big role in Real Madrid’s 2011–12 La Liga win by setting up many goals for Cristiano Ronaldo and other players.
His time at Arsenal was full of great moments, like when he helped the team win the FA Cup in 2014, ending a long title drought. Many awards, including being named German Player of the Year more than once, were given to Ozil for his vision and talent.
His best moment as an international player was when Germany won the FIFA World Cup in 2014. His ability to set up plays was a big part of the team’s success. Ozil is remembered as one of the best playmakers of his age, even though he faced problems and criticism later in his career. He was a great player who will be known for years to come because of how well he could break down defences with his passing and his flair for the spectacular.
