Scorers attract more attention and contracts, but skilled passers are a luxury item no top team can do without. While physicality is crucial, passing artistry is still highly valued. Improving fitness and pressure skills helps passers overcome opponents, creating a larger market. Bestsoccertips.com ranked the top 10 best passers in soccer in 2024 based on metrics like assists, key passes, pass completion, and vision.
Top 10 best passers in football history
10. Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United & England)
While one might lean towards lists of the best passing players in football reserved solely for midfielders, Kieran Trippier’s achievements are too impressive to overlook. While defenders typically dominate statistics like pass completion rate for executing the safest passes at the back (or to the goalkeeper), Trippier does that and more. In the 2022/2023 season, he ranked second among all leagues in the most key passes made – with 110! In the full-back/wing-back position.
Trippier has made it into the top 10 in La Liga and Premier League charts for the number of passes into the box over 5 seasons, being in the top 5 in 4 instances. In the 2022/2023 campaign, he also ranked second in this metric, behind the player in second on this list and ahead of the player in first with 97 passes. His club career has seen this defensive player rack up 95 assists to date.
9. Antoine Griezman (Atletico Madrid & France)
The issue with the initial approach to lists of the best passers in football is that many initially think of players famous for anything but passing. This isn’t the case for Antoine Griezman, one of the most complete attacking players of the past decade. If not THE. However, a facet of his game often overlooked is his ability to pass across all ranges. Griezman operates around space and knows how to exploit vulnerabilities through both movement and passing.
Firstly, the number of assists – 113 of which came for Atletico, Barca, and Real Sociedad in 667 matches. With 38 more goals in 127 games for France. Recently, in the 2022/2023 season, Ozil ranked 12th in the key passes metric with 84 assists. More importantly, he shared the top spot in the league’s top 5 assist rankings with 2 players leading here.
8. Rodri (Manchester City & Spain)
Because we – as well as the fans – appreciate the finesse of passes, the creativity behind them, Rodri isn’t higher on the list. Rodri isn’t the one to dazzle the stands with his flashy vision. He isn’t the fan-favorite playmaker. Perhaps except for Pep Guardiola. However, he has secured a place among the best passers in the game with the assurance he brings to his distribution ability. Rodri ranks in the top 10 of La Liga and Premier League seasons (totaling 7 seasons) for pass completion rate, primarily in the group of center-backs passing amongst themselves and to the goalkeeper.
However, perhaps surprisingly, he also ranks in the top 10 for the number of passes into the final third in the same number of seasons. His progressive passes also help him make it into the top 10 in six football seasons. With 29 assists in 400 club matches, Rodri lacks the X-factor for passing, but he is a linchpin in establishing Manchester City’s dominance in ball possession.
7. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal & Norway)
Perhaps in Martin Odegaard’s game, one can easily recognize the importance of passing ability over any other player currently. For the Norwegian consistently executes short, one-two passes effortlessly in tight spaces, but can also pull off sudden long-range passes creating a counter-attack in the final phase. The young player has already made 60 assists in his club career, including 10 for Norway.
Now, he is potentially emerging as a prominent figure within Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, with the Norwegian’s composed style elevating him into the prestigious ranks of the Premier League’s top 10 performers for key passes, passes into the box, and through balls over the course of the previous three seasons.
6. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United & Portugal)
Leading the ranking for key passes in the top 5 leagues in the 2022/2023 season with 119 recorded passes, subsequently making it into the top 5 rankings halfway through the season. That alone is enough reason to include Bruno Fernandes in the list of the best passers in football. With 127 club assists in 498 matches and 18 assists in 63 matches for Portugal, Bruno consistently creates dangerous moments in front of the opponent’s goal.
In his role as an attacking midfielder for United, Bruno Fernandes consistently dominates the charts for passes into the box, consistently placing within the top 5 performers in this category in every season he has competed. This trend extends to his proficiency in delivering through balls, where he maintains a similarly impressive record.
5. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich & Germany)
If there’s anything that makes Bayern Munich fans doubt Thomas Tuchel, it’s the rumors of his dissatisfaction with Joshua Kimmich in midfield. The hardworking German player has topped many midfield statistical charts for several years despite also playing at right-back. Additionally, the 28-year-old has made 104 assists for RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, along with 19 other assists for the German national team.
But Kimmich truly shines in more specific statistics. In the 2022/2023 season, Kimmich ranked 10th in the top 5 leagues for the most key passes made, with 84 of them. His progressive passes are his effort, helping him make it into the top 10 rankings in the top 5 leagues in four instances. He’s the first in the Bundesliga for four seasons! Three times he’s the best in passes into the final third and two times in passes into the box. He ranks in the top 5 for these statistics and others like key passes and through balls consistently at the Bundesliga level.
4. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid & Germany)
Spoiler alert, this position and the next on the list are reserved for Real Madrid players. So, it’s no surprise when these calculated, accurate passers’ teammates or partners in crime have clinched 5 Champions League titles. Toni Kroos epitomizes a safe, calculated passer who can execute that across all three zones – short, medium, and long.
Although a central midfielder, often tasked with initiating passes before assists, Kroos still ranks in the top 5 assist-makers in La Liga in 4 seasons, 2 times in the Bundesliga. The 33-year-old player has made 156 assists in 692 matches for the club. Toni has also been listed three times among the best La Liga players for successful passes at the end of the season, five times for key passes, and in seven seasons for progressive passes made!
3. Luka Modric (Real Madrid & Croatia)
To be honest, one could swap the positions of any of the top three passers we’ve listed here, and we wouldn’t argue. While he has plenty of accolades and numbers to prove his inclination (including Ballon d’Or), perhaps Modric’s greatest reward is that at 38, he’s still a key player for Real Madrid. With 126 club assists in 741 matches, 27 assists in 172 matches for Croatia. In international football, Modric also garners much trust, as that’s when his passes most clearly demonstrate his ability to elevate his teammates. Making the whole team excel.
While all the players we’ve listed as the best passers in football clearly have excellent technique, Modric stands out among them in that regard. He can execute precise passes in any situation he encounters. A back-heel pass, a long-range pass with the outside of the foot, a grass-cutting lob, a chip over the defensive line – you name it. Tactically, Modric excels in making passes into the final third and progressive passes, topping these statistics in La Liga for many seasons.
2. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami & Argentina)
Before the kickoff begins, yes, Leo Messi is the one with the most assists in his career compared to all these players. You can’t ignore his 344 assists in 889 club matches. Plus 56 for Argentina. However, the leader ahead has a better ratio in both international and club football. With the number 1 player’s advantage mainly because he’s still playing in the top 5 leagues. However, by any other measure in Messi’s career, the passing of the torch has been done quite gradually, with his shadow looming over the entire field.
In the latest European season, Messi ranked 7th in the top 5 leagues with 93 key passes. Only behind the one we’ve chosen for the number 1 position of the best passers in football. Messi is the outstanding assist provider in the top 5 leagues in 3 seasons! Mostly, his vision has propelled him high in the list, as the Argentine pierces through what others see as a wall. Making the whole stadium gasp for air and spill their drinks in the process.
Of course, Leo Messi has achieved all this while primarily being a goal scorer. However, this article will choose out the best passers in football.
1. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
Even the most passionate Messi and Modric fans couldn’t (too much) go mad when giving Kevin De Bruyne this position. KDB has 237 assists in 587 club matches in his career, along with 49 assists in 99 matches for Belgium. A measure in which the Man City star reigns supreme over Messi is key passes per 90 minutes. The Belgian player averages 4.09 key passes in the Premier League 2023/2024 season. In Messi’s last 4 seasons in Europe, he didn’t have any key passes per game higher than 2.93. KDB recorded 2.39, 3.17, 3.63, and 3.19 in the previous five seasons. It’s a thin gap, but at this level of performance, they make the ultimate difference.
Three times in his career, KDB has been the outstanding assist provider in a season in all 5 top leagues. In the 2022/2023 season, he scored 96 key passes in the PL. De Bruyne doesn’t have the highest pass completion rate, as he’s not on the field to play it safe. He’s there to make passes that lose defenders, leave crowds stunned, and lead to goals. In that most important aspect of passing, he’s the best in football.
The honorary titles for the best passers in football must go to players like Paolo Dybala, Frenkie De Jong, Granit Xhaka, and Luis Alberto…
Conclusion
In football, while goal scorers may grab the headlines, it’s the skilled passers who often serve as the silent architects of a team’s success. Bestsoccertips.com’s rankings for the top 10 passers in soccer in 2024 shed light on the invaluable role these players play in shaping the flow and outcome of matches. From the precision of Toni Kroos to the creativity of Luka Modric and the sheer brilliance of Lionel Messi, each player brings a unique touch to the art of passing. However, it’s Kevin De Bruyne who stands out as the epitome of a modern playmaker, consistently delivering decisive passes and influencing the game’s dynamics with his vision and execution.
