Top 10 Best Passers in the History of Football

While on paper making a passing may seem like a very easy job, but when you add in the match pressure, the crowd and opposition players closing you down and trying to win the ball off you any chance they get, it starts to sound a little difficult.

Although every footballer might make a plethora of passes throughout their careers, only a few in history have perfected the precision, weight and timing of the passes.

Goalscorers and goals take the headlines all the time but the pass that set up the goal should be equally respected and cherished.

Join us as we take a look at the best passers in football history:

The 10 best passers in football history

10. Kevin De Bruyne

Club Games: 611
Assists: 254
 

The Belgium star will go down in history as one of the greatest midfielders in English Premier League history, Despite having a fairly unsuccessful run with Chelsea early on in his career, De Breuyne re-build his career in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg, before joining Manchester City in the Premier League in 2015.

Many questioned the massive £55m transfer fee, but De Bruyne has proved his worth and has been worth every single penny the club paid for him. The Belgium international has lifted six Premier League titles, one Champions League and multiple cup trophies with the Cityzens.

Kevin De Bruyne has also established himself as one of the most technical and best passers in the league’s history. Despite making just over 200 appearances in the Premier League, De Bruyne is already 2nd in the all-time assists list, second just to Ryan Giggs.

The Manchester City star has also won the Playmaker award on three separate occasions (2017-18, 2019-20 and 2022-23), further providing evidence of De Bruyne being one of the best passers in football history. 

9. Cesc Fabregas

Club Games: 7377.

Assists: 213

Cesc Fabregas is the first of many players on this list who became a manager after hanging up their boots. Fabregas was nailed on to be a footballing great from a very early age. He joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old and turned into one of the finest deep-line playmakers in the world. At 21-years-old, Fabregas was handed the captain’s armband at Arsenal, becoming the youngest captain in the club’s history,

Fabregas later enjoyed very successful spells with FC Barcelona and Chelsea. He earned a total of 110 caps for his national side and was also a part of Spain’s golden generation that won 2 Euros titles and the FIFA World Cup between 2008 and 2012.

8. Lionel Messi

Club Games: 904
Assists: 355

Finishing? Dribbling? Passing? Lionel Messi has got it all in his locker. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is one of the greatest ever to play the beautiful game. The Argentine superstar has been flawless for almost entirely of his career and has won every trophy available to him. Messi currency jointly (with Dani Alves) holds the record for most trophies won in football history (43).

Surprisingly, Lionel Messi is the only forward to feature on the list of the best passers in football history, all the remaining names on the list are midfielders. Messi’s link-up play and precision passing have always remained top-notch at both the club and international level throughout his long and illustrious career. 

7. Xabi Alonso

Club Games: 695
Assists: 68

Xabi Alonso is another player on the list who turned into a fine manager after retiring from his playing career. Alonso led Bayer Leverkusen to a historic domestic double during the 2023-24 season, going the whole season unbeaten domestically. Leverkusen suffered just one loss in the entire season which was also in the final of the UEFA Europa League against Atlanta.

If we take the clock back a few years, Alonso was one of the best deep-line midfielders in the world, known for his passing and controlling the match's tempo. He played for some of the biggest clubs in the world like Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, winning the UEFA Champions League twice alongside a number of league and cup triumphs.

Alonso was also a part of Spain’s golden generation that won three international trophies between 2008 and 2012.

6. Juan Roman Riquelme

Club Games: 475
Assists: 114

Juan Roman Riquelme is an Argentine legend who nearly spent his entire career playing in the  Argentina Primera División. He made a total of 290 appearances for Boca Juniors, winning all the trophies on display and becoming one of the greatest players to ever feature in the league.

Riquelme joined FC Barcelona in the 2002-03 season and spent the next couple of years in the Spanish top flight joining Villareal at the start of the 2003-04 season, before moving back to the Argentina Primera División.

Riquelme was known for his vision and creativity and will go down in history as one of the most underrated footballers of all time.

5. Mesut Ozil

Club Games: 604
Assists: 218

Mesut Ozil is one of the most creative attacking midfielders of all time. Ozil is known for his vision and his unselfishness as he often looks for his teammates rather than going for the shot. He made a total of 92 appearances for his national side and won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany. Ozil is also known for his pinpoint final passes and exceptional crosses. 

4. Andres Iniesta

Club Games: 831
Assists: 162

Who doesn't remember Andres Iniesta’s famous winning goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup? But Iniesta is known for way more than just that goals. Iniesta has had a very successful career filled with trophies for both his club and national side. Iniesta is known for his short passes, link-up play and close dribbling skills.

Iniesta is again another one from Spain’s golden generation, who spent most of his career at FC Barcelona playing alongside Xavi and Lionel Messi. Interestingly, the Spanish midfielder is still an active player at 40 years of age, playing for the Emirates Club in the UAE.

3. Toni Kroos

Club Games: 718
Assists: 161

Kroos will go down in history as one of the most underrated footballers of all time. The German midfielder has an insane CV, he has won the FIFA World Cup, six UEFA Champions League titles, six FIFA Club World Cup titles, five UEFA Super Cups, four LaLiga titles, three Bundesliga triumphs and a bucket load of other cup titles. 

Kroos played near about his entire prime in his old Adidas 11pro football boots, which were released in early 2013. Kroos made the game look simple with his incredible close control, ability to dribble away from the opposition and always finding his teammates with his passes. 

He retired at the age of 34, as one of the best midfielders in the world, winning the 2023-24 Champions League in his final match in club football. 

2. Andrea Pirlo

Club Games: 756
Assists: 134

We have all heard the story of how AC Milan let go of Andrew Pirlo because he was “too old”. But Pirlo joined Juventus at 32 and was nominated for the Best Player award in Italy in his first three seasons with the club. The story is absolutely true as Pirlo went on to win four successive Serie A titles with the club.

Pirlo ran the game for his team, controlling the tempo from a deep line position, and his passing only got better with his age.  

1. Xavi

Club Games: 868
Assists: 216

Leading our list of best passers in football history is none other than Barcelona and Spain legend Xavi. Xavi had it all, be it a difficult through ball, switch of play, long-range cross-field pass, a cross or any set play.

Xavi was instrumental in both FC Barcelona’s and Spain’s success throughout his time with both teams, making a total of 767 appearances for the Blaugrana and earning a total of 133 caps for his national side.

Just like many other players mentioned on this list, Xavi has also transitioned to running the game from the sideline as a manager after retiring from his playing career.