Cristiano Ronaldo may be in a league of his own when it comes to scoring goals, but the Manchester United star must accept he is still some way off being football's best creator.
The Portuguese superstar holds the all-time record for most goals by an international footballer after surpassing Ali Daei's haul last year and is some way clear of Lionel Messi as the Champions League's top goal-getter. He also posted a return of 450 goals in 438 appearances for Real Madrid in Spain - a record averaging better than a goal a game.
But in being the man for the big occasion, the 37-year-old is usually supported by those behind him creating chances. And that means the lethal finisher is the one relied upon to find the back of the net, rather than helping his team-mates do so.
While Ronaldo's rival Messi may not be as prolific, there is a school of thought that the Argentinian is more influential in the build-up play due to his incredible range of passing. Likewise, in the Premier League, Ronaldo's tally of three assists in the Premier League pales in comparison to Messi's 13 in Ligue 1.
And while Ronaldo doesn't rank as the most inventive passer in the final third, there is a close battle at the top between those vying to be crowned football's assist king.
Using data collected by PopFoot, Mirror Football counts down from the top 40 creators of the 21st century, with some surprise names making the cut...
40. Dimitri Payet — 153 assists
The former West Ham playmaker has been a creative force in his career and, now at Marseille, is Ligue 1’s all-time leading creator with 112 assists and counting.
39. Juan Roman Riquelme – 156 assists
Widely considered as one of Argentina’s finest exports, Riquelme racked up a huge assist total having spent most of his career in Spain with Barcelona and Villarreal.
38. Francesco Totti – 158 assists
One-club footballers are hard to come by these days, but as Rome’s prodigal son, Totti was instrumental in the Giallorossi’s success scoring 307 goals in addition to his 158 assists.
37. Alexis Sanchez – 162 assists
In his peak years starring for Barcelona, Sanchez laid on an impressive number of assists for the likes of Lionel Messi and David Villa before becoming the main protagonist at Arsenal in 2013.
37. Kaka – 162 assists
One of the most gifted playmakers to grace the game, Kaka dominated Serie A during AC Milan’s golden period and continued wreaking havoc when he joined Real Madrid in 2009.
37. Mbark Boussoufa – 162 assists
A surprise name given his relatively obscure profile, Boussoufa — a former youth player at Chelsea — made his name at Anderlecht before spells in Russia and the Middle East.
34. Robinho – 163 assists
At the height of his career at Real Madrid, Robinho was an intelligent forward who provided goals and scored them in equal measure. He enjoyed a bigger role at Man City after his £32.5m move in 2008, but faded quickly at the Etihad.
33. Robert Lewandowski – 165 assists
The Polish frontman may be one of the world’s most lethal marksmen, but the Bayern Munich star has proved he is equally adept at setting up his team-mates with an impressive haul of assists.
33. Eden Hazard – 165 assists
He was Chelsea’s talisman for seven years and lit up the Premier League, so it is no surprise to see Hazard climb into the top 40. Injuries have hampered the Belgian at Real Madrid.
33. Arjen Robben – 165 assists
The Dutch wing wizard was a nightmare for opposition defenders due to incredible dribbling skills, and throughout his illustrious career with Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid, Robben was a key source of creativity.
33. Wesley Sneijder – 165 assists
When Inter Milan won the Treble in 2009-10, Sneijder was hailed as one of the players who made it happen. But the majority of his assists actually came during his spells with Ajax and Galatasaray.
33. Ronaldinho – 165 assists
A genius who could conjure up the unthinkable with the ball at his feet, Ronaldinho’s preference for style for substance meant that his highlights reel was arguably more impressive than his assist total.
28. Mathieu Valbuena – 166 assists
The diminutive Frenchman spent the majority of his career in Ligue 1 but only 61 of his assists came in France. Instead, his spells with Olympiacos and Fenerbahce showcased his best form in the final third.
27. Ricardo Quaresma – 171 assists
The man who perfected the ‘trivela’ — a pass, cross or shot taken with the outside of the boot — Quaresma favoured extravagance and style more than stats-padding, but maintained a reputable assist record nevertheless.
27. Christian Eriksen – 171 assists
Renowned as one of the Premier League finest No 10s, Eriksen is set to embark upon another English adventure with Manchester United — and the Red Devils will be hoping he can be their creator-in-chief under Erik ten Hag.
25. Andres Iniesta – 172 assists
Barcelona’s maestro and the World Cup winner in 2010, Iniesta was the model professional who prided himself on setting up others before himself. Messi may not have been as successful without the Spaniard pulling the strings behind him.
24. Frank Lampard – 173 assists
Chelsea’s all-time record goalscorer was just as good at putting chances away as he was at engineering them. But ranking two below his England rival Steven Gerrard has got to hurt.
23. David Beckham – 174 assists
Manchester United fans would have lost count at how many times Beckham’s unique whipped delivery found one of their strikers for a goal. And how his tally may appear low compared to his England team-mates, Beckham played nearly 300 games fewer than Rooney.
23. Wayne Rooney – 175 assists
Rooney was a lot more than just a No.9, he created some moves and finished chances manufactured by others. After moving into a deeper role at Man United, it won’t surprise many that he ranks high on this list.
21. Steven Gerrard – 175 assists
In the everlasting Gerrard vs Lampard debate, the former Liverpool captain will take this as a notch on his side — even if Lampard finished with 60 more goals in his career.
20. Thierry Henry – 185 assists
For every two goals that Henry scored in his goal-laden career, the Frenchman also supplied an assist to showcase his tremendous all-round ability as a forward. Arsenal can only hope they find another version in the future.
19. Ryan Giggs – 186 assists
Giggs finished his long-running time with Man United after 23 seasons at the top level and scored in every one of them. But the left winger also had a knack for a pass too.
18. Hulk – 189 assists
Perhaps never fully appreciated after turning down offers to play in a top five European league, ex-Porto star Hulk enjoyed dominating the Russian and Chinese leagues with Zenit and Shanghai SIPG respectively.
17. Franck Ribery – 196 assists
People are still angry the French star was not awarded the 2009 Ballon d’Or and for good reason too. Ribery was one of the most talented players of his generation, as reflected by 12 glorious years at Bayern Munich.
16. Karim Benzema – 202 assists
Well into his twilight years at Real Madrid, 34-year-old Benzema came into his own in 2021-22, scoring 27 La Liga goals and laying on 12 as Los Blancos collected a 14th European crown.
15. David Silva – 203 assists
Perhaps a player who enjoyed a decade of success at the Etihad would have demanded a better total from himself, but no one needed statistics to prove Silva remains one of the greatest footballers to grace the Premier League.
15. Dani Alves – 203 assists
Much has been made of how Messi benefited from Alves’ marauding runs up the right flank, and how the stats prove it. The Brazilian is the only defender — a wobbly definition in all honesty — to make the top 20.
13. Xavi Hernandez – 207 assists
In his playing years at Barcelona, deep-lying playmaker Xavi pulled the strings alongside Iniesta and Sergio Busquets and proved himself to be one of La Liga’s finest midfielders in history.
12. Dries Mertens – 212 assists
While it is surprising to see Mertens rank above Spanish orchestrators Silva and Xavi, Mertens has spearheaded Napoli for the best part of a decade to surpass Diego Maradona’s goal record.
11. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 221 assists
At the ripe age of 40, the legendary Swede has signed another one-year deal with AC Milan to prolong his career after shining in Italy with the Rossoneri, as well as Juventus and Inter Milan.
10. Kevin De Bruyne – 222 assists
It will surely be only a matter of time before Kevin de Bruyne is recognised as the Premier League’s ultimate mastermind as he closes in on Ryan Giggs’ record of 162.
9. Cesc Fabregas – 230 assists
Now 35, the Spaniard’s career may be winding down but the former Arsenal and Chelsea star will go down in history for pulling off some outrageous assists — his setup for Andre Schurrle against Burnley being the highlight.
8. Luis Suarez – 232 assists
The controversial Uruguayan, in his heyday at Liverpool, was the main attacking threat in both making chances and finishing them. At Barcelona, he thrived with Neymar and Messi, contributing 308 goals and assists in just 293 appearances.
8. Thomas Muller – 232 assists
A Bavarian through and through, Muller has made a habit of leaving chances on a plate for Lewandowski to gobble up in their nine years working together.
6. Neymar – 233 assists
Perhaps mistakenly identified as a selfish player due to his individualistic style of play, Neymar’s reputation as an assister is almost unheard of. But since he joined PSG in 2017, the Brazilian has averaged 12 a season alongside his century of goals for the Parisians.
5. Dusan Tadic – 236 assists
The Serbian once heralded by Southampton fans has reached new heights since joining Ajax in 2018, contributing to 230 goals (108 goals, 122 assists) in the Eredivisie for the Dutch champions.
4. Mesut Ozil – 240 assists
The general consensus was that for three or four years, Ozil was one of the best of his kind in the world as a No 10. His decline recently saw him banished by Fenerbahce, but his legacy will live on.
3. Angel Di Maria – 252 assists
A player perennially underrated in football after a disappointing time at Man United, Di Maria’s record at PSG totalling 72 assists in Ligue 1 puts him in second on the all-time honours list behind Payet.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 273 assists
Like Neymar, Ronaldo’s efforts for the team often go under the radar due to his thirst for goals and the Portuguese superstar’s return of 273 assists throughout his career, alongside over 800 goals, proves he is one of football’s best ever.
1. Lionel Messi – 331 assists
But not even Ronaldo can match up to deep-lying playmaker, free-kick extraordinaire and ultimate No 10 Messi, with a massive gulf of 58 assists in the Argentinian's favour.
The sight of the 34-year-old scooping a pass over the top, or slicing a defence in half, at the Camp Nou will never get old.
Now at PSG after leaving Barcelona, it is only a matter of time before the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner finds his best form in France.
