Footballers with most assists in 21st century ft. Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar & De Bruyne | OneFootball

Kevin de Bruyne is viewed as one of the best playmakers in world football today, but his assist tally in the 21st century may prove that he is the best.

GIVEMESPORT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Play Video

De Bruyne is not at the very top when it comes to the players with the most assists since 2000, but he has made significantly fewer appearances than the player in the number one spot.

Had the number of games been even, it looks like the Belgian would have a slight edge.

The Man City midfielder has the highest assist-per-game ratio with a very strong 0.41.

It may be the goalscorers that get most of the credit in the game, but it's time to give the providers their flowers.

The following players are the top 10 assist providers of the 21st century, via @ThePopFoot on Twitter.

10 Cesc Fabregas - 230 (0.28 assists per match)

A player that started as an energetic midfielder that loved to get into the box, the Spaniard altered his game in the later stages to play deeper and still racked up the assists.

9 Dusan Tadic - 234 (0.32 assists per match)

The 34-year-old finds himself in elite company as he sets up a teammate once every three games on average.

8 Cristiano Ronaldo - 236 (0.20 assists per match)

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal with his arms stretched wide in the Saudi Pro League for his current club Al-Nassr

Given all the credit in the world for his own scoring records, he is often labelled 'selfish' despite setting up so many goals.

7 Mesut Ozil - 240 (0.35 assists per match)

A master with the ball at his feet, the recently retired German always possessed vision that many saw as outrageous.

6 Thomas Müller - 244 (0.31 assists per match)

Always involved for club and country for a reason. Muller has been a goal contributing machine for the majority of his career.

5 Luis Suárez - 246 (0.27 assists per match)

'El Pistolero' spread his assists across his spells at a number of different clubs. If there was any action in front of goal, he was normally in the mix.

4 Neymar - 248 (0.35 assists per match)

It is no surprise to see the Samba star high up in this list as he can do things with a football at his feet that many people can only dream of.

3 Ángel Di María - 260 (0.31 assists per match)

Throughout his career, Di Maria has found himself at the biggest clubs in each country he has played. His ability to gel with world-class players wherever he goes is almost unrivaled.

2 Kevin De Bruyne - 281 (0.41 assists per match)

Just missing out on top spot despite having played fewer games than anyone else on this list, it is not a bad showing at all from the Belgian maestro.

1 Lionel Messi - 357 (0.35 assists per match)

It had to be him, didn't it?

The little magician has been providing wonderful moments for the best part of two decades and has the numbers to back it up.