Quite often in football, it’s the goalscorers who will get all the credit. After all, goals do win games, so the players who rack up the most strikes tend to be the ones who will make the headlines.

That means that the assitor can often go unheralded. And considering that players often play a spectacular pass or go on a mazey dribble before teeing up the eventual goalscorer, it’s only right that they receive their flowers in equal measure.

So, to pay homage to the creators, GIVEMESPORT have dipped into football’s history books, and are here to reel off the 11 players with the most assists in football history. Comprised of legends of the game and current superstars, a few players may well move up and down the rankings in coming months and years.

11Ryan Giggs

Career Assists – 277

Ryan Giggs at Manchester United

As the Premier League’s all-time assist holder, it felt like a certainty that Ryan Giggs was going to appear on this list. What might come as a surprise to some, though, is that he only just makes it into the top 11.

The Manchester United legend was renowned for using his pace to burst down the flank, before he’d whip in a devilish ball for the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo to attack. That saw him rack up 162 assists during his career in the English top flight, with a further 115 coming in cup competitions and international football. Only seven of those came from his 64 caps for Wales, though, with Giggs not making the same impact on the international stage as he did on English soil.

10Luis Figo

Career Assists – 283

Spending a large portion of his career in La Liga, Luis Figo is perhaps remembered most of all for making the controversial switch from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000 — a decision which led to substantial fan ire when the two teams met during El Clasico. But, controversy aside, the Portuguese international was true marvel to behold, possessing grace on the ball which made him a defender’s nightmare.

The 2007 Ballon d’Or winner remains the player with the second-most assists in Spanish top flight history (more on number one later), with him managing over 90 for both Barca and Madrid. He later went on to showcase his talents at Inter Milan too, setting up teammates an additional 34 times, while also managing 44 for Portugal in 127 appearances.

9Cristiano Ronaldo

Career Assists – 304*

Cristiano Ronaldo is typically remembered more for his fantastic goalscoring ability. No player has managed more than the Portuguese icon in football history, with him leading the way for both Real Madrid and his country.

Yet that shouldn’t detract from how crucial Ronaldo was as a creator for the various teams he played for. Honing his craft on the wing for the likes of Sporting, Man Untied and Madrid meant that he quite often was tasked with beating a full-back and setting up a teammate. It was only later in his career, particularly when at Juventus, where he became an out-and-out striker. Recording 304 assists on top of all the goals he has scored is a remarkable achievement and simply underlines his prowess as one of the greatest to ever play the game.

8Angel Di Maria

Career Assists – 313*

Angel Di Maria

When all is said and done, Angel di Maria will undoubtedly be one of Argentina’s greatest ever footballers. In a career which has taken him from La Albiceleste to Portugal, Spain, England, France, Italy and back to Portugal and Argentina again, the tricky winger has made a name for himself with his skillful dribbling and eye-of-a-needle passing ability.

The 2022 World Cup winner has also played a starring role for his country since breaking into the senior setup way back in 2008. Contributing 32 assists has seen him not only become a world champion, but also a two-time Copa America winner. With his goal creations for his country making up just over a tenth of his total career assists, it’s possible to argue that Di Maria is even slightly underrated by today’s standards.

7Kevin De Bruyne

Career Assists – 316*

You know exactly what you’re going to get whenever Kevin De Bruyne steps onto a football pitch. The Belgian playmaker ran the show for Manchester City during his years at the Etihad, becoming the quickest player to reach 100 assists in the English top flight.

Finishing his career as a City player on a whopping 177 assists in all competitions, he is looking to continue adding to his total tally in Italy, where ageing footballers seemingly discover a new lease of life. Still only 34-years-old, the Belgian could very well climb above several greats of the game before his career comes to a sad conclusion.

6Luis Suarez

Career Assists – 317*

Like Ronaldo, Luis Suarez is typically remembered for his goals, rather than his assists. The Uruguayan international was one of the best in the business during his time at Liverpool and Barcelona, spearheading one of the best attacking trios in this century alongside Neymar and Lionel Messi.

But the striker has proven that he can also facilitate, whether that’s spraying the ball out to teammates or linking play as a focal point. With 278 assists coming at club level and a further 39 for Uruguay, the 38-year-old likely doesn’t have too much longer to add to his career total, especially with him only slowing down now he’s at Inter Miami.

5Thomas Muller

Career Assists – 352*

It was hard to define exactly where Thomas Muller fit in during his 17-year stay at Bayern Munich. Operating between the lines of midfield and attack, sometimes as a centre-forward, sometimes as an attacking midfielder, made him difficult to plan for.

Playing for the biggest team in Germany meant that the 36-year-old continually recorded insane numbers, both in terms of goalscoring and assisting, with his best year coming in 2020/21 where he scored 11 times and created an additional 19 goals. Translating that into his performances for Germany, the 131-cap Die Mannschaft attacker scored 45 times and provided 41 assists at international level. Now at Vancouver Whitecaps, he’s not far from overtaking two modern legends of the game.

4Johan Cruyff

Career Assists – 358

Johan Cruyff helped to revolutionise the sport, both as a player and as a manager. A key mind behind the idea of ‘Total Football’, the Dutchman was the blueprint for number 10s of the future, operating between the lines to link midfield to attack with effortless passing and dribbling, which allowed others around him to thrive.

The three-time Ballon d’Or winner was pivotal to the success of both Ajax and Barcelona during the 1960s and 70s, winning multiple league titles and European Cups, while dragging the Netherlands to the World Cup final in 1974. Incredibly, his 358 assists for club and country aren’t enough for him to crack the top three.

3Pele

Career Assists – 369

Pele

Not many football fans will dispute Pele’s legacy as one of the greatest players of all time, if not the greatest to ever do it. The three-time World Cup winner was a phenom for Brazil, scoring vital goals and starring in Selecao teams that were blessed with vast amounts of talent.

On top of being a fantastic goalscorer, he finished his career with a vast number of assists too — 369 to be precise. It was a combination of all these qualities which result in many players and fans ranking him above other footballers, with his Brazilian teammate Tostao perhaps summarising it best of all.

“Maradona was spectacular, but he wasn’t on Pele’s level physically, he didn’t score the numbers of goals Pele did. Messi’s spectacular, but he doesn’t head the ball like Pele did, he doesn’t shoot as well with both feet, he doesn’t pull off the moves that Pele did. Cristiano Ronaldo is an exceptional player, but he doesn’t have the ability that Pele had and he doesn’t pull off the incredible passes that Pele did.

If you take the qualities of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, put them together, then you’d have a player to compare to Pele!”

2Lionel Messi

Career Assists – 400*

Goals galore? Check. The most assists out of any active player? Check. Is there anything that Lionel Messi has not achieved during his legendary football career? Nope. The World Cup winner has mesmerised fans for over two decades, weaving in and out of defenders before either scoring with aplomb or laying the ball off to a teammate for a tap-in.

The Argentine, who leads the goals and assists chart for both Barcelona and Argentina, recently cracked the 400-mark for assists while in action for Inter Miami. Despite now being in the twilight of his career, he’s still tearing teams apart for fun and could very well top this list in the near future.

1Ferenc Puskas

Career Assists – 404

For the moment, though, Ferenc Puskas sits top of the pile when it comes to career assists — albeit just. The Hungarian, over the course of 719 career appearances, popped up with 708 goals and set up teammates on a further 404 occasions. On average, that meant he was averaging one-and-a-half goal contributions every time he stepped foot on the pitch!

Picking up the Golden Ball award for his standout performances at the 1954 World Cup, Puskas was the focal point of Hungary’s ‘Golden Team,’ while he also led the line superbly for Real Madrid. He spent eight years in the Spanish capital, which led to him winning three European Cups and five league titles. It’s little wonder why he’s regarded as his nation’s greatest ever player.

Players With The Most Assists in Football History

Rank
Player
Career Assists

1.
Ferenc Puskas
404

2.
Lionel Messi
400

3.
Pele
369

4.
Johan Cruyff
358

5.
Thomas Muller
352

6.
Luis Suarez
317

7.
Kevin De Bruyne
316

8.
Angel Di Maria
313

9.
Cristiano Ronaldo
304

10
Luis Figo
283

11.
Ryan Giggs
277