It comes as no surprise that Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City has been named the “most decisive” offensive midfield player of the twenty-first century.
The Belgian has gone from being a Chelsea failure to possibly the greatest Premier League player of all time, amassing 169 goals and 283 assists in his career.
After joining Chelsea under Jose Mourinho in 2012, De Bruyne’s career began in the Premier League. However, in 2014, the playmaker left Werder Bremen on loan and swiftly transferred to Wolfsburg.
The midfielder’s stay in Germany stoked interest in him once more and led to a lucrative transfer to Manchester City in 2015.
Following several seasons of jumping around teams, De Bruyne has found that Manchester offers a lot more stable atmosphere. Since then, he has been the first name on the City squad sheet.
During his time at City, De Bruyne earned two PFA Player of the Year awards in addition to five Premier League titles and numerous other team and individual honours.
He didn’t appear to be slowing down and was a key component of Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning team last season.
The Belgian has struggled with fitness since sustaining a hamstring injury in the 2023 Champions League final, but he made a strong comeback to the team, helping City to three points at St James’ Park with a goal and an assist off the bench.
Also Read: Top 10 Greatest Attacking Midfielders Of All time
Here’s the list of the top 10 best attacking midfielders of the 21st century, in terms of assists.
1. Kevin De Bruyne – 169 goals, 283 assists
2. Kaka – 236 goals, 162 assists
3. David Silva – 160 goals, 209 assists
4. Mesut Ozil – 121 goals, 240 assists
5. Wesley Sneijder – 184 goals, 165 assists
6. Christian Eriksen – 153 goals, 190 assists
7. Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 191 goals, 150 assists
8. James Rodriguez – 156 goals, 167 assists
9. Bruno Fernandes – 171 goals, 142 assists
10. Marek Hamsik – 169 goals, 133 assists
