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Football is called O Jogo Bonito or the beautiful game. What makes it such a joy to watch are the players, especially the creative ones, who can make the game look effortless.
When talking about creative footballers, the midfielders and the attacking players are the ones that often come to mind. There have been defenders like Dani Alves and Roberto Carlos, who have been involved in setting up goals for their teams. But we have mostly considered the players who operate/operated in the middle and attacking third of the pitch.
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Considering the plethora of skilled players to have graced the game over the years, it's a difficult task to shortlist only a few. Nevertheless, here's a look at the five most creative players of all time:
#5 Michael Laudrup
We kick off our list with one of the most underappreciated players of his generation, Michael Laudrup. The attacking midfielder is often considered the greatest Scandinavian footballer of all time, and his skills and stats do justice to that statement.
The Danish footballer had it all, pace, balance, ball control, passing range, vision and a great mind to read the game. He won five consecutive La Liga titles between 1991 and 1995, four with Barcelona and one with Real Madrid. In that period, he also won Euro' 92 with Denmark.
Laudrup, who peaked under the legendary Johan Cruyff, had an uncanny ability to deliver the final ball with his wide range of inch-perfect passes.
Though he scored more goals than he created, Laudrup remains an underappreciated genius of the game.
#4 Andres Iniesta
When talking about creative footballers, Barcelona have had a long list of players providing flair in the middle and final third of the field. But hardly anyone has achieved the same level as Andres Iniesta or his midfield partner Xavi.
Xavi was more of a deep-lying midfielder, while Iniesta was the one who was largely involved with the final ball, so the latter finds a mention here. The Spaniard currently plays for Vissel Kobe in Japan, but when he was at Barcelona, he operated on a different level.
He is one of the few players to have won it all, tallying over 180 assists across competitions for club and country. Though he was not a prolific assist-provider like Kevin De Bruyne or an accomplished finisher, Iniesta's penchant for collecting the ball in the middle of the park and executing attacking moves was a treat to watch.
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#3 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is the epitome of a modern-day attacking footballer. The Argentine maestro scores, assists and dribbles like no other, and can create chances from close to nothing. He is one of the most creative players every season, and has been the top assist provider in the La Liga for the last few seasons.
The versatile attacker finally won a trophy with his national team this summer when Argentina won Copa America 2021. Messi picked up the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards at the tournament after registering four goals and five assists.
In recent years, Messi has started dropping deeper and dictating play with his incredible distribution skill and vision. He is all set to start a new chapter in his career with Paris Saint-Germain, where he is expected to create plenty of chances and win titles.
#2 Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff is one of the few players who succeeded in propagating the same principles as a player and a manager. During his playing days, the Dutch international displayed glimpses of brilliance from the very beginning, and by the time he reached his prime, he could play seamlessly in any attacking position.
The precision of his passing and his awareness of space were best summed up by Times sportswriter David Miller, who was so mesmerised by Cruyff's skills that he termed the player 'Pythagoras in boots'.
The late Cruyff possessed one of the best footballing brains ever seen. He had the ability to create goalscoring chances from any part of the pitch. Despite being a centre-forward, he never hesitated to drop deep.
#1 Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona is arguably head and shoulders above most players in the game. The stocky Argentine footballer was gifted with probably the greatest left-foot ever seen in football. His talent combined with his passion drove him to the game's pinnacle, and also got him into a lot of trouble off the pitch.
Maradona is considered the most complete No.10 to have stepped onto the pitch. His dribbling skills, unparalleled vision, close control and creativity with the ball at his feet were simply sublime, to say the least.
Only a few players after him have been able to match Maradona's potency in front of goal. His legacy as one of the most impactful football players of all time will likely continue forever.
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