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Football is a team sport and as much as we appreciate seeing flashes of individual brilliance, the game is at its enchanting best when players work together to create magic. Football is a passing game. After all, the ground is pretty big and players have to attack and defend in groups or they'll just run themselves to the ground.
Keeping hold of the ball is very important in football. In order to do that, teams need to have players who are adept at passing the ball and recycling possession. That's where technically proficient footballers make their money. They can maneuver the ball easily and can keep things ticking in the centre of the park.
Relinquishing possession is also frowned upon in football and it is worse when a team loses the ball in midfield or in their defensive third. As such, accurate passers of the ball are important to any team.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at five players with the best pass completion rate in football right now.
(Data collected from 2009 onwards by PopFoot)
#5 Thiago Alcantara (Spain/Liverpool) - 90.9%
At the peak of his powers, Thiago Alcantara was one of the finest central midfielders in the game. A gifted playmaker whose technical proficiency matched his vision, Thiago excelled in a deep-lying role. He also possesses great dribbling ability and navigates cul-de-sacs with relative ease thanks to his close control.
He is widely renowned for his precise passing ability and has been noted for his exquisite technique and intelligence. Thiago has clocked a pass completion rate of 90.9% since 2009. The former Bayern Munich midfielder, who won the continental treble with the Bavarians in the 2019-20 season, has since joined Liverpool.
He has not been able to hit the same heights at Liverpool and his stint has been marred by some injury issues as well. But he still managed a pass completion rate of 89.6% in his debut Premier League season.
#4 Marco Verratti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain) - 91.2%
Marco Verratti has firmly established himself as one of the best central midfielders of his generation. The Italian international is a diminutive regista who conducts play from deep. He is noted for his passing ability, vision and dribbling skills.
Much like the legendary Andres Iniesta whom he is likened to, Verratti is excellent at breaking out of tight spaces thanks to his excellent close control. The 28-year-old has a low centre of gravity which enables him to execute quick turns.
But his most potent weapon is his passing. The PSG midfielder can upend entire defences with a line-breaking ball into the path of his attackers. He has a pass completion rate of 91.2%.
#3 Sergio Busquets (Spain/Barcelona) - 91.3%
Sergio Busquets was part of the Spanish team that dominated the international circuit almost a decade ago. He won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2012 with La Roja. He was also part of Pep Guardiola's incredible Barcelona side that won two Champions League titles.
To play alongside Xavi and Andres Iniesta is one thing. To provide a solid defensive base in front of which they can work their magic is even better. Busquets is an extremely skilled holding midfielder. He knows how to create or open up spaces with his passing and movement.
He is one of the most precise passers of the ball in the 21st century. The defensive side of his game is also of superior quality. Busquets' tactical intelligence, tackling, game-reading and ability to intercept passes have all helped him stand out. Busquets has a pass completion rate of 91.3 % since 2009.
#2 Frenkie De Jong (Netherlands/Barcelona) - 91.5%
The Ajax youth academy produces footballers who have exquisite technique and great footballing intelligence. Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong epitomizes those qualities and is already one of the best midfielders in the world at the age of 24.
Barcelona were well aware of the qualities he possessed and that's why they decided to shell out €75 million to sign him in 2019. De Jong can play in any position across midfield. He excels when he sees plenty of the ball and is put in charge of orchestrating play for his side.
He can even play at centre-back and has done so at both Ajax and at Barcelona. De Jong is a tidy footballer. This means that there are no unnecessary challenges, extremely few stray passes or awkward positioning.
It is difficult to find midfielders who are neater in possession than De Jong. He has a pass completion rate of 91.5%.
#1 Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid) - 92%
Toni Kroos and Luka Modric make for one of the most dominant central midfield duos in the history of the Champions League. Kroos is a Rolls-Royce midfielder who does everything he is supposed to do with ease and elegance.
The former German international is one of the most technically proficient footballers on the planet. What he lacks in pace, he makes up for with his tactical intelligence and spatial awareness. But Kroos' most noteworthy attribute is undoubtedly his distribution.
Kroos is an extremely accurate passer of the ball and possesses incredible vision as well. He hardly ever loses the ball and his first touch, ball control and dribbling are all exemplary. Kroos has managed to maintain a pass completion rate of 92% and that's the best among active footballers since 2009.
