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The biggest joy of any football fan is seeing his/her favourite team put the ball in the back of the net. Arms get raised in the air, shouts of joy erupt in the stadium and around the world, and the nearest thing gets hugged - whether that's a loved one or a handy pet.
The player responsible for such outpouring of emotions automatically gets himself endeared that much closer to the fan's hearts (although he could go from hero to zero real quickly), and more often then not, these players are usually strikers (as their primary job is to put the ball in the back of the opposition net).
It, therefore, comes as not much of a surprise that strikers are usually the most revered members of a football team, largely getting paid better, having more endorsements and getting most of the personal accolades.
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However, a lot of work was put into getting that round and white object rippling in the net, whether it's a 44 move pass which led to Manchester City's third goal in the recent Manchester derby or Roberto Carlos' exquisite cross for Zidane to score that beautiful worldie in 2002, with some final passes being as beautiful as the goal itself (check a catalogue of Kevin De Bruyne's 18 assists last season in the Premier League).
Even though the strikers get the most acclaim, there are a special set of players who possess an uncanny ability to spot opportunities no one else on the field does.
They are artists, with the entire field their canvas to design on as they deem fit, gliding around the field and playing in teammates effortlessly with delicate and pinpoint passes measured to the last meter with Eagle-eyed precision.
Without them, teams can't win matches, and some of the most iconic players throughout history have functioned from this role, and even though they are not the most revered, they are as important if not more so than their striking counterparts. These players are playmakers, and this list celebrates the finest of them in the world at the moment.
Note - This list focuses on playmakers who are primarily midfielders, so even though players like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Eden Hazard are supreme chance creators and elite playmakers in their own right, they are not included. Also, performances over the last few years have been used as a yardstick, which excludes the likes of Ryan Fraser and
Honourable mentions - Koke (Atletico Madrid), Luis Alberto (SS Lazio), Papu Gomez (Atalanta), Dani Parejo (Valencia), James Rodriguez (Bayern Munich)
#11 Dmitri Payet
Blessed with terrific technique and dribbling skills, Payet is one of the most accurate free kick takers in the world and on his day, he can hold his own with any playmaker across Europe.
He began his professional career in his native France, making appearances for clubs like St Ettiene and Lille and making it into the Ligue 1 team of the season on two occasions, but it was with West Ham where he really caught the eye with his performances, owing to the global following of the Premier League.
Payet arrived West Ham in the summer of 2015 and had a spectacular debut season with The Hammers, putting in numerous match winning performances such that he was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, as well as being named the Hammer of the Year (West Ham Player of the Year).
He took his impressive form to the national team, and was undoubtedly the star of the show in the early stages of France's EURO 2016 campaign on home soil (despite the presence of more acclaimed superstars), and left the tournament with his stock much improved.
He fell out with West Ham in the 2016/2017 season, seeking a transfer to former club Olympique Marseille (despite having signed a lucrative deal less than six months earlier).
His wish was granted and he arrived the Stade Velodrome in January 2017, and he performed creditably for the remaining half of the season, scoring four goals in 15 league appearances.
At the start of last season, Payet took his playmaking abilities to another level, lifting Marseille to new heights, and was an instrumental part of the side which made an exciting run to the Europa League final, playing enthralling football alongside talents like Clinton N'jie, Lucas Ocampos and Florian Thauvin under the guidance of Rudi Garcia.
In the final itself, Payet had his season cruelly ended by injury, which ruled him out of France's ultimately triumphant team (He had been named in Deschamp's squad). He finished the campaign with a league high 16 assists in 31 matches, as well as scoring 10 goals in all competitions.
So far this season, he has continued from where he left off, and has five assists and four goals from 10 Ligue 1 matches.
#10 Paul Pogba
Two and half seasons after his world record-breaking transfer to Manchester United, Pogba still divides opinions sharply as to his abilities, with many considering him an overrated prima donna who does more harm than good while many believe that he is only suffering from mismanagement of a coach who does not know how to utilize him.
While Pogba has had his unflattering moments, he has shown his immense abilities on occasion, and when he is in his mojo, few can match Paul Pogba, as he combines brute strength with a top class distribution technique, and the sight of Pogba strutting majestically with the ball to the opposition territory is a nightmare for defenders tasked with marking him.
The problem is that such performances have been too rare, with frequent displays of nonchalance and constant dispossession being a feature of his Old Trafford career, leading to loss of his starting spot in the team, amidst fallouts with his manager.
However, Pogba is a great player. His performances with Juventus (where he was named into the FIFPro XI for 2015) as well as his displays in the colours of France are proof of this, and moreover, United would not have expended such a huge amount on him if they were not convinced of his abilities.
Last season, Pogba was rather impressive, contributing six goals and 10 assists from 27 matches as United finished second in the league (albeit some way off Manchester City) despite numerous fall-outs with Mourinho and injury problems.
So far, things have not gone to plan for Paul Pogba, as he returned from his World Cup displays to face backlash at United and get stripped off the team captaincy as well as losing his first team spot, but that takes nothing away from the brilliance of a man who is still highly sought by the biggest clubs in Europe.
#9 Paulo Dybala
Seen as the natural heir to Lionel Messi, the 24-year-old displayed his prowess early on with Palermo in Serie A, but it is with Juventus where he really exploded, courting world attention with his performances particularly in the Old Ladies run to the UCL final in 2017, with Dybala proving decisive as it was his brace which downed compatriot Lionel Mess and his Barcelona team at the quarter-final stage.
An adept midfielder, Dybala is blessed with great skill, dribbling accuracy and the technique to pick out teammates from the tightest of spaces and is at his deadliest when he is given the license to roam about through the centre of the pitch.
However, this comes at a cost, as this is also the same position occupied by Lionel Messi, and this has hindered Dybala's growth with the national team, with it being nearly impossible for him to feature in the same side with Lionel Messi (and his more established compatriot is always going to be the selected of the pair).
An adept freekick taker, Dybala has found the net on nine occasions in Serie A over the last five seasons, while he is also a regular goalscorer, scoring 75 goals in 158 appearances in all competitions since his arrival at Juventus four seasons ago.
#8 Christian Eriksen
The 26-year-old has unarguably been the second most influential Tottenham player on the pitch behind Harry Kane since his arrival in North London in 2013.
Blessed with creative vision and a wonderful technique, few players in the world can match Eriksen's aptitude for picking out teammates with his pinpoint passes and is also a threat from delivering either through his wonderful deliveries or having a direct shot at goal.
Spurs have been blessed to have him within their ranks for the last couple of seasons, especially considering the fact that he was bought for just £11 m (which is a cutthroat bargain considering the frivolous amounts being peddled nowadays for players with considerably fewer abilities than him).
In the 2016/2017 Premier League season, Christian Eriksen finished as the second highest assist provider (behind none other than Kevin de Bruyne), contributing 15 assists and eight goals from 36 matches as Tottenham finished in second place behind Chelsea. Last season, he saw his creativity drop as he could only muster 11 assists but his proficiency in front of goal increased, scoring 11 goals to help Tottenham finish in third place.
Thus far this campaign, Eriksen is still as creative as ever, having already notched up six assists from just 13 league matches with one goal scored.
There are reports emanating that Eriksen is unhappy with the direction the club is headed, with the club's frugality seemingly hampering his progress as talks with Real Madrid have reportedly opened, but in the best interest of Spurs, they should do all they can to hold on to the prodigiously talented Dane.
#7 David Silva
Undoubtedly one of the most important players in Manchester City's history, David Silva had long caught the eye of the world with his performances for Valencia in LaLiga, and was a regular Spanish international for almost 15 years until his retirement at the end of the last World Cup.
Possessing excellent close control, beautiful technique and wonderful vision, Silva uses his outrageous talents to dictate play from deep while also having the wherewithal to influence proceedings from further forward.
A classic number 10, Silva seems to have gotten better with age, slotting in seamlessly to Pep Guardiola's pattern and remains an indispensable member of the squad, despite turning 33 next January and the presence of multi-talented midfielders within the City squad.
On his day, David Silva can hold his own with the best midfielders in the world, and would seamlessly get into the starting 11 of all the clubs in Europe and he has undoubtedly paid back the £26m and some which Manchester City expended to get him in 2010.
Silva's best performance for City thus far arguably came last season, as despite his personal problems he contributed 11 assists and nine goals as City romped to the title.
This season, he has continued with his usual high standards despite playing from a deeper role and has starred with five goals and two assists, helping cover for the humongous absence of Kevin De Bruyne as City look to defend the title they won so emphatically last season.
#6 Thiago Alcantara
Easily one of the most underrated players in the world, Alcantara has been holding down the midfield for Bayern Munich and the Spain national team for the best part of the last five seasons, but he has largely gone under the radar.
It says a lot about his abilities that he was the only player taken by Pep Guardiola with him upon his assumption of duties as Bayern Munich boss with the Bundesliga giants paying €25m for his services.
Joining the Barcelona setup at the tender age of eight, Thiago made his first-team debut for the Blaugrana in 2009 but found playing time hard to come by due to the presence of some of the all-time greats in midfield at the same time.
He moves to Bayern Munich and has been central to the club's recent total dominance of German football, pulling the strings from midfield although he has had his career progress hampered by frequent injuries.
Alcantara possesses the uncanny knack for controlling games from midfield, with en eye for spotting passes as well as the technique with which to pick them out which seems to come inbuilt with all Barcelona trained midfielders.
Thiago comes from a prestigious footballing heritage, as he is the son of former Brazilian midfielder and World Cup winner Mazinho, as well as the elder brother to Barcelona and Brazil player Rafinha.
The 27-year-old still has the Barcelona DNA in him despite having departed the club, and rumours have circulated that Ernesto Valverde sees him as the ideal playmaker, with Barcelona said to be interested in his services.
#5 Mesut Ozil
Once unarguably the best midfielder in the world, Ozil has seen his stock drop in recent years, as he faces criticisms of nonchalance as well as being a luxury player.
Ozil burst onto world consciousness with his displays at the 2010 World Cup, where he was one of a bunch of very youthful German squad who captivated the world with their breathtaking attacking style of football en route their semifinal run, with emphatic results along the way including 4-1 and 4-0 victories against more experienced English and Argentine sides.
His performance was enough to warrant him a transfer to Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid,and he cemented his reputation as the premier playmaker in the world over the next four seasons, creating a total of 60 assists in all competitions during his time at the Bernabeu, with the German enjoying a particularly fruitful relationship with Ronaldo, as he set the Portuguese a total of 27 times, which remains the second most times anyone has assisted Ronaldo in his illustrious career.
He moves onto Arsenal for a then club record fee in 2013, and continues to impress, and was on course to break the all-time highest assist record in a single Premier League season in 2015 (21 by Thierry Henry) when he had created 18 assists in just 21 matches, but a poor run of form in the second half of the campaign saw him end on just 20 assists.
His exploits also translated onto the international scene, where he was named German player of the year a record number of times, but he retired in acrimonious circumstances amidst media criticisms and allegations of racism in the aftermath of Germany's disastrous World Cup campaign despite creating more chances than any other player in the group stages.
Amidst rumours of falling out of favour with the Arsenal board, Ozil signed a new bumper deal at the club with a reported wage of £300,000, which is a testament to his value in an otherwise frugally conservative Arsenal.
Ozil once more finds himself in the midst of a storm, as reports indicate Unai Emery is not particularly enamoured to him, but with 140 assists from 377 professional matches in his career, there is no doubt that Mesut Ozil is one of the greatest playmakers in the history of football.
#4 Philippe Coutinho
Quick, skilful, technically gifted and possessing shooting accuracy, Coutinho is almost the complete midfielder, and made a name for himself with his displays in the colours of Liverpool for six seasons, as he wowed Anfield and the EPL with his repertoire of skills and technical ability.
Particularly proficient at long range cross-field passes, Coutinho also has the ability to dribble in tight spaces and take players on with his quick burst of pace, which led Barcelona to splash a club record fee to land him in January of 2018, and the 26-year-old has slotted in seamlessly, offering a different dimension to the Barcelona midfield.
Coutinho made 35 assists from 152 appearances in the EPL with Liverpool and is also adept at scoring goals as his 42 PL goals suggest.
He has made almost a trademark out of running at the opposition goal and cutting inside, with the all but guaranteed to nestle in the net once he almost nonchalantly strokes it into the bottom or top corner.
So far, Coutinho has scored 12 goals and registered six assists for his teammates at Barcelona, as he plays a more subdued role due to the incredible playmaking abilities of Lionel Messi, but there is no doubt that The Magician would prove highly beneficial in Barca's assault on multiple fronts this season.
#3 Luka Modric
The reigning best player in the world, Luka Modric has been the main cog in the Real Madrid win for the last seven seasons, controlling the tempo of matches with his brilliant displays from midfield, helping Real Madrid to its sustained period of dominance in Europe in recent years which saw them win four out of the last five UCL titles including each of the last three consecutively.
Alongside Toni Kroos, Modric has been an ever-present in the Madrid midfield in recent years but saw his contributions downplayed in light of the displays by his more glamorous teammates, chief of which was Cristiano Ronaldo.
His exploits with Croatia at the World Cup in the summer with Croatia where he captained an unfancied side all the way to the final in a Golden Ball-winning performance finally got him the recognition he has long deserved, as he became the first man in exactly a decade to break the Messi/Ronaldo stranglehold on individual awards, as he had a clean sweep of UEFA and FIFA Best Player of the Year, as well as winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or award.
Luka Modric is a master of short passes, as well as adept at finding teammates with long balls, and even though he is not usually high on the stats front, his contributions lie in many different areas and he would undoubtedly retire as one of the best midfielders of his generation
#2 Marco Reus
Playmaker of the very highest quality - Marco Reus is an elite midfielder who can decide the outcome of a match on his own, possessing world-class abilities which put him on par with the very best in the business.
Highly technical and comfortable with both feet, Reus can shoot as well as he can pass, and has been an integral part of the Dortmund setup since his return in 2012. He has been named Bundesliga Player of the Season on two occasions, in addition to making it into multiple Bundesliga Teams of the Season, as well as the UEFA Team of the Season in 2013.
As good a playmaker as anyone on his day, Marco Reus has seen his career hampered by multiple injury setbacks, with the most painful being the ankle injury sustained just days to the 2014 World Cup having starred in qualification and been named in the final 23-man squad, only to pull out of the ultimately triumphant team.
However, his quality and importance to the team was never in doubt, evident by the show of solidarity by a couple of his teammates who displayed his jersey during their World Cup parade.
He finally had his World Cup bow earlier in the summer in what was Germany's ill-fated defence of their world title but was one of a few German players who left the tournament with his reputation unharmed, has been a shining light in an otherwise dour German performance.
Despite his injury setbacks, Dortmund still recognizes his value and earlier in the year handed him a new deal which will see him through the club for the next five years, and the 29-year-old has repaid immensely.
Reus seems to have overcome his injury problems (he has played 15 Bundesliga matches this season, which is more than half the total he managed for the last two seasons combined )and he is the on-field leader of an exciting Dortmund team which has enthralled Europe, remaining unbeaten after 15 matches and sitting nine points clear at the top of the table.
In addition to being an excellent playmaker, Marco Reus is also a prime goalscorer and has a goal ratio of almost a goal every two games for BVB.
So far this season, he has scored 10 goals and provided five assists from 15 Bundesliga matches to help Dortmund maintain their healthy lead atop the Bundesliga and hopefully, Reus can stay injury free as with him fit, Dortmund would fancy their chances on all fronts.
#1 Kevin De Bruyne
There really had to be only one name to pop to mind when the best playmaker in the world discussions arises right?
Kevin de Bruyne is a playmaker of the highest proportion and watching him glide through balls to teammates is a true delight to behold.
Having starred in his native Belgium with Genk, De Bruyne was transferred to Chelsea in 2012 but loaned out immediately to Werder Bremen in order to get first team experience.
He starred in the Bundesliga, and his return coincided with that of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, but in a shocking turn of events, the Portuguese failed to give the Belgian midfielder a chance, with De Bruyne making just three EPL appearances before he was shipped off to Wolfsburg for £18m just six months later (this is a decision Chelsea fans still hold Mourinho responsible for).
At Wolfsburg, he starred, and in his first full season, he created a Bundesliga record of 21 assists which was part of 27 goals he set up for teammates in all competitions as Wolfsburg finished second in the league in addition to winning the DFB Pokal.
His performance in his single full season was enough for Manchester City to splash a then club record fee of £58m to sign him.
In the Premier League, De Bruyne has shone like a million stars, and for every wonder goal he scores or beautiful assist he lays on for a teammate, Chelsea fans can only look on in scorn at Jose Mourinho and wonder what might have been.
If De Bruyne had been good before, he excelled and reached new heights under Guardiola, and it says so much about his abilities that he was the only player given the license to roam about (similar to Messi at Barca) in what is an otherwise very well laid out Pep system where everyone sticks to their duties.
In the 2017/2018 season where Man City romped their way to the EPL title, De Bruyne was unplayable at times, an absolute joy to watch as he dictated play from all angles of the pitch, he was Guardiola's enforcer on the pitch, as the Catalan regularly called him over to the sidelines to relay instructions to him.
Adept at both long and short passes, De Bruyne is also an efficient tackler willing to track back to do the dirty work, leading many to label him as the most complete player in the world.
For much of last season, the 27-year-old was the only contender to be named PFA Player of the Year, until Salah's late-season heroics usurped him. For every milestone City reached last season, De Bruyne was the architect behind them getting there.
It was his wonder left-footed strike from outside the box (against none other than Chelsea) which settled a tense game against the defending champions and gave Pep the belief that City could go on to win the title.
In the early days of the 20-game record winning run, it was he who assisted Sterling for the last minute goal in the 2-1 win over Southampton, while also laying off the assist for Gabriel Jesus against the same opponents to take City to a never before registered 100 points in the season.
That particular assist was the last of 16 which was enough to give him the inaugural Premier League Playmaker award (perhaps as consolation for missing out on his deserved Player of the Year ).
His 16 assists came in all forms and sizes, and a highlight reel of De Bruyne's assists throughout his City career would make for an interesting watch.
Without doubt, De Bruyne is the premier playmaker in the world, with proof of this being that he was the only man to have more assists than Messi from 2012 through 2017 (which is no mean feat when you consider Messi's extraterrestrial playmaking abilities), and City would be glad to see him back from injury as they begin their head to head race with Liverpool to be crowned England's best.
