Ranking the 11 best playmakers in Europe right now

#1 Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne has been the standard flagbearer for playmakers over the last five seasons

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.