Ranking the 11 best playmakers in Europe right now

#5 Mesut Ozil

Arsenal v Everton - Premier League

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.