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The 10 Best Playmakers In World Football Have Been Ranked

The 10 Best Playmakers In World Football Have Been Ranked

A surprise player tops FourFourTwo's countdown of creative elites...

Alex Reid

Alex Reid

The 10 best creative players in world football have been ranked - and Premier League playmakers dominate.

Football magazine FourFourTwo have put together a list of elite midfielder schemers and while Prem players accounts for five of the top 10, it's a Bundesliga star who takes the No 1 spot: Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller.

He's not a player you immediately associate with stylish playmaking but FourFourTwo point out that he recorded 26 assists and 14 goals last season and that "a No 10s' job is to help his team score goals, and nobody on the planet has done that better than Thomas Muller over the past 12 months."

Aston Villa's man of the moment Jack Grealish sneaks into 10th spot (although there's no mention of Mason Mount, so Gareth Southgate will be fuming). He's just above former Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen, who would be higher on the list but for his early struggles at Inter Milan.

Martin Odegaard is in eighth after his superb year on loan at Real Sociedad encouraged Zinedine Zidane (not a bad playmaker himself) and Real Madrid to keep him in their squad this season.

The Premier League domination really kicks in in the top five, with Chelsea's Kai Havertz in fifth. FourFourTwo praise him as, "Surely the future number one on this list." No pressure, Kai.

Above him in fourth is Bruno Fernandes who's transformed Manchester United's midfield since his arrival in January. "Fernandes has the swagger, self-confidence and eye for goal that has been lacking from United's midfield in far too long," reckon FFT, audaciously overlooking Jesse Lingard.

The top three begins with Everton's new sensation James Rodriquez who, like Fernandes, has been sublime from his debut in England, creatively revitalising Carlo Ancelotti's side.

However clearly the top Premier League playmaker is last season's PFA Player of the Year, Kevin De Bruyne, in second overall. "His unrivalled passing range means he can launch an attack in the blink of an eye, and from practically anywhere on the pitch. Indeed, it's hard to think of another player in Premier League history better at delivering a final pass," reckon FourFourTwo.

Nothing to argue with there - and some Manchester City fans may well believe that KDB deserves to be one place higher in first.

The full FFT top 10 is below. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

10. Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)

9. Christian Eriksen (Inter)

8. Martin Odegaard (Real Madrid)

7. Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)

6. Papu Gomez (Atalanta)

5. Kai Havertz (Chelsea)

4. Bruno Fernandes (Man United)

3. James Rodriguez (Everton)

2. Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)

1. Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

All imagery: PA Images

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Topics: Bruno Fernandes, Football News, Football, Martin Odegaard, Jack Grealish, Thomas Muller, James Rodriguez, Premier League, Kevin de Bruyne, Kai Havertz, Christian Eriksen