The 10 players with the assists in Europe’s major leagues in 2024: Salah, Palmer, Yamal…
Star players from Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Barcelona feature in the 10 players with the most assists across Europe’s top five leagues in the calendar year of 2024.
We all know that Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are among the most lethal goalscorers in Europe right now, but what about the creative maestros teeing them up?
Here are the 10 players with the most assists across Europe’s five major leagues in the calendar year of 2024. Where two players are tied, we’ve listed them in order of the superior assists-to-minute ratio.
10. Vinicius Junior – 12
Sneaking into our top 10 by virtue of fewer games played than the likes of Harry Kane and his Brazil team-mate Raphinha, who have also notched 12 league assists this calendar year, Vini Junior is Real Madrid’s sole representative here.
Los Blancos’ most reliable attacker, he’s promised us that the best is yet to come as he vies to get his mits on the Ballon d’Or in 2025. Watch this space, and don’t be surprised if his rate of assists skyrocket as he establishes more of a relationship with Kylian Mbappe.
9. Kevin De Bruyne – 12
Given his injury issues and Manchester City’s struggles in recent months, it’s all too easy to forget that De Bruyne was still undoubtedly among Europe’s most irresistibly creative individuals in the not-too-distant past.
The Belgian notched 10 assists in the latter half of last season as Manchester City did what they invariably do and put on the afterburners with relentless form to leave Arsenal and Liverpool eating their dust as they claimed a fourth successive title last term.
He’s registered a further two assists from relatively limited opportunities since the summer. A fifth title is surely beyond City this season but if they can get De Bruyne fit and firing once again, he ought to get them back on track.
8. Michael Olise – 12
Olise notched seven assists for Crystal Palace in the latter half of the 2023-24 campaign as they enjoyed a comfortably midtable finish under Oliver Glasner.
It had long felt inevitable that the winger would depart Selhurst Park for one of Europe’s elite and sure enough that’s happened. He looks right at home at Bayern Munich instantly, having notched a further five assists (and scored five goals) from his first 15 outings in the Bundesliga.
7. Bukayo Saka – 13
Arsenal’s title surge hit a major wobble when they had to make do without their captain and creative talisman Martin Odegaard for a number of weeks and it’ll be interesting to see how they cope without the similarly vital Bukayo Saka.
Hale End’s finest is due out for “a number of months” after undergoing surgery on a hamstring problem. A massive shame, given the form he started the season in – he was the first player in Europe’s major leagues to hit double figures for assists in 2024-25, having proven himself particularly deadly at set-piece situations.
6. Alejandro Grimaldo – 13
Another dead-ball specialist and wing wizard wrapped into one player, Grimaldo appears like a lab-made perfect fit at left wing-back for Xabi Alonso’s 3-5-2 system.
He was one of their standout players as they claimed the Bundesliga title with a historic unbeaten campaign last term and remains so this year.
It was fitting that Grimaldo’s corner delivery was responsible for Leverkusen’s 80th and final Bundesliga goal of 2024, Patrick Shick’s fourth in a brutal 5-1 mauling of Freiburg.
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5. Omar Marmoush – 13
Regular watchers of the Bundesliga will have told you there’s a player in Marmoush, but the Egypt international has captured wider attention since catching fire in 2024-25.
Seven of Marmoush’s 13 Bundesliga assists in 2024 have been registered so far this season. And there’s also the small matter of 13 goals. One of the very finest players in Europe right now – there’ll surely be no shortage of offers to Eintracht Frankfurt if he keeps this up.
4. Cole Palmer – 14
We’re running out of superlatives for Palmer, the poster boy from Chelsea’s transformation from a shapeless, perplexing rabble into a genuinely good side that look almost certain to return to the Champions League in 2025.
He’s arguably just as good at creating for others as he is at scoring himself. That’s what makes him worth his weight in gold.
3. Alex Baena – 14
Arguably underrated outside La Liga, it’s surely only a matter of time before Europe’s elite clubs come sniffing round Villarreal’s exceptionally gifted 23-year-old playmaker.
Baena has four goals and five assists so far this season and may well end up bettering his already excellent goal contribution returns from last term. The sky’s the limit for the Spain international.
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2. Lamine Yamal – 15
Your regular reminder that Yamal only turned 17 in the summer, just days before Spain’s Euro 2024 final victory over England.
Not even Lionel Messi was quite this good so young. The prodigiously talented youngster would’ve topped this list were it not for an astonishing late surge from…
1. Mohamed Salah – 16
Thirteen of Salah’s 16 Premier League assists in 2024 have come since the summer.
Arne Slot is getting the very best out of Liverpool’s Egyptian King, who is producing the best football of his career right now.