The Premier League’s top assist makers since its start in 1992

Sometimes an assist is better than a goal. These players have mastered the skill of giving assists and have topped the assists chart in each Premier League season. All statistics per Transfermarkt and StatMuse.

The first Premier League assists leader was none other than Premier League icon Éric Cantona, who provided 16 assists and 15 goals in the season and helped Manchester United win their first Premier League trophy.

Andy Cole was the Premier League's leading assist-maker (13) and the leading scorer (34) in the 1993/94 campaign, forming an exceptional strike partnership with Peter Beardsley, who netted 21 goals.

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Southampton's Matt Le Tissier was a magician with the ball at his feet, and in the 1994/95 season, the attacking midfielder had 15 assists for the Saints. He beat out wingers Darren Anderton and Bryan Roy by one assist.

Liverpool formed an exciting attacking trio of Steve McManaman, Stan Collymore, and John Barnes in the 1996 season, with McManaman beating out Collymore as the top assist leader (15).

Frenchman Éric Cantona ultimately earned his legendary status for his goals, but he was the Premier League's top assist maker for a second season in 1997, providing 12 assists. 'The King' could do it all.

David Beckham had one of the most incredible passing abilities that football has ever seen, and his ability to drop the ball on a dime came to fruition in 1998, leading the top assists charts with 13. The arrival of Andy Cole probably had something to do with that.

Dutch duo Dennis Bergkamp and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink topped the assists charts in 98/99, with 13 assists. Leeds striker Hasselbaink also topped the scoring charts with 18 goals.

Newcastle's Nolberto Solano joined David Beckham at the top of the assist charts after forming a telepathic relationship with Alan Shearer (23 goals). Solano and Beckham finished with 15 assists, and Beckham's United won the league by 18 points.

Beckham continued to show his extraordinary crossing ability in the 2000/01 season, topping the assists charts for a third season, with 12 during the campaign. Teddy Sheringham couldn't believe his luck with Beckham on the right and Ryan Giggs on the left.

Thierry Henry was the top scorer in the Premier League in 2002 (24 goals) thanks to Robert Pirès (15 assists) and Dennis Bergkamp (12 assists). The dynamic trio led Arsenal to the title and clear of Liverpool by seven points.

Thierry Henry shares the record for most assists in a Premier League season with 20 during the 2002/03 season. The Frenchman was completely unplayable and scored 24 goals as well. He finished ten assists ahead of Ryan Giggs in second place.

Leicester City's Muzzy Izzet had an exceptional campaign during the 2003/04 season, with 14 assists and beating out Paolo Di Canio by two. The 'Foxes' partnership of Les Ferdinand (12 goals) and Paul Dickov (11 goals) helped Izzet become a creative genius.

In José Mourinho's first season as Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard blossomed into one of the best players in the world. He provided 18 assists and scored 13 goals as Chelsea won the league by 12 points.

Chelsea continued their surge under Mourinho in the Premier League, and this time, it was Chelsea's Didier Drogba who topped the assists charts with 11. Chelsea won the league again by eight points, this time.

Arsenal's Cesc Fàbregas and Manchester United's Wayne Rooney both had 11 assists during the 2006/07 season. The Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney duo came fully into effect during this campaign, with Ronaldo grabbing 17 goals and United taking the title away from Chelsea.

Spaniard Fàbregas had fully taken the reins of Arsenal's attacking threat by the 2007/08 season, grabbing 17 assists. Emmanuel Adebayor was the beneficiary of Fàbregas' timely passing with 24 goals.

Frank Lampard and Arsenal's Robin van Persie shared the top of the assists charts in the 08/09 season with 10. Lampard's crucial passes helped Nicolas Anelka top the Premier League scoring charts for the first time.

Chelsea pipped Manchester United to the league by one point in 2010, mainly thanks to Frank Lampard's assists (14) and Didier Drogba's goals (29). The pair formed an unstoppable duo that Sir Alex Ferguson's United couldn't budge past.

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It was no Ronaldo, no problem for Manchester United during the 2010/11 season, with their other Portuguese winger Nani becoming just as effective off the wing. Nani provided 14 assists in the league, helping United win the league by nine points.

Manchester City had heavily invested in players to finally win a Premier League title, and one of those key acquisitions was Spanish maestro David Silva. The attacking midfielder had 15 assists as City beat United to the title on goal difference.

Chelsea's Juan Mata topped the assists charts in 2013, providing 12 assists and beating Arsenal's Santi Cazorla by one. Mata and his teammate Eden Hazard were integral to Chelsea's Champions League and FA Cup wins that season.

Liverpool's Luis Suárez nearly carried his team to the Premier League title in 2013/14, topping the assist chart (11) and scoring chart (31). Unfortunately, after losing a 3-0 goal lead at Crystal Palace and THAT Gerrard slip, Liverpool lost the league by two points.

Fàbregas topped the assist column for the first time in eight years in 2015 after an incredible 18 assists for Chelsea. Diego Costa was the primary target of Fàbregas, who scored 20 goals on the way to Chelsea winning the league.

In his prime, no one could spot a pass like Arsenal's Mesut Özil, and in 2015/16, he showed there was another level to being a creative genius in football. Özil finished on 18 assists, six more than Christian Eriksen and Dimitri Payet.

Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne led the Premier League in assists for the first time in 2017, with 18 of them in Pep Guardiola's first season. Despite the Belgian's new level of form, City finished 15 points off the winners Chelsea.

In 2018, the Premier League created the Playmaker of the Season award, gifting players a trophy for having the most assists at the end of the season. The first winner was Man City's Kevin De Bruyne, who finished with 16 assists.

Chelsea's Eden Hazard was the second recipient of the award, having notched off 15 assists and beating out Ryan Fraser by one to the award. Hazard also scored 16 goals in the campaign.

De Bruyne was the league's top assist-maker for the third time in four seasons in 2020, with a record-equally 20 assists that he shares with Thierry Henry. Raheem Sterling (20), Sergio Agüero (16), and Gabriel Jesus (14) all scored bags of goals, but it wasn't enough to stop Liverpool.

In 2021, Harry Kane became the first player to win the Golden Boot and the Playmaker of the Season award in the same year. Kane scored 23 goals and provided 14 assists for his Tottenham teammates.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah won the Playmaker Award in 2022, with 13 assists. He beat out teammates Andy Robertson (10) and Trent Alexander Arnold (12) to win his first assists trophy.

Belgian magician De Bruyne topped the assists charts in Manchester City's famous treble-winning season with 16. It was the first time the world witnessed De Bruyne and Erling Haaland playing together, and it was complete devastation. Haaland scored a record-breaking 36 Premier League goals.

Last season, Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins had a season to remember. He was the Playmaker of the Season with 13 assists and scored 19 goals to fire Aston Villa into the Champions League for the first time in over 40 years.

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