5 greatest assists by the world's best no.10s in the last 10 seasons
Most of the greatest midfielders of all time have all coveted the no. 10 role. The reason for this is obvious – no. 10s play the most aesthetically pleasing football when we talk about the game in the traditional sense.
Wide players and box-to-box midfielders do have other aspects of their game sorted out better than these withdrawn forwards, but it is only the no. 10 who has always been trusted to break through defences.
World football today is blessed with a plethora of talent at this position, and picking a top 5 is almost necessarily a matter of personal opinion. However, some players have displayed marvellous amounts of consistency in the recent past, and they are certainly more deserving to be on this list than players of less ability. Here are 5 of the best assists since the turn of the decade, all handed out by no. 10s:
#5 Mesut Ozil to Karim Benzema vs Ajax, UEFA Champions League 2011-12
Ozil’s finest moment in Real Madrid colours came in this game against Ajax. Xabi Alonso played a delightful long pass into the Ajax box, spotting Ozil’s run through the centre. Ozil took just one look behind to spot Benzema running in from the left and played a deft backheel into his path.
The Ajax defenders could only watch in shock as the Frenchman pounced on the ball with relish and placed his shot past Kenneth Vermeer in the Ajax goal. The breakthrough gave Real a 1-0 lead, which Alvara Arbeloa then doubled at the stroke of halftime.
A Cristiano Ronaldo brace in the second half secured a sound 4-0 beating of the Amsterdam side on their home turf, but it was Ozil’s vision and deft touch that changed the game for the visitors.