5 players who make the most intelligent runs in football right now

Football is arguably one of the most physically demanding sports. It tends to reward those who possess inhumane stamina, blistering pace, and immeasurable power. However, summing up the beautiful game with these three dimensions alone would be an injustice of the highest order.

We cannot, in good conscience, leave out footballing intelligence. We cannot overlook the brilliant players who make intelligent runs to conjure match-winning contributions out of thin air.

Here are the top five players who currently make the most intelligent runs in football:

#5 Karim Benzema - Real Madrid

Real Madrid CF v Valencia CF - La Liga Santander

Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Juventus in 2018, we have seen Karim Benzema turn back the clock and start playing as he used to at Lyon.

Benzema, who was an expert at creating space for Ronaldo to slide into, is now Real Madrid’s most prolific goalscorer, and Madridistas couldn’t be happier.

Changing his entire persona with a flick of a switch is hardly straightforward, but the Frenchman seems to have mastered it. Unlike most centre-forwards, Benzema is not one-dimensional and has a knack for keeping opposition players guessing.

He drops deep, draws defenders out, switches play to wide areas, and even likes to try his luck from range.

🇫🇷 Karim Benzema for club this season (all competitions):

👕2⃣7⃣ Games
⚽️2⃣4⃣ Goals
🅰️0⃣9⃣ Assists

#MondayMotivation https://t.co/pY3Ns111EC

To top it all off, he makes these clever runs behind opposition that are almost impossible to read. Being the focal point of Real Madrid’s attack, it has become almost impossible to ghost behind defenders.

However, it has not kept the France international from trying his luck and succeeding every now and then.

The 34-year-old has 17 goals and seven assists to his name in 20 La Liga games this season, making him the league’s top goal-contributor.

#4 Thomas Muller - Bayern Munich

1. FC Köln v FC Bayern München - Bundesliga

Reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are filled to the brim with superstars and potential world-beaters. But unlike traditional footballing powerhouses, the Bavarians aren’t too comfortable flaunting it all.

They are more comfortable in doing their talking on the pitch, devoid of unnecessary flash and showboating. Thomas Muller, who has been with the senior team since 2008, captures this understated spirit perfectly.

The German midfielder is a self-monikered 'Raumdeuter' or “interpreter of space,” and he has made it a point to live up to his name. His job as a 'Raumdeuter' isn’t to dribble brilliantly or score emphatically, it is, in fact, to find space and exploit them without drawing anyone’s attention.

Muller’s 'unrefined' football helps his case, as defenders often spend more time marking obvious threats than him out on the wide.

1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ Bundesliga assists for Thomas Muller!

Only Lionel Messi has more assists than @esmuellert_ in Europe's top five leagues since 2008. https://t.co/e1DpWEgnL1

Thanks to his intelligence and brilliant runs, Muller has contributed with a bucketload of goals and assists in recent years.

Over the last three seasons, the 32-year-old has netted 37 goals and provided 72 assists for Bayern, emerging as one of their leading goal-contributors.