Ranking 5 central midfielders with most goal contributions in the 21st century
In football, like every other sport, the goal is always to win. To win in football, you simply have to outscore the opposition by any means possible. In order to score goals, it is necessary for some players to provide assists to the goalscorers. Some players, however, managed to fit both goalscoring and assisting into their game, and this has helped them to be among the best.
It is enough for players to be able to score goals on a regular basis, but when they add assists to it, it becomes perfect. It is usually expected of the forwards to have these great statistics of goals and assists, but some central midfielders can rub shoulders with these forwards.
On that note, here is a list of the five central midfielders who have the most goal contributions in the 21st century.
#5 Andres Iniesta (285 Goals + Assists)
Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta is one of the most complete midfielders of his generation. His understanding of football and how and when to act on the ball makes him an elite midfielder. The Spaniard received his footballing education from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy.
Iniesta is not too well-known for his goals and assists. But his ability to play football at a level few people can imagine set him apart throughout his career.
The midfielder has managed 285 goal contributions in his professional career so far, putting him in fifth place on this list. He has scored 82 goals in club football and 13 goals for his country. This includes the most important goal in the history of Spanish football when he scored the World Cup winning goal in 2010. He also has 160 assists in club football and 30 for the Spanish national team.
2. Andres Iniesta, Vissel Kobe, MID 8.50
6 goals and 4 assists in 17.9 90s from Barcelona legend last season the first half of which he missed due to injury. If you think he can keep this tempo during the whole campaign, then he is a valuable asset for you! https://t.co/GlnMqmMljU
Among the midfielders of his generation, Iniesta remains one of the greatest to play the game. The diminutive Spaniard, 37, currently plays in the J-League for Vissel Kobe where he continues to catch the eye.
#4 Xavi (359 Goals + Assists)
Another Spanish midfielder maestro, Xavi, enjoyed a successful football career from his central midfield position. He is regarded as one of the best midfielders ever due to his intelligence and understanding of the game.
Xavi made 359 direct goal contributions in his career for club and country. The midfielder scored 109 goals for Barcelona and 12 for Spain, and made 214 assists for hte club and 24 for the country.
Throughout his career, he featured for FC Barcelona and Al Sadd, as well as the Spanish national team. He went on to become captain of Barcelona, having come through the club's academy.
Xavi vs Real Madrid 2008/09
4 assists
92/105 passes completed (88%)
6 Key passes
4 big chances created
2 shots
1 shot on target
5/6 dribbles completed
2/3 tackles won twitter.com/seriqiqi/statu…
Xavi presently manages his boyhood club Barcelona. He was appointed as the manager of the club in November 2021 after a stint in Qatar as manager of Al Sadd SC.