Ranking the 5 current PSG players with the most assists for the club
On paper at least PSG have managed to assemble one of the strongest squads in Europe this summer. Undoubtedly, it feels like the best squad they have ever had. With the arrival of Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnaruma and Achraf Hakimi, things look extremely exciting for the club.
Certainly in Ligue 1, it seems like PSG will be able to recover from last year's title slip to Lille. The Parisians are currently sitting 10 points clear of second-placed Rennes.
It will be interesting to see if the new faces can combine with former pillars like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria to lead a Champions League charge.
PSG superstars have coordinated well with each other on the field over the years
With Messi now a part of the PSG squad, the perception of how much he contributes to their success is bound to belittle the efforts of others. He is a great playmaker and his arrival will mean the French club will have plenty to finish with in front of goal.
It should be noted that they still have their top providers of goals who have regularly been setting up finishing chances for fellow team-mates.
So before PSG become all about Messi, it's fair to take a look at those who have been contributing to this side to the best of their capabilities. Here are the five current PSG players with the most assists for the club:
#5 Julian Draxler - 41 assists
Despite playing for one of the biggest clubs in football, Julian Draxler has fallen off the radar. At 28, he has had chances to revive his career but staying put at PSG hasn't helped him re-establish himself as the star he was on arrival. The German international hasn't had a prolific season as such in France but he's been decent.
In his 188 appearances for the French giants, Draxler has managed 41 assists. The 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons were his most successful ones in a PSG shirt, where he managed 15 and 17 goals contributions respectively.
Sometimes due to injury and sometimes due to the sheer quality around him, Draxler hasn't been a consistent name in the starting line-up. In the past two years, he has only started 19 games from a possible 68.
This Julian Draxler did seem abit expensive but the card on paper looks SO GOOD, hopefully that's reflected in game!
W or L? #FIFA22 https://t.co/r9O9C0iT4N
Recently, Draxler was called up to the German National squad by Hansi Flick for World Cup Qualifiers earlier this month. However, due to an injury, the PSG attacker missed the opportunity to make a return to the national side after last playing in 2020.
#4 Neymar Jr. - 55 assists
From being the bossman at PSG, entertaining crowds, enjoying his football, embarrassing defenders and breaking defenses, Neymar Jr. now looks a shadow of his former self. Before his match-winning brace against Bordeaux, Neymar had only scored one goal in seven games and that was a penalty.
One would expect the Brazilian to use the opportunity to link up with Messi and Mbappe to his advantage, feeding the lethal pair of finishers from the left wing. Since arriving at the club, he has provided 55 assists for PSG. Additionally, it is worth noting that he has been quite an attacking force by himself, racking up 90 goals in that time.
Neymar's legend was born with this incredible solo goal 🤩
(via @SantosFC)
https://t.co/CYeBrIMHPg
Clearly, with the new arrivals at PSG, their €222 million star should be looking at increasing those numbers at a faster rate than ever. There is not the same cutting edge about Neymar's game now, he is aging yes, but he's still just 29.
His energy and efficiency have both suffered, and if he's unable to recover from this downhill slide, testing times could be waiting for the Brazilian and PSG.