Bruno Fernandes reigns supreme on for chance creation in all of Europe in 23-24

There are few more impressive roles in football than that of a creative wizard, a player with the intelligence and technical ability to play passes that break through the opposition defences.

Taking a look through the number of chances created is usually illustrative of the best playmakers around, and this season is no different with star names from Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Arsenal featuring near the top.

Here are the top 10 players across Europe’s top five leagues (the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga and Serie A) for key passes – the final pass before a team-mate takes a shot at goal. We’re counting them in order of their total key passes.

The Austrian midfielder is having himself a decent season for Bochum, who are punching above their weight to sit comfortably midtable in the Bundesliga.

He recently caught the eye with an excellent display in Bochum’s surprise 3-2 victory over Bayern, notching a goal and an assist to take his overall tally to five and six for the season.

Arsenal – and by extension their playmaker captain – were often criticised in the first half of the season for not looking at their free-flowing best.

That’s all changed in recent weeks, with Mikel Arteta’s Gunners winning all five of their league outings in 2024 in style, scoring 11 goals in their last two. Once again Odegaard has been making them click – as evidenced by him shooting up the key passes rankings.

Brest have been something of a surprise package in Ligue 1 this season. They currently sit second in the table and look genuinely capable of beating the likes of Monaco, Marseille and Lille to Champions League qualification.

A huge part of their strong season has been the form of right winger Del Castillo, who has five