The Premier League Playmaker of the Year award is a newer accolade celebrating the single-season leader for assists. And this season, there’s a strong chance for a changing of the guard in the single-season record books.
Mohamed Salah’s 17 assists with a couple of months to play puts him well within sight of the Premier League record shared by Kevin De Bruyne (2019-20) and Thierry Henry (2002-03).
De Bruyne’s reign as chief chance distributor sees him the winner of three of the seven all-time Playmaker of the Year awards since the trophy was instituted in the 2017-18 season.
[ MORE: Premier League all-time assist leaders ]
But KDB is in a deep, deep hole thanks to a long absence and red-hot seasons from Arsenal bright light Bukayo Saka and Liverpool living legend Mohamed Salah, the latter of which is seeking his second Playmaker of the Year award.
Ollie Watkins led the way last season after usual suspect De Bruyne missed half of the season and “only” rung up 10 assists to Watkins’ 13.
De Bruyne had made winning the award a habit and had hope of reclaiming the Premier League Playmaker Award, but the stars of this run have been Salah, Saka, Mikkel Damsgaard, Heung-min Son, and USMNT star Antonee Robinson.
Premier League Playmaker of the Year award winners, all-time
2017-18: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City — 16 assists
2018-19: Eden Hazard, Chelsea — 15 assists
2019-20: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City — 20 assists
2020-21: Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotpsur — 14 assists
2021-22: Mohamed Salah, Liverpool — 13 assists
2022-23: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City — 16 assists
2023-24: Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa — 13 assists
Who has the most assists in Premier League history?
Manchester United stalwart Ryan Giggs seemingly forever and racked up 162 assists in Premier League play.
De Bruyne is second with... 119. So, yeah, the record is safe.
Giggs’ 632 PL appearances are third all-time behind Gareth Barry and James Milner.
Premier League 2024-25 assist leaders
- Mohamed Salah, Liverpool — 18
- Bukayo Saka, Arsenal — 10
- Mikkel Damsgaard, Brentford — 10
- Antonee Robinson, Fulham — 10
- Jacob Murphy, Newcastle United — 10
- Heung-min Son, Tottenham Hotspur — 9
- Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United — 9
- Anthony Elanga, Nottingham Forest — 9
- Savinho, Manchester City — 8
- Eberechi Eze, Crystal Palace — 8
- Cole Palmer, Chelsea — 8
- Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest — 7
- Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City — 7
- Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa — 7
- Amad Diallo, Manchester United — 6
- Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle United — 6
- Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool — 6
- Joao Pedro, Brighton & Hove Albion — 6
- Justin Kluivert, Bournemouth — 6
- Elliot Anderson, Nottingham Forest — 6
- Jean Ricner-Bellegarde, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 6
- Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa — 6
- James Maddison, Tottenham Hotspur — 6
- Youri Tielemans, Aston Villa — 6
- Declan Rice, Arsenal — 6
- Alexander Isak, Newcastle United — 6
- Rayan Ait-Nouri, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 5
- Anthony Gordon, Newcastle United — 5
- Marcus Tavernier, Bournemouth — 5
- Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea — 5
- Pedro Porro, Tottenham Hotspur — 5
- Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea — 5
- Jarrod Bowen, West Ham United — 5
- Bryan Mbeumo, Brentford — 5
- Luis Diaz, Liverpool — 5
- Adama Traore, Fulham — 5
- Leandro Trossard, Arsenal — 5
- Milos Kerkez, Bournemouth — 5
- Alex Iwobi, Fulham — 5
- Jeremy Doku, Manchester City — 4
- Wilfred Ndidi, Leicester City — 4
- Bernardo Silva, Manchester City — 4
- Goncalo Guedes, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 4
- Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham Hotspur — 4
- Matheus Cunha, Wolves — 4
- Jadon Sancho, Chelsea — 4
- Dango Ouattara, Bournemouth — 4
- Matheus Nunes, Manchester City — 4
- Danny Welbeck, Brighton & Hove Albion — 4
- Antoine Semenyo, Bournemouth — 4
- Lucas Digne, Aston Villa — 4
- Lewis Hall, Newcastle United — 4
- Jack Clarke, Ipswich Town — 4
- Martin Odegaard, Arsenal — 4
- Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal — 4
- Daniel Munoz, Crystal Palace — 4
- Tyrick Mitchell, Crystal Palace — 4
- Andreas Pereira, Fulham — 4
- Pedro Neto, Chelsea — 4
- Nelson Semedo, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 4
- Yankuba Minteh, Brighton & Hove Albion — 4
- Ismaila Sarr, Crystal Palace — 4
- Ilkay Gundogan, Manchester City — 4
- Ederson, Manchester City — 4
- Dwight McNeil, Everton — 4
- Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool — 4
- Ashley Young, Everton — 3
- Vitaly Janelt, Brentford — 3
- Lewis Cook, Bournemouth — 3
- Mario Lemina, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 3
- Timo Werner, Tottenham Hotspur — 3
- Jamie Vardy, Leicester City — 3
- John McGinn, Aston Villa — 3
- Dominic Solanke, Tottenham Hotspur — 3
- Will Hughes, Crystal Palace — 3
- Noni Madueke, Chelsea — 3
- Kaoru Mitoma, Brighton & Hove Albion — 3
- Cody Gakpo, Liverpool — 3
- Tyler Adams, Bournemouth — 3
- Bobby De Cordova Reid, Leicester City — 3
- Curtis Jones, Liverpool — 3
- Kai Havertz, Arsenal — 3
- Raul Jimenez, Fulham — 3
- Erling Haaland, Manchester City — 3
- Diogo Jota, Liverpool — 3
- Marcus Rashford, Manchester United/Aston Villa — 3
- Chris Wood, Nottingham Forest — 3
- Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool — 3
- Idrissa Gana Gueye, Everton — 3
- Mateus Fernandes, Southampton — 3
- Jacob Ramsey, Aston Villa — 3
- Harvey Barnes, Newcastle United — 3
- Georginio Rutter, Brighton & Hove Albion — 3
- Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool — 3
- Diogo Dalot, Manchester United — 3
- Joelinton, Newcastle United — 3
- Micky van de Ven, Tottenham Hotspur — 2
- Facundo Buonanotte, Leicester City — 2
- Adam Lallana, Southampton — 2
- Rico Lewis, Manchester City — 2
- Pape Sarr, Tottenham Hotspur — 2
- Abdul Fatawu, Leicester City — 2
- Moises Caicedo, Chelsea — 2
- Harry Winks, Leicester City — 2
- Leon Bailey, Aston Villa — 2
- Leif Davis, Ipswich Town — 2
- Emile Smith Rowe, Fulham — 2
- Jorgen Strand Larsen, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 2
- Tariq Lamptey, Brighton & Hove Albion — 2
- Kyle Walker-Peters, Southampton — 2
- Christian Norgaard, Brentford — 2
- Marc Cucurella, Chelsea — 2
- Darwin Nunez, Liverpool — 2
- Kevin Schade, Brentford — 2
- Thomas Partey, Arsenal — 2
- Adam Armstrong, Southampton — 2
- Mats Wieffer, Brighton & Hove Albion — 2
- Kenny Tete, Fulham — 2
- Liam Delap, Ipswich Town — 2
- Yoane Wissa, Brentford — 2
- Alejandro Garnacho, Manchester United — 2
- Mads Roerslev, Brentford — 2
- Keane Lewis-Potter, Brentford — 2
- Sasa Lukic, Fulham — 2
- Calum Hudson-Odoi, Nottingham Forest — 2
- Phil Foden, Manchester City — 2
- Mateo Kovacic, Manchester City — 2
- Ibrahima Konate, Liverpool — 2
- Ryan Christie, Bournemouth — 2
- Omari Hutchinson, Ipswich Town — 2
- Marc Guehi, Crystal Palace — 2
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka, West Ham United— 2
- Joe Willock, Newcastle United — 2
- Jurrien Timber, Arsenal — 2
- Nikola Milenkovic, Nottingham Forest — 2
- Marshall Munetsi, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 2
- Ethan Nwaneri, Arsenal — 2
- Julio Enciso, Brighton / Ipswich Town — 2
- Raheem Sterling, Arsenal — 2
- Dara O’Shea, Ipswich Town — 2
- James Ward-Prowse, Nottingham Forest/West Ham United — 2
- Mohammed Kudus, West Ham United — 2
- Pablo Sarabia, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 2
- Ian Maatsen, Aston Villa — 2
- Neco Williams, Nottingham Forest — 2
- Djed Spence, Tottenham Hotspur — 2
- Bilal El Khannous, Leicester City — 2
- Nathan Collins, Brentford — 2
- Ben Johnson, Ipswich Town — 2
- Brennan Johnson, Tottenham Hotspur — 2
- Sandro Tonali, Newcastle United — 2
- Jack Grealish, Manchester City — 1
- Ross Barkley, Aston Villa — 1
- Luis Sinisterra, Bournemouth — 1
- Destiny Udogie, Tottenham Hotspur — 1
- Simon Adingra, Brighton & Hove Albion — 1
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton — 1
- Mathias Jensen, Brentford — 1
- Noussair Mazraoui, Manchester United — 1
- Fabio Carvalho, Brentford — 1
- Maxence Lacroix, Crystal Palace — 1
- Reiss Nelson, Fulham — 1
- Jota Silva, Nottingham Forest — 1
- Michail Antonio, West Ham United — 1
- Toti Gomes, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 1
- Carlos Baleba, Brighton & Hove Albion — 1
- Conor Chaplin, Ipswich Town — 1
- James Justin, Leicester City — 1
- Jan Paul van Hecke, Brighton & Hove Albion — 1
- George Hirst, Ipswich Town — 1
- Lloyd Kelly, Newcastle United — 1
- Max Kilman, West Ham United — 1
- Tommy Doyle, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 1
- Bernd Leno, Fulham — 1
- Rodrigo Muniz, Fulham — 1
- Romeo Lavia, Chelsea — 1
- Danny Ings, West Ham United — 1
- Joshua Zirkzee, Manchester United — 1
- Ben White, Arsenal — 1
- Alex Moreno. Nottingham Forest — 1
- Sam Morsy, Ipswich Town — 1
- Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool — 1
- Yukinari Sugawara, Southampton — 1
- Richarlison, Tottenham Hotspur — 1
- Jean-Philippe Mateta, Crystal Palace — 1
- Joao Gomes, Wolverhampton Wanderers — 1
- Enes Unal, Bournemouth — 1
- Wes Burns, Ipswich Town — 1
- Emerson Palmieri, West Ham United — 1
- Carlos Soler, West Ham — 1
- Kasey McAteer, Leicester City — 1
- Victor Kristiansen, Leicester City — 1
- Crysencio Summerville, West Ham — 1
- Joao Felix, Chelsea — 1
- Christopher Nkunku, Chelsea — 1
- Malo Gusto, Chelsea — 1
- Mark Flekken, Brentford — 1
- Cameron Burgess, Ipswich Town — 1
- Pervis Estupinan, Brighton & Hove Albion — 1
- Eddie Nketiah, Crystal Palace — 1
- Lisandro Martinez, Manchester United — 1
- Gabriel Magalhaes, Arsenal — 1
- Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal — 1
- Levi Colwill, Chelsea — 1
- Niclas Fullkrug, Wes Ham United — 1
- Timothy Castagne, Fulham — 1
- Stephy Mavididi, Leicester City — 1
- James Hill, Bournemouth — 1
- Tomas Soucek, West Ham United — 1
- Mikel Merino, Arsenal — 1
- Konstantinos Tsimikas, Liverpool — 1
- Matthew O’Riley, Brighton & Hove Albion — 1
- Christian Eriksen, Manchester United — 1
- Harry Wilson, Fulham — 1
- Harvey Elliott, Liverpool — 1
- Ola Aina, Nottingham Forest — 1
- Lesley Ugochukwu, Southampton — 1
- Mikey Moore, Tottenham Hotspur — 1
- Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Chelsea — 1
- Trevoh Chalobah, Chelsea — 1
- James Bree, Southampton — 1
- Edson Alvarez, West Ham United — 1
- Ibrahim Sangare, Nottingham Forest — 1
- Jordan Pickford, Everton — 1
- James Tarkowski, Everton — 1
- James Garner, Everton — 1
- Jarrad Branthwaite, Everton — 1
- Timothy Iroegbunam, Everton — 1
- Bart Verbruggen, Brighton — 1
- Paul Onuachu, Southampton — 1
- Carlos Alcaraz, Everton — 1
- Abdoulaye Doucoure, Everton — 1
- Brajan Gruda, Brighton & Hove Albion — 1
- Axel Tuanzebe, Ipswich Town — 1
- Vitaliy Mykolenko, Everton — 1
- Yasin Ayari, Brighton & Hove Albion — 1
- Lucas Bergvall, Tottenham Hotspur — 1
- Ryan Yates, Nottingham Forest — 1
- Ryan Sessegnon, Fulham — 1
- Conor Townsend, Ipswich Town — 1
- Jefferson Lerma, Crystal Palace — 1
- Marco Asensio, Aston Villa — 1
- Evanilson, Bournemouth — 1
- David Brooks, Bournemouth — 1
- Rodrigo Bentancur, Tottenham Hotspur — 1
- Dane Scarlett, Tottenham Hotspur — 1
- Matt O’Riley, Brighton & Hove Albion — 1
- Dean Huijsen, Bournemouth — 1
- Conor Bradley, Liverpool — 1
- Kamaldeen Sulemana, Southampton — 1
- Valentino Livramento, Newcastle United — 1
- Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace — 1
- Kieran Trippier, Newcastle United — 1
