Creator Tier List Series: Who is Tier 1?
I’m sure many of you have been waiting with bated breath for this. I have covered the Tier 3 and Tier 2 creators. Tier 1 is reserved for consistently impressive chance creators, and some of them have ridiculous numbers indeed.
Some creators on this list were originally slated to be in Tier 2, but their numbers were too impressive for Tier 2, and so I talked myself into putting them in Tier 1. These creators can be classified as the best of the best, in some cases due to their consistency and in other cases due to their sheer ridiculousness.
Let’s get into it.
Kevin De Bruyne, Attacking midfielder, Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne (KDB) has led chance metrics almost every season for many seasons. His numbers are so ridiculously impressive that they look made-up. KDB’s prowess is perhaps most succinctly underscored by the fact that he missed more than half of the season, yet still ranks third highest for big chances created in the league this season, two less than the league’s highest, Mohamed Salah’s 22.
KDB created more than one big chance per 90 minutes (per90) last season, creating the second most big chances in the league behind only Bruno Fernandes. Since the start of last season, KDB has created the second most big chances in Europe’s top five leagues (52). He created 31 in 32 games last season and created 21 in 18 games in the just concluded 2023/24 league season.
KDB has also been ridiculous in raw chance creation numbers. He ranked second for key passes per game (3.1) last season, ranking third for volume of key passes in England. This season he ranks joint top for key passes per game (3.3) amongst players who have played more than 1000 minutes, his volume of key passes this season is heavily impacted by the fact that he played his second league game of the season in January.
KDB also ranked third in volume of through passes completed since the start of last season (25), made even more impressive by the number of games he has missed this season.
KDB is the creator many top creators aspire to be.
Bruno Fernandes, Attacking midfielder, Manchester United
Arriving at Manchester United in January 2019, Fernandes immediately showed that everything should go through him. Interestingly, his big chance creation in his first season didn’t show a player that would go on to be as good as he is now in that department, as he created just 3 big chances in 18 games that season.
Subsequent seasons showed that once again the Premier League had a special player on its hands.
Last season, the Man United captain ranked first in the league for key passes per game (3.3), volume of key passes (121) and big chances created (32). His ranking first in key passes per game AND volume of key passes suggests that he created more chances than everyone else, more regularly than everyone else. This is impressive.
He’s done it again though, ranking first in the league this season for key passes per game (3.3, again), volume of key passes (116) and ranking joint-second for big chances created (21). He has done this in a league that has other top creators.
He has also completed more through passes than any other football professional in the league since the start of the 2022/23 season (34).
I’m not just going back two seasons to make the Portugal midfielder look good by the way, Fernandes has created 19.4 big chances per season since he arrived in 2019, and that figure is only bettered by KDB’s 20.8.
Bruno has also gathered 20.9 expected assists (xA) since the start of the 2022/23 season, with only KDB doing better (21.2). With 237 chances created, Fernandes has created more chances in Europe’s top seven leagues than any other player, also creating the most big chances in that time (53).
Kevin Stöger, Attacking midfielder, VfL Bochum
To really appreciate Stöger’s numbers, you have to put it in context. The Austrian arrived at Bochum in the 2022/23 season, with Bochum arriving in the Bundesliga in the 2021/22 season.
Stöger helped the Bundesliga side stay up, putting up chance creation numbers that look ordinary, until you consider he played for a relegation-threatened side. Last season the Bochum No. 7 created 2.2 chances per game, ranking 5th-highest in the league for that campaign. He also created the 6th-highest volume of chances (69). The midfielder ranked 7th-highest in expected assists (7.8). All these from Bochum.
Those 2022/23 numbers set the stage for this season, where Stöger put up creation numbers on par with the best in Europe’s top leagues.
This season, Stöger created more chances than anyone in Europe’s top five leagues, perhaps in the whole world of football (127), creating 36 more chances than the second-best in his league. He also posted an incredible 4 key passes per game, according to Sofascore.
On the last day of the season, with Bochum needing to draw to guarantee their place in the top flight, Stöger created a record 14 chances in the game, including two big chances and an assist.
In fact, Stöger ranks 3rd-highest in the league for big chances created (17), also ranking third in xA (9.8). His numbers are particularly impressive considering that those close to him are playing for top sides in the league.
Stöger ranks number one in through passes completed since the start of the 2022/23 season (17).
Before you dismiss his brilliance on the premise that it’s the Bundesliga, consider that:
- KDB plied his trade in the Bundesliga too, creating 2.6, 3.1 and 3.3 chances per game for 14th place Werder Bremen, 5th place Wolfsburg and 2nd place Wolfsburg respectively.
- The Premier League “boasted” more goals recorded in a Premier League season than any other season (1246), averaging more goals per game (3.28) than any other top seven league including the Bundesliga (3.22), Eredivisie (3.25), and Liga Portugal Betclic (2.87).
This suggests that it’s not really more difficult to create goals scoring chances in the Premier League like public discourse will have you believe.
Jonas Hofmann, Right winger, Bayer Leverkusen
Hofmann is one of two right wingers in this tier, and that should make you understand how impressive he has been at creating goal scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Hofmann joined Leverkusen this season, from Borussia Mönchengladbach where he was the starting right winger and chief creator for the club. Even while at Mönchengladbach, Hofmann was cooking top-of-the-shelf chance creation.
Last season, Hofmann ranked first for chances created per game (3.2), creating the most chances in the league (99). He also ranked first in xA (10.9) and 4th-highest for big chances created (14).
Hofmann’s 2022/23 numbers already look brilliant, before you even consider that he was playing for a 10th place Mönchengladbach.
This season, Hofmann has again shown his creative prowess, ranking joint 5th for chance created per game (2.5), joint fifth volume of chances created (78), and joint-third for big chances created (17), creating the second most big chances for title-winning Leverkusen, behind Alejandro Grimaldo’s 18.
Franck Honorat, Right winger, Borussia Mönchengladbach
We just finished talking about Mönchengladbach, right? That is because Honorat replaced Hofmann at Mönchengladbach as the starting right winger and chief creator.
Before Mönchengladbach, Honorat was at Stade Brestois, and when he left Brest (seriously don’t laugh), he was replaced with another player in this series, you may remember him — Romain Del Castillo.
At Brest in 2022/23, Honorat ranked third-highest for chances created per game (2.7) and fourth-highest in the league for volume of chances created (89), just 11 fewer than the league’s highest: Remy Cabella’s 100. The Frenchman even created the fourth-highest volume of big chances (15), completing the second most crosses into the penalty area in open play.
This season, at 10th place Mönchengladbach, Honorat has simply continued to put up incredible chance creation numbers. This time, he ranks second in the league for chances created per game (2.8), second for volume of chances created (91), and first for big chances created (19).
Creating a total of 180 chances and 34 big chances across two seasons from 11th place Brest and 10th place Mönchengladbach is ridiculously good, good enough to be Tier 1, if I do say so myself.
Joey Veerman, Central midfielder, PSV Eindhoven
I said at the top of this piece that this tier is reserved for players with completely made up numbers (you can’t convince me it’s not), this is why Veerman makes it all the way to Tier 1, despite playing in the Eredivisie, which is admittedly not as strong a league as Europe’s top five leagues.
Consistent game time and creative freedom bring out the true creative quality of footballers, and Veerman has been something else chance creation wise, especially this season.
Veerman ranked second for chances created per game in the Eredivisie last season (3.1), second for total volume of chances created (100), and third-highest for big chances created (17). These numbers are extremely good in and off themselves, until you realize that it got better the following season. Much better. His 2023/24 season was simply…let’s just get into it.
Veerman ranked first in the just concluded 2023/24 Eredivisie season for key passes per game (4.6), volume of key passes (134), and big chances created (25). It gets crazier, because the PSV №23 did not play up to 30 league games this season, he only played 29 out of an available 34 games.
Veerman created a whopping 62 more chances than second place Calvin Stengs, despite both players playing the same number of games, with Stengs starting two fewer games.
Veerman has also completed the joint most through balls in the league since the beginning of last season (19).
PSV had an insane season, and Veerman was at the heart of everything.
Whether you respect the Dutch League or not, 4.6 chances per game and 134 chances in 29 games is unreal, and anyone who can do that anywhere, deserves his flowers.
That’s the end of the Creator Tier List Series, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it. Keep your eyes peeled for my next Tier List series.
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