Villarreal star leading Lamine Yamal & Kevin De Bruyne as Europe’s most decisive creator

A key member of the midfield ranks at La Liga outfit Villarreal stands out as the leading assist-provider across Europe’s top-5 leagues this calendar year.

The player in question? Álex Baena.

Midfielder/winger Baena has for his part long been making a name for himself as one of the standout creative talents in all of Spanish football.

A wonderfully-talented operator boasting vision, touch, and final ball, the 23-year-old was rewarded for his excellence last season by way of an inclusion in Spain’s triumphant squad at Euro 2024.

And Baena, since, has only continued to add to his reputation.

Across six appearances thus far this season, the Villarreal youth product has racked up four assists in La Liga.

As revealed by statisticians Opta, as much takes his tally for the calendar year to a total of 12 league assists, more than any other player in Europe’s top-5 divisions.

2nd on the list unsurprisingly comes Manchester City standout Kevin De Bruyne, joined on 11 by Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.

Looking further down, Spanish pair Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Grimaldo round out the top-5, with nine assists apiece.

Conor Laird – GSFN