A player who can run with the ball with aplomb, while not the most effective weapon, is a desirable trait for any manager. They can help stretch opposition defences and maxismise the running ability to help pry teams apart in pursuit of goal. Against sides that are remaining steadfast and compact, a moment of magic from a player would help turn one point into three in pursuit of glory.
With the importance of full-backs providing width, then, it’s no surprise to see Atletico Madrid’s Filipe Luis feature in the top 20 dribblers in Europe’s top five leagues this season. The Brazilian left-back, who was hardly given a fair crack of the whip during his solitary season at Chelsea, has made more dribbles (61) than any other defender on the continent this term. His effective overlapping tendencies means he offers another route to goal for Atletico.
His dribbling exploits in La Liga, though, are overshadowed by Barcelona pair Neymar and Lionel Messi. Neymar ranks second for dribbles in Europe’s top five leagues this season, with 125, while Messi is down in seventh with 83 to his name. While Neymar provides widith, Lionel Messi tends to drift in from the right and cause havoc on the edge of the opposition's penalty area. Not only are both capable of beating players in one-one-one situations, but they also have end product to match.
The same, though, cannot be said of Adama Traore. The former Barcelona and Aston Villa attacker may have completed 110 dribbles in the Premier League this season, that in turn the fourth most in Europe’s top five leagues, but he lacks intelligence in the final third, which tends to negate him as a real threat. Indeed, the 21-year-old is averaging just 0.4 shots and 0.6 key passes per game this season - a poor return for a winger - with it little shock that he is yet to score or assist a league goal for Middlesbrough.
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Conversely, Eden Hazard has combined his dribbling quality with a fine end product, with the Chelsea star completing the third most dribbles (119) in Europe’s top five leagues this season. The 26-year-old has 11 goals and four assists to his name, while his WhoScored rating (7.89) is the best in the Premier League to date.
In Serie A, meanwhile, the league’s top dribbler is Lazio star Felipe Anderson, who has completed more dribbles (93) than any player in Italy’s top tier. Like Hazard, Anderson is his league’s top rated player having gained a 7.75 this season, with three goals and eight assists from 2.1 shots and 2.1 key passes per game assisting in this.
The top dribbler in Europe’s top five leagues this season, however, comes from Ligue 1, with youngster Allan Saint-Maximin leading the way with 127 dribbles to reinforce a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘dribbling’. While the 20-year-old has faltered in terms of goal contribution, it says more about Bastia’s goalscoring woes. They've only scored 24 goals in the league this season and tend to spend most of their matches with a man disadvantage having been shown nine red cards in 2017 alone. Florian Thauvin also warrants an honourable mention, with his fine form out wide earning a call up to the France side, while RB Leipzig's Naby Keita (68) has completed more dribbles than any central midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
