Creating chances is a habit, and a few players have made it look routine across Europe’s top five leagues. Since 2015/16, the leaderboard for single-season big chances created has a very familiar name at the top. Lionel Messi owns the top three spots, setting a benchmark that still frames how we talk about elite playmaking. The latest numbers come from Sofascore’s database and cover the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1.

Messi’s output shows why chance creation remains one of football’s most valuable currencies. Behind him, a new 33-club has formed this season, with Federico Dimarco and Bruno Fernandes joining Kevin De Bruyne on that mark. Add Ángel Di María’s two entries and last season’s surge from Michael Olise, and we have a tidy map of Europe’s best suppliers over the last decade of campaigns.

Messi’s triple standard at the top

Messi’s 37 big chances created for Barcelona in 2015/16 is still the gold standard. He followed that with 36 in 2019/20 and 34 in 2018/19, which means the podium is a clean sweep. Different teammates, same outcome, a steady stream of final passes that put colleagues in positions where they should score. In Sofascore terms, that level of chance creation typically pushes a player’s Sofascore Rating into elite territory, even without a flood of assists.

The metric itself is simple to grasp. A big chance is a high-value opportunity, the type where the receiver is expected to convert. It filters out hopeful balls into the box and rewards genuine creativity. Messi’s consistency in this area helped Barcelona maintain top attacking numbers through various tactical tweaks. When a player dominates a key metric across multiple seasons, that becomes the reference point for everyone else.

Dimarco’s 33 and the rise of the wide playmaker

Federico Dimarco joining the 33 club in 2025/26 is a storyline on its own. Doing it as a wing-back for Inter makes it even more impressive, since full-backs and wing-backs usually share creation duties with midfielders and forwards. Dimarco’s service from the left, quick switches and smart cut-backs have turned territory into real chances. Inter’s structure gives him volume, but the precision comes from his left foot.

Reaching 33 big chances puts him level with two of the era’s best passers. It also underlines how Serie A’s top sides now build through wide zones and late runs into the box. On Sofascore, you can see how Dimarco’s chance creation pairs with expected assists and key passes to tell a fuller story. For a defender to sit among the best single-season creators since 2015/16 says plenty about positional evolution at the elite level.

De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes keep the bar high

Kevin De Bruyne’s 33 in 2019/20 was the first big marker of the VAR era for Premier League creators. He combined set-piece accuracy with open-play through balls, which gave Manchester City a constant supply line. His range, from whipped crosses to disguised passes, explains why that total still stands among the best. When City had territory, De Bruyne converted it into clean looks on goal better than anyone.

Bruno Fernandes has now crossed 30 in two different seasons, 2022/23 with 32 and 2025/26 with 33. That repeat entry shows durability as well as craft, because creating big chances at this rate requires volume and decision making. His mix of early crosses, chips into space and quick layoffs suits fast runners. Manchester United’s attackers thrive on those deliveries when movement is sharp. Track his game-by-game data on Sofascore and you will notice how spikes often align with tactical tweaks that free him between the lines.

Di María and Olise headline the 32 club

Ángel Di María appears on the list twice, with 32 in 2019/20 for Paris and 31 in 2015/16, which keeps him among the decade’s consistent elite. He has long been a specialist at bending passes behind defenses from the right half-space. Even as roles shifted around star teammates, his final ball stayed reliable. Two separate seasons at this level underline how repeatable his technique is across systems.

Michael Olise produced 32 in 2024/25, a breakout that signaled his jump from promising to truly influential. Palace leaned on his deliveries from wide positions and quick combos around the box. The total shows how a young creator can match established names when usage and confidence align. It also hints at a Premier League landscape where set-pieces and transition moments are maximized. With Sofascore’s match pages, you can track how often these creators turn possession into clear looks, beyond the assist column.

What this list tells us

Across the last decade of top-flight seasons, the very best creators blend vision with repetition. Messi’s top three illustrate an unmatched peak. Dimarco’s 33 shows how wing-backs can drive elite output in modern Serie A structures. De Bruyne and Bruno provide the Premier League’s steady benchmark, while Di María and Olise prove there is more than one route to 32.

If you want the full picture, go beyond assists and check big chances created, expected assists and the overall Sofascore Rating for context. Not every great pass becomes a goal, but the intent and quality show up in these numbers. Follow live match feeds on Sofascore to see how each creative action builds toward those season totals. The patterns are clear, and the names keep delivering.