Lionel Messi and Neymar may be playing their football away from the spotlight nowadays, but a new generation of exciting players have emerged to take their place as the dribble kings of European football.
A perfectly executed dribble arguably remains the most thrilling sight in football and some sensationally talented ballers possess the ability to have the opposition left regularly eating their dust.
Ranked by the total number of successful dribbles completed, here are the 10 dribblers across Europe’s five major leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga) so far in 2023-24. If two players are tied, we’ve put them in order of who has the superior success ratio.
10. Jeremy Doku – 78
Considering Doku has only played 25 Premier League matches this season, it’s impressive in itself that he manages to make this list.
There may be question marks over his end product, but the Manchester City winger has been a nightmare for opposition full-backs to track and is one of the most exciting footballers in European football on his day.
Doku completes a successful dribble every 18.7 minutes in the English top flight, which is more frequently than any player that features in this list.
9. Florian Wirtz – 79
Talked up as the next great German export from the Bundesliga, Wirtz is only 20 years old but already has over 100 appearances under his belt for boyhood club Bayer Leverkusen.
Just as adept at creating chances as he is at dribbling, Wirtz has grown into a talismanic figure for Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga champions.
As well as his superb ability with the ball at his feet, there’s end product too – only himself and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins have hit double figures for both goals and assists (11 apiece) this season.
8. Xavi Simons – 84
PSG have an absolute superstar on their hands. He’s been a joy to watch out on loan at RB Leipzig this season.
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7. Edon Zhegrova – 86
Lille have an excellent reputation when it comes to developing technically gifted wingers and Zhegrova looks like their latest star.
Following his arrival from Basel in January 2022, the 24-year-old has gone from strength to strength in his new surroundings.
6. Jamal Musiala – 87
The Germany international has absolutely rocketed his place up towards the upper echelons of these dribble charts in recent weeks.
The 21-year-old is rated as one of the most exciting youngsters in European football for good reason.
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5. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 88
We fell in love with the Georgian winger last season following his heroics which led Napoli to their first league title since 1990. Their campaign to retain their title has been underwhelming but Kvaradona remains one of Serie A’s most beguiling attackers.
Kvaratskhelia is one of the best in the business when it comes to dribbling, having averaged 2.8 successful dribbles per game during the 2023-24 campaign.
4. Matias Soule – 90
Juventus fans will have been keeping a close eye on Soule who has looked excellent while on loan with Frosinone.
The 21-year-old was loaned out to gain some vital first-team experience and he’s been ripping things up in his new surroundings.
He’s already scored 10 goals this season and has been one of the best dribblers in Europe. He’s definitely someone to look out for – an outside bet for Argentina’s Copa America squad this summer.
3. Savio – 91
Girona have been the surprise package of the 2023-24. They may have fallen away dramatically in recent months, but they’re still ultimately punching well above their weight to challenge for Champions League qualification.
Their success is largely thanks to players like Savio, who have been playing out of their skin. The Brazilian winger has chipped in with eight goals and eight assists and has completed more dribbles than the likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
It’s no surprise that Manchester City have already signed him up for next season.
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2. Leroy Sane – 93
Those who regularly watched the Germany international for Manchester City won’t be surprised to see him feature here.
Having seen his career interrupted by a serious injury, we’ve spent the last few years waiting for Sane to be the world-beater he looked destined to become at Manchester City.
Now there’s no more waiting. Working under Thomas Tuchel and linking up with Harry Kane, Sane is an absolute wizard with the ball at his feet. Real Madrid beware.
1. Mohammed Kudus – 103
Kudus has been a revelation since joining West Ham from Ajax last summer, providing regular moments of jaw-dropping skill and adding another dimension to David Moyes’ attack.
If the Ghana international continues to impress, we’d expect one of the Premier League’s big guns to make a move for the forward in the near future.
