Ibrahimović, Agüero & Co - Players with the most top-five league goal contributions since 2000

Since the turn of the century 24 years ago, football fans have been blessed with some of the best entertainment in the game's history. Goals and spine-tingling moments have been aplenty. From Liverpool's famous Champions League comeback in Istanbul, to 5000/1 shots Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2016, the drama has been fascinating. Whilst modern football has become such a multi-faceted game, with tactics for just about every aspect, it's goals that football supporters live for. 

The players that can score themself or provide their teammates with chances to put it in the back of the net are often the most valuable and the most adored. But in the 21st century, which players have had the most direct goal contributions in Europe's top-five leagues? At Transfermarkt, we have crunched the numbers to see who the most effective attacking players have been in those divisions since 2000. There are some legendary names, and some players you may be surprised to see so high on the list.

The players with the most top-five league goal contributions since 2000

In first place is the great Lionel Messi. His numbers are simply astonishing. In 578 games in LaLiga and Ligue 1, the Argentine has 743 direct goal contributions. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner scored 496 goals, whilst providing 247 assists in the top-five leagues. As many as 690 of those goal contributions came in the Spanish top-flight with Barca, with Messi adding a further 53 in Ligue 1 with the Parisians. In second place is the prolific Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar boasts 646 direct goal contributions in 626 matches in the top-five leagues. Those numbers came with Manchester United in the Premier League (over two spells), Real Madrid in Laliga, and Juventus in Serie A.

There is then some drop off from the alien numbers produced by Messi and Ronaldo. In third is Polish striker Robert Lewandowski with 460 top-five league goal contributions in 466 games at Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and now Barcelona. Fourth place goes to Zlatan Ibrahimović, with the big Swede providing 426 goals and assists in 467 matches. He is followed in fifth by former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who got 423 goal contributions in 551 games.

In sixth place is Bayern legend Thomas Müller, with 358 goal contributions in 483 games - the German is the first player on the list to have all his goals and assists at just one club. Seventh goes to former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suárez - the Uruguayan got 356 goal contributions in 368 games. In eighth place is Manchester City legend Sergio Agüero, with 336 goal contributions in 454 matches. Ninth goes to Roma legend Francesco Totti with 327 goals and assists in 459 games, with Bayern's Harry Kane completing the top 10 with 322 goal contributions in 362 games.