Manchester City have had several players at their disposal who have been world-class passers.
David Silva’s name is one that stands out in particular — as the Spaniard could both register 15 assists during the 2011/2012 season while also being a master at playing the pass before the one that leads to a goal.
The Manchester City legend’s incisive through balls also routinely found the likes of Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane — who would seemingly be ready to run beyond defences due to the midfield maestro’s one-of-a-kind eye for a pass.
Nowadays, Rodri too is one of the best passers in the world.
Unlike most defensive midfielders of yesteryear, the £62.5 million man is also capable of playing inch-perfect passes in the final third that either lead to an assist or a pre-assist.
For instance, Rodri’s delightfully clipped pass during Manchester City’s 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest last season found Kyle Walker, who set up Phil Foden’s well-taken opening goal.
As a player who often plays as an attacking midfielder, passing is a crucial component of Cole Palmer’s game.
Palmer makes fresh Kevin De Bruyne claim
With that being the case, the Chelsea attacker would have often kept a close eye on how some of his former teammates at the Etihad Stadium passed the ball.
The 22-year-old was spoilt for choice, as even City’s centre-backs in John Stones and Ruben Dias are proficient passers.
In midfield, the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Foden were also experts at this very facet of the game.
Speaking to GOAL, Palmer was quizzed about which player he thinks is the best passer to have ever graced the game — including both current and former players.
The England international named Kevin De Bruyne as one of the names.
Palmer said: “You’ve got KDB [Kevin De Bruyne], you’ve got Trent [Alexander-Arnold]”, before saying, “Toni Kroos.”
Every midfielder should study how De Bruyne passes the ball
As a number 10, Palmer would especially have been inspired by De Bruyne due to his tremendous final ball.
However, midfielders across every role in the middle of the park should study how the Belgian passes the ball.
From De Bruyne’s technique, the weight he puts on the ball and how ambitious his passing is — all such aspects have made him a masterful passer.
Any midfielder who can even develop into half the standard of passer the Manchester City vice-captain is will almost certainly go on to become a huge asset for any team they play for.
