Best Crossers in Football - Art of Precision

Nothing will make the fans bring up player salaries as a botched cross attempt from a winger of a full-back. Consistently getting blocked, floating the ball too high and slow, or not even getting the ball in the air, all of these cause collective groans from the audience. The best crossers in football are on the opposite side of the spectrum.

They give defenders headaches when aiming for the box and then cut the defences from the sides.

Looking at the number of crosses, the crosses that made it into the penalty area, and the eye test, here are the best crossers in football in 2024.

#10 Andrew Robertson (Liverpool & Scotland)

A part of the one-two crossing punch Liverpool used to be a world-class team in the Jurgen Klopp era. Andrew Robertson has ranked high in the Premier League rankings for crossing, making appearances in the top five league's top five too. The industrious left-back has made 1,363 crosses in the Premier League alone, with a success rate of 21%, despite LFC fielding smaller forwards until the arrival of Darwin Nunez.

#9 Antonio Candreva (Salernitana & Italy)

With a long and illustrious career, Antonio Candreva has managed to get on a number of seasonal highlight videos. Yet crossing has been his bread and butter. The 36-year-old was first for crosses in multiple Serie A seasons and topped the continent even in the 2016/2017 season. Then, he made 375 crosses in a single campaign! Yet his recent efforts have been great too, with three top-10 rankings for crosses into the penalty area across the current and the last two campaigns!

#8 David Raum (RB Leipzig & Germany)

Perhaps another lesser-known name, yet the Bundesliga has been fruitful for the crossers of the ball with its high-paced tempo and open spaces. David Raum has been exploiting that for years now, as he was the best at crosses into the penalty area in the top five European leagues in the 2021/2022 season. Then getting the number one spot on a league level the next year. The same thing goes for the sheer number of crosses as he was top five in the top five European championships for two seasons straight.

#7 Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina & Italy)

Fiorentina's key player has been first in Serie A crossing numbers for two seasons straight now. Making 300 in the 2022/2023 campaign, the second-best number in the big 5 European leagues! Biraghi is one of several left-footed players who have found themselves on this very exclusive list of best crossers in football. For five seasons straight, Biraghi has also been in Serie A's top 10 players for crosses into the penalty area for six seasons straight!

#6 Borna Sosa (Stuttgart & Croatia)

Borna Sosa might not be the most well-known name on the list, but the Croatian international has topped the five big European divisions in crosses into the penalty area for the 2022/2023 season. He was ranked six the year prior. The 25-year-old is just entering his prime yet he has already ranked quite high for the number of crosses too, being in the top 10 for 2021/2022, and in the top five for the season following. Sosa has 35 assists for Stuttgart in 115, and the left-back is certified as one of the best crossers of the ball.

#5 James Ward-Prowse (West Ham United & England)

The Premier League is highly internationalized, yet it's not a surprise that the list of the best crossers of the ball will have several Brits here. JWP certainly deserves a spot on the list as he is known for his soft technique which makes him a dead ball specialist. But Ward-Prowse was also the man with the most crosses in the Premier League in the 2021/2022 season - 302 of them. Overall, he has made 2,015 crosses in the PL, with a precision rate of 26%!

#4 Filip Kostic (Juventus & Serbia)

Being relentless is a key attribute in Filip Kostic's game. He just keeps going and going. The defenders might block or intercept some of his crosses, but the Serbian just keeps getting into dangerous zones and whips them in. Kostic shows great variety when picking crosses, and could be better than all his peers at low crosses. Especially when cutting back for the oncoming midfielders.

Crosstic made second-most crosses into the penalty area in the top five leagues in three seasons! Playing in Germany and Italy. His numbers per season standing at 45, 43, 43, and 31. Juve's wing-back was also the first in Europe for crosses made in the 2021/2022, 2020/2021, and 2019/2020 seasons! He has recorded 117 assists in his club career too!

#3 Trent Alexander Arnold (Liverpool & England)

TAA has an amazing success rate for crosses in the Premier League, with 1,626 attempts, getting 26% of them to the target. The sheer number shows the longevity the 25-year-old already has behind him, as he was the top Premier League crosser multiple times. Finding himself in the top 10 lists across Europe. Trent really shines at crosses into penalty area, as he topped the PL rankings for three seasons, with his best season counting to 31 successful deliveries into the most dangerous zone.

#2 Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United & England)

Unsurprisingly really, Kieran Trippier finds himself as one of the very best crossers in fotball with a firm record to showcase for his abilities. Trippier has been the second-best Premier League player at placing crosses into the penalty area in the 2022/2023 season with 26 dishes. In the 2023/2024 season he is leading the pack with 14 at half-season. Overall, he made 1,294 crosses in the league known for loving them the most. With a massive success rate of 30%!

#1 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)

A list for any type of passes and KDB will be at the very top. While he is technically an attacking midfielder in the centre of the pitch, De Bruyne roams the grass finding the space wherever possible. Often on the flanks, where he sends out perfect crosses with both feet. What possibly separates him from others is the ability to cross the ball from unusual angles.

KDB has roamed the rankings of the Premier League and the top five leagues when it comes to crosses of the ball. Besides all the other things he's doing. In the PL, he has made 1,668 crosses, with a 25% success rate. Even though City hasn't had a tall primary striker until Erling Haaland arrived. One of the best footballers of the 21st century, and certainly leading the pack for the best crossers in football.