BECK TO HIS BEST
For much of this season he has trailed in the wake of Nolberto Solano who, with 13 assists, was the most prolific creator in the top flight.
However, in the recent 4-3 classic against Middlesbrough at the Riverside, the newly shaven-haired superstar of English football racked up his 14th assist, to match last year's total and propel him to the top of this season's creators' chart. That means he sets up almost one in every six United goals, as they smashed the Premiership goalscoring record with five games to go.
He has been ably assisted by Sir Alex Ferguson's other wing wizard, Ryan Giggs. The Welshman contributed just three assists last season and connected with an abysmal 14% of his crosses. This campaign has seen a massive improvement, with 29% of his centres arrowing in to another United player and 11 passes resulting in a goal for a fellow Red Devil.
The only player with a serious chance of catching these three is West Ham's Paolo Di Canio, who has been involved in scoring or creating 50% of all of The Hammers' goals. The temperamental Italian has been one of the star performers in the Premiership and his tally of 10 assists is supplemented by 26 key passes - those that lead to a spurned goalscoring opportunity - more than any other player in the division. If it wasn't for the wayward shooting of the likes of Paulo Wanchope, West Ham could well have been knocking on the door of European qualification again this season.
Last year's runner up was Dwight Yorke with 13 and he was followed by Dennis Bergkamp with 12. Strangely, the United striker has contributed just three assists this term, while the Dutchman has managed just seven for Arsenal, although that is still the biggest contribution by a Gunner, matching Marc Overmars.
However, David Beckham is certainly adding weight to the belief that he is the best crosser in the world, the top creative player in the English top flight and a candidate for the title of Premiership player or even European footballer of the year.
