Im just curious and this question happened to cross my mind. Yes i do play soccer and yes i do score goals, but i mostly assist my teammates. Im just asking if you HAVE/NEED to score soccer goals to be looked at like a great player?
No goalkeepers save goals and thats just as important and also Midfielders dont always score but if they can assist/cross very well then they can be great as well
an amazing example of this would be Xavi he always sets up his teamates or in that case only messi but he doesn't get a much of recognition even though he is one of the best
No you don't, it looks good on paper, you might help you're team win, but this doesn't mean you read the game well, move well off the ball, and so on. Plus you can be a defender, a defensive midfielder, or a holding forward. In no way does scoring goals make you a great player because there's much more to soccer than goals.