“At 1–0 late in a Champions League group tie, Messi threads the move that finally pries Viktoria Plzeň open again, timing his supply to create the space for Villa to seal the result and quietly push his career tally beyond 100 assists.”
Messi reaches the 100-assist mark of his career in a routine Champions League group win over Viktoria Plzeň, dictating the game for 90 minutes and laying on both Barcelona goals as their one-man supply line.
At 2–0 up in a World Cup semi-final against Croatia, Messi’s twisting run on the right pulls Gvardiol apart and carves out the byline angle for Álvarez to tap in, sealing the final spot and logging career assist 349.
In a 5–0 El Clásico demolition already at 2–0, Messi’s perfectly timed through ball slices Real Madrid open for Villa to make it three, capping a masterclass in control and vision on the way to his 65th career assist.
At 2–0 in a Champions League semi-final against Bayern, Messi threads a stoppage-time pass that releases Neymar to seal a 3–0 first-leg cushion, capping his masterclass with career assist number 183.
In a tense Copa América semi-final deadlocked at 0–0, Messi threads the early pass that slices Colombia open and springs Lautaro Martínez free, breaking the stalemate and pushing Argentina toward the final as he logs career assist number 315.