“At 6–0 in a Champions League group opener, Messi still threads the move that releases Suárez for Barcelona’s seventh, turning a routine late flourish into the final touch on a four-goal contribution and his 217th career assist.”
Messi’s 40th career hat-trick arrives in a ruthless Champions League opener against Celtic, as he adds a slick assist to headline Barcelona’s response after a domestic defeat and launch their European campaign in style.
With Argentina clinging to a fragile 1–0 lead in a must-win World Cup group game against Mexico, Messi’s late pass unlocks space for Enzo Fernández to seal a 2–0 victory and cap his own night with assist number 347.
At 3–0 up in a Champions League group-stage rout of Roma, Messi threads the move that releases Piqué to join the party, turning a dominant performance into a 4–0 exhibition and logging career assist No.189.
With Barcelona only one goal up in a Copa del Rey knockout tie, Messi threads a perfectly timed ball that frees Lenglet to head in the crucial 2–0 cushion, adding assist #283 of his career and his 11th of the season.
At 0–1 down early against Getafe, Messi threads a perfectly timed pass that cuts the defence open and lets Munir run in behind to level the match, a quietly ruthless equaliser that also edges him to 199 career assists.