“With Barça already ahead in a Copa del Rey knockout tie, Messi threads the move that doubles the lead against Levante, his timing and vision prising the game open and pushing his career tally to 265 assists and 13 for the season.”
On a hot scoring streak, Messi dictates this Copa del Rey Round of 16 second leg by playing the full 90, creating the opener and adding a goal himself to comfortably steer Barça through while extending his dominance over Levante.
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.
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.
At 1–1 in a World Cup knockout thriller against France, Messi’s quick-thinking touch and stabbed pass through a crowded box create the deflected opening for Mercado to restore Argentina’s lead, marking career assist number 251.