“At 2–0 up in Mallorca on Barça’s post-lockdown return, Messi threads a perfectly timed pass that releases Jordi Alba to kill off the game at 3–0, capping a dominant display with his 291st career assist and 19th of the season.”
Extending a hot scoring streak after the COVID break, Messi runs the entire game against Mallorca with 1 goal and 2 assists, constantly slicing them open with six key passes and five through balls in a dominant La Liga restart showing at age 32.
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 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 3–0 in a rampant El Clásico, Messi’s perfectly timed through ball slices Madrid open again, springing Villa into the clear to turn humiliation into a 4–0 rout and sealing one of his great derby masterclasses, capped as career assist number 66.