At 118 minutes of a World Cup knockout tie still locked at 0–0, Messi’s surge through the Swiss lines draws defenders and frees Di María, his perfectly timed pass finally cracking the deadlock for Argentina and standing as his 155th career assist.

Winning GoalLast Minute

@Switzerland0–1Jul 1

At 0–0 in the 115th minute of the UEFA Super Cup final, Messi’s vision finally pries open Shakhtar’s defence for Pedro, a fatigued moment of clarity that delivers Barcelona the trophy and registers his 47th career assist, first of the season.

Winning GoalLast Minute

@Shakhtar Donetsk0–1Aug 28

In a tense Copa América quarter-final locked at 0–0, Messi threads a perfectly timed pass that slices Ecuador open and springs De Paul through to break the deadlock, a pressure-breaking contribution that also registers career assist number 313.

Knockout Stage

@Ecuador0–3Jul 3

In a Club World Cup semi-final deadlocked at 0–0, Messi’s incisive pass breaks Al-Sadd’s resistance and produces the only goal of the night, a high-stakes winner that also goes down as career assist number 106 and his 19th of the season.

Winning GoalKnockout Stage

@Al-Sadd SC0–4Dec 15