“With PSG already ahead, Messi threads a second-half pass that slices Nantes open and lets Mbappé double the lead, underlining his control of the game as he moves to career assist number 337 and his sixth of the season.”
Amid a three-game scoring drought, Messi controls Ligue 1’s Round 6 trip to Nantes with a pure creator’s display, threading 2 assists, 4 key passes and 18 progressive passes as PSG’s 35-year-old playmaker dictates the entire 90 minutes en route to Man of the Match.
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.