“At 4–1 in the 89th minute, Messi threads one more ruthless pass that releases Picault to cap Inter Miami’s rout of Columbus, underlining a 10/10 masterclass with his 384th career assist and fifth of the MLS season.”
Messi delivers a ruthless late-career clinic with 2 goals and 2 assists, directly driving Miami’s big win just as they try to steady themselves after a shaky LDLDW run in MLS.
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.
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.
In an El Clásico Supercopa final deadlocked at 0–0, Messi threads the move that releases Iniesta behind Madrid’s line, breaking the tension and opening the scoring before later capping the night by reaching the 200-career-goal mark.
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.