“At 4–1 up in a low-stakes friendly, Messi still threads a late pass that slices Puerto Rico open for Argentina’s fifth, underlining his insistence on precision and control even in a rout as he moves to career assist No. 398 and his 19th of the season.”
Extending his late-career scoring run with influence rather than goals, Messi stays on the pitch for 90 minutes and dictates Argentina’s friendly rout of Puerto Rico with two precise assists and constant involvement in build-up.
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.