When predicting the list for the top five assist makers in the history of football, you probably wouldn’t expect four of them to have played as recognised strikers at some point during their careers, with scoring goals seemingly more of a priority than setting up their teammates.
Nonetheless, that is exactly the case here, and both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have divided opinion throughout their careers over who is the better player, find themselves on the list for the top five assists makers of all time, as per SportsAdda.
But it is Messi who tops that list, and by quite some distance, while Ronaldo finds himself in fourth place, but the other three also deserve their plaudits too.
Messi has received plenty of criticism for his ‘unsuccessful’ first season at Paris Saint-Germain following his move from Barcelona last summer, with just seven goals to his name so far, but he has still racked up 11 assists in 18 Ligue 1 games in 2021/22.
When the 34-year-old recorded a hat-trick of assists against St. Etienne in November, it was the fifth time in his career that he had done so, while he became the first ever player to achieve that feat for two different clubs, following his time at the Camp Nou.
And during his lengthy career in Spain, he became the all-time assist provider in the history of La Liga, recording a staggering 193 assists to go alongside his 474 league goals. In total, Messi tops the leaderboards for most assists in the history of football with 363.
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Second on the list is Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller, with 284, which just goes to show how impressive Messi’s record really is. Nonetheless, Muller should still receive plenty of praise for his contributions and the German has racked up a staggering tally.
And that includes 22 assists this season alone, with 19 of them coming in 26 Bundesliga appearances, as the 32-year-old continues to play an important role for his side with the ability to play in a number of positions at the top end of the pitch.
In third place is Luis Suarez, who isn’t far behind Muller with 278 to date, which is all the more impressive due to the Uruguayan playing as a striker throughout his career, where he has added another three assists this campaign for Atletico Madrid.
Ronaldo falls far behind Messi in the all time assists table but either way, a total of 273 is still impressive for the Portuguese forward as he finds himself fourth on this list after playing for four different clubs throughout his career.
The 37-year-old has been recognised as a goalscoring machine and much more selfish when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, yet his assists record speaks for itself and shows just how influential he has been to the rest of his team.
Propping up the top five list is Angel Di Maria, who isn’t far behind Ronaldo with 269 assists in his career, and it is no surprise that he has tallied up some impressive numbers following a resurgence in his play since moving to PSG, which brought 18 assists last season.
Five top assist makers in football history: Lionel Messi (363), Thomas Muller (284), Luis Suarez (278), Cristiano Ronaldo (273), Angel Di Maria (269)
