Lionel Messi has new record in his sights at PSG

The 2022-23 season will always be remembered as the one where Lionel Messi eventually lifted the World Cup with Argentina, but the star can end the campaign with a new personal record, which would add to the many he already has. This comes with Paris Saint-Germain on the verge of clinching another Ligue 1 title.

Beyond the World Cup, where Messi led the Albiceleste with decisive performances, he is also completing an impressive campaign with PSG. The Argentine defends himself against some criticism with his numbers and with them in hand he justifies his presence in the team, where he is the most effective partner Kylian Mbappé has found.

Messi: the assist king

Messi now has it in his hands to surpass the all-time record for assists in a single season in Ligue 1. The record is currently held by his compatriot Ángel Di María, with 18 in the 2015-16 campaign, and Messi has 16 with two games still to play. Strasbourg, in the lower reaches of the table, but with no risk of relegation, and Clermont, who sit quietly in the middle of the table, are PSG’s final two opponents, arguably with little more than pride at stake.

Messi’s 16 assists have created goals for Mbappé (11), Neymar (four) and Sergio Ramos (one).

Leo has already surpassed the 15 assists he distributed to teammates last season, although he is still far from his best numbers at Barcelona, where he reached 22 in the 2019-20 campaign, 21 in 2014-15 and 2010-11 and the 19 assists in 2011-12. The Argentine led the LaLiga assist table in those three seasons as well as in 2011-12.

Messi is the all-time top assister in the Spanish championship, with 193 assists in 520 games, a far cry from the 117 assists distributed by Xavi Hernández, the current Barcelona coach.

Ligue 1 assist records

Mbappé was close to equaling Di María’s total the previous season, when he reached 17, the same figure that Marvin Martin had with Sochaux in 2010-11. Dimitri Payet distributed one less with Marseille in 2014-15 and 15 were achieved by Eden Hazard with Lille in 2011-12.

In total figures, no one has given more assists in Ligue 1 than Payet, who is the outstanding leader in that measure with 115, far from Di María’s 72 and Jimmy Briand’s 63.