Lionel Messi became the all-time leader in international soccer assists with his performance against Puerto Rico on Tuesday to close out October action.
Messi missed the Argentina match against Venezuela earlier in the window, eventually playing in Inter Miami’s Major League Soccer clash against Atlanta United. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner returned against Puerto Rico assisting twice on the the night.
Doing so saw Messi’s assist tally in an La Albiceleste shirt rise to 60. That was enough to take the Argentine clear of Brazil’s Neymar, who boasted 59, as well as the 58 racked up by U.S men’s national team star Landon Donovan, establishing himself as the most prolific creator in recorded international soccer history, per .
Assists have only been reliably tracked in the 21st century, when called upon former Arsenal manager Don Howe in 1996 to define the term as “the final pass or pass-cum-shot which directly leads to a goal scored by the recipient of the ball.”
