Lionel Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and more: Who tops FIFA’s all-time men’s international assists chart?

On the same historic day when Cristiano Ronaldo achieved history with Portugal, Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina, continued to rewrite soccer’s record books even at 38. In a friendly match played at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium, the Argentine icon led his national team to a commanding 6-0 win over Puerto Rico — and in doing so, he quietly beat the record of Neymar, his former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain teammate and longtime rival.

Messi, who has long dominated headlines for his goals, achieved this time something that highlights another side of his genius — his vision, precision, and creativity. While the match was a comfortable win for Argentina, the story behind it was much bigger than the scoreline.

Playing on familiar turf in Miami, where the veteran now shines for Inter Miami, La Albiceleste displayed the quality of a world champion. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring before Gonzalo Montiel and Lautaro Martínez added to the tally, with Messi orchestrating play from midfield.

The world champion didn’t score himself but was involved in nearly every attacking sequence. His assist for Montiel’s volley and another for Martínez’s goal showed that his sharpness and awareness remain unmatched. It was his second assist of the night, though, that would etch his name into yet another chapter of soccer history.

Messi overcomes Neymar’s feat

Midway through the second half, Messi slipped a clever through-ball into space for Lautaro Martinez, who finished calmly to make it 5-0. It looked like just another assist — until the post-match confirmation arrived: that pass had broken a FIFA all-time record.

With that play, Lionel Messi officially became the player with the most assists in men’s international soccer history, surpassing Neymar. The record had long been contested among global greats. Neymar, who sits just behind with 59 assists for Brazil, had briefly held the lead. Before them, American great Landon Donovan was the surprise holder of the record for nearly a decade, registering 58 assists during his international career.

Ranking: Most assists in men’s international soccer history