Barcelona sensation closing in on Messi’s historic record after matching another club legend | OneFootball

This past Saturday, FC Barcelona lifted the Copa del Rey after defeating Real Madrid, with Lamine Yamal adding two more assists to his season tally – one to Pedri to open the scoring and another to Ferran Torres to force extra time.

With these contributions, the La Masia sensation now has 24 assists this season, making him the leading assist provider among all players in European club football.

Messi’s record on the horizon

With his exceptional achievements this season, Lamine is not only setting the pace in Europe – he is also within reach of breaking a Barcelona record currently held by Lionel Messi – with whom he is constantly compared.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s best season in terms of assists came in 2011/12, when he registered 32 – just eight more than Lamine’s current total. With several matches still to play, the 17-year-old wonderkid has the record very much in sight. It is difficult, but not impossible.

Behind Messi in the club’s record books is Xavi Hernandez, who had 31 assists in the 2008/09 season. The third and fourth best assist-tallies belong to Neymar, who recorded 26 in 2016/17 and 25 in the previous campaign, 2015/16.

Undeniable. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

With 24 assists, Lamine has already matched Luis Suarez’s best from 2015/16, and Messi’s total from that same season.

The teenage wonderkid has also surpassed the number of assists Messi recorded in full seasons such as 2018/19 (22), 2017/18, and 2016/17 (20).

Leading figure in Europe

With 24 assists to his name, Lamine has surpassed Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (23) as well as Barcelona’s own Raphinha, positioning himself as the undisputed leader in this category.

With seven matches still guaranteed, and potentially an eighth if Barcelona reach the Champions League final, his numbers could rise even further.

Along with that, Yamal has also scored 14 goals, meaning he has been directly involved in 38 goals this season – an average of 0.8 goal contributions per match – absolutely sensational numbers, especially when one factors in his age.