The pure art of brilliance, vision skills, and accuracy of all playmakers made us witness beautiful assists day in and day out. However, these renowned players have obliterated the record books with incredible figures. Let’s take a look at some of the top players with the most assists in a calendar year:
5. Thiery Henry – (Arsenal 2003, 23 Assist)
The only unbeaten ever in Premier League history. Arsenal went on a 49-game unbeaten run in 2003-04. Henry was not only the top scorer for the Gunners in that period but had 23 assists in that calendar year across all formats.
Henry was key in Arsenal’s hugely successful campaign; alongside Dennis Bergkamp, Freddie Ljungberg, Roberto Pires, and Patrick Vieira, he ensured the Gunners became the first team in over a century to go an entire domestic season without defeat and claimed the league title in the process.
Read: Most assists in football history – Top 6 players
4. Angel Di Maria – (Real Madrid 2011, 23 Assist)
The former Real Madrid talisman shined at PSG alongside forwards like Neymar, Mbappe, and Lionel Messi. Now he is trying to help Juventus to restore its glory. He is widely known for his ability to win, as he has scored many great goals and with finesse.
However, he is more of a provider than a goalscorer, and his records speak for themselves. His best result was in 2011 when he registered 23 assists for the year while playing for Real Madrid.
3. Thomas Muller – (Bayern Munich 2021, 30 Assist)
Muller has been praised for his positioning, teamwork, stamina, and work speed, and he has shown consistency in scoring and creating goals. He is considered one of the best off-ball players of all time due to his positional awareness.
Müller holds the record for most assists in the Bundesliga, with 195. However, his best statistics as a playmaker came in 2021 for the Bavarians when he registered 30 assists in one season. Bayern Munich won the UEFA Super Cup, the DFL Super Cup, and the 10th consecutive Bundesliga title that season, of which he is a key figure.
2. Lionel Messi – (Barcelona 2011, 36 Assist)
If he could score 91 goals in one calendar year, it’s a stretch to assume that this little magician from Rosario can make 36 assists in one calendar year. In that calendar year, he made 70 appearances, in which he registered 28 assists for the Blaugrana from 57 appearances. The rest of the nine assists came from Argentina, for which he scored four goals.
Read: Messi first Ballon d’Or age – how old was he?
1. Dusan Tadic – (Ajax 2021, 37 Assist)
You will rarely hear of Messi’s record being broken in any aspect of the football field. Dusan’s previous best performance was 34, and in 2021 he made 37 assists breaking Messi’s record and helping Holland’s Ajax to another domestic glory by winning the Eredivisie.
Tadic was honoured to be named the Dutch Footballer of the Year that season. Having initially played out wide, occasionally alternating with the number 10 position, Erik Ten Haag sometimes used him as a false nine. It worked great, and since then, it has been the Amsterdammer’s plan in Europe and the domestic league.