The 11 players Lionel Messi has provided the most assists for: Suarez, Neymar…

Lionel Messi has provided a total of 379 assists throughout his illustrious career, but which players has he assisted the most?

Along with being one of the greatest goalscorers in football history, Messi is also one of the best playmakers that has ever played the beautiful game.

We’ve taken a closer look at Messi’s assists records and have found the 11 players that he has assisted the most throughout his career.

=7. Gerard Pique – 10 goals assisted by Messi

Of the 52 goals that Pique scored for Barcelona, Messi assisted almost 20% of them.

In fairness to Pique, he has returned the favour on a few occasions as he assisted seven of Messi’s goals during his spell at Camp Nou.

=7. Cesc Fabregas – 10 goals assisted by Messi

Fabregas averaged 14 goals per season during his three-year stint with Barcelona and he combined with Messi for some great goals during that time.

The Spaniard was utilised in a number of different roles during his time at Barcelona as he played as a false nine, central midfielder and even as a winger on occasions.

=7. Alexis Sanchez – 10 goals assisted by Messi

Sanchez scored a total of 47 goals during his spell at Barcelona with Messi assisting 10 of them.

“I think he has an incredible winning mentality,” Alexis told Arsenal Player in 2017 when discussing his time playing with Messi.

“He has such a strong mental attitude and when he steps on the pitch he declares ‘I’m the best and I’ll prove it’. That’s how players should be. That’s how I feel and I’m sure plenty of other players are the same.”

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=7. Jordi Alba – 10 goals assisted by Messi

Still linking up with one another for Inter Miami today, it’s almost like Messi and Alba share a telepathic connection.

While more often than not it’s Alba setting up Messi with a cut-back from the left-hand side, the Argentinian has returned the favour on multiple occasions.

During their time at Barcelona, Messi assisted eight of Alba’s goals and he’s assisted two of his goals for Inter Miami so far.

=7. Andres Iniesta – 10 goals assisted by Messi

Messi first assisted Iniesta during a La Liga game against Espanyol back in 2007 and his final assist for the Spaniard came in April 2018 during the Copa del Rey final against Sevilla.

6. David Villa – 13 goals assisted by Messi

Villa played with Messi during his absolute peak and the pair combined for plenty of goals during their three years together.

Even when Messi didn’t directly get an assist for one of Villa’s goals, he was almost always involved in the build-up play to the goal.

“I scored close to 50 goals in three years, almost all of them with a contribution from Leo Messi,” Villa said via Barca Universal in 2023.

“When Leo Messi is by your side it’s a blessing, often when things get complicated, he comes up with a solution.”

5. Samuel Eto’o – 15 goals assisted by Messi

When Messi first burst onto the scene, Eto’o was the focal point of Barca’s forward line. In total, the pair played 105 games together and Messi assisted 15 of his goals during that time.

Impressively, Messi assisted Eto’o for more than one goal in a game on three separate occasions.

4. Pedro – 17 goals assisted by Messi

Often overlooked when discussing great forwards from Barcelona’s history, Pedro played a key role during his seven-year stint at Camp Nou.

Pedro himself assisted 37 of Messi’s goals throughout the years and the Argentine forward returned the favour on 17 occasions.

3. Kylian Mbappe – 20 goals assisted by Messi

While Messi only spent two years playing alongside Mbappe, the two of them still managed to strike up a prolific relationship during their time together.

As Messi became less focused on scoring goals himself, he quickly established himself as the chief playmaker at PSG and struck up a bond with Mbappe.

With Messi’s vision and Mbappe’s sharp shooting, the pair ran riot in Ligue 1 as they won back-to-back league titles alongside one another.

“Playing with Leo Messi is definitely something I miss a lot,” Mbappe told Amazon Prime Sport in January. “For an attacker like me, who likes to attack spaces, with him you have the certainty that you can get the ball.

“It was a luxury that almost only he can give you. Beyond that, playing with Messi was special.”

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2. Neymar – 27 goals assisted by Messi

Of the 27 assists that Messi provided for Neymar, seven of them came during their time at PSG, while the other 20 were at Barcelona.

The two of them were at their scintillating best together in 2014-15 as Messi assisted 33.3% of the goals that Neymar scored that year as Barcelona won the treble.

1. Luis Suarez – 45 goals assisted by Messi

Who else? Suarez is way out in front in first place as 45 of his career goals have been directly assisted by Messi.

That means that in total, Messi has assisted 8.8% of the total number of club goals that Suarez has scored throughout his entire career.

Even today, their link-up still looks sharp for Inter Miami. Of the 25 goals that Suarez scored this season, six of them were assisted by Messi.