The 10 players with the most Champions League assists of all time | OneFootball

Highlights

The pinnacle of club football: the Champions League. Many footballers yearn for the opportunity to take centre stage in Europe’s most prestigious competition, though there is only a select few – often comprised of the very best – that have the pleasure of fulfilling their dream of winning the whole thing.

Often lauded as the hardest thing to do in football is the art of goalscoring, hence why the best part of the Ballon d’Or winners list are either those who are deployed centrally or goal-gobbling wide men. But what about some praise for those creators who have racked up an eye-watering number of assists?

Football purists can all come to an agreement that it is often the mind-bending, jaw-dropping pass to a striker which makes a goal brilliant. For many years, it has been a skill that has often been shunted aside but, today, we’re putting players that assist like its second nature in the spotlight.

Combining the art of assisting with players performing on the Champions League stage got us thinking: which 10 players, both past and present, have mustered the most assists at Europe’s top table since its inception? It only took a brief glance at UEFA’s website to find out the answers, but we’re here to run through them. What are you waiting for? Let’s jump in.

1 Cristiano Ronaldo – 42 assists

Mr. Champions League was always going to find himself there or thereabouts at the summit of this list, wasn’t he? Best known for his potency when finding the back of the net, the Portuguese sensation and scorer of the most goals on the international stage post-2000 has also been on hand to assist his teammates in Europe’s most prestigious competition – 42 times to be precise.

Now that he has chosen to spend his twilight years away from Europe, his 42-assist tally is there for the taking and there are a trio of players on this list – and many beyond – that are eyeing up the gold medal. It’s a shame really, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Champions League football go hand in hand.

2 Lionel Messi – 40 assists

Having to settle for a lesser spot on the podium, the pint-sized Argentine, Lionel Messi, who picked up his record-breaking eighth Ballon d’Or recently, is perhaps the best creator that football has ever been witness to. Interestingly, it took the footballing great six gos at notching his first assist in the Champions League – but, the rest, well... it's history.

Setting up Samuel Eto’o’s third of his hat-trick to make it 5-0 against Panathinaikos marked an important time in history – from a football standpoint, at least - though no one knew it at the time. Now spending the back end of his illustrious career at Inter Miami, Messi’s tally of 40 assists will stand tall for a while.

3 Ángel di María – 38 assists

It’s obscene to even fathom that once Ángel di María’s trophy-glittered career comes to an end, he could rise above his compatriot Messi on this list. Having plied his trade in five of Europe’s top seven leagues (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica) probably helps his case – but there’s no disputing how much of a creative monster the Argentine is.

Despite winning on the solitary occasion, Di Maria has managed to plunder 38 assists across his extensive career. At the age of 35, despite there being little to no chance of him adding to his two Champions League triumphs, there is still ample time to improve his haul of assists. Watch this space, Messi and Ronaldo.

4 Neymar – 33 assists

An integral piece to Barcelona’s treble-winning campaign in the 2014/15 season, one of course when they added to their Champions League trophy haul, Neymar can be considered as one of the best players of the modern era. Not only were avid watchers of La Liga blessed with his talent, but his trickery was on show for the world to see on those Tuesday and Wednesday nights before he moved to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia over the summer – and his 33 assists attest to that. At the age of 31, the man who has scored an impressive 21 hat-tricks since the turn of the millennium is also the youngest player on this list and, on the assumption he is still balling out in his late 30s, could make a sensational return to Europe in the summative years of his playing days.

5 Ryan Giggs – 31 assists

Longevity is on Ryan Giggs’ side, here. Having racked up a monstrous 141 Champions League appearances, all for Manchester United, the seasoned Welshman found a teammate on 30 separate occasions, showing he had a knack for producing the goods on Europe’s biggest stage.

Given his affinity to the Old Trafford outfit, he is part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most-used team in terms of appearances and was a key part in two Champions League triumphs – in 98/99 and 07/08. A true legend in the eyes of those associated with the Red Devils, but given his above-par record in the Champions League, he can be considered an all-round great of the sport.

6 Xavi Hernandez – 30 assists

While he might now be regarded by fans as the the fifth-best manager in world football as things stand, never forget just how good Xavi was for Barcelona. A controlled orchestrator in his heyday, the Spaniard turned his hand to management upon his retirement and now finds himself on the other side of the white line at the Camp Nou – a stadium he lit up year upon year.

While at Barcelona, Xavi was – alongside Sergio Busquets and Andrés Iniesta – the beating heart of one of Europe’s most supreme sides. Playing 767 games for one single club was no easy feat, but any manager was too afraid to drop the midfield maestro, especially given his knack to pop up with an assist. He ended his career with 213 assists and 30 of those came in the Champions League.

7 Karim Benzema – 29 assists

Often overshadowed by Ronaldo, the Frenchman aged like fine wine and added five Champions League titles to his name while plying his trade at Real Madrid. Best known for his goalscoring integrity, Karim Benzema became the oldest player to score consecutive hat-tricks in the competition in 2022/23.

But it’s impossible to turn a blind eye to his assist record. A respectable return for someone whose job it is to convert chances instead of creating them, the 97-cap France international notched a total of 29 over his 149-game Champions League career. Playing in Europe’s most pristine competition is somewhat a thing of the past now, however, given he upped and left for the riches of Saudi Arabia over the summer.

8 Andrés Iniesta – 29 assists

Andres Iniesta and his former teammate Xavi were never too far apart on the football pitch, and it seems that notion translates into this list, too. With just two fewer Champions League assists (29) than his fellow countryman, the now 39-year-old ran the show in Berlin in Barça’s 3-1 final win over Juventus, achieving Man of the Match status.

Assisting midfield partner Ivan Rakitic just three minutes into the all-important affair, the Spaniard became the first man to assist in three separate Champions League finals. That’s quite the feat, but it just proves that when it mattered the most, Iniesta was there to provide in any way, shape or form necessary.

9 Thomas Müller – 29 assists

The German never seems to age and is the most expensive 34-year-old in world football for good reason. Thomas Müller, a mainstay at Bayern Munich, has been a consistent performer for the Bavarians for a 15-year period and has one shy of 30 assists to prove his European pedigree. Of course, there’s no doubt that he will exceed the 30-assist milestone in due course on the basis that he still has ample years left in the tank to add to his score. Not forgetting that Harry Kane, a net-busting centre forward at the best of times, is now deployed in front of him.

Three of his 29 assists came in one meeting against Barcelona – crazy, we know. The German totted up three goal-involvements on the iconic night where 8-2 was the final scoreline. And, who knows, without Muller, it could’ve been a totally different story.

10 Kevin De Bruyne – 28 assists

Given that he now has perennial goalscorer Erling Haaland latching onto his crosses like it’s going out of fashion, Kevin De Bruyne could sharply emerge as one of the list-leaders in a few years. As one of only five players to register a century of assists in the Premier League, who’s to say he won’t reach similar heights continentally? Not us.

A Champions League medal was missing from his stacked cabinet before 2022/23 and the former Chelsea prospect was as instrumental as ever in the run-up to their famous 1-0 win over Inter Milan but was left peering from the touchline after getting injured in the final. Though, luckily for Manchester City’s magician, his teammates got their inaugural competition-wide triumph over the line.