Messi surpasses Neymar as the top assist provider in international football

Lionel Messi has set another milestone in his illustrious career — becoming the all-time leader in assists in men's international football, surpassing Brazil's Neymar.

The Argentina captain returned to action in the 6–0 friendly win over Puerto Rico after sitting out the previous match against Venezuela. Having played seven games for Inter Miami in just 27 days, Messi had been rested by the national team management. But this time, he told coach Lionel Scaloni he was ready. "Yesterday I asked him if he was fit to play, and he said yes," Scaloni said after the match. "It's always a joy for us when he says that."

Messi didn't score in the match, but his creativity made the difference once again. In the first half, he set up Gonzalo Montiel for Argentina's opening goal — his 59th assist in international football, equalling Neymar's record. Then, in the 84th minute, he provided another assist, this time for Lautaro Martínez, to take his tally to 60 — the most by any player in history.

After Messi and Neymar, the next best is former United States forward Landon Donovan with 58 assists. Hungary's Ferenc Puskás and Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne follow with 53 each, while another Hungarian legend, Sándor Kocsis, has 50. Brazil's Pelé registered 47 assists.

Within Argentina's ranks, Messi's dominance is unmatched. Ángel Di María sits a distant second with 28 assists in 145 matches, followed by Diego Maradona with 26, Ariel Ortega with 21, and Juan Román Riquelme with 17. Messi has assisted Gonzalo Higuaín and Sergio Agüero nine times each — the most for any teammates — and Lautaro Martínez eight times.

Venezuela have suffered most from Messi's playmaking, with six of his assists coming against them. He has also assisted five goals against Paraguay and four against Bolivia.

Combining his club and international career, Messi now has 398 assists — just two short of the all-time record of 400 held by Ferenc Puskás. At 38, with his creative spark still burning, surpassing that mark seems inevitable.