Lionel Messi’s rare impressive Ligue 1 record still stands strong two years after PSG exit: Even Kylian Mbappe and Osumane Dembele failed to catch up
Even after his departure from Paris, Lionel Messi continues to cast a shadow long enough to eclipse those who followed him. For Kylian Mbappe, the prince of Paris turned Madrid superstar, and Ousmane Dembele, the electric 2025 Ballon d’Or winner who sparked a new era, the challenge was as symbolic as it was statistical. Both men pushed, created, and dazzled — yet one rare record from Messi’s time in Ligue 1 remains out of reach.
The Parisian club, so accustomed to rewriting soccer’s present, is still chasing a moment from its recent past. A moment when Messi, wearing the No. 30 shirt, reminded France that even in transition, he could still bend soccer to his will.
When the Argentine joined Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021, it was supposed to be the final act of his European legend. The move stunned the world — Barcelona’s talisman, after more than 20 years in Catalonia, was forced out by financial chaos and brought into a team of megastars. Alongside Neymar and Mbappe, Messi formed one of the most glamorous attacking trios ever assembled.
But glamour does not always translate into immediate glory. PSG fans expected a smooth transition — Messi scoring and creating as if nothing had changed. Instead, the Argentine faced challenges that made his Parisian story more human than divine.
“I have achieved everything in football. There is nothing left,” Messi said upon leaving France and joining Inter Miami in 2023 — a reflection on a career defined by breaking barriers rather than chasing new ones. And yet, one look back at his time in Ligue 1 reveals a record that stands tall — a symbol of quiet dominance in a league he was accused of never fully conquering.
Adapting in the city of lights
Messi’s debut campaign in Ligue 1 wasn’t the explosion many expected. Eleven goals and fifteen assists were impressive by any standard, yet modest compared to his Barcelona statistics. But those numbers only tell part of the story.
He was learning to adapt — to new teammates, new tactics, and a league far more physical and direct than La Liga. The rhythm of PSG was different, less fluid, more reliant on bursts of individual brilliance. Still, even within that system, Messi’s creative influence began to reshape the team’s tempo.
The Argentine’s telepathic understanding with Mbappe grew game by game. By his second season, their chemistry reached a level where every run, pass, and flick seemed rehearsed. Neymar’s injuries often disrupted the trio, but Messi’s consistency as a creator never faltered.
The unbreakable record
And that consistency left behind one mark that defines his quiet supremacy in France. According to official Ligue 1 data, Messi still holds the record for the most assists in Ligue 1 in a calendar year in the 21st century with 20 assists. Not even the combined brilliance of Mbappe and Dembele has been enough to topple it.
| Rank | Player | Ligue 1 club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lionel Messi | PSG | 20 |
| 2. | Juninho | Lyon | 17 |
| 3. | Memphis Depay | Lyon | 15 |
| 3. | Jerome Rothen | PSG | 15 |
| 3. | Dimitri Payet | Marseille | 15 |
Mbappe, now at Real Madrid, dominated goal charts but couldn’t match Messi’s creative output during his final year in Paris. His French teammate, reunited with his former Barcelona mentor, Luis Enrique, brought flair and unpredictability but lacked the precision and consistency that made Messi a one-man playmaker.
Messi’s 20 assists came not from explosive pace or power, but from vision — the rare ability to see passes others didn’t even imagine. Whether it was a disguised through ball to Neymar or Mbappe, a delicate chip over a crowded box, or a disguised flick at the edge of the penalty area, his orchestration redefined what it meant to control a game in Ligue 1.