Lionel Messi reaches 405 assists to become the all-time leader after the latest Inter Miami win, surpassing Ferenc Puskas
Despite being a 38-year-old veteran, Lionel Messi continues to shine as one of the best players in the world at Inter Miami. In the 2025 MLS season, the Argentine star has firmly established himself as the team’s most decisive player, scoring 43 goals. However, his influence extends beyond scoring, as he plays a crucial role in the team’s creativity. With 405 assists, the Argentine star has surpassed Ferenc Puskas to become the all-time leader.
In Inter Miami‘s dominant 5-1 victory over New York City, Lionel Messi showcased his brilliance, even without adding a goal to his tally. The veteran star played a crucial role in creating opportunities for his teammates, highlighted by a deft assist to Tadeo Allende to reach an impressive 405 along his career. With this, he surpassed the legendary Ferenc Puskas’s record of 404, and established himself as the all-time leader in assists.
Puskas became a truly transformative player in soccer history, standing out as a reference point both in scoring and creativity. With his powerful goals and assists, he is remembered as one of the most complete players ever. Even so, Lionel Messi managed to elevate his legacy to levels never seen before, pushing the Hungarian legend into the background after surpassing him in goals, assists, and titles won.
Lionel Messi is not only the most decorated player in soccer history with 48 titles but also the most complete player the sport has ever seen. Across his 1,136 matches, the Argentine star has scored 896 goals and provided 405 assists. As the all-time leader in assists, he remains in a head-to-head race with Cristiano Ronaldo to become the highest goalscorer in history, fighting to reach 1,000 career goals.
How far behind is Cristiano Ronaldo from Lionel Messi in the assist race?
Although Cristiano Ronaldo remains at the top of the race to become the highest scorer in soccer history, the Portuguese player is still a long way behind Lionel Messi in terms of assists. In the 1,298 games he has played, he has scored 954 goals and contributed 259 assists, leaving him 146 behind the Argentine star.
With a contract until 2027, Cristiano could establish himself as a competitor to Messi by surpassing him in assists. However, the Portuguese has only managed to exceed 10 assists once since his arrival in Saudi Arabia, leaving this aspect of his game on the back burner. Therefore, the Argentine seems to be the clear favorite to continue widening the gap and establish himself as the absolute leader, far ahead of the rest.