Messi eyes Pelé’s historic assists record at his sixth World Cup | OneFootball

The Argentine star will share with Cristiano Ronaldo the milestone of playing in six World Cups, but he is chasing a historic record wrapped in major statistical controversy: the assists crown.

The 2026 World Cup will mark a before and after in football history. Beyond the expectation of seeing whether Lionel Messi can reach Miroslav Klose’s 16 goals (the Rosario native has 13), the Inter Miami captain has within reach a record of incalculable symbolic value: becoming the top assist provider in World Cup history, a mark currently led by Pelé with 10 assists.

At the moment, Messi shares second place with Diego Armando Maradona, both with 8 assists. However, the Argentine already holds a unique record, having provided assists in five consecutive editions. If the Albiceleste captain records three assists in this tournament, he will surpass ‘O Rei’ and put any debate to rest on the pitch.

The controversy behind Pelé’s 10 assists

Unlike modern records, statistics from the 1950s through the 1970s suffer from the lack of clear broadcasts and unified criteria. While Messi’s 8 assists are perfectly documented on video, Pelé’s 10 are clouded by two major controversies.

Statistics specialist Gustavo Berlingheri detailed the two plays that historical revisionism has placed under the microscope:

The road to the top of the game

Diego Maradona reached his 8 assists across four World Cups (including his record of 5 in Mexico 1986). Pelé, for his part, amassed his 10 assists also in four editions, highlighted by his 6 assists in the legendary Mexico 1970.

Messi, who has already provided assists in 2006 (1), 2010 (1), 2014 (1), 2018 (2), and 2022 (3), will look in his sixth World Cup to become, beyond all doubt, the greatest playmaker of all time.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.