From Lionel Messi to Kevin De Bruyne, some of the best passers soccer has ever seen will be on center stage in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Not only will they be attempting to lead Argentina and Belgium to World Cup glory in Qatar, but they’ll also be in contention for the most assists of all-time in the tournament’s 92-year history.
As the tournament gets underway, let’s take a look at which players have the most assists all-time in the World Cup?
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Which player has the most assists of all-time in the World Cup?
As of 2022, Pelé holds the top spot for most assists of all-time in World Cup history with 10. The Brazilian legend accumulated those from 1958-1970 as his nation won three of the tour tournaments (1958, 1962, 1970) in that 12-year span.
Messi will be entering Qatar with six while De Bruyne has four.
Who is the king of assists in the world?
The king of assists in soccer would be none other than Messi. He has recorded 339 assists and counting for both club and country, the most recorded of any player.
How many assists does Pelé have in the World Cup?
As aforementioned, Pelé has 10 assists in the World Cup. Six of those came in the 1970 tournament, which is the most by any player in a single World Cup. He also has the most assists in World Cup finals, logging one in 1958 against Sweden and two in 1970 against Italy.
Who has the most dribbles in World Cup history?
Messi gets another mention here. During the 2018 World Cup, Messi eclipsed a fellow Argentine legend for the most dribbles completed in tournament history with 107. Diego Maradona had 105. Both have four World Cup appearances to their name, but Messi is headed to his fifth and what he has said will be his last.
Who had the most assists in the 2018 World Cup?
The 2018 World Cup had 105 total assists, but there was no single leader in the category. Instead, 16 players were tied for the most assists in 2018 with two. Here are those players:
- Lionel Messi, Argentina
- Éver Banega, Argentina
- Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium
- Eden Hazard, Belgium
- Youri Tielemans, Belgium
- Thomas Meunier, Belgium
- Philippe Coutinho, Brazil
- Juan Fernando Quintero, Colombia
- James Rodríguez, Colombia
- Antoine Griezmann, France
- Lucas Hernandez, France
- Artem Dzyuba, Russia
- Aleksandr Golovin, Russia
- Viktor Claesson, Sweden
- Wahbi Khazri, Tunisia
- Carlos Sánchez, Uruguay
