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#3 Cristiano Ronaldo - 270
Arguably one of the greatest players to have graced the game, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored goals and won trophies galore for club and country.
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Perhaps it might come as a surprise that during a nearly two-decade long illustrious career, the 36-year-old Juventus and Portugal striker has also amassed the third-most assists by any player this century.
One of only three players on this list who has registered more goals than assists, Ronaldo is the all-time assist-provider (42) in Champions League history, a competition where he is also the all-time top-scorer.
While Ronaldo is better known for his staggering tally of 450 goals in a nine-season stint with Real Madrid, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner also racked up almost half of his career assists (132) with them.
#2 Luis Suarez - 275
Luis Suarez is one of three players to have racked up at least 270 assists for club and country since the turn of the century.
More renowned for his prolific goalscoring prowess, Suarez has also been adept in conjuring goalscoring opportunities for teammates over the years. One of only three players to register 40-goal seasons in La Liga, the Uruguayan has registered an impressive tally of 240 assists in club football and another 35 in internationals.
A continental treble winner with Barcelona, Uruguay's all-time top scorer has won five La Liga titles, the last of them coming in 2020-21 with Atletico Madrid.
#1 Lionel Messi - 358
Lionel Messi, along with Ronaldo, is one of the best players to have played the game.
Like his arch-rivals, Messi has also scored goals and won trophies galore for club and country, most recently winning the Copa America 2021 title with Argentina, his first international title.
The Argentine has racked up an astounding tally of 358 assists for club and country this century, a whopping 83 clear of the next best player (Suarez). Despite Barcelona enduring their first trophyless campaign in more than a decade last season, Messi became the first player to register 22 assists in a La Liga campaign.
Messi, who is now a free agent after his Barcelona contract ran out this summer, led his country from the front in their triumphant Copa America 2021 campaign, scoring four goals and registering five assists.
