Messi Rewrites History: 405 Assists and the MLS Cup Dream
30 November 2025
Record-Breaking Milestone
Argentine Lionel Messi, captain of Inter Miami, wrote history by joining a rare list in football, displacing the Hungarian icon Ferenc Puskás.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano on X today, Messi became the all-time top provider in football with 405 decisive passes, surpassing Puskás' 404.
Brazil legend Pelé sits third with 369 assists.
Finals Spotlight and Outlook
Messi created a goal in a 5-1 Inter Miami win over NYC FC, earning a spot in the MLS Cup final and securing the Conference Cup title, his 47th trophy.
Miami will host Vancouver Whitecaps, featuring German star Thomas Müller, in the final next Saturday.
Argentine Tadío Alendi scored a hat-trick, while his compatriot Matteo Selviti and Venezuelan Tejasco Segovia added two goals.
Although Messi, 38, did not score, he produced a superb assist for Selviti's third goal, effectively sealing NYC's fate.
This was Messi's 24th decisive pass in 48 games for Inter Miami across all competitions this season.
Beyond the 405 assists, Messi has 896 goals in 1136 matches for club and country, excluding friendlies.
Analysts say the only thing Messi hasn't broken yet is the spell check on his own highlight reels.
As the final approaches, the league braces for a showdown where legends meet fresh records and fans practice victory dances.
Punchline 1: The assist king just gave the history books a makeover.
Punchline 2: If assists had trophies, Messi would need a bigger shelf.
