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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have broken plenty of goalscoring records during their careers. However, a look into the assist records of every completed season in the 21st century shows that the duo (especially Lionel Messi) have been great playmakers as well.
Some amazing names make the list with legends like Luis Figo and Xavi featuring prominently. Lionel Messi is the only player to feature 3 times, while Mesut Ozil features on it twice.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a vastly different playing style during his first spell at Manchester United and his assist numbers for the 2006/07 season show that he was much more of a playmaker and a winger during the first decade of the 21st century.
Without further ado, let us take a look at the players with the most assists in each completed season of the 21st century.
(Stats courtesy - Transfermarkt)
2000/01 season - Luis Figo (Real Madrid)
Games: 48, Assists: 27
One of the most controversial transfers of all time, Luis Figo moved from Barcelona to Real Madrid in the summer of 2000.
The Portuguese superstar took no time to settle in and played a crucial role in Real Madrid's 2000/01 La Liga triumph. Figo had a great individual first season at Real Madrid, assisting plenty of goals with his intelligent play and brilliant passing skills.
2001/02 season - Ze Roberto (Bayer Leverkusen)
Games: 50, Assists: 24
One of the greatest Brazilians to ever play in the Bundesliga, Ze Roberto had a brilliant 2001/02 season at Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayer Leverkusen, inspired by the stunning performances of Ze Roberto, made it to the UEFA Champions League final where they narrowly fell short to Real Madrid.
In fact, Leverkusen finished 2nd in all the major competitions they participated in that season - Bundesliga, DFB Polkal and the UEFA Champions League.
Ze Roberto joined Bayern Munich in 2002.
2002/03 season - Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
Games: 55, Assists: 28
Arguably the greatest Premier League player of all time, Thierry Henry was at the forefront of Arsenal's dominant run in the early 2000s.
A supreme goalscorer and brilliant playmaker, Henry not only grabbed 28 assists this season, he also scored an incredible 32 goals.
Arsenal, however, finished 2nd in the Premier League, although they did manage to win the FA Cup in the 2002/03 season.
2003/04 season - Deco (FC Porto)
Games: 44, Assists: 29
This is the season Jose Mourinho announced himself to the world as Porto did the unthinkable and won the UEFA Champions League.
Deco was undoubtedly the star player of this Porto side, with his silken passing and mazy dribbling skills unlocking plenty of opposition defenses.
Deco moved to Barcelona in 2004.
2004/05 season - Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
Games: 58, Assists: 21
Jose Mourinho's status as the 'Special One' was sealed during his first season at Chelsea. The Blues, led by the midfield brilliance of Frank Lampard and the defensive solidity of John Terry and Petr Cech, won the Premier League, breaking plenty of records in the process.
One of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game, Frank Lampard was always involved in goals, scoring and setting up plenty of them over his distinguished career.
2005/06 season - Alex (Fenerbahce)
Games: 43, Assists: 26
A true club legend at Fenerbahce, Alex enjoyed a fruitful spell at the Turkish giants from 2004-2012.
Winner of the Super Lig Top Scorer award in both 2006-07 and 2010-11, Alex was not only a prolific goalscorer but also a brilliant playmaker.
Despite Alex's heroics in the 2005-06 season, Fenerbahce fell 2 points short of eventual league winners Galatasaray and finished in 2nd place.
2006/07 season - Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Games: 53, Assists: 22
One of the few players on this list who has managed a season with 20+ goals and 20+ assists, Cristiano Ronaldo during his first spell at Manchester United was simply mesmerizing.
Playing on the wings, Ronaldo could dribble past almost the entire opposition defense on his own. Forming a brilliant partnership with Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo's performances helped Manchester United win the Premier League in the 2006-07 season.
2007/08 season - Steffen Hoffmann (Rapid Vienna)
Games: 38, Assists: 25
One of the lesser known names on the list, Steffen Hoffman had a long and distinguished career for Rapid Vienna.
In the 2007-08 season, Hoffman was the undoubted star player of the Rapid Vienna team as he not only had the most assists, but also finished as the top goalscorer for his side with 18 goals in all competitions.
The attacking midfielder's performances inspired Rapid Vienna to the Austrian Bundesliga title in the 2007/08 season.
2008/09 season - Xavi (Barcelona)
Games: 54, Assists: 31
One of the greatest midfielders of all time, Xavi played a crucial role in Pep Guardiola's brilliant treble-winning Barcelona team of the 2008-09 season.
While Lionel Messi was undoubtedly the star man of the team, Xavi was perhaps the most important player as he was the one who helped implement the 'tiki-taka' philosophy in the team.
The legendary midfielder managed an incredible 31 assists in the 2008/09 season as Barcelona won La Liga, Copa Del Rey and the UEFA Champions League playing some beautiful football.
A true legend of the game, Xavi will be hoping to bring the glory days back to Barcelona once again.
2009/10 season - Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen)
Games: 46, Assists: 29
Mesut Ozil's vision and passing skills are well known and he first burst into public consciousness when he had a brilliant season with Werder Bremen in 2009-10.
The elegant playmaker always has a knack of picking up assists, and in this season he was on top of his game as he grabbed an incredible 29 assists in just 46 matches.
Werder Bremen finished 3rd in the Bundesliga that season. Mesut Ozil moved to Real Madrid in 2010, where he continued his good form.
2010/11 - Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid)
Games: 54, Assists: 29
Mesut Ozil, the only player other than Lionel Messi to feature twice on this list, took his game to a new level at Real Madrid.
Ozil was one of Real Madrid's most important players under Jose Mourinho and cemented his legacy as the king of assists. Immediately after his arrival at Madrid, the German playmaker formed a good partnership with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema.
Although Real Madrid finished 2nd in La Liga and lost out in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, Mesut Ozil's assists did help them win the Copa del Rey trophy in the 2010-11 season.
2011/12 season - Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Games: 59, Assists: 31
The 6 time Ballon d'Or winner makes the first of his 3 entires on this list in the 2011/12 season. The Argentine maestro had a phenomenal season and broke all kinds of scoring and assist records this season.
Although Barcelona failed to win La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, they did manage to win the Copa del Rey trophy. Lionel Messi's phenomenal performances this season saw him win the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or trophy as well.
Pep Guardiola stepped down as Barcelona manager after this season.
2012/13 - Juan Mata (Chelsea)
Games: 63, Assists: 35
In the 21st century, no player has broken the record of 35 assists in a single season which Juan Mata holds as a Chelsea player for the 2012/13 season.
Comfortably Chelsea's best player of the campaign, the Spaniard played a crucial role in Chelsea's 3rd place finish in the Premier League. Juan Mata's good performances also helped inspire the Blues to a Europa League title that season.
The following season, Mata struggled to find a regular spot under Jose Mourinho and joined Manchester United in January 2014.
2013/14 season - Kevin Kampl (Red Bull Salzburg)
Games: 51, Assists: 27
Currently playing at RB Leipzig, Kevin Kampl had a brilliant season for RB Salzburg in 2013/14. The Slovenian's playmaking skills helped the Austrian side win the Bundesliga that season.
A tidy midfielder capable of playing defense splitting passes, Kampl, after his spell at Salzburg, played for Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen before moving to RB Leipzig in 2018.
2014/15 season - Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Games: 57, Assists: 31
Barcelona won a brilliant treble in the 2014/15 season with the 'MSN' trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar wreaking havoc.
The Argentine maestro not only finished as the top scorer for his side, he also had the most number of assists that season for any player in Europe.
Such incredible numbers naturally saw Lionel Messi win the Ballon d'Or award for the 5th time in 2015.
2015/16 season - Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund)
Games: 52, Assists: 32
Henrikh Mkhitaryan might not have had the best of times in the Premier League with Manchester United and Arsenal, but there is no denying his class.
The Armenian playmaker is capable of affecting attacking play brilliantly and contributes regularly with goals and assists.
Despite Mkhitaryan's heroics in the 2015/16 season, Borussia Dortmund finished 2nd in the Bundesliga and also lost out in the finals of the DFB Polkal. Mkhitaryan then joined Manchester United in 2016.
2016/17 season - Neymar (Barcelona)
Games: 45, Assists: 26
Neymar had formed an incredible partnership with the then Barcelona attackers, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The Brazilian not only scored 20 goals that season, he also contributed an incredible 26 assists.
Neymar was at his brilliant best during Barcelona's stunning 6-1 comeback against PSG in the UEFA Champions League that season, playing a starring role and assisting Sergi Roberto's last-minute winner.
However, this season proved to be Neymar's last season at Barcelona as he secured a world record transfer to PSG in 2017. Neymar and Messi have reunited at PSG once again and it will be interesting to see how the duo combine this season.
2017/18 season - Dimitri Payet (Marseille)
Games: 47, Assists: 23
Dimitri Payet just does not seem to get the respect he deserves. One of the most talented attacking midfielders of this generation, Payet has been Marseille's key player in the last few seasons.
In the 2017/18 season, the former West Ham man was at his creative best grabbing an incredible 23 assists throughout the season.
Payet's good form inspired Marseille into the UEFA Europa League final where they lost to Atletico Madrid. Now 34, Payet will be hoping to put in some influential performances for Marseille this season.
2018/19 season - Hakim Ziyech (Ajax)
Games: 49, Assists: 24
Ajax captured every football fan's imagination with their beautiful football which included a stunning run to the UEFA Champions League semi-final in the 2018/19 season. Key to their attacking play was the insightful passing and brilliant vision of Moroccan Hakim Ziyech.
The winger is one of the few people on this list who managed the double of scoring 20+ goals and grabbing 20+ assists in the same season.
The young Ajax team went on to win the Eredivise and KNVB Cup. They, however, suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Tottenham in the Champions League semi-finals of the 2018/19 season.
Ziyech will be hoping to rediscover his best form at his current club, Chelsea.
2019/20 season - Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Games: 44, Assists: 27
The only player to feature thrice on this list, Lionel Messi had another glorious season in 2019/20 scoring 30+ goals and grabbing 25+ assists.
Although Messi's numbers were truly phenomenal, this season was painful for Barcelona as they failed to win a single trophy.
Barcelona's 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League destroyed their season completely. They finished second in La Liga behind Real Madrid, with Lionel Messi's brilliance the only bright spot of a difficult season.
2020/21 season - Dusan Tadic (Ajax)
Games: 51, Assists: 26
Dusan Tadic's performances at Ajax have been nothing short of extraordinary. After an indifferent spell at Southampton, Tadic really found his footing at Ajax, where his performances have helped the Dutch giants establish domestic supremacy once again.
Last season, Tadic led from the front as he scored an incredible 22 goals and grabbed 26 assists, inspiring Ajax to a league and cup double.
Tadic has started this season strongly as well and will be hoping to continue contributing goals and assists.
