Ronaldo or Messi? The clear favorite in 2025

Lionel Messi ended 2025 at the top spot on a renowned ranking, whereas Cristiano Ronaldo failed to appear in the top 10.

Messi outperforms Ronaldo in 2025

Lionel Messi closed 2025 by achieving his most important goal with Inter Miami. The Argentine superstar led the team nicknamed the Herons to their first-ever MLS Cup victory, after a 3-1 win against Vancouver Whitecaps in the final. However, Messi’s personal impact was also extraordinary, placing him at the top of a prestigious ranking where Cristiano Ronaldo did not even feature in the top 10.

Messi ended the year as the world’s leading assist provider, tallying 29 assists in 54 appearances. This performance demonstrated his enduring playmaking skills and helped him extend the record for the most assists in football history, with 407 career assists. For Inter Miami alone, Messi recorded 26 assists, with the remaining three coming while playing for Argentina’s national team.

Although assists are not Cristiano Ronaldo’s strongest attribute, Messi still surpassed the Portuguese star in the 2025 scoring race, netting 46 goals compared to CR7’s 41 across all competitions.

Debate over assist numbers

In the list of top assist providers, Messi ranks ahead of Akram Afif, the Qatar international playing for Al Sadd, who has 27 assists in 47 appearances for club and country. Completing the top three is Anders Dreyer, the Danish international and a key figure in San Diego FC’s inaugural MLS season, with 26 assists in 74 matches.

However, after compiling data to determine the player with the most assists in 2025, a notable controversy arose. The specialized data site Transfermarkt published a ranking placing Bayern Munich forward Michael Olise at number one with 30 assists, but with a special condition.

Transfermarkt uses different statistical criteria compared to many other sources. According to some platforms’ methods, a player who wins a penalty is credited with an assist if the subsequent penalty kick is successfully converted. This difference also affects Lamine Yamal’s case, who is ranked third by Transfermarkt based on their unique criteria.

Top global assist leaders in 2025

This ranking is based on direct passes leading to goals at both club and international levels. Although specialized data portals like Transfermarkt may present different figures by including “penalties won,” according to the standard international sports statistics, Lionel Messi remains the top assist provider worldwide in 2025.