Angel Di Maria is having one of the best playmaking seasons in Paris Saint-Germain history.
In PSG’s UEFA Champions League semifinal contest against RB Leipzig, the Argentine midfielder proved yet again why he deserves to be mentioned along with other premier playmakers in the competition’s history.
Di Maria entered PSG’s clash against Leipzig with 28 assists in his Champions League career, which ranked sixth all-time (via UEFA).
Di Maria recorded the 29th assist of his Champions League career on a set-piece play that culminated in Marquinhos scoring the opener for PSG in the match. The 29 Champions League assists for Di Maria tied him with FC Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta for the fifth-most in the competition’s history.
The quarterfinal hero strikes first!
Di Maria puts the ball right on Marquinhos' head and PSG takes the early lead. pic.twitter.com/YHVXLgzcfP
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) August 18, 2020
Di Maria would again move up in the all-time Champions League assists leaderboard later in the contest. He set up Juan Bernat for a header goal that gave PSG a 3-0 lead over the German side.
The Parisians are running away with it…
Sorry Neymar, that one goes to Bernat 😉 pic.twitter.com/c5o2T3qAid
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) August 18, 2020
This was a landmark assist for Di Maria as he tied yet another Barcelona legend in Xavi Hernandez. Di Maria now sits at 30 assists in his Champions League career, and it is only a matter of time before he breaks the tie with the former Spanish midfielder.
Overall, only Ryan Giggs (31), Lionel Messi (35) and Cristiano Ronaldo (40) have recorded more Champions League assists than Di Maria. It is safe to say that the Argentine will soon pass Giggs, but it will take a phenomenal feat for him to move past both Messi and Ronaldo on this leaderboard considering that they each are still in their prime.
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