Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi has been one of the more creative players this 2022-23 season. Heading into Sunday’s action, only Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Messi had 12 or more assists in Europe’s top five leagues.
However, the two players now have company. In Atletico Madrid’s 5-2 win over Real Valladolid on Sunday at the José Zorrilla Stadium, forward Antoine Griezmann recorded two assists, resulting in the 32-year-old reaching 12 assists this season.
📊 Antoine Griezmann a réalisé 12 passes décisives cette saison en Liga.
➤ Seuls Kevin De Bruyne (16) et Lionel Messi (15) font mieux en championnat (Top 5 européen). pic.twitter.com/i1yGynATnn
— Atleti Francia 🇫🇷 (@AtletiFrancia) April 30, 2023
De Bruyne (16) and Messi (15) are the only two players with more than the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner. The Spanish club has six more matches this season and there’s no doubt that Griezmann can tie either Messi or De Bruyne.
Meanwhile, Messi could join Griezmann in La Liga next season as FC Barcelona has the Argentine as their priority this summer, with the veteran goal scorer becoming a free agent in June.
If the Spanish club has its way, Messi will assist his fellow Barcelona teammates and be one of the league’s top assist players in the 2023-24 season.
