Lamine Yamal is climbing the Champions League assists charts at remarkable speed, and six more legends are within his reach this season.
The Barcelona forward has already overtaken Steven Gerrard, Eden Hazard and David Silva on the all-time list after providing a pair of assists against Galatasaray on Tuesday. He now has 13 Champions League assists in his career and can aim high over the coming months.
David Beckham
Yamal needs just one more assist to draw level with David Beckham on 14. Beckham played more than 100 times in the Champions League across his spells with Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and PSG.
Some sources, such as Transfermarkt, give Beckham a higher tally, but the UEFA website lists him on 13. It is UEFA’s competition, so that is the figure used here.
Andrea Pirlo
Next up on 15 is Andrea Pirlo, an absolute magician of a midfielder. He won the Champions League twice with AC Milan and finished as a runner-up twice, once with Milan and once with Juventus.
Like Beckham, Pirlo made more than 100 Champions League appearances. Yamal currently has 35.
Marco Reus
Marco Reus, a rare face of modern-day loyalty, also sits on 15 Champions League assists, all from his time with Borussia Dortmund. He played 72 times in the competition before leaving for MLS, just after becoming a runner-up for the second time.
Luis Figo
When Yamal reaches 15, he will also match Luis Figo. He would probably be best off not copying Figo’s decision to quit Barcelona for Real Madrid, though.
Figo won the Ballon d’Or at his very best, and that is the level Yamal is striving for. As with Beckham, different sources give different tallies for Figo’s Champions League assists, and the same applies to the next two names on this list.
Thierry Henry
On 16 is Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal, Monaco and Barcelona forward. He is usually remembered as a goalscorer, but he was an attacking talent who could play anywhere and make an impact.
That made him just as likely to create chances as to convert them. He managed 20 assists in a single Premier League season.
Raul
Raul was once the Champions League’s all-time top scorer, until Cristiano Ronaldo set a new record that will probably last forever. The Real Madrid legend also set up plenty of goals, 16 in fact.
That benchmark is not out of reach for Yamal, although Raul’s goal tally of 71 will be. For now.