Xavi, Henry & Muller... 11 players who have recorded 20+ assists in one season

Messi is on the cusp of recording 20 assists in a single La Liga season for the first time in his glittering career.

The Argentine racked up numbers 18 and 19 in the Blaugrana's 4-1 win away at Villarreal and it seems all but a certainty that he'll hit the magic 20 before the season is out.

Recording 20 assists in a single season is a remarkable achievement for any player, especially one who scores as many goals as Messi does.

But will the Argentine be the first to notch the eye-catching number of assists in one campaign? Absolutely not.

We've decided to scour the archives using Transfermarkt to find 11 other players who have hit the magic 20 since the year 2000. 

1. Joao Pinto, 2001/02 (Sporting Lisbon)

Games: 33

Assists: 20

A striker renowned for his ability to act as a playmaker, as well as score goals. On top of his 20 assists in 01/02, the Portuguese found the back of the net nine times.

2. Thierry Henry, 2002/03 (Arsenal)

Games: 37

Assists: 20

Now, Transfermarkt state Henry recorded 25 assists in 02/03, but the well-known figure is 20. That amount is still a Premier League record, with the Frenchman also scoring 24 times as well that season.

3. Predrag Djordjevic, 2002/03 (Olympiakos)

Games: 29

Assists: 21

The Serbian winger was prolific during his time in Greece, scoring 156 goals and notching 88 assists in 491 games for Olympiakos.

4. Alex, 2005/06 (Fenerbahce)

Games: 31

Assists: 23

The Brazilian midfielder's assist record with Fenerbahce is quite incredible. In seven separate seasons, Alex reached double figures in the department, finishing with a total of 146 in 344 games.

5. Hasan Sas, 2005/06 (Galatasaray)

Games: 26

Assists: 20

Remember him from the 2002 World Cup? Sas' record of 20 assists in 05/06 was actually the only time he ever hit double figures in his club career.

6. Steffen Hofmann, 2007/08 (Rapid Vienna)

Games: 36

Assists: 25

The German midfielder actually has the 10th most assists of any player in the world since the year 2000. His record of 25 in 07/08 is the highest single tally on this list as well - impressive stuff.

7. Xavi, 2008/09 (Barcelona)

Games: 35

Assists: 22

The only player in La Liga history to hit 20 or more assists in a season. Xavi was playing football from a different planet in 08/09, with four of his assists coming in one game against Real Madrid - which Barcelona won 6-2 at the Bernabeu.

8. Luciano Narsingh, 2011/12 (FC Heerenveen)

Games: 34

Assists: 22

The Dutch winger did a bit of a madness in 11/12, with Narsingh also scoring eight goals on top of his 22 assists. Sadly, his career didn't takeoff as a result.

9. Kevin De Bruyne, 2014/15 (Wolfsburg)

Games: 34

Assists: 21

Like Henry, the figures often vary with regards to De Bruyne's assist output in 2014/15. Some say 19 or 20, others 21. So we're just going to go with the highest - you're welcome, Kev!

10. Oscar, 2017/18 (Shanghai SIPG)

Games: 29

Assists: 22

The Brazilian has made the Chinese Super League his playground since signing from Chelsea. In his 123 games for Shanghai, Oscar has recorded 66 assists, not bad that.

11. Thomas Muller, 2019/20 (Bayern)

Games: 33

Assists: 21

The latest member of the 20 club. Amazingly, the German only started 26 Bundesliga games in the 2019/20 season, which makes his outrageous creative efficiency even more remarkable.