Jadon Sancho: Outdoing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as Europe’s assist king

Jadon Sancho is yet to start a game for Borussia Dortmund this season, but that hasn’t stopped him from racing to the top of the European assists chart ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

In just 125 minutes of league football in 2018/19, Sancho has laid on five assists for his BVB teammates. Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi are among five players who have four assists to their name.

Sancho came off the bench in Dortmund’s 4-2 comeback win over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, replacing Christian Pulisic in the 68th minute. One minute later he had set up Marco Reus to score the equaliser; by full-time he had also put the fourth and final goal on a plate for Paco Alcacer.

This just three days on from his impressive late show in the 7-0 drubbing of Nuremberg. Sancho needed just 16 minutes to tee up Julian Weigl for the final goal, having already grabbed one for himself.

BVB captain Reus has, perhaps unsurprisingly, been effusive in his praise of the England U19 international.

“It’s simply awesome,” he beamed on Wednesday. “The opponent knows that when Jadon comes in, we have a weapon coming on. We’re glad we have him up our sleeve.”

Dortmund have scored every 124 minutes Sancho has been on the pitch this season. Without him it’s every 416 minutes – perhaps it’s time he started from the off?