Not only are they good at scoring goals, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi also know how to regularly set up goals for their teammates to score in Europe’s most prestigious arena.

Angel Di Maria (36)

The Argentine winger has played in five of the top seven European leagues according to UEFA’s current rankings. Di Maria is the top Champions League assist player still participating in this tournament.

Angel Di Maria made his first assist in the Champions League for Benfica in a match against Celtic in October 2007. The Portuguese representative was the place that gave wings to the early career of the South American star, before he moved to Real Madrid and won the 2013/14 Champions League after defeating city rival Atlético in the final. .

Di Maria truly came into his own when he moved to Paris Saint-Germain, where he contributed 18 of his 36 assists in the Champions League. Angel Di Maria has assisted Kylian Mbappe more than any other player in his career (5 times). The 35-year-old player then made 3 more assists in the match for Juventus, before returning to Benfica in the 2023 summer transfer window. With an assist for Rafa in the match against RB Salzburg in the 6th match of the Champions group stage League 2023/24, Di Maria is equal to David Beckham on the rankings.

David Beckham (36)

David Beckham is arguably the best set-piece expert in Champions League history. He was an integral part of Manchester United’s treble-winning team and held the record for assists in the competition until 2011. Only Luis Figo had more assists from dead ball situations than him. Current owner of Inter Miami.

Beckham’s first assist was when he gave the ball to Roy Keane in 1994 against Galatasaray. The former British player finished with 29 assists for the “Red Devils” before leaving the Premier League and added 7 more during his time playing for Real Madrid.

Dwight Yorke was the main beneficiary of the Englishman’s accurate crosses and passes, with 6 goals from Beckham’s passes.

Lionel Messi (39)

Lionel Messi had to wait until his 6th participation in the Champions League to open his account for both goals and assists.

His first goal and “clearance” was against Panathinaikos in a 5-0 win at Camp Nou in the 2005/06 season. Meanwhile, his last assist in Europe’s top club tournament was a convenient pass for Mbappe to score against Juventus, which took place just 6 weeks before these two players appeared in the final. World Cup 2022.

The player Messi assisted the most in the Champions League is Neymar, 5 times, 4 of which came from Barcelona plus 1 at PSG.

Cristiano Ronaldo (40)

Not many people know that Cristiano Ronaldo “failed” in the first 26 matches in the Champions League. At that stage, CR7 played the role of a playmaker rather than a “bomber king”.

In his 27th appearance, against AS Roma, the Portuguese international assisted Michael Carrick to score the 6th goal before completing the double himself in a strong 7-1 victory. The Portuguese legend then developed into more of a scoring machine than a creative force. CR7 only added 2 assists in the last 25 matches in the Champions League, while scoring 19 goals in the same period of time.

Ronaldo is the player with the most goals in the Champions League finals with 5 goals, including an important assist to help Real Madrid win the championship in the 2013/14 season.

Ryan Giggs (41)

Age and professional ability are two key factors that make Ryan Giggs the king of assists in the Champions League. Giggs spent 20 years playing in the European Cup and won this title twice.

His most important assist came at a special time, in the 1999 Champions League final. When Man United was on the verge of defeat, the former Welsh player missed a shot, accidentally becoming a pass. Convenient pass for Teddy Sheringham to score against Bayern Munich. This goal is the premise for the “Red Devils” to play sublimely and have a comeback in the last minutes thanks to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Giggs also assisted a goal for Man United in the final loss to Barcelona in 2009, thereby becoming one of seven players to assist a goal in two separate finals. That achievement is second only to Andrés Iniesta, the player who assisted goals in three finals.

Giggs’ last assist was against Bayer Leverkusen in November 2013. Notably, the MU legend is one of 5 players who assisted 4 goals in a Champions League match, in a 7-1 victory over AS Roma in 2007. Wayne Rooney is a big beneficiary of these passes. Giggs’ pass with 6 goals.