Lamine Yamal is closing in on some of football’s greatest names in the all-time Champions League assists list, and six legends could fall behind him this season. The Barcelona forward is adding his name next to the greats at an incredible rate with every goal and assist.
Yamal has already overtaken Steven Gerrard, Eden Hazard and David Silva thanks to his pair of assists against Galatasaray on Tuesday. He now has 13 Champions League assists for his career and should be able to aim high.
Here are the players he can realistically pass over the next few months.
David Beckham
Just one more assist will put Yamal level with 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.
A disclaimer: some sources, like Transfermarkt, have Beckham’s tally higher, but the UEFA website lists 13. It is UEFA’s competition, so that is the figure used here.
Andrea Pirlo
Next up on 15 is Pirlo, an absolute magician of a midfielder. He twice won the Champions League with AC Milan and was a two-time runner-up as well, once with Milan and once with Juventus.
Like Beckham, he can boast more than 100 Champions League appearances. Yamal currently has 35.
Marco Reus
A rare face of modern-day loyalty, Reus is also on 15 Champions League assists, all from his time with Borussia Dortmund. He played 72 times in the competition before heading off to MLS, just after becoming a runner-up for the second time.
Luis Figo
When Yamal reaches 15, he will also match Figo. He is probably best off not matching 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 tallies exist for Figo’s Champions League assists, as well as for the next two names on this list.
Thierry Henry
Going up to 16, the former Arsenal, Monaco and Barcelona forward Henry could also be surpassed. He is more commonly thought of as a goalscorer, but he was an attacking talent capable of playing anywhere and making an impact.
That meant he was just as likely to create chances as he was to convert them. He even recorded 20 assists in a single Premier League season.
Raul
Raul once stood proud as the Champions League’s all-time top scorer, until Cristiano Ronaldo set a new record that will probably last forever. But the Real Madrid legend also set up a few goals, 16 in fact.
That benchmark is not out of reach for Yamal, although Raul’s goal tally of 71 will be, for now.