With the 2026 World Cup fast-approaching, attention is turning to the game’s creative kings who will each be bidding to put on a show this summer.
Using Squawka’s Comparison Matrix we have analysed the numbers of four key contenders – Michael Olise (France), Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), Lamine Yamal (Spain), and of course Lionel Messi (Argentina) – to see who could be best placed to conjure up the most assists in North America.
In this article, we cover:
How do the 2025-26 league campaigns of each player compare?
Bruno Fernandes set a new Premier League record of 21 assists in a single season, an incredible achievement which surpassed the tallies of league legends Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. This was also a high in Europe’s top-5 leagues.
The Manchester United captain created 136 chances – averaging four per 90 minutes – which matched the highest total recorded in Europe’s top-five leagues since De Bruyne’s 2019-20 season (also 136). Fernandes also registered 33 big chances, played 38 through balls (completing 15), completed 72 lay-offs, and delivered 654 forward passes, alongside nine goals.
Michael Olise also enjoyed a simply superb second season with Bayern Munich, accumulating a combined 34 league goal involvements, split at 19 assists and 15 goals en route to winning the Bundesliga. His tally of 0.8 assists per 90 is a high amongst these four players analysed.
Olise was heavily involved in chance creation and progression. He created 79 chances, played 23 through balls, completed 58 lay-offs, and recorded 220 touches in the opposition box. He also completed 749 forward passes – second-most in Europe’s top-five leagues – and 936 final-third passes.
Lamine Yamal scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists as he helped Barcelona secure the La Liga title.
The The 18-year-old finished the season among the league leaders across multiple creative and attacking metrics, topping key categories including assists, big chances created (26), through balls completed (11), and take-ons completed (133 from 243 attempts).
Yamal also ranked highly for final-third passing, registering 759 attempts and 569 completions, while creating 72 chances and producing 117 shots over the course of the campaign.
When it comes to Lionel Messi, it’s important to note that he has featured in significantly fewer matches than the other players, with the MLS 2026 season only beginning in February. Even so, his output has so far been exceptional (shock).
In just 14 league appearances for Inter Miami so far this term, Messi has recorded 12 goals and 8 assists, placing him second in both the league’s top scorer and assist charts at this stage of the season.
Messi also leads the MLS in several key attacking metrics, including open-play assists (7), total shots (84), shots on target (34), chances created (42), big chances created (13), and take-ons attempted (70). Additionally, he ranks inside the top-three for final-third passes attempted (406) and completed (305), as well as through balls attempted (11) and completed (5).
What about in the 2025-26 Champions League?
While the Champions League league phase has evolved in format, the knockout rounds still lend themselves to more traditional comparisons to a World Cup-style tournament. Note: this section focuses only on Michael Olise and Lamine Yamal.
Starting with Olise, the Frenchman played a pivotal role in Bayern Munich’s surge through to the semi-finals, forming a stunning triumvirate alongside Luis Diaz and Harry Kane. Across 13 appearances, he recorded 11 goal involvements, including a competition joint-high six assists. He also led the way for attempted (12) and completed (8) through balls, ranked second for chances created (33) and take-ons completed (45), fourth for big chances created (8), and posted an impressive 285 final third completed passes.
Yamal scored five goals and provided three assists before Barcelona’s quarter-final exit. He led the competition for big chances created (12), while also topping the charts for take-ons attempted (83) and completed (46). In addition, he ranked third for through balls completed (7).
In a direct per-90 comparison between Olise and Yamal, it’s the latter who edges several key creative and progression metrics, including through balls, completed lay-offs, forward passes, and touches in the opposition box.
How do their international assist records compare?
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 198 | 116 | 61 | 2006, 2010,2014, 2018 & 2022 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 87 | 28 | 24 | 2018 & 2022 |
| Lamine Yamal | 25 | 6 | 12 | N/A |
| Michael Olise | 15 | 4 | 2 | N/A |
The Comparison Matrix does not yet include a full suite of international statistics, but Opta’s data still provides valuable insight into how these four players have performed for their national teams.
Lionel Messi is not only Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 116 goals in 198 appearances, but also the most prolific assist provider in men’s international football history with 61 assists, according to Opta.
Eight of those assists have come at World Cups – a record shared with fellow Argentine legend Diego Maradona – meaning he needs one more assist this summer to claim the record outright. Messi has registered at least one assist at each of the five World Cups he has played in since 2006, while finishing joint-top for assists at both the 2018 (2) and 2022 (3) tournaments.
Bruno Fernandes has amassed 28 goals and 24 assists in 87 appearances for Portugal and represented his country at each of the last two World Cups. While he recorded only two assists during qualification for the 2026 tournament, Fernandes was one of five players to finish joint-top for assists at the 2022 World Cup.
For Lamine Yamal, the 2026 World Cup will be his first. The Barcelona star announced himself on the international stage at Euro 2024 when, aged just 16 when the tournament began and 17 by its conclusion, he scored once and provided four assists – the most of any player – as Spain lifted the trophy, while he was also named Young Player of the Tournament.
Similarly, Michael Olise is set to make his World Cup debut this summer. In fact, it will be his first senior major international tournament. Before stepping into the senior setup, he notably played a key role in France’s run to the silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games, scoring twice and providing five assists. Olise has gone on to record four goals and two assists for Les Bleus since he made his debut in September 2024.
What do the odds say?
Here’s how the bookmakers see the race going for the most World Cup 2026 assists this summer:
| Player | Bet365 Odds | BOYLE Sports Odds | UniBet Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Olise | 10/1 | 10/1 | 10/1 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 10/1 | 10/1 | 10/1 |
| Lamine Yamal | 12/1 | 12/1 | 13/1 |
| Lionel Messi | 12/1 | 12/1 | 13/1 |
Squawka’s Suggestion
These are four exceptionally gifted players who have each enjoyed outstanding 2025-26 campaigns in their own way. Lionel Messi brings unrivalled experience, pedigree, and playmaking excellence into what will almost certainly be his sixth and final World Cup. Bruno Fernandes is fresh from breaking the Premier League’s single-season assist record, while the stunning talents of Lamine Yamal and Michael Olise look poised to sparkle on football’s biggest stage.
If we had to make a prediction – and it’s an incredibly close call – the data points towards Olise as the player most likely to shine from a creative perspective.
Olise has just had a spellbinding season for Bayern Munich across both domestic and European competition, where he racked up over 30 assists in all competitions. He now jets to North America where he’ll be playing alongside Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele and Golden Boot favourite Kylian Mbappe in one of the most formidable attacking trios in international football, offering him a wealth of potential assist opportunities. If his club form carries over to the international stage, Olise could be set for a sensational summer.
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