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The UEFA Champions League has been graced by a plethora of world-class players across positions over the years. While it is natural that goalscorers earn more plaudits, the goal creators are no less important even if they don't hog as much of the limelight.
In the three decades of the Champions League era, there have been many fine goal creators. Some of them have also been prolific scorers in the competition too. On that note, here's a look at the top 11 assist providers in the history of the Champions League. Without further ado, let's get started:
Note: All stats as per UEFA.com or transfermarkt unless otherwise stated.
#11 Luis Suarez - 26
Luis Suarez is one of the most prolific active scorers in the game. Surprisingly, he has scored almost as many Champions League goals (27) as he has provided assists.
Last season, he failed to score or provide an assist in six games in the competition. He broke his scoring duck on Tuesday, netting Atletico Madrid's winner in their 2-1 win over AC Milan. That marked his first away goal in the Champions League in six years.
Suarez's most prolific campaign in the Champions League in terms of assists came in 2018-19. He provided five assists that campaign as Barcelona made a run to the quarter-finals.
#10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 26
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has won league titles in four different countries. However, a Champions League trophy is absent from his illustrious cabinet. Nevertheless, he has scored nearly 50 goals in the competition and has 26 assists to his name.
Ibrahimovic's last appearance in the Champions League was with Manchester United in 2017-18. He is yet to play a game in the competition on Milan's return to the Champions League after seven years.
Ibrahimovic's most prolific Champions League campaign in terms of assists was in 2012-13. He provided seven assists in the competition that season, including all four in PSG's 4-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv.
#9 Cesc Fabregas - 26
Cesc Fabregas is one of a handful of active players who have made over 100 appearances in the Champions League. The 34-year-old hasn't scored a lot of goals in the competition, but he has racked up a decent number of assists.
The former Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder had his most prolific Champions League campaign in terms of assists in 2008-09. He provided six assists in Arsenal's run to the semi-finals.
Fabregas, who is now at Monaco, hasn't appeared in the Champions League since 2017-18, though. He provided his latest assist in the competition that campaign, while playing for Chelsea.
#8 Karim Benzema - 27
Karim Benzema has been a prolific scorer in the Champions League. With his latest strike in the competition on Tuesday, Benzema (72) surpassed Real Madrid legend Raul to become the fourth-most prolific scorer in Champions League history,
His goal, albeit in Real Madrid's 2-1 home defeat to competition debutants Sheriff, made Benzema the first player to score in 17 consecutive Champions League campaigns.
Apart from his goals, the four-time Champions League winner has also racked up a decent number of assists in the competition over the years. He has provided a career-best five Champions League assists in three different editions of the competition.
That includes Real Madrid's triumphant 2013-14 La Decima-winning campaign. Benzema hasn't provided an assist in the Champions League in almost two years, though. But with his goals hardly drying up during this period, Real Madrid won't complain.
#7 Neymar - 29
Neymar is one of the most skilful players to have graced the Champions League. He is not the most prolific of goalscorers, but he's the only player in competition history to score 20 goals for two different clubs.
The PSG winger is a master assist creator, though. He is one of a handful of players to provide four assists in a Champions League game. He did so in Barcelona's 7-0 victory over Celtic in their 2016-17 Champions League opener.
Neymar enjoyed his most prolific Champions League campaign in terms of assists that season, creating nine goals for teammates. However, Barcelona were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Juventus that season.
#6 Andres Iniesta - 29
Andres Iniesta, a four-time Champions League winner, is one of the most decorated players in the competition's history.
Known for his imperious ability on the ball, Iniesta has tallied more assists than goals in the Champions League. He provided at least one assist in all but two of his 15 campaigns in the competition.
He provided a career-best seven Champions League assists in Barcelona's triumphant 2010-11 campaign in the competition, including one in the final.
#5 Xavi Hernandez - 30
Xavi Hernandez is arguably one of the best midfielders to have graced the Champions League. The Barcelona midfield metronome played a key role in the Blaugrana's four Champions League-winning campaigns during his time with the club.
Like Iniesta, Xavi didn't score a lot of goals in the Champions League, but he provided a decent number of assists. One of them was to Lionel Messi in Barcelona's 2009 final win over Manchester United. Messi would later call that strike - a rare header - one of the best ever goals of his career.
Xavi's most prolific Champions League campaign in terms of assists came in 2008-09. The now-retired player created seven goalscoring opportunities for teammates in Barcelona's triumphant campaign in the competition that season.
#4 Ryan Giggs - 31
Ryan Giggs is one of the greatest one-club players in the game's history. The former Manchester United winger played 20 seasons in the competition, winning two titles.
The Welshman, like a few others on this list, wasn't a prolific goalscorer, but he provided assists galore in the competition. Incidentally, Giggs is the first player to score in 16 different seasons in the Champions League. That's a feat emulated or surpassed by only three different players - Karim Benzema (17), Lionel Messi (17) and Cristiano Ronaldo (16).
Giggs provided at least one assist in a staggering 17 different campaigns in the Champions League. He provided a career-best eight assists in the 2006-07 edition of the competition.
#3 Angel Di Maria - 34
Angel Di Maria is one of the most prolific assist creators in Champions League history. The 2014 Champions League winner with Real Madrid has tallied more goals than assists in the competition.
Incredibly, Di Maria has provided an assist in each of his 11 campaigns in the Champions League with two different clubs. He was the Man of the Match in the 2014 Champions League final, despite registering a no-goal contribution.
The Argentine's most prolific assist-providing Champions League campaign came in 2019-20. Di Maria provided a career-best seven assists, which helped PSG reach their first final in the competition. In that campaign, he provided four assists in PSG's 5-0 win over Club Brugge.
#2 Lionel Messi - 36
Lionel Messi is arguably one of the finest players to have played the beautiful game. He also holds a slew of scoring records in the Champions League.
Among others, Messi is one of two players to score over 100 goals and provide over 35 assists, and net in 17 different editions of the competition. He recorded the latest feat in PSG's 2-0 win over Manchester City on Tuesday.
While his goalscoring exploits in the Champions League are well known, Messi is also a master goal creator in the competition. He is one of two players to provide over 35 assists in the Champions League.
His most prolific assist-providing campaign in the competition came in 2014-15. He provided six assists and also scored ten goals in Barcelona's triumphant Champions League campaign that season.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 42
Cristiano Ronaldo is the most successful player in Champions League history. He is the most prolific goalscorer in the competition and is the only player to score in Champions League finals for two different teams.
He also holds a slew of other scoring records in the competition, Ronaldo is the only player to score in all six Champions League group games in a season, and net 17 times in an entire campaign.
What is perhaps not known by many is the fact that Ronaldo is also the most prolific goal creator in Champions League history. He has provided at least one assist in 17 different editions of the competition.
Ronaldo provided a career-best six assists in Real Madrid's triumphant 2016-17 campaign. He also scored 12 times in the competition that season.
