AFC Ajax recently celebrated one of their payers’ new record of most assists ever via their official Twitter. But Chaos unfurled after this post as several fans on Twitter said that two of his assists came during friendlies. If these assists are not part of the assists’ count, there is no new record. So, the question stands – has Dusan Tadic surpassed the legendary Lionel Messi in assists? Preliminary calculations suggest no.
Dusan Tadic had a decent spell during his four seasons with Southampton. He registered 20 goals and 27 assists across 134 Premier League appearances.
However, after moving to Netherlands, Tadic became a vital cog in Ajax’s team, which won the domestic double last season.
Tadic also played a major part in Serbia’s direct qualification to next year’s World Cup in Qatar. After all, he provided the assists for Alexander Mitrovic’s winner against the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal in Lisbon.
Despite being 33, Tadic is showing no signs of slowing down. He has already raked in 11 assists in the Eredivisie this season, while also netting seven goals in 2021-22’s campaign.
Has Dusan Tadic Surpassed the Legendary Lionel Messi in Assists?
According to a tweet from Dutch football club Ajax, their Serbian midfielder Dusan Tadic has broken a Lionel Messi record. They claim Tadic has provided the greatest number of assists, ever, in a calendar year.
𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 🐐
MOST ASSISTS. 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥. pic.twitter.com/J74en2LjSY
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) December 23, 2021
Argentine forward Messi (football news) had set the record of 36 assists in 2011 when he was playing for Barcelona.
But after making 37 assists this season, Tadic has now broken the Paris Saint-Germain star’s decade-old record, Ajax said.
However, in yet another twist, confusion reigned supreme on Twitter as several fans contested the former Southampton playmaker’s assists’ coronation.
Football enthusiasts said that two of Tadic’s assists came during friendlies and shouldn’t be counted.
If we were to take the assists in friendlies into consideration, Messi had actually recorded 40 assists that season. And some Twitter users were quick to point this out.
