Vinicius Jr beats Messi’s record for most UCL knockout assists in history

Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr delivered an assist to Kylian Mbappe in the second leg of the Champions League quarter‑final against Bayern Munich, pushing his total to 13 assists in 41 UCL knockout matches and surpassing Lionel Messi’s 12 assists in 77 appearances. Despite the assist, Madrid lost 4‑3 in the second leg and exited 6‑4 on aggregate.

This achievement highlights Vinicius Jr’s growing influence in Europe’s elite competition, especially as he trails only Cristiano Ronaldo’s 15 assists in 85 knockout games. At just 24, the Brazilian already has two UCL titles with Real Madrid, while Messi has four and Ronaldo five. The record underscores a shift in creative leadership among Brazilian forwards in the Champions League era.

With Vinicius Jr on track to surpass Ronaldo’s assist record if he maintains his current form, will he become the new benchmark for Brazilian creativity in Europe, or will injuries and form fluctuations keep him behind?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/04/17/ucl-vinicius-jr-breaks-lionel-messis-record/