Bayern brilliance 

Lionel Messi 3rd - Michael Olise set to beat assist record with Bayern Munich

©TM/IMAGO

Some of the greatest names in football have lit up the iconic Santiago Bernabeu over the decades and Michael Olise illuminated proceedings during Bayern Munich’s win over Real Madrid. The Frenchman caused Álvaro Carreras nightmares and effortlessly glided past the Madrid left-back routinely throughout an excellent performance. Olise has been a revelation since moving to Germany and he’s unquestionably been one of the best players in the world this season with Thierry Henry reserving glowing praise for his former France U21 star.

“Michael is a special player,” said Henry on CBS. “He sees and thinks about the game differently, the way he sees life. When he gets the ball, he sees things that few others can. He perceives the game differently, he sees it more with his brain than his eyes. He doesn’t say much off the field, but when he has the ball, he speaks very well through his play.” Alongside Lamine Yamal, Olise is the best winger in the world and he’s poised to break an incredible record this campaign. The 24-year-old’s assist for Harry Kane against Madrid was his 29th in Bayern colours this season and Olise is destined to make history.

The assist record in a single season this century

Using our unparalleled database at Transfermarkt, we’ve analysed the players with the most assists in a single season for their club this century. Three stars have registered 32 assists in a single season across all competitions; Henrik Mkhitaryan, Xavi and Lionel Messi. Mkhitaryan ranks first on our list as he achieved that in fewer games than the aforementioned Barcelona icons. Mkhitaryan enjoyed a phenomenal 2015/16 season for Borussia Dortmund, ending with 32 assists and 23 goals in 52 games to ultimately earn a move to Manchester United.

As the graphic above shows, Messi features twice in the top ten list after providing 31 assists during the 2014/15 campaign – Kevin de Bruyne also achieved this in 2022/23 at Manchester City. Olise currently ranks seventh but he only needs to register four more assists this season to break the record. With Bayern still having another six Bundesliga games remaining plus still being in the Champions League and the DFB-Pokal Cup, it seems inevitable that Olise will break the record.