Can you remember when a goal every two matches was considered a good record for a striker?

That was before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo came along and ripped up the rulebook.

The two superstars are disappointed if they’re not averaging a goal every 90 minutes during an entire season. But they offer far more than just goals as they both like to create chances for their teammates, too.

Being able to both score and assist makes you a very valuable player indeed and stars who can do both command significant fees in the transfer market.

And thanks to a post on Reddit, we can see the player who has produced the most goal + assist combinations in Europe’s top five leagues every season since 1999/2000.

Simply, which player in Europe’s top five leagues scored the most goals and registered the most assists combined. Only goals and assists in league matches count.

Take a look:

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There’s one immediate thing that stands out - Messi is quite good.

In the last 11 seasons, Messi has produced the most goals + assists in EIGHT of them. That’s incredible.

During the 2011/12 campaign, he scored a crazy 50 league goals in 37 games and produced a further 16 assists.

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Cristiano Ronaldo came close to that in 2014/15 as he scored 48 goals in 35 games and assisted 16.

Phenomenal numbers.

Elsewhere, Thierry Henry ruled the roost for three consecutive seasons between 2002/03 and 2004/05. He really did deserve the Ballon d’Or, didn’t he?

He may also spot Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips in there. During the 1999/00 season, he scored 30 Premier League goals in 36 games and registered three assists.

Who will be the next player to make the list for the 2020/21 season?