Supporters of Lionel Messi are not happy with a tweet from Ajax, which writes that Dusan Tadic has added a record number of assists in 2021. According to the club’s data, Tadic prepared a goal 37 times in this calendar year, setting Messi’s record from 2011 (36) would have broken. A major discussion has erupted on social media about the accuracy of the figures.
Some supporters of Messi, who argue that Ajax should remove the tweet, claim that the club counts friendlies and that Messi provided 40 assists in 2011, including friendlies. Tadic provided an assist in the friendly match against Leeds United (4-0 win on 4 August). But there are also other arguments against Tadic’s statistics. For example, some statistics websites add an assist if an own goal is scored from the cross of the relevant player. This happened, for example, during Ajax – Borussia Dortmund (Marco Reus own goal) and Feyenoord – Ajax (Marcos Senesi own goal).
??????????? ???????????? ?? MOST ASSISTS. ????????. pic.twitter.com/J74en2LjSY
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) Dec 23, 2021
Opta, perhaps the best-known statistics agency, does not grant an assist for own goals. Also, if a player earns a free kick or penalty because he initiates a handball from the opponent or because he is fouled, he will not be awarded an assist. However, an assist is credited if a player selects a teammate, the ball is changed direction and then ends up with the teammate. Then it must be established that the ball ‘probably’ would have ended up with the teammate even without the contact.
Voetbalzone usually uses Opta’s data when it comes to match statistics. According to the count of opta Tadic gave a total of 35 assists in 2021: 25 in the Eredivisie, 2 in the Europa League, 1 in the Champions League, 1 in the TOTO KNVB Cup and 6 in World Cup qualifiers for Serbia. For Messi, the counter stopped in 2011 at 28 assists: 16 in LaLiga, 5 in the Champions League, 2 in the Supercopa, 1 in the World Cup for club teams, 1 in the UEFA Supercup and 3 in the Copa América, on behalf of Argentina. Opta had no data from South American World Cup qualifiers in 2011, but other sources have awarded Messi one assist for that. In international friendlies, Messi has been awarded five assists by other sources, bringing his tally to 35.
Dusan Tadic had 35 assists in official games in 2021. Messi had 36 assists in official games in 2011. Those two extra assists were in club friendlies, club friendly tallies are never considered in any “world records.” Delete this.
— MC (@CrewsMat10) Dec 23, 2021
?? fake stats. Pls delete. Tadic has only 35. 2 of them are in friendlies. And if it’s non opta, Tadic has 36 and Messi has 40. This is shameless
— Arjun ??????? (@LeoAndreXavi) Dec 23, 2021