While the goalscorers are the ones who get the glory at a World Cup, the teammates who set them up shouldn't be overlooked.
From Andres Iniesta's goal to win Spain their first ever World Cup, to Van Persie's flying Dutchman header in 2014, many of the great World Cup goals have depended on a crucial pass to create the magical moment.
In recent decades the recording of stats such as assists has become far more important, and players are always looking to rack up a high total on a personal level while helping their team go far in the competition.
The Sporting News looks at who tops the assist charts in Qatar, and which playmakers have shone in past tournaments.
MORE: Leading scorers and Golden Boot contenders World Cup 2022
World Cup 2022: Most assists
As we reach the 2022 World Cup final, four players have so far recorded three assists
Most assists at World Cup 2022
| Player | Country | Games played | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | England | 5 | 3 |
| Lionel Messi* | Argentina | 6 | 3 |
| Antoine Griezmann* | France | 6 | 3 |
| Bruno Fernandes | Portugal | 4 | 3 |
| Davy Klaassen | Netherlands | 4 | 2 |
| Andrija Zivkovic | Serbia | 3 | 2 |
| Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 4 | 2 |
| Ousmane Dembele* | France | 6 | 2 |
| Theo Hernandez* | France | 5 | 2 |
| Dusan Tadic | Serbia | 3 | 2 |
| Kylian Mbappe* | France | 6 | 2 |
| Christian Pulisic | USA | 4 | 2 |
| Denzel Dumfries | Netherlands | 4 | 2 |
| Ivan Perisic | Croatia | 4 | 2 |
*Still active in tournament
World Cup 2018: Most assists
The 2018 World Cup was unique as not one single player got more than two assists at the tournament, which is the lowest ever since statistics on assists were first recorded.
Sixteen players, including Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann, ended up recording two assists throughout the tournament. Belgium had the most players in this category with four.
Most assists at World Cup 2018
| Name | Country | Games played | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 4 | 2 |
| Ever Banega | Argentina | 3 | 2 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Belgium | 6 | 2 |
| Eden Hazard | Belgium | 6 | 2 |
| Thomas Meunier | Belgium | 5 | 2 |
| Youri Tielemans | Belgium | 4 | 2 |
| Philippe Coutinho | Brazil | 5 | 2 |
| Juan Fernando Quintero | Colombia | 4 | 2 |
| James Rodriguez | Colombia | 3 | 2 |
| Antoine Griezmann | France | 7 | 2 |
| Lucas Hernandez | France | 7 | 2 |
| Artem Dzyuba | Russia | 5 | 2 |
| Aleksandr Golovin | Russia | 4 | 2 |
| Viktor Claesson | Sweden | 5 | 2 |
| Wahbi Khazri | Tunisia | 3 | 2 |
| Carlos Sanchez | Uruguay | 3 | 2 |
MORE: The stat leaders at the 2022 World Cup
Most assists in past World Cups
World Cup stats can be difficult to verify, particularly if you go back earlier than 1966. However, it's generally accepted that the record for most assists overall, as well as in a single tournament, is held by Pele. The Brazil great recorded 10 assists over three tournaments, as well as providing six in the 1970 World Cup where he led one of the greatest sides ever to victory.
Legendary Diego Maradona, Poland's Robert Gadocha and Germans Pierre Littbarski and Thomas Hassler recorded five assists in a single tournament for their countries. Maradona, of course, won the World Cup in the same year he topped the assist charts: 1986.
Diego Maradona at the 1986 #WorldCup: invincible 🇦🇷🙌 pic.twitter.com/b767xKRG85
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 22, 2018