Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3–0 in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, a night where Vinicius Jr. continued to etch his name into the club’s history books. By providing an assist during the victory, the Brazilian forward equaled Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time club record for assists in Europe’s premier competition.
Setting up Federico Valverde—the undisputed star of the match who netted a sensational first-half hat-trick—Vinicius reached 31 assists for Real Madrid in Champions League history. This mark ties the legendary total set by Ronaldo during his storied tenure in the Spanish capital.
The most striking aspect of this milestone is the efficiency with which it was achieved. While Ronaldo recorded his 31st assist in his 101st appearance for the club (during a 5–1 group stage win over Basel in 2014), Vini required just 79 games to match the feat.
The Brazilian could have capped his historic night with a goal, but Vinicius missed a second-half penalty, that was brilliantly saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Despite the missed spot-kick, the achievement cements Vini’s status alongside Ronaldo, a record he is widely expected to break as the current campaign progresses.
Who holds the all-time record in Champions League?
Perhaps surprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo sits at the top of the all-time Champions League list with 42 assists. Despite being recognized primarily as the tournament’s greatest goalscorer, the Portuguese star also leads the way in creating them.
Ronaldo is followed closely by Angel Di Maria (41 assists) and Lionel Messi (40 assists), with Neymar holding the fourth spot at 33. Following his recent performance, the Brazilian forward has climbed into fifth place, currently sitting on 31 assists.
While Vini still needs 12 more assists to claim the top spot, he holds a significant advantage: the four players currently ranked above him are no longer playing in Europe, making their return to Champions League competition highly unlikely.
Catching Ronaldo is a realistic goal for the Real Madrid star. Vinicius has already recorded eight assists in this edition of the Champions League alone, and with Real Madrid well-positioned to advance to the quarterfinals, he will have more opportunities to climb the rankings this season.