The Champions League is upon us again and it’s another time in the competition where a chunk of clubs will be looking to make it to the knockout stage of the competition.
While the likes of Barcelona have struggled to replicate the dominance that they are fondly known for, they will be hoping that the appointment of Xavi gives them the needed boost ahead of their clash with Benfica.
But while teams look to qualify and players looking to break more records, Man City’s Joao Cancelo became the latest player to provide a hat-trick of assists in the competition following their heavy win over Club Brugge in their last outing.
So who are just of the Premier League players who have achieved such a feat before?
- Kevin De Bruyne-(Man City v Tottenham; 17 April 2019)
The feat came in the quarter-final clash which Man City eventually lost. City raced into a 3-2 second-leg lead inside just 21 minutes, with the Belgian playmaker providing the assists for Raheem Sterling’s brace.
A fourth from Sergio Aguero (and a third De Bruyne assists) looked to have put Guardiola’s men in the ascendency, before a controversial Fernando Llorente goal handed Spurs an away goal advantage.
- Dwight Yorke – (Man United v Brondby; 21 October 1998)
Yorke arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 1998 from Aston Villa and played an integral role in the club’s remarkable treble success at the end of his debut campaign, netting 29 goals in all competitions. The game in which he provided three-assist saw United win 6-2 against Brondby.
- Ryan Giggs – (Man United v Roma; 10 April 2007)
Giggs is just one of the three Man United players to have achieved that feat. He remains the only English-based player to have recorded four assists in a Champions League game, having done so in the famed 7-1 win over AS Roma during the 2006/07 campaign.
- Juan Sebastian Veron – (Man United v Deportivo; 10 April 2002)
Juan Sebastian Veron was the second player to have registered three Champions League assists, having produced a stunning midfield display during a 3-2 second-leg win over Deportivo La Coruna, as Manchester United reached the last four in 2001/02.
He provided an outrageous outside-of-the-boot pass for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having already set up the Norwegian with a curling free-kick.
- Andrey Arshavin – (Arsenal v AZ Alkmaar; 4 November 2009)
While many remember him for a barnstorming 4-4 draw with Liverpool at Anfield in April 2009 where he scored all the four goals, Arshavin was one of the best players under Arsene Wenger.
The Russian forward’s arrival in the January transfer window had meant he was unavailable to feature for Arsene Wenger’s side in the Champions League knockout stages that season due to being cup-tied, although he more than made up for that the following season, bagging three assists in a 4-1 group stage victory over AZ Alkmaar.
- James Milner – (Liverpool v Spartak Moscow; 6 December 2017)
Mr versatility as he is fondly referred to as by his coaches and teammates, Milner is one of the English based players to grab three assists in a Champions League game, having done so as a first-half substitute in a brutal 7-0 thrashing of Spartak Moscow – a fixture which also saw Philippe Coutinho net a hat-trick as the Reds qualified for the knockout stages for the first time since 2009.
- Leroy Sane – (Man City v Schalke; 12 March 2019)
Leroy Sane returned to haunt his former club Schalke with a sensational Champions League display in 2019, with the German netting once and bagging three assists as Man City ran out comfortable 7-0 winners at the Etihad to secure a 10-2 aggregate victory in the last-16.
- Joao Cancelo – (Man City v Club Brugge; 03 November 2021)
Cancelo has been in fine form for City in recent weeks, bagging three assists during the 4-1 win over Club Brugge in Europe, before earning plaudits for his starring role in the Manchester derby triumph at Old Trafford, creating both goals in City’s 2-0 win.
