World Cup: Former Bundesliga star ties Messi’s assist record

Ivan Perišić wrote World Cup history despite Croatia’s defeat to England.

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Ivan Perišić became only the second player in the history of the World Cup to assist goals in four editions (since records began in 1966). The PSV winger provided the assist for ex-Union Berlin striker Petar Musa before England produced a dominant second-half performance against Croatia to win 4-2.

The 37-year-old started his streak on his debut tournament in 2014. He scored and assisted in Croatia’s 4-0 win over Cameroon in a game most known for Alex Song’s red card for a violent act. He was a Wolfsburg player at the time, where he won the DFB-Pokal in 2015.

Perišić repeated that feat four years later in a 2-1 win over England in the semi-final. After Kieran Trippier’s memorable free-kick, the then-Inter player was directly involved in both goals to send the minnows to a first-ever final. Despite his goal against France, Croatia had to settle for a second-place finish.

They also reached the semi-final in 2022 as Perišić’s first two assists of the tournament came in the group stage against Canada. He also provided the cross for Josko Gvardiol’s goal in the third-placed playoff victory against Morocco.

Lionel Messi is the only other player to assist in four World Cup editions on record. The Argentine tied Miroslav Klose for goals after his first-ever hat-trick in the competition against Algeria. The soon-to-be 39-year-old will hope to stretch his record to five tournaments in the upcoming games.

In addition to Wolfsburg, Perišić played for Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern. He won the Meisterschale with both clubs as he was part of Hansi Flick’s treble-winning team in 2019/20. He is the second-most-capped player for Croatia, with 155 appearances.