Race for Golden Root – Olise (5), Guimaraes & Diaz (4) log most Assists

3 min readUpdated: Jul 5, 2026 08:47 PM IST

Michael Olise continues to top charts for most assists with 5 at this 2026 FIFA World Cup. He is followed by Bruno Guimaraes and Brahim Diaz. (AP)

Paraguay might’ve trapped him into a yellow from a forged foul, but Michael Olise continues to top charts for most assists with 5 at this 2026 FIFA World Cup. The supporting cast rarely gets the limelight and in a World Cup with Messi, Ronaldo, Haaland, Mbappe and Kane, might even completely be forgotten, but the spark-plugs, the switch-starters, the flintstones and match sticks lighting the fire have managed to imprint their genius on fan minds.

Olise is chasing down Pele’s all time record of 6 from 1970.

It starts with the braided ponytail of Olise – with delivery to both Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele taking him to 5 Assists from 5 games as France defeated Paraguay 1-0. He put himself in glorious company – Diego Maradona in 1986, and the last to get to 5 – the aptly named German Thomas Hassler in 1994. Olise is one short of Pele’s count of 1970.

Polish Robert Gadocha (1974) and Pierre Littbarski (1982) also had 5.

Olise is closely followed by Bruno (not Fernandes, who has recorded less than 2), but Bruno Guimaraes with 4 for Brazil. Brahim Diaz is the lynchpin for Morocco with 4. Roberto Alvarado has the chance to top up his 3 until now for Mexico, against England.

While Isak and Wirtz are out of the Cup, Martin Odegaard can resume service for Haaland, and increase his 3 assists. Patrick Berg has recorded 2 too for Norway.

Mark Cucurella seems to have helped much more, but his assists are punched at 2 until now for Spain – same as Dembele.

Anthony Gordon (England), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Mo Salah (Egypt), Kylian Mbappe and Bukayo Saka (England) are each on 2 Assists.

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1998 was a strange World Cup where the number of top assists was stuck at 3, but six players were on the list including Ronaldo and Dennis Bergkamp besides Messrs Laudrup, Veron, el Khalej, and Youri Djorkaeff.

In 2018, Russia, no player registered more than 2 assists.

At the last WC, champion Messi besides Kane, Bruno Fernandes, Antoine Griezmann and Perisic formed a formidable group of assisters worthy of a Golden Root.

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From FIFA 2026 records:

Michael Olise (France) – 5 assists

Bruno Guimaraes (Brazil) – 4 assists

Brahim Diaz (Morocco) – 4 assists

Roberto Alvarado (Mexico) – 3 assists

Alexander Isak (Sweden) – 3 assists

Martin Odegaard (Norway) – 3 assists

Florian Wirtz (Germany) – 3 assists

Houssem Aouar (Algeria) – 2 assists

Patrick Berg (Norway) – 2 assists

Marc Cucurella (Spain) – 2 assists

Ousmane Dembele (France) – 2 assists

Breel Embolo (Switzerland) – 2 assists

Julio Enciso (Paraguay) – 2 assists

Anthony Gordon (England) – 2 assists

Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands) – 2 assists

Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden) – 2 assists

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) – 2 assists

Joshua Kimmich (Germany) – 2 assists

Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) – 2 assists

Kylian Mbappe (France) – 2 assists

Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia) – 2 assists

Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal) – 2 assists

Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 2 assists

Nathan Saliba (Canada) – 2 assists

Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands) – 2 assists

Bukayo Saka (England) – 2 assists

Deniz Undaz (Germany) – 2 assists

Chris Wood (New Zealand) – 2 assists