Dimitri Payet: Ligue 1's record-setting assists leader
Check out the all-time ranking of the top assist providers in Ligue 1 McDonald's during the 21st century—a list dominated by Dimitri Payet, who has just announced his retirement.
A storied career across Ligue 1
Former international attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet announced his retirement on Sunday at the Vélodrome—the very stadium that served as the stage for his greatest exploits. "On the eve of my 39th birthday, I officially announce that I am retiring as a professional footballer," he declared tearfully into the microphone for Ligue 1+ during halftime of the match between OM and Lille (1–2). Payet thus brings to a close a long career spanning France (where he played 492 top-flight matches for Nantes, Saint-Étienne, Lille, and OM, scoring 103 goals), England, and Brazil.
The Only Player with 100 Assists in the 21st Century
Dimitri Payet is the all-time assist leader in Ligue 1 McDonald's history during the 21st century—and the only player to have crossed the symbolic threshold of 100 career assists (106). The number 10 recorded 67 assists with OM, 18 with ASSE, an equal number while playing for LOSC, and finally, three during his early days at FC Nantes.
In total, 54 different players have scored a goal off one of his career assists: ranging from Mamadou Diallo in December 2006 to Jordan Veretout—nearly 16 years later—in November 2022. At Olympique de Marseille, Dimitri Payet set up 8 goals for Florian Thauvin, 6 for André-Pierre Gignac, 5 for Kostas Mitroglou, and 4 for Valère Germain. Bafétimbi Gomis, for his part, scored four times off passes from the Réunion-born playmaker (3 times at ASSE, once at OM), as did defenders Aurélien Chedjou and Marko Basa during their time at LOSC.
Ranked second on this historic leaderboard, Jérôme Rothen tallied 80 assists across spells with ESTAC, AS Monaco, PSG, and SC Bastia, peaking with 17 assists during the 2002/2003 season. That year, he played a decisive role in 10 of the 26 goals scored by Shabani Nonda.
One Right-Footer and Two Left-Footers on the Podium
Rounding out the podium, Ángel Di María occupies the third spot with 72 assists—all of which were recorded while playing for Paris Saint-Germain. This total makes "ADM" the player with the highest number of assists recorded for a single club in Ligue 1 McDonald's history. In the capital, the Argentine—a two-time winner of the assist title (2016 and 2020)—set up Kylian Mbappé on 17 occasions, and Edinson Cavani just as many times.
Another legendary duo in the league is the pairing of Olivier Monterrubio—currently ranked fourth among the top assist providers of the 21st century (with 70)—and Alexander Frei. During their time at Stade Rennais, the Swiss striker benefited from 22 assists provided by the left-footed playmaker over the course of three seasons!
Nothing but pure love for Di María ❤️🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/8G7yKYm4rJ
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) February 14, 2026
Had the official assist ranking been established earlier, Monterrubio would actually have been crowned the winner in the 2003/04 season with his tally of 18 assists—and quite possibly the following season as well (with 13 assists). Furthermore, in 2005/06—one year prior to the ranking's inception—he would have been edged out by the elegant Dane Thomas Kahlenberg (AJ Auxerre) only on the basis of assists from open play, as both players recorded an identical total of 11 assists.
An OL legend, Juninho recently dropped out of the top five assist providers of the current century; he recorded 58 assists while wearing the colors of Olympique Lyonnais—33 of which came from set pieces! It was indeed Mbappé (PSG) who has overtaken him (taking 5th place), thanks to the two additional assists he has provided since the start of the current season.
Read more:
>> Vahid Halilhodzic: Nantes' record-breaking manager
>> Internationals: What's ahead for Ligue 1's American stars?
