Lionel Messi's Incredible La Liga Record Exceeded By Levante Midfielder

A La Liga midfielder impressively exceeded one of Lionel Messi’s long-standing records.

Since his 2016-2017 campaign, Messi has been the most creative player in La Liga. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has been exceptional in setting up goals for his Barcelona teammates. For the record, Messi has registered a staggering tally of 46 assists since his 2016-2017 campaign, more than any other active La Liga player. On top of that, the Argentine has also created more chances than any other La Liga player in the same period of time.

Breaking down Messi’s 313 chances made since that year, 55 came from this season. Once again, the tally is more than most of any La Liga player and any of his Barcelona comrades. However, Messi’s streak officially ended this season. Apparently, there was one player who has been significantly more creative than “Leo.” And it was not Toni Kroos, Santi Cazorla or Dani Parejo, but a midfielder from Levante named Jose Campaña, Squawka reported.

Despite Levante’s up and down season, Campaña managed to exceed the Barcelona captain 58 (chances created) to 55. The Seville native has already proven his creativity since his first campaign in La Liga, recording 4 assists from 49 chances created. This gradually increased to 9 assists from 59 chances created last season.

This season, Campaña has already created 58 chances, just one behind his previous best tally which was also more than any other active La Liga player. He is currently averaging 2.26 per 90 minutes that go along with 5 assists.

Following the incredible feat, the Levante star spoke exclusively to WhoScored.com to address his development in recent years. Surprisingly, Campaña is fully aware that he has now broken Messi record in terms of key passes this season. But instead of boasting about it, the 26-year-old remains humble and admitted that he doesn’t really dwell on his achievement.

"Yes, I am aware of the data. Obviously it's something I am proud of because it indicates that I'm doing things right and that it's helping my team,” Campaña said.

Even though Campaña likes to be low-key about his improvements, he is confident that he has grown as a player. However, he reiterated that soccer is team sport and individual stats are only the results of team efforts.

"Ultimately this is a team sport and individual data cannot be understood without the collective in mind. Each season is different, even within the same team, but personally, I do think I've grown as a footballer," Campaña pointed out.