IT’S not every day when Lionel Messi has one of his records broken – but former Saint Dusan Tadic can now say he holds the accolade for most assists in a calendar year.

The Serbian international has been creator-in-chief for Dutch club Ajax ever since leaving Saints in 2018, becoming a vital cog in a side that reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in his first season.

Tadic was named in the Champions League Squad of the Season for his performances that campaign, also finishing 20th place in that year’s Ballon d’Or.

2021 has been a fine year for the 33-year-old, with Tadic also a major part of his country’s shock success by qualifying for the World Cup at the expense of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

Serbia’s captain reached 37 assists on Sunday when Feyenoord defender Marcos Sensei turned in one of his crosses, before the reigning Dutch player of the year stepped up to seal the points with an 81st minute penalty in a 2-0 win.

Messi set the record a decade ago, recording 36 assists in 2011 for Barcelona and Argentina.

Whilst Tadic certainly had his moments in red and white, few Saints fans would have expected him to consistently perform for Ajax – largely thanks to his hit-and-miss form at St Mary’s.

Whilst he started brightly after signing from Twente in summer 2014, Tadic’s goal contribution slowly dwindled over his four years in England.

An impressive 13 assists alongside eight goals was his peak for Saints during the 15/16 season, but Tadic then failed to reach the double digit mark for goal contributions in his final two Saints seasons.

He left on amicable terms, returning to the Eredivisie for a fee of around £12.5m. Tadic has now scored 102 goals and recorded 115 assists in 244 Dutch league games across spells with three different clubs.

In all competitions at Ajax, he has grabbed 84 goals and 83 assists -  meaning he has 167 goal contributions in just 172 appearances.

Do you think selling Tadic was the right deal for all parties? What are your memories of the Serb in a Saints shirt? Let us know down below.