Lionel Messi's Ten Stages of Greatness - The Athletic PDF

8/7/2020 Lionel Messi’s ten stages of greatness – The Athletic
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Lionel Messi’s ten stages of greatness

Michael Cox, Tom Worville and more 7h ago 41
(Additional contributor: Dermot Corrigan)
It is over a decade now since Lionel Messi was first acknowledged as the world’s best
player. For many, he has stayed at the pinnacle ever since, although that does not mean he
has been standing still. Far from it.
Messi has kept evolving his game as each season has passed, to such an extent that the now
33-year-old Barcelona club captain is not immediately recognisable as the La Masia
graduate who made his league debut for the club all the way back in October 2004.
The lank-haired teenager who put his head down and dribbled past almost the entire
Getafe team to score in 2006 is not the same player as the clean-cut false nine who arrived
in the penalty area just at the right time to head home in the 2009 Champions League
final against Manchester United soon before he won his first Ballon d’Or, or the tattooed
and bearded deep-lying playmaker of the last few seasons who lifted a record sixth career
Ballon d’Or last December.
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(Photo: Bagu Blanco/Getty Images)
(Photo: Denis Doyle – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
(Photo: Power Sport Images/Getty Images)
Players who have reached the summit — with one obvious Portuguese example — tend to
have worked incredibly hard at every little detail to make sure they squeeze every last drop
of achievement out of their talent. Others who arrived more perfectly formed — such as
Messi’s most famous predecessor in Argentina’s No 10 shirt — do not really feel the need
to change too much and mostly play the same position through their careers.
Messi’s development as a player has been different. Not that he is lazy, or does not think
about how best to use his talents. He has adapted to different circumstances and changing
requirements as the seasons have progressed, constantly reinventing himself and his role in
the team. Coaches changed and team-mates came and went. All the while, Messi stayed
where he was, but he did not remain the same.
The ultimate aim through it all does not seem to have been to make himself the best, but to
give his team the greatest chance of winning each game and every trophy. The
comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona have definitely driven him on
but the way he has mastered different aspects of the game has been shaped by the needs of
his team in each particular moment.
Using data from StatsBomb and their Lionel Messi Data Biography
(https://statsbomb.com/2019/07/welcome-to-the-messi-data-biography/), which covers
his debut season until the end of 2018-19, The Athletic has picked out 10 different
elements of the game at which Messi has excelled, over different times in his career, to
show just how broad his mastering of football has been. That all of these abilities can exist
inside the same small, slight frame makes him even more freakish as a player and a person.
But it makes Messi who he is.
“Messi does everything well,” Xavi, his long-time Barca team-mate, told La Nacion in
2018. “If he decides to dribble past you, he dribbles past you. If he wants to give a pass, he
gives the best assist in the world. If he takes free kicks, he sticks them in the top corner. If
he wants to take the ball off you, he takes the ball off you. If you put him at centre-half…
well, he’d also be the best centre-half in the world.”
When was Messi’s peak as a dribbler?

At heart, Messi is fundamentally a dribbler.
We’ve all seen the YouTube videos from his formative years back in Argentina when Messi
— generally the smallest player on the pitch — would collect possession deep in his own
half, roar past opposition challenges, ignore his team-mates, and score brilliant solo goals.
That approach to attacking play was far more typical of his home country than it was of
his adopted country. “An esteemed factor in Argentine football,” Jorge Valdano once
explained, “is that it is more important to know how to dribble than to know how to pass.”
After arriving in Barcelona, Messi was encouraged to play one and two-touch by his youth
coaches, but his father Jorge — often watching from the sidelines — would always
encourage him to play the way he knew, the old-school Argentine way.
Messi poses with, from left to right, his brother Rodrigo, sister Maria Sol, father Jorge, mother Celia, nephew Tomas and brother Matias
in October 2003 in Rosario, Argentina (Photo: Marcelo Boeri/El Grafico/Getty Images)
“He was incredible, he picked the ball up and just started to dribble past everyone,”
remembered his Barcelona youth team-mate Victor Vazquez, quoted in Guillem Balague’s
biography. “That’s how he used to spend each session, dribbling past everyone and scoring
goals, the opposition didn’t matter. We hadn’t seen anything like it before because we were
more of a passing side, but he just got the ball and went.”
Messi’s all-round game developed as he progressed through the ranks but he was still a
dribbler by the time he appeared for Barcelona’s first XI in 2003. He could dribble in two
different ways — either using his speed to carry the ball into space or, more spectacularly,
by deceiving an opponent and beating him with skill.
Messi’s standout season for dribbling came 10 years before that in 2007-08, but it is the
only real highlight of a poor season for player and club. Barcelona finished third in the
league, their lowest position in five years, with manager Frank Rijkaard leaving at the end
of the season for the untested Pep Guardiola.
Messi himself scored just six non-penalty goals in 28 La Liga games, the lowest tally of his
young career so far. It may not have been a season for results but 11.8 dribbles per 90 is a
freakish figure and worthy of further digging.
(Photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images)
Of those, 8.6 per 90 were completed, equating to Messi beating his man 73 per cent of the
time. While that’s not a career-high — 76 per cent in 2005-06 was his best season in pure
efficiency terms — it’s still the third-highest of Messi’s career.
Dribble volume and efficiency is one thing, but even more illuminating to Messi’s
evolution is how the locations of these have changed over time. Below shows the change in
the location of the dribbles that Messi attempted, with the yellow zones indicating a
higher proportion than the red zones.
The 2007-08 season is Messi’s purest year as a winger from this perspective, with latter
seasons seeing him move closer and closer towards the opposition’s 18-yard box.
Dribbling volume is great but, as anyone who watched the younger versions of Allan
Saint-Maximin or Adama Traore will tell you, it’s about what comes after the dribble that
is important. There’s little use in a player who beats his man and then crosses the ball
straight out of play.
Thankfully, Messi has an end product, one that goes far beyond accurate crossing.
His best seasons for producing a tangible output after a dribble were in 2011-12 and 2012-
13, the seasons in which he scored 50 and 46 goals in La Liga respectively. In these
seasons, he scored 21 goals following a dribble and produced five assists.
COMPILATION: Leo Messi top skills during Barça Youth Academy
“I try to trick the defender and find where the space is to escape him,” Messi once
explained. “Unbalancing a defender is about bringing him with you, then feinting and
moving sideways. When he is unbalanced, that is the time to escape.”
If there’s one statistic that sums up Messi’s dribbling prowess, it’s this one: in the 452
games analysed for this piece, Messi attempted a dribble in 444 of them.
The ability to take on a defender one-on-one has always been a large part of Messi’s game.
In the graphic below, dribbling looks like a declining skill in Messi’s recent seasons, but he
is coming down from a God-like status. He is now merely among the best dribblers on the
planet, as opposed to far, far exceeding them.
For context, his career-low figure in 2017-18 (Messi played only 92 minutes in 2004-05,
so we can safely ignore that season) of 7.3 dribbles attempted per 90 is bested in Europe’s
top five leagues only by Felipe Anderson, at the time with Lazio, and former team-mate
Neymar at Paris-Saint Germain, according to StatsBomb courtesy of FBRef.com. A
career-low number putting him third in Europe is remarkable, to put it mildly.
And in true Messi fashion, the only pattern that followed in these goals were the speed in
which he went from picking the ball up to scoring. It didn’t matter if the opposition were
in transition or camped on the edge of their area, Messi finished his work in a matter of
seconds.
Of his goals in 2011-12 and 2012-13 that followed a dribble, none of them saw the
Argentinian on the ball for more than eight seconds. As the sample of goals below shows,
Messi’s speed of movement and thought helped him score goals all across the pitch.
When was Messi’s peak as a right winger?

In Barcelona’s youth sides, Messi had played in a variety of positions. Although he
preferred the central No 10 role — the position he grew up wanting to play in Argentina
— this wasn’t always possible because Barca’s academy sides didn’t always use the right
formation. Besides, Messi’s preference for dribbling meant he was considered more useful
out wide. “Generally when I play out wide, the defenders approach side-on, and I am
looking for the moment when the defender stretches his legs, and I am able to beat him,”
Messi explained.
(Photo: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
In the couple of years before his first-team debut, Messi was fortunate that Ronaldinho
was Barcelona’s star. The club were determined that the youth sides would play the same
system as the first XI: while previous Barcelona sides used a strict 4-3-3 with wingers
going down the outside, Ronaldinho had become the best in the world by drifting inside
from the wing.
The left-footed Messi was therefore never used on the left — the position you would
expect for a left-footed dribbler for Barca in the Louis van Gaal era, for example — and
instead became accustomed to the right. When he broke into the first team, he essentially
mirrored Ronaldinho’s role — the Brazilian (No 10) assisted Messi’s debut goal after Deco
(No 20) and Giovanni van Bronckhorst (No 12) were involved in the build-up.
Yet Messi still received a couple of Ballon d’Or votes that year at the age of 19. The only
wingers who finished higher than him were Franck Ribery — generally playing on the left
for Marseille, but on the right throughout France’s run to the World Cup final — and
Cristiano Ronaldo, at this stage generally deployed on the right for Manchester United.
Already, Messi was very close to being the world’s best right winger.
Messi’s next couple of campaigns demonstrated his unquestionable brilliance, although he

was also held back by injury problems. Nevertheless, the Ballon d’Or voting saw him finish
third in 2007, behind Kaka and Ronaldo, then second in 2008, behind Ronaldo.
Determining when Messi became the world’s best right-winger is inextricably linked to
when Ronaldo stopped playing that role — in 2008, Ronaldo was increasingly given a free
role at United. By 2009, he was a forward who drifted left. Some point early in 2008-09,
during Guardiola’s first campaign in charge, seems the moment when Messi became the
world’s best from the right flank.
That Barca team had Samuel Eto’o at centre-forward and Thierry Henry coming from the
left wing in a 4-3-3, with Xavi and Iniesta prompting from midfield. A stand-out game
was the Champions League quarter-final first leg at home to Bayern Munich in April
2009, when all three forwards scored (Messi twice) in a tremendous 4-0 victory.
Messi's rst o cial goal for FC Barcelona
Messi’s first campaign as a regular, 2005-06, ended in disappointment — he tore a thigh

muscle in a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea, and despite believing he had
returned to fitness in time for the final against Arsenal, manager Frank Rijkaard disagreed
and omitted him from the squad.
(Photo: Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
Messi got the opener that night at the Camp Nou, running onto a pass from Eto’o into the
area from the right and sliding the ball just inside the far post. He returned the favour for
the second, driving in from the wing and sliding a reverse pass for Eto’o to score. Messi
again arrived at the right time to turn home Henry’s left-wing cross from close range for
3-0. The fourth also came after Messi had dribbled in from the right, played a one-two
with Eto’o, and Bayern’s Mark van Bommel tackled him but inadvertently played the ball
into Henry’s path.
The same front three started the Champions League final the following month against
Manchester United, and while the scoreline (2-0) was less emphatic, the performance was
just as dominant. For that game, however, Messi was moved on to a new role.
When was Messi’s peak as a false nine?

Guardiola briefly used Messi as a false nine early on his reign, before the Argentine
reverted to the right flank for the majority of 2008-09.
Guardiola saved that weapon for when it really mattered — for crucial games against title
rivals and in the Champions League knockout stage. The approach was most memorably
used for the 6-2 thrashing of Real Madrid and in the Champions League final victory over
Manchester United.
“It was 100 per cent Pep’s decision,” Guardiola’s assistant at the time, Domenec Torrent,
tells The Athletic. “I still remember that day, because when we analysed the opposition I
always did Real Madrid. So during the week, Pep asked me, ‘How do they defend?’ He
watches all the games but he asked me. (I told him that) the centre-backs don’t follow the
No 9, and then he came up with what we all saw.
“We explained to the players: ‘If the centre-back goes after him, you’ve got Thierry Henry
on the left and Samuel Eto’o on the right who can go inside. And as normal if the centre-
backs don’t come out and Leo joins up with the midfield, we’ll have four against three in
the middle’. Of course, he linked up with Iniesta, Xavi… it was fantastic, and as well as
that, Leo can drop deep and link up with the midfield and get forward to have a shot.”
“With Leo in the middle he doesn’t have to press so much, in the pressing he only had to
make certain movements, and he touched the ball more,” says Torrent.
But the most crucial change, of course, was that Messi was now much closer to goal.
When was Messi’s peak as a goalscorer?

It would be tempting to say that Messi’s 50-goal season was his best in La Liga (2011-12),
but the case needs to be made that the 2012-13 season, in which he scored 46, was even
better. The reason? Penalties.
REAL MADRID 2-6 BARÇA | Match highlights 2008/09
That’s what made Messi so thrilling as a false nine — he was equally capable of controlling
possession deep in midfield or pouncing in the penalty box. He was a false nine and a real
one.
The surprise, then, was that Guardiola decided to move away from that system at the end
of 2008-09. He responded to the inevitable departure of Eto’o by using him in a swap deal
with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose qualities necessitated a central role, rather than using
Messi permanently as a false nine. Ibrahimovic and Guardiola’s relationship was famously
tempestuous and he didn’t always start key matches. However, it took until the following
season — 2010-11, when Ibrahimovic had departed and David Villa had arrived — for
Messi’s default position to be that of a false nine.
While Messi had sporadically demonstrated his brilliance as a false nine in 2008-09, it was
only for a couple of games. In 2009-10, it was for around a dozen games. But 2010-11 is
when Messi was primarily a central attacker rather than a winger, with Villa and Pedro on
the flanks, and when the false nine position became popularised like never before.
Penalties are converted on average at a rate of 75 per cent, so roughly three in every four
are scored. Save for open goals from very close range, they’re the best-quality chance you
can get on the pitch. Getting chances in open play is so much tougher than converting a
penalty, so penalties are often dropped out of player’s seasonal stats to get a truer
representation of their goalscoring prowess.
Messi is no different. His La Liga career has seen him score 58 of 69 penalties, which
equates to a scoring rate of 84 per cent, which, of course, is above average.
So taking penalties out of the equation, Messi’s goalscoring seasons (including 2019-20)
look like this…
Messi’s 50-goal 2011-12 season was boosted by 10 goals from the spot after playing 3,270
minutes. That number of minutes is just 150 short of a full season, which is 620 minutes
more than he played in 2012-13.
The 2012-13 season saw Messi score a stupendous 42 non-penalty goals in the number of
minutes equivalent to 29 full games. A goals-per-90 ratio of 1.37 (including added time) is
unmatched in the Premier League going back to 2006-07, and likely all the seasons before
it too. The closest that a player who’s played 1,000 or more minutes has got to that Messi
season’s figures is… Papiss Cisse in 2011-12. Cisse scored 13 goals in 1,113 minutes for
Newcastle United, the equivalent of just over 12 games, a rate of 1.05 goals per 90 —
nowhere near Messi.
Perhaps a more apt comparison is Mohamed Salah’s debut Premier League season with
Liverpool in 2017-18. Salah played 2,921 minutes and scored 31 non-penalty goals. A
larger sample of minutes played removes the effect of being used as a substitute, which
padded Cisse’s hot scoring streak.
Even this comparison isn’t close. Salah’s excellence saw him score 0.96 goals per 90,
something Messi has near-equalled or eclipsed six times in the past 10 seasons.
The goals of 2012-13 also typify some of Messi’s core finishing moves. There are the lobs,
the shots from the left side of the box to the bottom-right corner, the free kicks and the
one he used most often that season, wandering into space in the box, collecting the ball
unmarked, and smashing it home.
Both goals on the opening day of La Liga 2012-13 were poacher’s efforts snaffled up in a
crowded penalty area during a 5-1 win at home to Real Sociedad. The following weeks
brought two long-range free kicks against Real Madrid, a header against Spartak Moscow,
a solo effort versus Athletic Bilbao and multiple measured finishes from his left foot low
into either corner.
Neat clips from close range, wrongfooting keepers and leaving them looking silly, became
a speciality, including very similar finishes against Levante, Atletico Madrid and
Deportivo in La Liga. The two goals from the edge of the box as Barca easily turned
around a 2-0 first-leg deficit in the Champions League quarter-finals against Milan stood
out for the efficiency of effort. Although surrounded by defenders each time, he just took a
touch and fired to the net — one high to the top-right corner, the other low to the
bottom-left of keeper Christian Abbiati. He was scoring all kinds of goals and making it
all look very, very easy.
All in all, 2012-13 was a complete season when it comes to goals — a high scoring rate
and a variety of finishes that made the season his best for scoring goals. However, the
campaign did not end well, either for Messi individually or for his team, with coach Tito
Vilanova’s serious illness casting a shadow over everything at the Camp Nou. After scoring
in 19 consecutive league games as the domestic title race was settled by March, Messi
picked up a thigh injury in early April. Although he returned to play the Champions
League semi-final first leg at Bayern Munich, he was unable to make an impact as his side
were steamrollered 4-0.
“I could not do much about the result, it was a pity,” Messi said himself in the Allianz
Arena that night. “They showed they are stronger, they won everything. You could see on
the pitch that they were superior.”
Just scoring as many goals as possible was generally enough for Barca to win the La Liga
title and for him to secure personal prizes such as the four consecutive Ballon d’Or
trophies from 2009 to 2012. But more was required to make his team dominant again in
Europe.
When was Messi’s peak as an assister?

While Messi has scored goals throughout his career, he’s always been a dual threat thanks
to his ability to create chances. In fact, since his breakthrough assisting season in 2007-08
in which he recorded 12 assists, he’s only failed to reach double figures for assists once,
when he created nine goals in 2016-17.
Messi was in fact at the peak of his assisting powers this season, providing 21 for team-
mates at a per 90 rate of 0.62. That is the joint-most assists by a player in a single season in
Europe’s top five leagues this century. For context, Thierry Henry’s Premier League assist
record of 20 in 2002-03 saw him produce at a rate of 0.55 per 90. Kevin De Bruyne’s
superb season for Manchester City saw him match Henry’s tally, at a per 90 rate of 0.64.
A spell in February stands out in Messi’s season, when he was being hampered by a muscle
injury and did not find the net in four consecutive La Liga games. That was his worst run
since 2013-14, when he was also playing while not 100 per cent fit. The gap was filled by
assists for six of Barca’s seven goals across those games — these included a dribble to draw
defenders and then free Ansu Fati into space, dead balls into the box converted by Sergio
Busquets and Clement Lenglet, a chipped ball over the top for Frenkie de Jong, and a
first-touch pass behind the opposition defence for Antoine Griezmann to score. Even
when he could not score himself, he found different ways to make sure his team kept
finding the net.
Messi started slowly when it came to creating, and by the end of 2006-07, he had played
more than 3,000 minutes and had just three assists to show for it. The 2007-08 season saw
him form a great attacking partnership with Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o, however,
creating three and four goals for them respectively.
That kickstarted Messi’s dominance as a creator, and from 2004-05 to 2019-20 he has
created 179 assists in La Liga.
Before this season, Messi’s previous best per 90 figure was in 2010-11, when it was an all-
Spanish affair, creating for Bojan (three assists), Gerard Pique (one), Pedro (four), Thiago
(two) and David Villa (eight).
(Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
The first La Liga clasico of that campaign was the game that really brought to wider
attention that he could control a game without having to get on the scoresheet. Messi was
involved in the first four goals in the 5-0 win over Jose Mourinho’s Madrid, including two
direct assists for Villa. Both were similar moves, with the timing of Messi’s pass and Villa’s
run being perfect and Madrid’s back four being cut to shreds.
Villa’s eight goals assisted by Messi that season is the joint-highest by Messi for a single
player in a season, alongside Neymar in 2014-15 and Suarez in 2015-16.
What stands out here is the number of different players for whom Messi has assisted goals
over the last decade. As the characteristics of his team-mates have changed, so has the best
way to put them into position to score goals. Suarez wants the ball in a different area to
Neymar, or Cesc Fabregas or Pique.
While the underlying trend denoted by the dotted line in the first graph appears to be an
upward one, in reality, Messi oscillated between being a good and great assister all his
career.
When was Messi’s peak in terms of one-twos?

One of Messi’s most potent weapons is his ability to play one-twos, manipulating time and
space to get out of tight situations or progress the ball when under pressure.
Like a true karate black belt, Messi uses the opposition defenders’ momentum against
them, moving the ball on when they’re most off-balance, and drifting into the space
they’ve left occupied behind them.
The example below against Malaga from 2010-11 shows exactly how Messi does this.
First, he receives the ball in midfield from Sergio Busquets.
Straight away, Messi is looking over his shoulder for where the ball is going to next.
He’s being closed down by Malaga’s Ignacio Camacho, but pops the pass off to Xavi first
time and gets moving.
Xavi passes the ball back to Messi, first time again, who’s now run past Camacho.
Camacho is now completely out of the game, and Messi is in the line between midfield
and defence, running towards goal with the ball at his feet.
Safe to say, this is the last place you want Messi coming at you from. One-twos are easy to
spot when watching football, but there’s no objective definition for them from the data.
Here, we define them as all times that Messi receives the ball back after making a pass to a
player, with the middle player having the ball for less than two seconds.
Why an example from 2010-11 against Malaga? Well, that was arguably the best season in
Barcelona’s history, in which they won La Liga and the Champions League. Messi utilised
the one-two more often per game than any other season, seeing a huge increase from the
previous season.
And these weren’t just to generate the odd bit of space ahead of the attacking line: Messi
scored four goals and assisted two more after one-twos, both career highs up to that point.
The 2010-11 season was when Messi started playing inside more, and the map of where
his one-twos took place over time reflects this.
Initially, Messi was linking up on the wings, and in his first few seasons he was mainly
bouncing off the likes of Ronaldinho or Eto’o.
With Dani Alves arriving in 2008-09, Barcelona’s right-side was one of, if not the best in
Europe.
Messi and Alves formed an electric partnership, with Alves one of Messi’s most common
one-two collaborators in all but one of his seasons at the club. In 2012-13, the season that
Alves wasn’t one of Messi’s most-common partners, was when he scored 46 goals in La
Liga and, as noted above, was his best season for goalscoring.
Messi scored nine goals and assisted three more following one-twos in 2012-13, the most
potent he has ever been at creating from these situations.
When was Messi’s peak at playing through-balls?

Unlike his innate ability to dribble with the ball, threading passes through opposition
defences is something that Messi has learned on the job.
In fact, Messi’s first successful through-ball came later than you might expect in his career,
in 2005-06 away to Espanyol. Following a corner for Espanyol, Messi picks up a blocked
shot…
… jinks past an onrushing defender…
… and slots through to team-mate Juliano Belletti (who is normally at right-back).
The Brazilian fails to convert the chance, but this was the first evidence of Messi’s ability
as a passer on the counter: able to break lines and create chances from deep. From that
point onwards, Messi gets more and more comfortable attempting through-balls, with the
peak coming in 2015-16, the season in which he combined with Suarez and Neymar to
score 131 goals in all competitions and 90 alone in La Liga.
Messi attempted an average of 3.4 through-balls per 90 minutes, an astonishing figure

given the leader for attempted through-balls in the Premier League in a single season since
2017 is Philippe Coutinho in 2017-18, who attempted a measly 1.4 per 90 minutes.
The general trend of Messi’s use of the through-ball has been an upward one. Aside from
his anomalous 2017-18 season, it’s worth asking whether Messi, who soon turns 33, will
remodel his game around his passing ability once his physical merits regress.
The 2015-16 season also saw career-highs for completed, shot assisting and goal-assisting
through-balls too. Twenty-seven of Messi’s 52 completed through-balls led to a shot, a
smidge over 50 per cent, and of the 27, 11 were scored. Suarez and Neymar were the main
recipients of these passes, with Messi able to put them through around the area, or from
deep.
(Photo: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
By this stage, the “trident” knew each other’s games inside out and their strengths were
perfectly complementary. When Messi got the ball deep, Suarez would aim to pull at least
one centre-back out of position, leaving space for Neymar to sprint across into. Again
Getafe pop up as an example — in this instance, a 6-0 La Liga victory at Nou Camp in
March 2016. Messi put in a spectacular all-round performance, including two pin-point
passes behind the defence that freed Neymar for trademark carefree finishes.
That season’s Copa del Rey final also saw Messi play two perfectly timed and weighted
through-balls to set up both goals as Barca beat Sevilla 2-0 in extra-time: the first released
Jordi Alba raiding forward from left-back, the second gave Neymar a relatively simple
finish.
It wasn’t just the location of the passes that Messi made either, but the technique he
employed to get the ball there. Whether on the ground or in the air, Messi split more
defences than any player likely in La Liga history in 2015-16.
Any way you try to cut it, 2015-16 was the season of the Messi through-ball.
When was Messi’s peak as a No 10?

Messi’s international career feels like something of a side story throughout his
development into the world’s best in so many categories. As a general rule, his
international evolution tended to be a couple of years behind his club evolution — he
would often start starring for Barcelona in one respect, only for people to question why he
couldn’t do that for Argentina. In general, sooner or later, he did it for Argentina too.
In terms of excelling as a true No 10, however, there’s something of a role reversal here.
While Messi was initially considered a right winger at Barcelona, and his development
into a central player was something of a surprise move, back home Messi was considered
the classic Argentine No 10. He sometimes had to play second fiddle to others early in his
development but Messi was playing as a No 10 at international level long before he was
doing so at club level.
At the 2010 World Cup, for example, when playing under the ultimate Argentine No 10,
Diego Maradona, Messi was fielded behind two strikers in a 4-3-1-2 system. Messi largely
played well in that role, albeit without finding the net.
(Photo: Mike Hewitt/FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
After a stint as a false nine and some spells on the right, Messi was deployed as a No 10 in
a 4-2-3-1 for the 2014 World Cup, behind Gonzalo Higuain. From that position, he won
the Golden Ball after a couple of fine goals and some brilliant through-balls. In truth,
Messi was a touch fortunate to win it — James Rodriguez and Arjen Robben had surely
been better — but he was, nevertheless, officially the World Cup’s best player.
At club level, it wasn’t until 2017-18 that Messi started playing that role. Luis Enrique,
who had returned Messi to the right flank, departed — as had Neymar, Barca’s third
world-class forward. And therefore Ernesto Valverde moved to a 4-4-1-1 formation, with
Messi behind Suarez. Although theoretically playing in similar zones to when he played as
a false nine, now Messi had a proper centre-forward ahead of him, pushing back the
centre-backs and creating space behind. “I felt the freedom to play further back, to start
the play from deep, without losing the ability to get near to the opponents’ goal, which is
always what I like,” he said.
This was probably the period when Barca depended most upon Messi — the side lacked
the structure and complexity of previous sides, didn’t have much goalscoring ability from
wide, and often became all about their No 10 bridging the enormous gap between midfield
and Suarez. At times, Messi’s importance became almost a parody. In a 1-0 victory over
Real Valladolid in February last year, Barcelona had 20 attempts at goal. Twelve of those
shots were from Messi, the other eight were from chances created by Messi.
Messi after scoring the only goal in that game against Valladolid in February 2019 (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
But this was the role he’d always wanted to play — in the centre, with a striker ahead of
him. It took the best part of 15 years, but Messi was finally performing consistently as
Barcelona’s No 10, in terms of his role, not merely his shirt number. He was, of course, the
world’s best in that position.
When was Messi’s peak in terms of playing minutes?

It’s arguably the simplest metric in football — but, peculiarly, one which is often
overlooked in terms of importance. “Minutes played” does exactly what it says on the tin,
but acts as a proxy for two fairly telling things. First, how often is the player fit and
available to play? Second, how often is he selected?
With some obvious caveats, “minutes played” over a long-term period often provides a
pretty clear picture about a league’s star players. For example, taking the last 10 years of
complete La Liga seasons — 2009-10 to 2018-19 — the top 10 includes the division’s best
centre-backs — Diego Godin, Sergio Ramos and Pique — probably its best holding
midfielder — Sergio Busquets — and surely its three best forwards — Antoine
Griezmann, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.
PLAYER MINUTES
Lionel Messi 28,732

Diego Godin 27,321
Sergio Busquets 25,360
Antoine Griezmann 25,328
Sergio Ramos 25,131
Cristiano Ronaldo 25,101
Gorka Iraizoz 25,096
Gabi 25,080
Gerard Pique 24,269
Juanfran 24,161
Dani Parejo 24,151
Marcelo 23,480
Diego Lopez 22,833
Inigo Martinez 22,511
Filipe Luis 22,312
Mikel San Jose 21,884
Artiz Aduriz 21,804
Koke 21,732
Oscar De Marcos 21,516
Jordi Alba 21,393
Messi, significantly, is at No 1 — he played the equivalent of 15 and a half complete games

more than any other player. For an attacker whose game features explosive movements and
who is forced to withstand plenty of tough tackles, this is a remarkable achievement.
As the below graph shows, Barcelona’s treble-winning campaign under Luis Enrique was
Messi’s peak in this respect — he played 99 per cent of Barcelona’s La Liga minutes. Of
outfield players, this was the most in the division.
On only one other occasion has Messi been in the top 10, but his overall record of
avoiding serious injury is excellent; he’s only dipped below 75 per cent of minutes once. It’s
also worth pointing out that Messi has already played more games than any foreign player
in La Liga history.
Messi’s dietary change during Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge is well-known — he
needed to convince Messi to consume less red meat, fizzy drinks, pizza and popcorn — but
he’s made further improvements in recent years. He’s tried even harder to avoid sugar and
to eat more nuts and seeds.
“It is difficult because your mind is fine. You think that you are 25 and you can continue
doing the same things,” Messi told Marca earlier this season. “But the body rules and there
are circumstances in which you have to be more careful than before. Adapting to it requires
a process and preparing differently for training and matches.”
Another factor in Messi’s massive amount of time spent on the pitch is his reluctance to be
substituted early, or to be rested against “lesser opponents”. Barca coaches, including Luis
Enrique and Ernesto Valverde, learned over time to accept that Messi himself decided
whether he needed a rest. Generally, he decides that he doesn’t.
“I’d like, and he would too, for him to play every minute,” Luis Enrique said in 2016. “The
player is in charge of this one, it depends on how he feels.”
Messi has also changed his style on the pitch. Whereas once he was tasked with leading
Barcelona’s press and was constantly sprinting forward to shut down opponents, today he
plays a languid role without possession and saves his sprints for when they’re really needed,
in the attacking phase of play. Messi sometimes appears to cover less ground than any
Barca player — but when you realise his statistics in terms of minutes played, it seems a
fair compromise.
When was Messi’s peak as a free-kick taker?

Messi didn’t take a single free kick until his third season at Barcelona, with Ronaldinho
claiming most of the opportunities once they arose. The Brazilian’s conversion was
seemingly quite erratic, but overall he was a great free-kick taker — just one goal from 32
attempts in 2004-05 and 2005-06 combined, and then exploding and scoring eight from
65.
Overall Ronaldinho scored nine free-kicks from a total of 97 attempts from 2004-05 to
2007-08. According to StatsBomb’s xG model, he put away nine free kicks when the
average player would score just 4.4 goals on average. With the caveat that this is a small
sample size, it’s safe to say that Ronaldinho was something of a free-kick expert — a
statement that passes the eye test.
Messi’s trajectory as a free-kick taker at Barcelona has some notable similarities to that of
Ronaldinho. He started slowly, taking few and not scoring too many in his formative
seasons at the Nou Camp.
Messi attempted a total of 36 free kicks in the five seasons from 2006-07 to 2010-11,
scoring three goals. A goal every 12 free-kicks is pretty good, seeing Messi at about 8 per
cent when xG suggests that the average player from these free-kicks would have scored 2.3
goals, an expected conversion rate of 6 per cent.
Was this just luck in a small sample of games or a sign of what’s to come?
Despite Ronaldinho leaving the club at the start of Guardiola’s reign in 2008-09, Messi
had to wait until 2010-11 until he was the club’s regular free-kick taker. Dani Alves took
the bulk of the efforts in 2008-09, and he and Messi took an equal 11 each in 2009-10.
From 2011-12, Messi’s volume of free kicks shot up. He became Barcelona’s de facto taker,
attempting more than any other player. A greater sample of efforts gives a better indication
of how good Messi truly was from dead-ball situations.
From 2011-12, Messi’s taken on more and more free-kick attempts per 90, peaking in 17-
18 at 1.35 per 90. Again, for a bit of context, Harry Wilson tops the Premier League
rankings this season with 0.65 attempts per 90.
The early 2010s saw Messi attempt many more free-kicks than earlier in his career, but his
efficiency slipped slightly.
Sixteen goals from 212 attempts is a conversion rate of 7.5 per cent — the average player is
expected to convert at a rate of 6 per cent. Messi is hardly average when it comes to
scoring free-kicks, but he is not blowing the doors off either.
The similarity to Ronaldinho comes back when looking at the more recent data — getting
better with age. Messi scored 12 goals from free kicks in 2017-18 and 2018-19, and has
five this season too. The time when Messi became best at free kicks is now.
Attempts in 2017-18 and 2018-19 were converted at a rate of 13.6 per cent compared to
the average of 7 per cent, which is very good, and over the last three seasons in the Premier
League, no player has matched Messi’s volume and ruthlessness from free kicks.
The Leicester City midfielder James Maddison has four goals from 29 attempts, but he’s
taking just 0.48 shots from free-kicks per 90. Marcus Rashford’s played plenty of games
over the past couple of seasons for Manchester United and is taking 0.5 shots from free-
kicks per 90, but has scored just once.
In December 2018, Messi even scored two free kicks in the same game, and in the extra
heated atmosphere of the derby at city neighbours Espanyol. The first was from a central
position 25 yards out, curled over the jumping wall and out of the reach of goalkeeper
Diego Lopez’s left hand, hitting the side-netting inches from the top-right corner.
Later in the game, from a less promising position and angle for his left-foot, he
confidently flighted the ball over the wall and into the top-left corner, leaving the beaten
keeper sat on the floor shaking his head in disbelief.
This strangest of seasons has helped bring back into focus many of the different qualities
and abilities which Messi has shown across his long career.
In other years he has made more dribbles, scored more goals and played more minutes, but
never before had he been such a dominant figure, in both Barca’s team and across the
Spanish league generally.
The newest element of 2019-20 was Messi now being his team’s most vocal leader off the
pitch. (https://theathletic.co.uk/1911358/2020/07/09/lionel-messi-barcelona-power-
president-setien/) He had now grown in stature to overshadow everyone at the Nou Camp,
and was willing to use that power. Former team-mate and now blaugrana sporting director
Eric Abidal, and even club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, were put firmly in their place
in local media interviews or via Instagram posts.
Following the return from lockdown, Messi often seemed to be almost single-handedly
trying to keep an otherwise hapless Barca side in the title race against a much more
capable and efficient Real Madrid side. Newly clean-shaven, and looking slimmer and
fitter than before the break, he was the main playmaker in midfield, its primary assister
and maker of chances, while also being its most reliable and consistent finisher. He was
now individually capable of just doing many more things than ever before, and doing them
all very, very well.
“Leo is such an intelligent player, and he always looks for the positions on the pitch where
he can have an advantage,” former Barcelona player and now LaLiga TV analyst Albert
Ferrer tells The Athletic. “Before, he was very electric, very fast, and was always taking
people on and beating them. Then he was more decisive for the goals he scored. Now as
Barca’s style is evolving, he gives more assists, moves the ball around more, everything
passes through him. Barca depend on him so much, he is more decisive than ever now.”
In June, Messi scored the 700th goal of his career. It was not enough to stop Real though
and losing out in the title race hurt, badly.
He also turned 33. Enjoy him while you can.
Highlights RCD Espanyol vs FC Barcelona (0-4)
“I try and follow a ritual with my free kicks,” Messi said during a rare mixed zone
appearance after that game. “When it goes well, I try to always take it the same way, so
that it goes well again. Two came off today, other days I take loads and don’t score any. I
had the good fortune to score two in a row today.”
The more he practised, the luckier he got, perhaps. He had similar good fortune in the
reverse fixture the following March at the Camp Nou. Espanyol had held Barca scoreless
for 70 minutes before a foul inches outside the penalty area gave Messi a chance. With
little space to play with, he pulled out a Panenka chip that led backpedalling Espanyol
defender David Lopez to obstruct the scrambling Lopez on the line, and the ball nestled
in the net.
The final weeks of the 2019-20 La Liga season even saw opponents try new ways to
thwart Messi’s genius from free kicks. Sevilla had both a player running back to the goal-
line to cover a post, and another lying on the floor in front of the wall. Two games later
Celta Vigo moved defenders back onto both posts when he stood over a free kick 20 yards
out. Messi sized up the situation, saw that it allowed his team-mates to move closer to the
goal, and simply chipped his free kick to Suarez, who had a handy header to score from
point-blank range.
injuries, but Messi as an overall player would still be better.
Alex L. 1h ago
Agree about O Fenomeno, such a pity that his injuries held him back
Abarron S. 6h ago
Took me 30mins to read. I don't follow football, but this was well written
Helen E. 5h ago
@Abarron S. Can’t even imagine how long it took them to research, fact check and write it!
Abarron S. 5h ago
Yeah respect the Hustle. This is how I get my money's worth.
I took athletic subscription for NBA, boxing and NBA.
Scott T. 6h ago
I've always hated the Messi vs Ronaldo debates, although if I ever indulged I would often teeter
towards Ronaldo
But then I saw first hand Messi vs Spurs at Wembley and it was one of the most complete
performances I've ever seen. Messi can literally do anything.
Andrew M. 5h ago
Messi a fine player. Ronaldo clear 🐐
Nick B. 1h ago
Boo
Aran T. 5h ago
The True Peak of Lionel Messi's Goalscoring
(Photo: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images)
Andrew W. 7h ago
Probably the best passer I’ve seen and it’s not a trait he’s renowned for particularly. Another level.
Ryan K. 7h ago
Love the analytics. Need more of this in world football talk these days. Secondly, as dominant as he
has been I am still not sure everyone realizes just how much better he and Ronaldo have
consistently been over the last 12+ years. Like just saying they have been the two best players in the
world doesn’t do it justice. Mbappe will probably soon be the best in the world. Ronaldinho, kaka,
Zidane, Brazilian Ronaldo, Henry, maldini, Roberto Carlos... and others all had claims to best in the
world at a point, but none of them year after to year were ever in the same universe as cr7 and lm10
in my opinion. Brazilian Ronaldo at his peak could be in the conversation, but I think peak him is the
only one who could even have a seat at that table. Lucky to witness these 2
Jeevan D. 4h ago
I love R9, goalscoring wise, he probably would have hit similar numbers had it not been for
Great piece to honor the greatest player to ever lace them up. Kudos to you!
Mario L. 5h ago
The best player I've ever seen both on TV and in the flesh. Although in the flesh it's usually to see
him hammer my team, such as the night at the Nou Camp 10 years ago when he scored all 4 goals
against Arsenal.
Not that I was in any doubt before that but despite the disappointment of the result I left the ground
feeling lucky because I knew I had just witnessed greatness and someone who will go eventually
down as maybe the best player ever. Which I don't say lightly, especially as Bendtner was also on the
pitch scoring that night.
Dave H. 5h ago
A great player.... but Cristiano Ronaldo has challenged himself proven himself in the 3 Top Leagues
in the World.... not just stuck at 1 club.... AND led his Country to a major Senior Competition win....so
Ronaldo the Number 1 over this period
Jack C. 3h ago
Ronaldo did not lead Portugal to the euros. Stop it.
Liam S. 5h ago
Great piece on the 🐐
Daniel O. 5h ago
That was absolutely brilliant. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the piece. Incredible to see
in black and white what Messi has done throughout his seemingly impossible career. What a
privilege it has been be able to follow it from start to present day. The ability to watch him on a
weekly basis has, I think, led to so many taking his genius for granted and become a little immune to
his brilliance. I certainly shall enjoy watching him while I still can.
Michael Cox STAFF 2h ago
@Daniel O. Thanks a lot Daniel.
Dan E. 5h ago
Great article. I don't think we'll ever see a player like him again.
Such a shame that the Barca board have been so incompetent in building a squad around him- which
makes his 21 assists this season even more remarkable
@Dan E. Thanks a lot Dan. And yes, the 21 assists is mad. We had to change that graph last
minute having had the article finished a few weeks ago...
Aditya B. 4h ago
This has enough content to make a documentary!

Great Stuff. How long did it take to get this done?
@Aditya B. A bloody long time! Thanks Aditya.
Jeevan D. 4h ago
That was a great read.
Only had 2 players I wanted to see play in person on my bucket list. Unfortunately wasn’t able to
watch R9 play, but hope I can watch a Messi game.
I can’t ever see him leaving Barcelona, but they need to fix their transfer strategy and squad, give
him a squad capable of winning the CL.
He can probably play for at least 5 more years, dropping into a midfield role, even if he gets a bit
slower, his vision and passing would probably improve, his assist rate would if he had smart
movement in front of him.
Obviously the standard of play and resources for players like Messi and Maradona were different,
but for Messi to be a star for 15 years, surely he’s the best of all time.
@Jeevan D. Thanks Jeevan. And yes I'd like to see him even deeper too, almost just for fun.
Completely agree about his consistency making him the best ever, too.
Robert P. 4h ago
Excellent article, thank you!
@Robert P. Cheers Rob.
Aman G. 4h ago
Yeah he's a good player really.
Niall C. 3h ago
Excellent article, so much great detail. Nearly all of Messi's game is brilliant, so hard to pick his best
attribute.
I know there has never been a better footballer than him and I physically cannot imagine a player
being better than him in the future.
@Niall C. Thanks Niall. Agree 100% with you.
Dean D. 3h ago
Great Article guys.
@Dean D. Cheers Dean.
Miloš R. 3h ago
When you guys pulled out the "locations of Messi's one-two's over time" I lost it
Very satisfying read, and if I may help make it perfect:

y y g , y p p
- the one-two's over time graph has the wrong subheading, it says "dribbles" instead of "one-twos"
- there is a sentence that says "he's being closed down by the malaga's ignacio camacho", I believe
the "the" is superfluous
- another sentence goes "In 2012-13 [...] was his best season for goalscoring."
@Miloš R. Thanks Milos, will flag these to editors...
Mohammed F. 2h ago
Incredible read! As a massive NBA fan, the parallels to LeBron James' greatness are uncanny. He has
had incredible durability and longevity, has changed his game to fit many roles and specializations
while still being the focal point of his teams (to the point of over-reliance), has played many
positions, and so on. It's a beautiful thing to have gotten to witness firsthand the entire careers of
these two GOATs from their teenage years onwards. And they're still not done....
@Mohammed F. Thanks Mohammed. I know nothing about LeBron (although am two episodes
into The Last Dance so maybe will be a huge NBA fan in a week's time)
Mohammed F. 1h ago
@Michael Cox I would be shocked if your conclusion after finishing The Last Dance is NOT "I
need 10 more hours of this"... So let me prematurely be the first to welcome you into the NBA
family!
Thomas B. 2h ago
When does he reach the stage when his teams actually win something significant?? Know it will
never be a World Cup—but still...
Aman G. 1h ago
Ooh you're funny.
David C. 2h ago
Amazing article, thank you so much.

We live in an age where, over the last 10-15 years, we have been fortunate to see so many masters in
so many sports. Artists with records that may never be beaten.
Messi is right up with the very best across all sports.
We are truly fortunate.
David C. 1h ago
I now feel compelled to make a list, and will no doubt forget a few:
Steve Smith, Shane Warne

Stephen Henry, Ronnie O'Sullivan
Valentino Rossi
Lewis Hamilton
Phil Taylor
Messi, Ronaldo
Adam Peaty, Michael Phelps
Michael Johnson, Usain Bolt, Rudisha, van Niekerk
Federer, Nadal, Djokovic
Mark Cavendish, Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny, Laura Trott
AP McCoy
Countless others, I'm sure, but places to go, people to see ...
Alan F. 1h ago
Great article BUT... why is Ronaldo not included in the comparisons?? The big question for 10 years
is who is the greatest and I want to know what the stats say!!
David C. 1h ago
@Alan, pointless. They're both great but different. Enjoy them both. Messi is my personal
favourite but I have Ronaldo #2 by a distance and won't argue if someone thinks CR7 is better.
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8/7/2020 Lionel Messi’s ten stages of greatness – The Athletic

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Lionel Messi’s ten stages of greatness

(Additional contributor: Dermot Corrigan)

(Photo: Bagu Blanco/Getty Images)

(Photo: Denis Doyle – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

(Photo: Power Sport Images/Getty Images)

When was Messi’s peak as a dribbler?

(Photo: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images)

COMPILATION: Leo Messi top skills during Barça Youth Academy

When was Messi’s peak as a right winger?

(Photo: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Messi’s next couple of campaigns demonstrated his unquestionable brilliance, although he

Messi's rst o cial goal for FC Barcelona

Messi’s first campaign as a regular, 2005-06, ended in disappointment — he tore a thigh

(Photo: Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)

When was Messi’s peak as a false nine?

When was Messi’s peak as a goalscorer?

REAL MADRID 2-6 BARÇA | Match highlights 2008/09

When was Messi’s peak as an assister?

(Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)

When was Messi’s peak in terms of one-twos?

When was Messi’s peak at playing through-balls?

… jinks past an onrushing defender…

… and slots through to team-mate Juliano Belletti (who is normally at right-back).

Messi attempted an average of 3.4 through-balls per 90 minutes, an astonishing figure

(Photo: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

When was Messi’s peak as a No 10?

(Photo: Mike Hewitt/FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

When was Messi’s peak in terms of playing minutes?

Lionel Messi 28,732

Messi, significantly, is at No 1 — he played the equivalent of 15 and a half complete games

a process and preparing differently for training and matches.”

When was Messi’s peak as a free-kick taker?

He also turned 33. Enjoy him while you can.

Highlights RCD Espanyol vs FC Barcelona (0-4)

Yeah respect the Hustle. This is how I get my money's worth.

I took athletic subscription for NBA, boxing and NBA.

Messi a fine player. Ronaldo clear 🐐

The True Peak of Lionel Messi's Goalscoring

(Photo: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images)

Ronaldo did not lead Portugal to the euros. Stop it.

Great piece on the 🐐

Michael Cox STAFF 2h ago

@Daniel O. Thanks a lot Daniel.

Michael Cox STAFF 2h ago

This has enough content to make a documentary!

Michael Cox STAFF 2h ago

@Aditya B. A bloody long time! Thanks Aditya.

That was a great read.

Michael Cox STAFF 2h ago

Excellent article, thank you!

Michael Cox STAFF 2h ago

@Robert P. Cheers Rob.

Yeah he's a good player really.

Michael Cox STAFF 2h ago

@Niall C. Thanks Niall. Agree 100% with you.

Great Article guys.

Michael Cox STAFF 2h ago

@Dean D. Cheers Dean.

Very satisfying read, and if I may help make it perfect:

Michael Cox STAFF 2h ago

@Miloš R. Thanks Milos, will flag these to editors...