Re: The Lionel Messi Appreciation Thread & Fan Club III

[Harmonica]

[FennecFox7]

One dimensional passer oh wait

[Casciavit]

The GOAT

[gnrfan]

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpmtk6_lionel-messi-vs-chelsea-2006_sport

18 year old Messi on a potato field against Mourinho's Chelsea, team that still holds the point record of Premier League and was 49 games undefeated at home.

Goosebumps.

Barcelona was lucky they faced easily the toughest team in CL that season when Messi was still fit.

sad that messi has a fraction of this energy and stamina these days. Players like Robben, Zanetti maintained their physical conditions late into their careers, while it seems messi's has declined precipitously

[Kebab]

Give robben 5 ballon dor he will decline in speed too

[Harmonica]

[Harmonica]

[Harmonica]

[Harmonica]

https://grup14.com/article/lionel-messi-the-multidimensional-footballer

LIONEL MESSI, THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL FOOTBALLER

Introducing Messi’s pre-assisted goals, yet another aspect that he is unique.

[Harmonica]

Updated 15-16.

Messi with 8 goals vs. top 4, Atletico (2), Arsenal (3), Roma (2) and Leverkusen (1), in 12 games.
Cronaldo with 3 goals vs. top 4, Barcelona (1) and Roma (2), in 12 games.

Goals Against Period Top 4

Note: Period top 4, finished positions in Argentinian, Brazilian, Dutch, French, German, English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish national leagues)
Note: Pele's national competitions, Taca Brazil 59-66, Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa 67-70, Brasileiro Serie A 71-74
Note: Includes cup and reagional league goals against period national league top 4
Note: Official games

104 Messi (04-16, 149 games, 0,70 gpg)
98 C.Ronaldo (02-16, 184 games, 0,53 gpg)
71 Romario (85-07, 149 games, 0,48 gpg)
62 Pele (59-74, 103 games, 0,60 gpg)
59 G.Müller (65-79, 114 games, 0,52 gpg)

[Harmonica]

Pogba - "Who made me suffer most on the pitch? Messi. He's so small and so fast, you can't touch him. He wore me out." [vi]

[Harmonica]

Messi created 29 clear-cut chances in Liga in 2016, at least 15 more than any other player in top 5 leagues  (Di Maria, 14) [Opta]

[Harmonica]

Major tournament sf and final matches (WC, EU/CA, EC/CL)

Goals (Scored + Assisted + Involved)

Messi 25 (7 + 7 + 11) out of 30 team goals in 22 games = 83% importance (+ 2 SO goals)
Maradona 5 (2 + 1 + 2) out of 6 team goals in 5 games = 83% importance (+1 SO goal)
Platini 13 (6 (3p) + 4 + 3) put of 16 team goals in 10 games = 81% importance (+1 SO goal)
Pele 21 (13 (1p) + 6 + 2) out of 30 team goals in 9 games = 70% importance
G.Müller 21 (18 + 0 + 3) out of 32 team goals in 16 games = 66% importance
Cronaldo 18 (13 (3p) + 4 + 1) out of 32 team goals in 26 games = 56% importance (+ 1 SO goal and 2 SO misses)
Eusebio 8 (7 (2p) + 1 + 0) out of 15 team goals in 12 games = 53% importance
Cruyff 8 (3 + 2 + 3) out of 18 team goals in 14 games = 44% importance

Note: missing Pele CL65 SF where he at least scored 3 goals of 8 in 3 games
Note: missing Eusebio EC62 SF 1st leg, and EC65 SF where he at least scored 2 goals of 8 in 3 games

[Harmonica]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/lionel-messi-been-twice-good-8096647

[Harmonica]

Guardiola - "This Barça era wouldn't have been possible without Messi, the best player that has ever existed and the best that'll ever exist"

[Harmonica]

Major tournament sf and final matches (WC, EU/CA, EC/CL)

Goals (Scored + Assisted + Involved)

Messi 25 (7 + 7 + 11) out of 30 team goals in 22 games = 83% importance (+ 2 SO goals)
Maradona 5 (2 + 1 + 2) out of 6 team goals in 5 games = 83% importance (+1 SO goal)
Platini 13 (6 (3p) + 4 + 3) put of 16 team goals in 10 games = 81% importance (+1 SO goal)
Pele 21 (13 (1p) + 6 + 2) out of 30 team goals in 9 games = 70% importance
G.Müller 21 (18 + 0 + 3) out of 32 team goals in 16 games = 66% importance
Zidane 22 (10 (3p) + 5 + 7) out of 35 team goals in 20 games = 63% importance (+ 1 SO goal)
Cronaldo 18 (13 (3p) + 4 + 1) out of 32 team goals in 26 games = 56% importance (+ 1 SO goal and 2 SO misses)
Romario 6 (3 + 0 + 3) out of 11 team goals in 5 games = 55% importance (+ 1 SO goal)
Eusebio 8 (7 (2p) + 1 + 0) out of 15 team goals in 12 games = 53% importance
Iniesta 14 (3 + 5 + 6) out of 30 team goals in 23 games = 47% importance (+ 1 SO goal)
Cruyff 8 (3 + 2 + 3) out of 18 team goals in 14 games = 44% importance

Note: missing Pele CL65 SF where he at least scored 3 goals of 8 in 3 games
Note: missing Eusebio EC62 SF 1st leg, and EC65 SF where he at least scored 2 goals of 8 in 3 games

[Harmonica]

Added Xavi and Ronaldo.


Major tournament sf and final matches (WC, EU/CA, EC/CL)

Goals (Scored + Assisted + Involved)

Messi 25 (7 + 7 + 11) out of 30 team goals in 22 games = 83% importance (+ 2 SO goals)
Maradona 5 (2 + 1 + 2) out of 6 team goals in 5 games = 83% importance (+1 SO goal)
Platini 13 (6 (3p) + 4 + 3) put of 16 team goals in 10 games = 81% importance (+1 SO goal)
Pele 21 (13 (1p) + 6 + 2) out of 30 team goals in 9 games = 70% importance
G.Müller 21 (18 + 0 + 3) out of 32 team goals in 16 games = 66% importance
Zidane 22 (10 (3p) + 5 + 7) out of 35 team goals in 20 games = 63% importance (+ 1 SO goal)
C.Ronaldo 18 (13 (3p) + 4 + 1) out of 32 team goals in 26 games = 56% importance (+ 1 SO goal and 2 SO misses)
Romario 6 (3 + 0 + 3) out of 11 team goals in 5 games = 55% importance (+ 1 SO goal)
Eusebio 8 (7 (2p) + 1 + 0) out of 15 team goals in 12 games = 53% importance
Ronaldo 11 (7 + 2 + 2) out of 22 team goals in 10 games = 50% importance
Iniesta 14 (3 + 5 + 6) out of 30 team goals in 23 games = 47% importance (+ 1 SO goal)
Xavi 16 (1 + 7 + 8 ) out of 35 team goals in 25 games = 46% importance
Cruyff 8 (3 + 2 + 3) out of 18 team goals in 14 games = 44% importance

Note: missing Pele CL65 SF where he at least scored 3 goals of 8 in 3 games
Note: missing Eusebio EC62 SF 1st leg, and EC65 SF where he at least scored 2 goals of 8 in 3 games[

[Valkyrja]

83% importance in not winning anything ?

[Harmonica]

Most competitive team titles (no fixed or invitational)

35 Dr Alves
34 Giggs
33 Iniesta
31 Eusebio
30 Messi
29 Pele
...
23 Cruyff
22 Di Stefano
21 Beckenbauer
17 Ronaldo
17 C.Ronaldo
15 Zidane
12 Maradona

[Harmonica]

[Harmonica]

Brian McBride - “I think Messi is the best player ever. He’s changed the way people look at how you can do things with the ball at your feet.”

[Harmonica]

[Harmonica]

http://www.barcelonafootballblog.com/25354/messi-the-live-experience/

"But the mood was also weird, in part because of the unfairness of boiling Messi down to a YouTube highlights reel, because there you only see the goals, the dribbles, the moves. You don’t see that 90 percent of the time, Messi is boring to watch unless you are a tactics nerd, or a coach trying to explain to a player how to move so that they are always in a spot where a teammate needs them.

In the crowd, people watched and waited for magic, not fully comprehending that the magic was when Messi was most Messi, that time before and in between when the ball went into the net. It is that time, and you can only see it live, to appreciate how differently Messi moves.

Players run. Legs churn, feet move, the body is propelled. Live, it’s almost like Messi is moving along a lubricated slot in the ground. There is effort. There has to be. But the quality of his movement is spatially odd, as though he is sliding around on the pitch on ice skates. One moment he’s there, and the next, he’s there. We watch on TV and think, “How the hell can defenders lose track of Messi?” But he doesn’t move normally. He plays the entire game as though it was that time when Barça got off the plane in some city. The place went nuts as the players alighted from the plane. Messi took advantage of the buzz to hunch his shoulders and sneak past it all. Nothing to see here. That is how he plays, which makes it weird when you, like most people in the crowd, plunked down your money to see him do something spectacular.

When Luis Suarez doesn’t have the ball, he is menace — moving, shoving, glowering, screaming even when silent. Defenders pay attention to him because he is so loud. Messi is quiet. So very, very quiet, almost soft. Very little of what Messi does is spectacular, even as it is astonishing. When he scored those goals people went nuts, but it was almost a sense of surprise, this ordinary box with a giant pile of “WHOA!” inside. Messi was standing there one moment, and in the next the ball was in the net. It’s like watching Dali draw a straight line. Sure, it’s just a line. But what a line. Look at how he holds the pen, the lack of doubt, the way the wrist sits. It’s art.

There was almost this sense of frustration when “nothing” happened, because here is the thing about Messi: he isn’t a player that you can fully comprehend the remarkable qualities of. The crux of the Messi vs Ronaldo debate is easy to explain. Ronaldo runs, he huffs, he puffs, he leaps. He takes crazy shots from distance. When he stands over a free kick it’s as if a gunslinger is waiting to dispatch yet another miscreant. He leaps high, runs fast, and you see it. When he has success, it is because he has bent the match to his will. He’s an exclamation point to Messi’s period.

For Messi the destination is the point, rather than the journey. When Messi runs, it is only because it’s faster than walking. He doesn’t huff or puff, and sweating is rare. His arms are at his sides a lot of the time. He doesn’t leap or take speculative shots. He stands over a free kick as if trying to solve a math problem. Messi has success not because he has bent the game to his will but rather that he understands how the match is angling, and positions himself to take advantage of that shape.

There is no purer expression of this than the first goal. In the picture above, Messi is just standing there. It seems crazy that the most dangerous attacker in the game would be left to just … stand there. Dani Alves once said of Xavi that he plays into the future. Messi seems to have already seen the future and knows where to be. It’s an uncanny quality of great players who seem to have things figured out. My seat at Solder Field was about 100 feet or so from the pitch, and it was odd to see Messi react to play just before the goal. He watched, shambled, moved a bit then tracked play. You could see his eyes watching, figuring it out. Then he scurried to a spot, and the ball came to him. Goal.

Yet the buildup is crucial. Messi lays off the pass, then ghosts into space, standing there to hold himself on, in space. You can ask how he knew Higuain would put his face in the way of the ball, you can ask how he knew that carom would fall directly to his foot, but that isn’t the point. Messi sees the game in a way that always puts him around the ball, and always at the point of maximum influence, which isn’t necessarily maximum danger in the personal stats context. Messi’s game is like one of those perpetual motion machines. Doors slam, gates close, dominoes fall at at the end, “Ta daaa!”

Kun Aguero is, when fit, one of the game’s top attackers. To watch him running around was remarkable, especially when you compare it to Messi. Aguero runs around like he’s looking for something he lost. He is chasing the ball, rather than understanding the game and moving to where the ball will be. Almost every player in the game does that, however.

Everyone saw the goal and for Messi, the goal is the point. His objective is to figure out the most effective way to put the ball in the back of the net. Everything else is secondary to that, which makes him frustrating to watch sometimes. There isn’t any show, nothing to see. He just slides around into the spaces and half spaces left by opponents. The muttering about how he has to drop deep to receive the ball as failure is a narrative that doesn’t understand what Messi has evolved into.

Teams still haven’t figured out that he has that pass, as evidenced by the last Argentina goal, the most casual assist plopped into the box. He does that pass time and again, but nobody plays him for it, because he’s just walking with the ball. This is another thing that you can’t catch on television, is the astonishing velocity and force with which he strikes the ball, with an almost nonexistent windup. He was just strolling with the ball at his feet and then, suddenly, it was on the way. There isn’t time to react."

[Harmonica]

https://twitter.com/MessiStats/status/743709707005628416

[Harmonica]

[Harmonica]

At age 28 Messi becomes the top scorer of Argentina senior national team (official goals)

54 Messi
54 Batistuta
35 Crespo
34 Maradona
33 Aguero

If you add U20, U23 goals, it's 67 compared to 54.

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