OT: Lionel Messi is Impossible

Submitted by Eye of the Tiger on

For all those who are still up for some association football talk, even after the valiant-but-sad exit of Team USA, a data-driven argument for why Messi is the best in the world (and maybe the best ever). From FiveThirtyEight:

By now I’ve studied nearly every aspect of Messi’s game, down to a touch-by-touch level: his shooting and scoring production; where he shoots from; how often he sets up his own shots; what kind of kicks he uses to make those shots; his ability to take on defenders; how accurate his passes are; the kind of passes he makes; how often he creates scoring chances; how often those chances lead to goals; even how his defensive playmaking compares to other high-volume shooters.

And that’s just the stuff that made it into this article. I arrived at a conclusion that I wasn’t really expecting or prepared for: Lionel Messi is impossible.

It’s not possible to shoot more efficiently from outside the penalty area than many players shoot inside it. It’s not possible to lead the world in weak-kick goals and long-range goals. It’s not possible to score on unassisted plays as well as the best players in the world score on assisted ones. It’s not possible to lead the world’s forwards both in taking on defenders and in dishing the ball to others. And it’s certainly not possible to do most of these things by insanely wide margins.

But Messi does all of this and more....

 

Blue in Yarmouth

July 3rd, 2014 at 7:46 AM ^

In my opinion the two of them are so close that you really could easily make a case for either to be considered the best in the world. They are both amazing to watch and any manager would kill to have them on their squad. When two players are as good as these two are it's natural for two people to watch them play and come out with differing opinions as to who is the better player. 

Mocha Cub

July 2nd, 2014 at 8:59 AM ^

Don't get me wrong I love watching Messi and he is truly great and probably the best in the world right now, but I don't even think he's the best ever from his country.

Drunk Uncle

July 2nd, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

I like to compare Messi to Barry Sanders. They have fairly similar personalities. Both are the best players to every play their positions but are over shadowed by more media popular/interesting characters. Like Barry, if Argentina can figure out how to best use his talents and surround him with the right players, they will be unstoppable. 

User -not THAT user

July 2nd, 2014 at 11:31 AM ^

Messi = Wayne Gretzky.

Ungodly skill at such a high level evident from such an early age. And from SUCH an unassuming-looking package.  He's not as multi-dimensional as C.Ronaldo -C.Ron is a much more accomplished two-footed player- but like Gretzky, he scores and scores and scores and scores and just makes a mockery of the game.  Without him Argentina are...I don't know, Paraguay?  They're not qualifying for this World Cup and they're SURE not advancing without him.

SECcashnassadvantage

July 2nd, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^

In total Pelé scored 1281 goals in 1363 games, including unofficial friendlies and tour games, for which he was listed in the Guinness World Recordsfor most career goals scored in football.[