Messi's Masterclass in Motion: How Leo Barely Moves Yet Remains the Best

RICARDO FERNÁNDEZ, “Marca”

We may never witness anything quite like it again. In fact, to see something comparable, one might need to be born several times over. Fortunately, we are living in this era and can savor the final flashes of Lionel Messi's footballing genius.

At 39 years old, the Argentine has led his national team to a second consecutive World Cup final. This achievement could see him equal Cafu as the only player to feature in three World Cup finals. Many might have thought the Rosario star wouldn't be at his best for this tournament, but the exact opposite has happened.

In seven matches played, he has scored 8 goals, becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Additionally, he has provided 4 assists, placing him at the top of the Golden Boot race for the tournament. These statistics surpass his performance in Qatar, and he has achieved them while walking more than ever before.

As Guardiola once said, “Messi doesn't need to run to be the best.” And that's precisely how it plays out. According to 'Fifafee', the Inter Miami player averages 6.85 kilometers covered per match (one less than his average in Qatar). Of this distance, 4.39 km is spent walking (the highest percentage for his position), and 1.49 km is a light jog. He sprints at high speed for only 53 meters and at low speed for 295 meters.

In comparison to Lamine Yamal, the youngster from Rocafonda covers an average of 8.31 kilometers per match. Of these, 4 km are walking, and 2.89 km are light jogging. In high-speed sprints, he outpaces Messi fourfold with 210 meters, and in low-speed sprints, he covers 406 meters more.

Data provided by 'Driblab' for the World Cup points in the same direction. Messi is among the players in the tournament who cover the least distance at speeds above 19 kilometers per hour (291st out of 297). As for the number of sprints, he makes only 2.89 per match, compared to 7.92 for Lamine Yamal. The distance of these sprints is also greater for Yamal – 166.9 meters versus 90.1 for Messi.

But no matter how much he “walks” (or glides) across the pitch, the Rosario-born footballer remains elusive to his opponents. In most cases, he receives the ball without pressure (28 times per match). This is due to the varied zones he occupies to be found by his teammates.

If we examine the movement and touch maps of Messi and Lamine Yamal, we'll notice how the Argentine moves into different areas of the pitch, often drifting from the right wing to offer himself centrally, even dropping deep into midfield. In contrast, Lamine Yamal's dribbles typically start on the right and are mostly directed towards the penalty area. From all this, one can conclude that even though he runs less than others, Messi continues to be everywhere.