Few outside of FC Barcelona could predict the global impact that a 16-year-old Argentine would make as he stepped onto the pitch for the first time in a 2003 friendly versus José Mourinho’s Porto. 705 goals, six Ballon d’Or’s and 34 career trophies later and his career doesn’t seem close to regressing. But these numbers don’t even begin to tell his story. So, I’ll attempt to paint you a better picture of why football’s greatest artist is also its best of all time. This is A Certain Point of View: Lionel Messi.
The Adopted Catalan
A 6-year-old Lionel Messi entered the organised footballing world as a member of his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys, under the advice of his grandmother Celia. His youth side became known as the ‘Machine of ‘87’’ with over 500 goals to the youngster’s name. A growth deficiency, now very-well documented, was first noticed at at age 10 but the HGH hormone injections required aimed to improve his bone quality – not to enhance his footballing physicality as some say.
With Argentinian clubs unable to cover the costs of this treatment, a 13-year-old Messi made a difficult, but fortunate, decision to move to Barcelona’s legendary youth academy La Masia. 767 games later and Messi has tied Xavi for Barcelona’s all-time appearance maker, having also taken the captain’s armband.
Messi and Xavi are by far and away Barcelona's leading appearance maker. Source: Marca, Credit: Pablo Pueyo
Messi’s accomplishments with Barcelona are nothing short of impeccable. From when Messi was really given the reins of the attacking side in 2009 till the mid-2010s, Barcelona experienced a footballing hegemont domestically and in Europe, hithero unreplicated. In his first season with Pep Guardiola, Messi scored 38 goals in all competitions, taking the team to a La Liga, Champions League and Copa Del Rey treble. Barcelona then went on to win the next two La Liga titles with Messi as the resounding top scorer, lifting another two Champions League’s in the process.
Source: AS English. Credit: Reuters/Albert Gea.
Suarez’s arrival in the summer of 2015 prompted perhaps the most dangerous attacking trio in league history as he joined Messi and Neymar to form the deadly MSN. Make no mistake, Messi was still the star; 10 La Liga titles, six Spanish Cups and four Champions Leagues, all whilst taking home a record six Ballon d’Ors. Messi has also scored 29 and assisted 14 in his 35 finals played, proving his ability to perform on the biggest stage, and more often than not this came in the way of goals.
The Goals:
With the danger of this article becoming a Wikipedia bio, I want to focus on the most important statistic in football: goals. With 627 in 728 matches for Barcelona and counting, Messi is by far and away the club’s top goalscorer, as he surpassed the former leader César Rodríguez at just 24-years-old. If you read that stat with anything less than a wide mouth open, then you don’t know football. Whilst his stature, a mere 5”7 with a left-footed dominance, would suggest otherwise, Messi’s goalscoring talent is comparable to his idol growing up: Ronaldo. Just enjoy one of his earlier goals for Barca.
Now, you might be forgiven for thinking that goals of this stature are once in a career, and for other players they might be. But not for Messi. By using football’s latest metric, expected goals (xG), we can more easily plot how many goals Messi should score per game, judging on the quality of his chances, positioning on the pitch and a host of other factors. In La Liga seasons since xG was plotted in 2014/15, Messi’s expected goals number stands at 185. His actual tally? 222. Barcelona’s number 10 has scored 37 more goals than he should have done, considering his chances. Just a reminder, he isn’t really even a striker.
To put this into perspective, during Barcelona’s 2018/19 campaign, only Ousmane Dembélé had a positive xG rating of those Barca players that scored more than three goals – outscoring his xG by almost four goals. Oh, and Messi notched 10 more, with 49 goal contributions in 36 games: no biggie. Its worth mentioning that if you don’t believe in xG then that is entirely fair enough, many around the game doubt the significance of football’s latest fad. But the figures certainly pass the eye test; just take a look at his La Liga goals since 2014:
Lionel Messi goal chart. The bigger the circle, the better the chance. Provided by understat.com.
Messi has no right to score from some of those positions; I mean how he scored that goal from around the corner flag, I don’t know. Regardless, I have somehow managed to get through his goal record without mentioning Leo’s magical 2012 season. That calendar year saw the star score 91 goals in all competitions, breaking Gerd Muller’s previous record of 85 set in 1972 – an era that focused far more on attack than defence. Alongside this, Messi also managed to supply 24 assists in that time, meaning he averaged a goal contribution once every three days. Yeah, not matches, DAYS.
The fact that Leo has just scored 20 La Liga goals in a season for the 13th campaign running shouldn’t come as a surprise to you, but his goalscoring ability still remains underappreciated by many. Having scored 54 career hat-tricks, that assumption is difficult to comprehend, but it’s true. I could give you every single goal to watch of his career and you still wouldn’t gain a full idea of the mastery of Lionel Messi. His goals don’t do him justice, and with 627 of them, that is certainly surprising.
The Rest:
When I have mentioned the production of this articles to mates, not one thing was said about the goalscoring ability of Lionel Messi. It simply isn’t his defining feature. When fans think of Messi, it’s his dribbling ability, bag of skills, electric pace and above all else, unpredictability. Seeing Messi glide past a flock of defenders - what is required to even start thinking about slowing him down – people are not even surprised anymore, and I think that is his biggest compliment. The fact it has become commonplace for the number 10 to display the dribbling technique of Maradona and the turning ability of Johan Cruyff is a testament to his consistent greatness. This goal against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa Del Rey final in 2015 is one such example:
And you might think, as English fans tend to do, that Messi has been playing against a ‘bunch of farmers’ in his years in La Liga in an effort to rationalise his exploits. I don’t blame them, finding some way to bring Messi’s ability down to earth is probably the best way to not lose your head.
But the reality is that Messi played against some of Europe’s best sides in his domestic league, as six other Spanish sides have reached European finals since Messi’s debut in 2003. Bilbao themselves made the Europa League final in 2012, even beating Barcelona 5-1 a couple of months following this game. Bilbao were certainly no scrubs. And nor is La Liga. Oh and by the way, if you’re wondering whether Messi is still performing at this elite level domestically, this is how his most recent performances have been rated in a Barca side without Xavi, Iniesta, Suarez or Neymar.
Leo Messi's recent performance ratings in La Liga. Source: SofaScore
Pep Guardiola commented in the eighth instalment of ‘This is Football’, impeccably titled ‘Wonder’, that Messi’s style of play can be compared to “being in a jungle and [he] needs to survive”. Whilst not the hardest worker, Messi knows where he needs to be and has an astounding level of football IQ. Leo’s instinctive ability on the football pitch, whilst most recognisable in his dribbling, skills and agility, is also tallied up on the assists chart. Of course, he is the top La Liga assister of all time with 169, with his former teammate Xavi second on 126. And Messi isn’t even known for his passing, Xavi was. Oh, and he also broke Xavi’s record for assists in a season with 21 in 2020, as the next highest stood at 11. The fact is that Messi’s vast skillset means he can realistically play anywhere in front of the back four and still be just as effective. But has he done it on European stage?
The Champions League:
Well, clearly the answer is yes. Four Champions League would tell you as much – three of them with Messi as Barcelona’s undisputed best player. There’s not too much to say under this heading that you don’t already know. Messi currently sits a spot behind C. Ronaldo in the UCL goal chart with 119, having played 27 games fewer, but Messi has the best goals to game ratio (0.8) of anyone in the top 10 other than Alfredo di Stefano. Perhaps the most astonishing stat of Messi’s career is the one below.
Lionel Messi is the third highest scorer against Premier League ‘top six’ clubs, despite not ever playing in the league. Even the best Premier League strikers, who play against the top six at least 10 times if they play for one of those teams, can struggle to score anywhere near Messi’s 26. Wayne Rooney played 15 years in the top flight and is still four off of Messi’s tally. Take a look at some of these ridiculous goals below, and I implore you to try and find a genuine tap-in.
Now, there are some great goals in there, but perhaps his most memorable performance on the biggest stage was the 2009 Champions League Final in Rome. After Samuel Eto’o scored in the 10th minute, Messi’s incredible Ronaldo-esque hang in the air resulted in the ball in the back of the net– a goal that Messi stated is his favourite to date. Whilst not the most jaw-dropping finish, Messi turned up on the biggest stage whilst questions were raised over who was the world’s best as a matchup against Cristiano Ronaldo became a reality. The United side that Messi bamboozled were fresh off winning the UCL the season before and were perhaps the best under Sir Alex Ferguson. Despite this, they were outplayed, as Rio Ferdinand describes dealing with Messi as perhaps the “most embarrassing night” of his life:
Even if you still consider La Liga a lesser European league after I have told you that is categorically wrong, Messi has still done it on the biggest club stage in the world. Yes, with a fair amount of talent around him, but for three of his UCL wins out of four, he was Barcelona’s biggest star. For almost two decades, Champions League gameplans against Barcelona have almost exclusively been to shut Messi down, and everything else should fall in place. Considering his trophies and 119 goals, this hasn’t worked out for many teams, but it hasn’t stopped sides on the international stage trying to do the same.
The Argentine
Now, even if you do subscribe to the view that Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer to walk this Earth, you may still have a blemish on his CV under ‘Argentina’. And I did too, until you consider his accomplishments with La Albiceleste more closely.
Messi made his Argentina debut just days after his 17th birthday, as the Argentinian FA were desperate to avoid Spain from capping their star youngster – who held dual-nationality. Messi would become the youngest Argentinian to ever represent the country in a World Cup in 2006, where he was also the youngest scorer in the tournament. Despite this, a 2008 Beijing gold medal is the only international silverware in Messi’s extensive trophy cabinet.
Why? Well, the situation with the Argentinian national team has never been particularly stable, especially with the fans’ expectations placed on their players. For starters, Messi was not even used in his preferred position until 2008 – four years after his debut. It took a meeting between Diego Maradona, Argentina’s manager at the time, and Messi after WC qualification to find out he wanted to play in the enganche position: a playmaker behind the two strikers. Talk about a lack of preparedness and professionalism.
A satirical re-imagining of the Sistine Chapel, found in Buenos Aires. The tour guide publishing this image suggests Argentina is "75% Catholic, but our main religion is soccer". Source: yourfriendinbsas.com.ar.
The following three or four years were spent battling for prime spot up front, with Carlos Tevez another starlet for the national team. New boss Sergio Batista failed to implement a system that Messi could thrive upon, attempting to implement the Argentine in a similar false-nine position he played for Barca, though without the quality around him. This theme has since plagued the Argentina captain – handed the responsibility in 2011 – as he has often had to create his own goalscoring opportunities in the absence of midfield ballplayers like Xavi and Iniesta. And it should not be a blemish that he relied on great ball-playing midfielders to be successful; football is a team game of 11 after all.
Having said that, whilst Messi has not brought silverware to his national side, his exploits have still been admirable. Leo has reached four international finals, three in the Copa America and one World Cup. Two of these Copa America defeats were decided by the lottery of penalties, with Messi scoring the only Argentina penalty in the 2015 final, whilst the third was a 3-0 loss to powerhouse 2007 Brazilian team when Messi was just 20 – he wore number 19 for God’s sake. Oh and the World Cup? Well, he managed to take this team to the final in 2014:
Source: BBC
And in the other tournaments, there were significant roadblocks. In 2006 he did not play in Argentina’s quarter-final loss, whilst their 2010 World Cup ended with a defeat to a stubborn German side that had knocked out England in the Round of 16. The 2011 Copa America saw Argentina lose on penalties to Uruguay, whilst eventual winners France knocked the rocky South American side out of Russia 2018. This was the same World Cup that, with just minutes left to find a result against a resolute Iran team to keep Argentina’s hopes alive, Messi did this:
No, Messi might not have international silverware like Pelé, Maradona and C. Ronaldo have, but he was expected to perform with a sub-par defensive and ball-playing side – the antithesis of how he was successful in Barcelona. He also ran into a World Cup era dominated by Europe’s defensively robust and tough sides, with no other South American side reaching the final since Brazil’s golden era of 2002.
Nonetheless, Leo has a Golden Ball - given to the best player of the tournament - as well as six Man of the Match awards in World Cups – tied for first with Arjen Robben and Cristiano Ronaldo. He has performed on the World stage, even if his ten teammates have not. This will certainly still plague Messi in the greatest of all-time conversation, but his skill has never really been as a leader – Messi is unlikely to be galvanise a side to become winners, he’s just not that kind of player.
That does not stop him from being idolised in his native country, however. When he threatened to retire in 2016 after a disappointing Copa America, the ‘Don’t go, Leo’ campaign took over Argentina with fans storming the capital to show their admiration for the number 10. Buenos Aires’ mayor even erected a statue of Messi to convince him to stay – this doesn’t sound like a country willing to let their star man go. This popularity remains important to this day; Argentina’s current President stated in This is Football that he ‘does not even claim to compete’ for the title of the most important living Argentinian.
Lionel Messi statue, Buenos Aires. Source: Washington Post, Credit: AP Photo/ Victor R. Caivano.
Was he successful for Argentina and did he play his best football for his country? Undoubtedly, no. But Messi is still the highest goalscorer for Argentina with 68 despite his well-publicised goal droughts and he performed when it mattered – as much as he could do as just one man in an extremely flawed and top-heavy squad. His importance to Argentina, however, transcends the game of football, and is yet another area that contributes to Messi’s status as football’s greatest.
Remembering Messi:
As I have explained, Messi’s talent is inescapable. The countless number of records he will undoubtedly hold until another generational player comes along say just as much, as do his Barcelona medals and Champions League trophies. His troubled, if excusable, Argentina career also do not stop him from being a national icon.
Regardless, when all is said and done, Leo Messi’s goal tally, Barcelona achievements and endless records still won’t be his legacy. As strong as his case is in all of these areas, Messi’s dribbling ability, unpredictability and his all-round mystique will surely be his lasting memory long after he retires. Despite being on the footballing stage for nearly two decades, the ‘wow factor’ of seeing the Argentine play has never worn off; drawing Barcelona in the Champions League meant a chance to see the most entertaining footballer in the world, even if it did mean an impending UCL exit. And if you're wondering if he is still beneficial, Barcelona pay him $167.5million per year, despite their financial difficulties. He is just that valuable.
He has Pelé’s goalscoring, Cruyff’s dribbling ability and Maradona’s national admiration, all rolled into one. Surpassing the likes of Rivaldo, Johan Cruyff, Carlos Puyol, Ronaldinho, Xavi and Iniesta, Lionel Messi has etched his name as Barcelona’s best. From a Certain Point of View, he is also football’s greatest ever player. Leo Messi, utter legend.
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