Because he does this, he helps conserve his energy so when he does have to exert, he can go at full power more than someone else who runs and jogs far more. And by walking, it makes the defense do one of 3 things: A) walk with him and tend to bring their readiness down by relaxing, 2) move with him, but stay energetic, so now you're expending energy for nothing, or iii) stop paying attention because c'mon someone's walking in a game all about running, he's either tired or has removed himself... I need to worry about this other joggy guy first.... ... and then he's behind you and the ball's behind your goalkeeper.
It legit blows my mind that there are people out there that don't think Messi is the best ever. He didn't have to win a Copa for that, doesn't need to win a World Cup for that, nor does he have to score so many goals. He's the best ever already due to his touches, dribbling, passing, positioning, vision, assists. You can take all of his goals away and he's still number 1 for me.
Messi is the most talented player at the highest level (attacker) ever but The greatest player (attacker) of all time is diego maradona. Literally dragged mid tier teams like Napoli and Argentina to the most important titles. That’s what greatness is.
You went over to the realm of hyperbole when you said he doesn’t need to score goals. The quantity and quality of his goals are a huge reason why he’s the goat.
@@sakhilemakama716 Name one thing Maradona is better than Messi at. There's no statistical evidence to prove your claim. Messi is, by any metric you want to discuss, the best and most complete footballer ever.
@@robertbes1122 sure Messi might arguably a better player, and he one of the greatest players to ever do it, but he never dragged his teams to big trophies. Only Maradona has done it multiple times. Yes there is evidence. Go watch the games. Read about Maradona’s career yourself. Results are the biggest factor of GOAT. Footballing talent and ability isn’t the biggest factor.
I think maradona and pele might be the best players ever, they have better dribbling, and touches than messi, messi is a better tactical player but I think it's because of the natural progression of the game, if maradona or pele played in current era, I think they might be better than messi, because they would be more aware tactically, and they already have the best dribbling and touches, and they're very underrated at passing too
I don't think that's needed. Neymar has been amazing but his skill is more obvious. With Messi you don't really understand how he's able to do it. But with Neymar it's just bruteforce skill in dribbling, passing and shooting. While equally impressive as Messi, it's easier to understand his qualities
@@tacostastegood3720 what you said makes no sense brute force does not = skill your obviously reaching trying to find some metaphysical bs reasoning to not put neymar on messi's level while neymar has been phenomenal these past 2 season
Messi has been around for so long that non-Barcelona, non-PSG fans are sick of him, and any mention of Messi just triggers scoffs and dusty memories. And this causes people to forget how good he is, so thank you for making this video.
Messi saved football for me. I was nearly done with the dive-fest that it had become, but seeing this irrepressible little fella refuse to go down, the joy, absolute joy that he gives is something I didn’t think I’d ever see and I’m glad I was alive at this time. Long may it continue
Messi was easier to appreciate in the first 10 years of career, now football enthusiasts and genuine lovers of football admire him more because of his more complex role while casuals get fooled by the declining goal numbers. Hope he lights up Qatar.
I mean you don't need "complex" roles when you can dribble past the whole team and score.....I would say that's the easiest and most complex style of play actually....sadly his pace is no longer what it was and he needs to play with others.....ugh I hate father time sometimes
Would be amazing if Argentina could win the WC. They looked pretty solid in the Copa (obviously winning) so who knows if they can capitalise on that and Messi's form and go all the way
Yes, as his playmaking abilities is arguably the best in the world, only rivalled by KDB.. Still a fantastic dribbler and on top of that he can score either tapins or from distance.. So there are many things going for him..
@@IDKwhoIam25 are you talking about HGH? HGH only helps if you keep taking it in a regular basis throughout your adulthood.. Messi was taking a prescribed dose on advice of his doctor only uptill age 14…it only helped him be taller, this is evident on how kid Messi used to drop defenders by using the same technique and style of play as he is using now.. HGH treatment might cause a number of side effects as well, including: Carpal tunnel syndrome Increased insulin resistance Type 2 diabetes Swelling in the arms and legs (edema) Joint and muscle pain Increased risk of certain cancers
I remember he had a season at Barca were he did something very similar. I described it as he was doing Xavi's, Iniesta's and Messi's jobs. He didn't score a million goals so people thought he had a bit of an off year. Now it's like he finally got back to the evolutionary line he was supposed to follow.
Crazy how fast everyone was to drop the best player of all time (who wasn’t training full time due to covid until April), shows how fickle football fans can be. People honestly thought he was finished.
With all due respect to Ronaldo and what he's achieved in the game, Messi has always been the better footballer of the two, sure Ronaldo's more of a complete forward compared to Messi in terms of variety of goalscoring but in terms of versatility on the pitch Messi's in a league of his own and now we're seeing that. Back when he was playing for Guardiola, we saw him as a forward player scoring an insane number of goals with his incredible dribbling ability, now we're seeing as a master creator in a deeper position which we started seeing in small doses back in 2015 when Barca won the treble for the 2nd time, he knew that as he got older his explosive pace would decrease so he compensated for that by becoming more of a playmaker, and without doubt he's excelled at that. Due to Messi's talents, we always knew that his play style was always going to be more sustainable than Ronaldo's. The key difference being that Messi doesn't need to score a goal to prove that he's played well in the match whereas Ronaldo does. Hopefully Messi can do his country proud and put the GOAT debate to rest, of course Ronaldo will still be held as an all-time legend of the game, but I truly think that if Messi wins the World Cup, the GOAT argument is settled.
It still astounds me when people call C. Ronaldo a more complete player when he doesn't even touch Messi when it comes to versatility as a player. Messi can play pretty much any role except maybe CB or goalkeeper, but Ronaldo can't do those roles either. He's already the absolute GOAT for me. There hasn't been a more gifted/talented player in history that can compare. Maybe Maradona and Ronaldinho, but those two had short peaks, while Messi has been consistently excellent for 15 years. It can't be understated. A world cup win would certainly cement that, but not winning it wouldn't take away from his greatness either.
I think Messi last season was a bit underrated due to him not scoring many goals. Granted, he underperformed his xG (quite unlucky tbh many crossbars and posts), but he still managed to put up high xA and still had some of the best progressive stats (both for passing and dribbling) across the European leagues. As mentioned in the video, he dropped deep quite a lot. Messi not scoring wasn't really much of a problem when you have Neymar and Mbappe doing that for you. Also, PSG getting knocked out of the UCL last season wasn't really the fault of the attackers, more so the defenders and keeper not being able to beat the Madrid press. I think now what's happened is that the new coach has come in and changed how PSG attack, being shown in an increase of Messi's xG (among other things ofc).
I think what Messi does which elevates him from other great players is his ability to see the game from an almost bird's eye view. His 'laziness' mentioned is purposeful, and is him waiting for the perfect moment for the right angle to cut and change direction (which he is able to do better than any player in history). SAF after MU's CL defeat said Messi plays the game like we play Playstation. And it actually took me awhile to understand what this statement actually means. FIFA players play the game at an elevated angle to allow them to see the spaces clearly. This is what Messi does on the pitch. He is able to read the movement of the whole defensive line. And his dribbles, passes, shots are all well thought off.
His technique and natural talent is once in a decade; his movement and understanding of the game is the best in his generation; his mentality is as good as any great athlete, all of these three coupled with his freakish endurance and stable off-field life make him surely the GOAT.
I know most people know it, and a few overlook it but this guy has been on top level for 1 and a half decade. That is mind boggling.. So grateful to witness this.💙
This kind of analysis is really intriguing....! Can u please do a similar one for KDB...I would love to see what and how he does it....maybe not the most popular player to analyse...but i really wanna know what he does that makes him stand out in this Man City team !!!
I am a Ronaldo fan, but despite that I love Messi... Yes I'm jealous of him too at some aspects but that doesn't reduce an ounce of respect I have for him. He's on of the greatest visionary and football geniuses to have ever played the beautiful game. The only thing that concerns me is the hate Messi fans have for Ronaldo or how the media treats Ronaldo. I wish people would be more compassionate towards him too and not treat him as a target for controversies. The guy's a human too.
@@calumgallagher2095 he was far from having the best season last season or being eligible to being considered the best itw, but I’d say every single year bar 21/22 and 19/20 since about 2009, he has been the best in the world and in my opinion the best ever
Messi is the perfection that any human can be. He plays the game like looking from 50 meters away from the field his decision making either to pass, loop or shoot is always right...playing the game surrounded by so many defenders just stop the game for 1 minutes and after watching for ariel view the decision one can take Messi exactly does on tight situation and perfectly place the ball as humanly possible each time... as calmly as anybody could ever do.....
I am a messi fan I love how he plays but i never ever understood how he does that. Thank you now I know how he does that. It just put a smile on my face. Messi omg he is brilliant. The GHOST THE GOAT
The fact that his current form is only about half his prime form and he's still considered one of top class players shows how genuinely good he used to be when his prime
Best analysis I've ever heard. This guy is great. Love his hair. Stupid pple beat Messi up for walking. They don't understand what he's doing. All they see are goals.
Never understood how people said this guy( Ronaldo) is better than messi apart from scoring goals his other football attributes are no where near Lionel and it is showing. I don't understand how he is in the goat debate anyway cause although his trophy cabinet is amazing (which trophies have weight in the goat debate) his footballing ability when compared with pele, maradona and messi is far lacking. Just look at Gerd Muller one of the greatest goal scorers and has an amazing trophy cabinet, EUROS, 3 UCL in a row a WORLD CUP and 14 goals in the world cup yet no one mentions him along side pele or maradona he is one of the greats just not in the conversation for the greatest and neither should ronaldo be.
because at the end of the day football is about winning and the ability to win matches is something Ronaldo had plenty of. Still not enough to be in the goat debate, but I can see why people would...credit where credit is due
@@sumomaster5585 no it isn't just about winning its how you win that's why we don't call Gerd Muller's name among the greatest debate even tho he won more than maradona when maradona won it was more memorable and greater than Muller. That' s my argument never said he wasn't one of the greats just he shouldn't mentioned among the greatest I think the same should be of ronaldo.
Saw the CL game at Benfica and he was great in that game. Just kept sucking in all of the defenders in that area at the top of the box and released the ball to create chances. He just creates chaos in the defense and it’s fun to watch
reminds me a lot of how Steph Curry plays with Golden State. Moves a lot off the ball and creates space for team mates. Is a killer with the ball so defenders have to pay attention to him. Messi/Curry have a lot of gravity on the field of play
if you really think about it.. Messi has always been in his prime! he achieved everything in football, he achieved all the glory, he has 7 ballon d'or yet he still performs like a 19 year old... absolutely incomparable.
Messi has been the best player in the world for the last 15 years. He just had 1 down year at PSG which also happens to be a transitional season for him, adjusting to the team. Even then it was only a down year by his standards. Any other player has the season he had and people would be waxing lyrical about them
Never understood how people said this guy( Ronaldo) is better than messi apart from scoring goals his other football attributes are no where near Lionel and it is showing. I don't understand how he is in the goat debate anyway cause although his trophy cabinet is amazing (which trophies have weight in the goat debate) his footballing ability when compared with pele, maradona and messi is far lacking. Just look at Gerd Muller one of the greatest goal scorers and has an amazing trophy cabinet, EUROS, 3 UCL in a row a WORLD CUP and 14 goals in the world cup yet no one mentions him along side pele or maradona he is one of the greats just not in the conversation for the greatest and neither should ronaldo be.
@@markjohn5711 he has media exposure and in the modern age that goes a long way, di stefano whos undoubtedly a more complete and in my opinion better player than cristiano and real's greatest legend doesn't get near the amount of goat shouts cristiano does
Short answer: He’s one of, if not the best player in a team that is also one of the favorites to at least be a ucl finalist and to be domestic league champs (unsurprisingly) so if he’s not on the balón d’or list next year I’ll be shocked
Even my own father says Messi doesn’t run anymore and stands still…but it’s quite genius really…how do you guard the best footballer in the world who decides to stand still….well you can’t, because you’ll end up standing still yourself, taking you completely out of the game. Messi is literally more lethal now than ever.
Messi has overtaken Ronaldo as GOAT in my book this season and is looking more and more likely to separate himself in the coming few years. His ability to not have to rely on his athletic ability is one of the reasons for this This coming from a Utd supporter
Ronaldo achievements speak for themselves but as a footballer it was never a debate as to who was the better....Messi was better in everyway except headers and bicyle kicks....Ronaldo ruled in the sky, no questions asked.
The most infuriating thing that he does is when he makes these really precise slow shots that are just out of reach of anyone in the way, the keeper jumps only to see the ball going a few centimeters beyond his fingers, its just ridiculous, like watching a car crash in slow motion.
JJ, would love to get your opinion on the future of Messi, I always saw him as the long term successor to iniesta at Barca. His chance creation shows that he's effective in the middle (or anywhere). Can you see him playing another 5 + years at the highest level?
It depends on his coach and teammates, at 39 he will likely still be the best playmaker in the world. He’s that good, but the defensive contribution is already nonexistent, and his athleticism declines he’ll be less useful off the ball too. If a great coach can surround him with the right pieces and system then absolutely imo
You would imagine that even for Messi age will catchup with him. Perhaps if he drops into an even deeper role like Pirlo did he could but these days teams often want a dynamic person there so perhaps if there was a double pivot? Like JJ says, just watch as much of you as you possibly can until he retires. Enjoy it while it lasts.
@@SamyadeepPurkayastha that's a high number for sure but attacking players are supposed to take risks...though at his age its' difficult to keep the ball for long
The coach makes a big difference, Pochettino couldnt play without wingers backing deffence, so he just waste 3 of best players in the world, this year all 3 are very free for create and score
From JJ's explanations, is it just me or Thomas Müller's playing style is similar with Messi does? He's constantly looking for space, and he knows how to inflict the deepest wound in the opposition's line of defence
Thomas muller is a out and out ss or a classic no. 10 while messi plays the role of a amf/ss being the magnet and pulling all the defenders towards him
Also worth mentioning that Pochettino really restricted where Messi could play on the pitch. Stuffing him on the wing when he hasn't really played as a proper winger since the 07/08 season.
there has never been a time since 2009 when a player was better than Messi he is the best I have ever seen, even though that doesn't mean he's always the one with the best performances
U should do a video of Messi giving insane through balls this season. Even more amazing than his goals. He’s putting 3-5 obscene defence splitting passes per game and only poor finishing from other players is keeping his assist numbers down.
If doesn’t score he provide asissts if its not he provide defence breaking passes if thats not he provides set pieces and he can provide playmaking like xavi ,kroos etc .he can do every single thing from cmf to st ❤people who love football please enjoy him .The greatest there ever was and that ever will be .
There is not a huge difference between Ligue 1 and the other 4 Top Leagues as many are stating it is.. Lewandowski and Haaland came from Bundesliga and are currently decimating Laliga and EPL.. I think it was pretty obvious that Messi’s goalpoaching abilities would diminish as he gets older…but he can still rely on his playmaking and dribbling to be still effective in his latter stage of his career
Messi has indirectly inspired me which I didn't know till yesterday,I play RM (RW ish) and all I do is look for open space,ask the ball,control the ball and run to give a cross and try long shots sometimes. Wow
homie it’s a top 5 league. French players are desired everywhere because the country produces some of the best talents in the world. Just look at their national team. The standard is very high.
@@Ren_1090 because of the French youth academy system the French leagues itself you take psg out of it is worse than the MLS. Bundersliga and serie A are miles clear and the prem
Good video as always, and great to see Messi back at his best enjoying his creative play! Any neutral football fan I guess will be hoping he lifts the world cup at last next month. I'd be wary though of comparing his assist figures from this season with his Barcelona numbers, because of the difference in competitive levels between the two leagues, and difference in how PSG are dominating all areas of the fields as opposed to Barcelona of late years.
Bro the fact that he wasn’t nominated last year was ridiculous, some of the people that got nominated had less g/a and no trophies… I guess it was to make up for the mistake in 2021 with the ballon d’or
Stellar analysis! I think we need more player based analysis videos you know. We need one for KDB. Just imagine if these 2 ever played in the same team, that squad would have more assists than goals. Strikers would receive balls faster than they can put them in the back of the net 🤯
