Lionel Messi is widely considered the greatest footballer to have ever lived – and the data certainly helps to back up that argument.
The Argentinian maestro holds a remarkable amount of individual and team records. For instance, his seven Ballon d’Or titles have never been matched or beaten. He has more La Liga goals (474) than any other player. His 91 goals in a calendar year for club and country in 2012 is unrivalled.
During his time at Barcelona, Messi scored 672 goals in all competitions for the club. No other Barca player in their 122-year history, comes close to that tally.
But more than just his goals, assists, and records is Messi’s impact on any team. Fans tuned into the club’s games throughout his Barca years just to watch the Argentinian star play.
He captivated fans, pundits and even opposing players with his skill on the ball, silky finesse and ability to simply glide past opponents.
When Messi left to join Paris Saint-Germain last summer, he left a giant hole in the centre of the Spanish giants.
Twitter user posts data charts; Messi is near the top in all of them
Having kept up near superhuman performance throughout his 19-year professional career, it is no surprise that when you reference most attacking data charts, Lionel Messi is right at the top.
To prove this argument, Twitter user Ameya Jirage posted a series of data charts which show how Messi stands out from the rest.
Firstly, the thread began with assists in relation to games played. Messi – in the dark blue bar – is streets ahead for both metrics, and is positioned on the top right of the chart.
Then there is a goals scored vs big chances created graphic, which pretty much speaks for itself in assessing Messi’s all-around game.
The user then posted a chart based on xT (expected threat). The metric of xT is adjudged based on a probability of a goal being scored when a player or team has the ball.
The chart shows that two players are in a different league in this data category – Lionel Messi and his PSG team-mate Neymar.
Meanwhile, another incredible attribute of Lionel Messi is his ability to score from free kicks. He has over 50 club goals from set-piece situations – so it’s no surprise that his conversion rate is exceptionally strong.
Since the 2017/18 season, he has 19 free-kick goals from just 159 attempts.
The data only tells part of the story, however. Messi has torn apart defences for 19 years, and continues to do so today.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
