Why Messi Remains a Football Genius
There are certain things that Messi can perform that are truly unique to him when it comes to the history of football but even that makes sense on a physical level.
One of those is dribbling at a tremendous speed with the ball without it ever being more than a few inches away from his fast-moving feet or running across a bumpy pitch that days before hosted a world heavyweight championship fight. Messi is also genious when it comes to dashing through a swarm of defenders that not only attempt to stop him, but also come with a speciality to stop players like Messi but fail.
Messi did this twice within three second-half minutes before he clipped identical finishes into the same far post. His moves were phenomenal but also believable. It merely takes better control, better balance, and more precise movements that other world-renowned players are unable to match. This is one aspect of Messi’s actions on the pitch.
Messi Can Defy Physical Understanding
What truly stands out when it comes to Messi, which is even more impressive than those perfect finishes and scampering runs, are the sensational moments when he performs something that seems to defy physical understanding. It feels like Messi has insight into everything on the pitch that no one else has.
Gary Lineker recently mentioned that Messi’s vision is so remarkable that he plays as if he possesses a top-down view of the entire pitch even though he is playing on it. This was always linked to Johan Cruyff, that he had the ability to see the entire pitch at any given moment, and it’s certainly true with Messi as well.
Messi provided perfect examples of this during a game where Barcelona faced Tottenham in Wembley. Messi’s pass provided the first goal, curling amazingly in front of Kieran Trippier as it went into the path of Jordi Alba down the left. How on earth did Messi see Alba’s run from the halfway line, notice the space behind Trippier, and knew how to route the ball?
With a view of the pitch, like the television commentators have, the viewpoint of Messi might have made sense. The press box is 30 feet up. However, Messi’s eyes are only 4 feet from the pitch, making it physically impossible to calculate it all. Shortly after the initial goal, Messi did it again. He managed to spot Suarez and kick the ball directly on his chest as it curled behind Sanchez. The technical execution of Messi is remarkable, to say the least, but actually seeing the pass is even more so. When you compare the first two finishes, which were assisted by Messi, to the two goals scored during the second half, it seems quite normal.
Messi’s Previous Performances
When last did Messi produce the highest level of football where the match carried loads of importance? Last minute winner in Bernabeu Clasico during the last season? Eliminating Chelsea from the Champions League in early 2018? How about Arsenal before that? There are countless instances where Messi made huge impacts in football, and he will continue for as long as he is playing.