Lionel Messi is a footballer like no other.
Physically, the Argentine is not exactly an impressive specimen – unlike his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi is around 5’7″ and has a very slim build, while his general demeanor is shy. But once you put a soccer ball at the feet of the Paris Saint-Germain superstar, the 35-year-old turns into a monster that is simply unstoppable. What makes Messi so unique is the fact that he excels in all aspects of the game in an attacking sense.
He is the second-highest goalscorer in the history
Behind only Ronaldo, and has achieved this incredible feat by operating as almost a cross between a deep-lying playmaker, a No.10, and a winger.No player has more official assists than Messi, which says it all.
Lionel Messi is a footballer like no other.
Physically, the Argentine is not exactly an impressive specimen – unlike his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi is around 5’7″ and has a very slim build, while his general demeanor is shy.
But once you put a soccer ball at the feet of the Paris Saint-Germain superstar, the 35-year-old turns into a monster that is simply unstoppable.
What makes Messi so unique is the fact that he excels in all aspects of the game in an attacking sense.
Will we ever see another Messi?
It is highly unlikely that we will see a footballer like Messi again for a long, long time. Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are amazing but much more like someone like Ronaldo than Messi.
And the big man himself, who has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards, has suggested that football has changed to such an extent that it is difficult for another player like him to emerge.
In a fascinating in-depth interview with Movistar ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, Messi gave a detailed insight into the “tactical” side of the modern game and the resulting impact it has.
Messi’s thoughts on the modern game
He told Barca Universal: “Nowadays it is very difficult for a 10 or 11-year-old boy to be on the street and play because of the insecurity in the street. And now kids have a lot more things like PlayStation, iPad, etc.
“I think football has changed a lot. It’s harder to see a player who’s different, who’s unusual… Because you’re forced to play a certain way from a young age. And that’s the problem.
“Football will become more and more tactical. Nowadays you see that every team can make it difficult for every team without having great players but they played well tactically and organized. But then it will be more difficult to see the ‘extraordinary’ players.”
So if Leo’s assessment is indeed accurate, the world will never be treated to another footballer like him.
In that case, we’ll make sure to cherish his last few years at the top even more than we originally planned!
Messi will be aiming for World Cup success with his hugely talented Argentina side over the next month, and if he holds the Jules Rimet trophy aloft on December 18, those who doubt his ‘GOAT’ status may finally be converted.