Sports Scientist Simon Brundish breaks down breathtaking stats of Lionel Messi to prove that he is the Greatest of All Time.
The sparkling debate for the fans is to pick one between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Both these players have produced consistent and breathtaking displays over the last decade to gain such adulation among the followers of the game of football.
The term ‘Greatest of All Time’ has often been utilized by these two sets of fans to demonstrate one’s superiority over the another. However, Simon Brundish, the Sports Scientist, telltales Lionel Messi’s staggering numbers to uphold that the Argentine is the greatest player to have played the game.
“If you’re saying anybody else is the best player in the world, Messi’s had a broken leg for a year, or he’s dead, or you’re lying,” Simon told in an interview with CNN.
Barcelona’s Skipper has made 60 goal contributions this season which is 24 more than what Cristiano Ronaldo has mustered at the same time in Juventus. Besides, Lionel Messi also missed three weeks of football when he was sidelined with a fractured arm earlier this campaign which makes his record every more unique from others.
“Currently Messi has a goal or assist every 48 minutes, bear in mind every game is roughly 95 minutes long that’s almost two every single game.”
“Last season it was 58 minutes… still kind of elite,” he said.
“If we were talking Premier League greats Alan Shearer will still talk about a goal every two games being that’s what a great striker gets, he gets two every game, this is insanity.
“If you look at the underlying statistics look at xG (expected goals), you can break this down further into xG-build. You reverse engineer from the final shot and award a number to everyone involved in the passing leading up to that.
“You’d expect that Luka Modric, the greatest of all playmakers, that’s where he would excel.”
Last season Messi had 0.7 xG-build per 90 in a group with Salah, Hazard, Neymar, Ronaldo and Messi where the best was 0.81.
“While Messi had the best finishing part, in xG-build they remove the value of the final pass or the goal, so you can’t be rewarded if you made the assist and he still had a better score than Modric, as well as a goal or assist every 48 minutes and playing 1,000 more minutes than Modric.”
Plenty of footballers acknowledged Lionel Messi’s greatness and even called him the ‘GOAT’ for his irresistible play since making his debut in 2004. The Argentine International singlehandedly scored 92 goals in a calendar year which is more than some of the top sides in Europe have managed during the time span.
Despite outscoring everybody in the top five leagues of Europe to clinch the golden shoe during the year 2018, he came fifth in the Ballon d’Or which came as a shock for the rest of the world. It turned out to be a slapstick once Lionel Messi started firing once again for Barcelona this campaign.
He scored two and set up another two in a huge tie against Olympique Lyon in the Champions League Round of 16 at Nou Camp following a stalemate at Groupama Stadium earlier. The Champions League is now dead heat as the last year finalists Liverpool, newly Cristiano Ronaldo ameliorated Juventus, and compelling Manchester City are still in the competition.
Since there is a huge gap between the first and second in the goalscorers list, Lionel Messi must be easily grabbing another golden boot to his name if he continues his unrelenting form throughout the year.
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WHAT’S NEXT?
Barcelona and Lionel Messi will take on Espanyol in the La Liga on 30th March at Nou Camp. The Blaugrana will face Manchester United in the Champions League Quarterfinals.
