For the last 15 years, we’ve been witnessing the greatest soccer player of all-time. Week in and week out, Lionel Messi has left us speechless with his incomprehensible talent. He’s done it so often and so consistently, we take it for granted. Performances that would be anyone’s career highlights are common occurrences for him. However, his hat-trick vs Real Betis last week was something special, even by his otherworldly standards. And even though he’s already 31, it left us wondering if he’s playing at the highest level he ever has.
Despite the fact that he has 39 goals and 20 assists in 36 games for Barcelona this season, it can be easy to quickly dismiss the idea that the current Messi is the best Messi we’ve ever seen when you consider how he’s played in the past.
Under Guardiola, Messi eventually began to play primarily as a false 9. He was responsible for the end product － which he delivered plentifully. As the focal point of one of the best teams in history, he dropped in to link with the midfield and also finished chances as the team’s central attacker. He won four consecutive Ballon d’Or awards under Guardiola. This culminated in a ridiculous 91 goals in 69 matches for club and country in 2012. At the time, it seemed we’d never see a better player.
In 2014, he was tasked with leading Argentina in the World Cup. Although he wasn’t able to overcome a historically great German team, Messi almost single-handedly dragged Argentina to the final, pouring his heart into every game and producing some fantastic individual moments. Despite losing in the final, he finished with the Golden Ball, named the tournament’s best player. Another iconic incarnation of Lionel Messi, and while the results and statistics aren’t as impressive as what he’s done in other years, anyone who watched that World Cup knows how special he was.
Under Luis Enrique, with the arrival of Neymar and Suarez, Messi went back to playing as a right winger to better suit the attacking trio of MSN. During their first season together, they led Barcelona to a historic treble of Champions League, La Liga, and Copa del Rey. Messi won his fifth Ballon d’Or with 58 goals and 27 assists in 57 games for Barcelona. Although he didn’t have the same goal tally as in 2012, his assists were up, and his selflessness allowed for the other two superstars to flourish as well. In this season, Messi seemed to have found the perfect blend of scoring and playing to support his teammates.
This season, Barcelona finally has a great team again. However, he has no other world-class attacking teammate. 32-year-old Suarez is still great, but lacks consistency and is no longer the player he once was. Messi is tasked with something he’s never had to deal with before. Not only has he assumed the captaincy, but he has to create the majority of the goals and assists, while also orchestrating the team’s possession.
Right now, he’s passing better than ever, finding incisive through balls as he always has, and hit 40-yard switches, as if he were Pirlo. He’s not as explosive as before. However, his body feints and agility are still more than enough for him to sneak past defenders. He’s dropping deeper and deeper into the midfield to help hold everything together. Oh, and he’s still scoring and assisting at a historically great rate. Maybe the speed and sheer magnitude of production aren’t quite there anymore. But, he’s smarter, somehow more skilled, and delivering like he never has before.