As England prepares to face Lionel Messi in the World Cup semi-final, their defenders are set to encounter a significant challenge. Messi is not just regarded as the greatest player in football history; his unique style of play poses a particular difficulty for opponents.
At 39 years old, Messi is known for his ability to conserve energy throughout much of the match, only to unleash his speed when the moment arises. This strategic approach makes him exceptionally hard to defend against. He identifies areas of the field that seem innocuous until he suddenly activates, seizing opportunities to create scoring chances.
This explains why Messi leads all players in the tournament for impactful ball carries, registering 22 instances of shots and key passes combined from carries of at least five meters. His keen sense of timing allows him to elevate his game precisely when needed.
During the quarter-finals against Switzerland, Messi did not score or assist, yet the running statistics from that match reveal how he stands apart from other elite forwards. FIFA’s data categorizes movement speed into five levels, and Messi covered 6,655 meters at the slowest speed category of 0-7 kilometers per hour (km/h), more than any player from either team.
This low-speed running comprised 64.8% of his total distance, significantly exceeding that of players like Harry Kane (40.5%), Lamine Yamal (45.4%), Kylian Mbappé (52.6%), and Erling Haaland (55.7%). However, Messi’s peers outpace him in the faster categories of 7 to 20 km/h.
Despite similar percentages of running classified as sprints (20 km/h or more), Messi does not accumulate as many total sprints. Still, the difference is not drastic. In the quarter-final, he executed approximately 85 sprints per 90 minutes, surpassing Haaland’s 74 and coming close to Mbappé’s 97.
When Messi reaches his peak speed, he can still maintain a formidable pace. According to data from Sofascore, his highest sprint during this World Cup clocked in at 30.9 km/h, outpacing Lautaro Martínez (30.5 km/h) and Alexis Mac Allister (30.2 km/h), both of whom are over a decade younger. He is also close to the top speeds recorded by Kane (31.4 km/h) and Jude Bellingham (31.1 km/h).
A silver lining for England is that their fastest player, Nico O’Reilly, recorded a top speed of 35.6 km/h and is likely to be responsible for tracking Messi. However, speed alone does not simplify the task. The challenge lies in effectively monitoring Messi and anticipating when to make moves.
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