When Barcelona’s superstar missed the start of the 2019/20 season due to injury, and then appeared to struggle for form as the team spluttered in to gear under the stewardship of Ernesto Valverde, some sections of the media had the audacity to claim this was the beginning of the end.
Roll on to March and even a cursory look at our La Liga stats in the app will show that to be wrong.
Messi may be missing more games than at any point of his career but his effectiveness on the pitch hasn’t diminished and he is still scoring, on average every 99 minutes – almost guaranteeing you that mythical goal-a-game ratio.
There may be signs that the Argentine is slowing down in terms of out-and-out speed, but one of the greatest minds in world football is clearly still firing. This season he’s created 11 more goalscoring opportunities, either for himself, or others than anyone else in the league.
As much as some things may feel different at Barcelona this season – the fans frustration with Valverde’s management and the change of style brought on by the appointment of his replacement, Quique Setién – some things remain the same. Messi is still running at defenders with the ball at his feet, and we can all be thankful for that.
Messi’s eye for the killer pass this season has been phenomenal. So even when he isn’t scoring goals himself, he’s been supplying them – take for example his three-game barren spell in La Liga at the start of February… Over the course of those games, he set up six goals, including two in as many minutes for Ansu Fati against Levante and a hat-trick of assists against Betis.
Having brought up that three-game run without a goal, it would be remiss not to mention that he ended that emphatically, with four goals (including a 1st half hat-trick) against Eiber in the very next game!
And that’s where we are this season – despite frustrating in some games (perhaps both editions of El Clásico), Messi has simply lit up others. Or, as he did against the in-form Real Sociedad, provide the vital difference required to win tight matches.
It should be obvious, having considered how many categories in which Messi is leading the way in the statistics for La Liga this season but lastly, just admire how highly he comes out in the overall average FotMob player ratings.
Is Lionel Messi still the King of La Liga?
We think so. ?
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