In short, this is Lionel Messi ‘off the ball’ at this year’s World Cup. With eight goals in five matches for Argentina, he is tied with Kylian Mbappe for the Golden Boot.
The difference is Mbappe has three assists, Messi has one.
From the Qatar World Cup, Messi is seen walking around the field most of the time.
That’s like routine. Just having the ball at your feet is magic!
According to FIFA data, Messi has covered a total distance of 35.871 kilometers on the field so far in this World Cup.
Of that, 22.960 kilometers were between 0 and 7 kilometers per hour. That is, Messi only walked 64 percent of the time he was on the field.
And the time he ran, he never went above 30 kilometers per hour.
How can he score goals in every match after that? In 2022, Messi was 35, now he is 39. You know that long solo runs are not possible now. The speed has decreased, the reaction time has decreased. That is why the perfect plan has remained in that lazy, silent walk. He walks in an offside position behind the opposing defenders in such a way that the defender feels comfortable. If the ball goes to him, he will be offside.
Here, if you watch the replay of the first goal in the Cape Verde match, it will be clear how Messi created this offside trap. First, a signal to Lisandro Martinez. Then he is in an offside position. The two Cape Verde defenders aim for the ball in front.