Lionel Messi has been regarded as the GOAT of football. Itâs normal to see Messi break records and set new standards week in and week out. But did you know about this insane stat of Messi which is highly underrated? Letâs have a look:
The Stat
Messi has been compared to many football players over the years, comparing goals and assists, trophies, performances and what not. The 3 best players alongside Messi of this generation are Ronaldo, Neymar, and Mbappe. The crazy thing is Messi has defeated all 3 in major finals.
UEFA Champions League 2009
Everyone says Ronaldo is the MR. UEFA Champions League, because he has got more titles than Messi, he has scored more goals then Messi, and he has provided more assists than Messi. But everyone ignores the fact, that Ronaldo has played 183 games whereas Messi has played 20 fewer than 163. The difference between their goals is just 11, and Ronaldo has 2 more assists than Messi.
No one bats an eye on the face-off between the two in the UEFA Champions League final, where Messi humbled Ronaldo’s Manchester United after scoring a brilliant header against Van der Sar.
Copa America 2021
Messi beat Brazil in the 2021 Copa America to win his first-ever international trophy. There were shouts around the media, everyone stating Messi is a fraud with an international team and is only a system player who is good at Barcelona. He proved everyone wrong after beating Neymar in the final.
World Cup 2022
Messi is a lasting GOAT of football, he not only claimed triumph against the present legends. He also defeated the new sensation of football Kylian Mbappe at the highest stage of football. Argentina won against France in the 2022 World Cup Final on penalties. In the 2018 World Cup, when Mbappe outperformed Messi’s Argentina in the RO16, everyone said Messi’s time was over. There is a new King to the throne (Mbappe). Fast Forward to 4 years, Messi humbled those people in the final.
