Lionel Messi: The talisman who led Argentina to the FIFA World Cup final more with his head than feet

Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni has ensured Messi has been surrounded by industrious players who provide Messi with the leeway to maximise his output with relatively less physical effort.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi walks on the pitch during the World Cup quarterfinal match between the Netherlands and Argentina, at the Lusail Stadium. | Photo Credit: Ricardo Mazalan

Eight years after their heartbreak in Brazil, Lionel Messi and Argentina are in another FIFA World Cup final, where it will take on defending champion France at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday.

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Unlike in the past, the Argentine players, under the stewardship of Lionel Scaloni, have rallied around its magisterial captain, who leads the Qatar World Cup in both goals scored and created.

Scaloni has ensured Messi is surrounded by industrious players who provide him with the leeway to maximise his output with minimal exertion.

This can be recognised from the disparity of average distance per game the 35-year-old has covered in this World Cup, in comparison to his compatriots, who have completed a game, including the 120 minutes against Netherlands in the quarterfinal.

It is to be noted that only Messi and defensive mainstay Nicolas Otamendi are the only outfield players to have played every single minute for Argentina in this World Cup campaign.

The average distance covered by Argentina players, who completed the full quota of a game, clocks up to 10.5 km. In contrast, Messi’s average distance in this World Cup touches only 8.8km, almost a full 2km less than the team average.

In fact, Otamendi has covered more distance (59.8 km) than Messi (52.8), despite playing as a centre-back.

Among players to have completed more than a game for its entirety for the South American side, Enzo Fernandez has been the most zealous, with an average distance of 12.7km. (Alexis Mac Allister’s 14.5 comes from the Netherlands game which went into extra time)

Rodrigo De Paul, who has anchored the midfield for Scaloni, is another player who has put in the hard yards, with him clocking more than 10 kms a match in the first four game, before his minutes were restricted in the round of 16 and quarterfinal due to an injury.

Messi’s strategy of picking his moment can also be observed at the number of sprints he has completed in comparison to his tournament.

Over the tournament, the PSG star has made 35.5 sprints/game, while the number stands at 47.9 sprints/games for his compatriots who completed the full quota of minutes.

Among players to have completed more than a game for Argentina, De Paul has produced more sprints, with an average of 57.5 sprints. (Mac Allister’s 69 sprints were produced in the Netherlands game in the round of 16 which went into extra time).

Any other player who exerts himself as little in (terms of running) as Messi has done in this World Cup would be considered a liability to his team.

But Scaloni understands the value of what Messi could produce with the little effort he put in and in that optimisation rests Argentina’s chance at the World Cup.