5 ways in which Lionel Messi's playing style has evolved over the years
Lionel Messi has been the main man at Barcelona for a decade and a half now. He has been operating at a level most players can only dream of and has played arguably the biggest role in the Catalans' success in the 21st century.
There are very few things that Messi cannot do on a football pitch. He has dominated the sport, winning a record six Ballons d'Or and numerous major trophies. Messi is still going strong at the age of 33 and that has a lot to do with how he has been able to adapt and evolve with time.
Lionel Messi has gone from strength to strength at Barcelona
We've seen Lionel Messi evolve from a tricky, lightning-quick winger in his younger days to a well-rounded footballer in recent times. Without further ado, let's take a look at the various ways in which Lionel Messi's playing style has evolved over the years.
#5 Lionel Messi hardly plays on the wings anymore
Lionel Messi spent his early years as a member of Barcelona's senior side, operating down the right flank. During that time, Ronaldinho played down the left-wing and Samuel Eto'o thrived as the Barcelona striker.
But once Frank Rijkaard departed and Pep Guardiola was put in charge, Messi started to be deployed in a more central role. He played as a false nine and the Argentine would take on the bulk of the goalscoring as Guardiola offloaded Eto'o and then Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
His role was similar to that of an attacking midfielder but he was as prolific any goalscorer at the time. In the 2011-12 season, which was Pep's last campaign in charge of the side, Messi scored 50 goals and provided 19 assists in 37 La Liga appearances.
These days, Messi hardly ever stations out on the wing. He usually starts as a centre-forward and even plays as a false nine at times.
#4 Sprints a lot less
Given that he is 33-years-old, it is not surprising that Lionel Messi doesn't run as much as he used to. Back in the day, when he first broke onto the scene and when he used to be deployed on the wings, he was great at carrying the ball over long distances.
However, he has lost a yard of pace in recent times and defenders are able to catch up with him. His burst of pace has more or less remained in tact but Messi sprints a lot less these days. The Argentine, playing more centrally, has also limited his avenues to embark on lengthy runs across the pitch.
But that doesn't mean that Messi has stopped taking defenders on and beating them though. He completed 4.7 dribbles per 90 minutes in the 2020-21 season and ranked fourth among players across the top 5 European leagues.