LIONEL MESSI

BARCELONA Argentina

Still astonishing; still finding new ways to surprise people – 15 years on from his Barcelona bow, Messi stands tall when his team-mates can’t. On and off the pitch, the world’s greatest footballer evolves...

THE GOALSCORER In May 2005, Lionel Messi collected a lobbed pass from Ronaldinho and lofted the ball over Albacete’s keeper. This goal would belong in the highlights reel of many footballers; with Messi, it’s recalled merely for being his first. Over the next decade and a half, the Flea gave us an unrivalled array of solo runs, free-kicks, lobs, chips, nutmegs and thunderbolts. En route, a teenage winger evolved into a false nine who struck 50 (fifty) goals in La Liga during the 2011-12 season, then an all-action inside-forward who led Barça to a treble in 2015. At 32, Messi now operates as a playmaker, yet he continues to score roughly a goal per game on average. His latest hobby? Popping home free-kicks as if they’re penalties.

THE CREATOR Messi has long done himself a disservice by scoring so many goals, as his absurd productivity can lead people to judge him on goal tallies alone. In fact, part of what makes him so special is that he can outscore everyone while retaining his primary essence as a playmaker. If teenage Messi was a dribbler and mid-twenties Messi a goalscorer, today’s Messi is a playmaker who directs most of what Barça do in the opposition half. While his assists may have plateaued in number, Messi fashioned chances at a higher rate than ever in La Liga last term. For those blinded by goals, he’ll keep serving reminders that he is also one of the game’s greatest ever passers.

THE LEADER While Messi has evolved as a player, he has made no effort to change his personality – the area where many Argentines feel he falls short of the... ‘exuberant’ Diego Maradona. But why bother? He has always been a quiet guy. Rather than attempting to copy Maradona, he has chosen to lead club and country with an unassuming authority. Beyond the simply unreachable standards of his own game, his professionalism is exemplary. Match footage emerged of Messi giving a stream of advice to Ousmane Dembele, and he also appears to have taken 17-year-old wideman Ansu Fati under his wing, just as Ronaldinho did to him when he was that age. If there’s a lesson for Barça’s latest prodigy, it’s that any player can be an efficient leader doing things his or her way.

THE MAN Like many players, Messi has always approached his job in a different way since becoming a father. In October, he said that having three sons changed his perspective on life, making him more mature and grounded. That can only be healthy for Messi, who endures hard times like anyone else, whether it’s just falling short in Europe, being criticised for not winning a World Cup, or coming a ridiculous fifth in the 2018 Ballon d’or. Even family life can give him a difficult ride. Messi has admitted that his eldest son Thiago makes him explain himself if his side don’t win – and, worse, middle son Mateo likes to cheer Real Madrid’s goals to wind his old man up. Scandalous. Thore Haugstad