1.
Balance: At 5ft 7in, Lionel Messi is just two
inches taller than his idol Diego Maradona, and shares the same astonishing
balance and lower body strength writes Mike Norrish. This allows Messi to move
laterally at incredible speed, which is why he darts inside flat-footed
left-backs with such ease.
2.
Composure: Messi wastes few chances once
through on goal, and rarely snatches at a shot. Once into the penalty area, he
will often wait for a goalkeeper to commit himself before drinking the ball
over him and into the net.
3.
Control: Like all true greats, Messi doesn't
need one touch just to control the ball. Instead, his first touch often doubles
as the opening stage of a goal-bound surge. Watch the way Messi accepts Thierry Henry's pass for the second of his three goals against
Valencia earlier this month. By the time of his second touch, he is already
five yards clear of the defender. Four touches later, the ball is nestling in
the corner of the net.
4.
Dribbling: If there's one strength which
elevates Messi above the rest of the world's great players, it is dribbling.
The ability to beat a number of defenders in succession makes him a truly
unique talent, and, at times, almost unstoppable. Although spectacular, there
is nothing ostentatious in Messi's dribbing. Unlike Cristiano Ronaldo, who can
be guilty of slowing down an attack with a orgy of stepovers, Messi's runs are
often lethally direct, such as this classic against Getafe.Just like Maradona, Messi is a largely one-sided
player, rarely using his right foot once he reaches full speed. But his
magnetic control of the ball with his left is so extraordinary that he can go
inside, outside, or through the legs of a defender.
5.
Generosity: Messi puts a dent in the idea that forwards must be selfish to score goals.
Although, on occasion, he can be guilty of ignoring better placed team-mates,
Messi isn't motivated by personal glory. Having scored a hat-trick against Real
Zaragoza last weekend, Messi had the chance to add a fourth goal when fouled in
the area. Instead of taking the penalty though, he handed the ball to Zlatan
Ibrahimovich, "because Ibra needed a goal."
6.
Passing: Not even Messi's greatest admirers
would suggest he is the best passer at Barca. That honour's probably a toss-up
between Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. However, Messi has the vision and
deftness to pick out his team-mates, with this assist for this Sanmuel Eto'o against Bayern Munich being a prime
example of his passing ability.
7.
Power: Messi prefers the scalpel to the
shotgun, but as this goal against Stuttgart showed, he is able to generate
great shooting power from outside the penalty area, and do so with a barely
perceptible backlift.
8.
Speed: With the small, squat build of a
sprinter, Messi has incredible acceleration from a standing start. He bursts
out of the blocks and reaches full speed within five yards, the kind of pace
which defenders find so difficult to deal with. His short stride means he is
also able to change direction at nauseating speed while keeping control of the
ball.
9
Awareness: Unlike other natural dribblers,
Messi keeps his head up while on the move. This gives him options, so if a
team-mate has found a pocket of space, Messi will release the ball with a deft
flick, then look to receive it again, just like a great fly-half in rugby. That
he is surrounded by such intelligent players, who use the ball with such
alacrity, means his runs are picked out more often than not. These highlights of Messi's virtuoso performance against Real Madrid last
season, highlights Messi's awareness of those around him, particularly his
link-up with Xavi for Barcelona's fifth goal.
10:
Strength: Kicking Messi doesn't work, as Sergio
Ramos knows only too well. The Real Madrid full-back employed all the dark arts
to stop Messi at the Nou Camp last season, but the Argentine had the last laugh
when scoring the winning goal in a 2-0 victory. Again, the Maradona comparison
is impossible to avoid when discussing Messi's strength, as the bravery and
tenacity he shows in possession is equal to that which was the hallmark of his
international manager. Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency as a
child, which meant he learnt his trade against bigger and stronger opponents,
lessons that have remained with him.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
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