What qualities of Messi set him apart from the rest of the world ?
In their opening match of the 2026 World Cup, the defending champions, Argentina, secured a resounding 3-0 victory against another strong African team, Algeria. This match will likely go down in football history, as Lionel Messi, at the age of 38, in his sixth World Cup appearance, scored a hat-trick, netting all three goals against Algeria.
In this match, like all his other games, Messi didn't move around much, and he rarely ran at full speed, mostly running at a moderate or slow pace, and the rest of the time he walked on the pitch. With that style of play and running, his facial expression and breathing seemed normal, and his jersey didn't appear to be soaked with sweat when he was substituted in the 80th minute, giving the impression that he could have played another 80 minutes without any problem.
According to the official lineup announced by coach Lionel Scaloni, the Argentina national team played with a 4-3-3 formation. However, in essence, Argentina's formation in this match can be described as (4-3-2) + Messi. In reality, watching him play, it felt like Messi was wandering around aimlessly on the field, not bound by any specific positional responsibilities, and hardly contributing to the defense. Throughout the entire match, he only chased after an opposing defender relatively aggressively once, and that was when he lost the ball – and chasing after a lost ball is a fundamental principle in football.
But why is it that despite playing football in such a seemingly "lazy" way, Messi is still so good and incredibly effective even though he's almost 40 years old?
Many believe that Messi's long career is due to his choice of a playing style that emphasizes technique and skill rather than physical strength and power, which is entirely accurate and logical. Perhaps, given his somewhat disadvantaged physique, from a young age Messi had to prioritize using technique in his plays on the field, accumulating a system of techniques and skills corresponding to his individual playing style from an early age.
And when competition relies heavily on technique and strategic thinking, athletes will have a longer peak performance lifespan than those who rely on physical strength and power. For example, "the king of clay" Rafael Nadal, with his powerful, high-speed style, despite his exceptional individual talent, had to retire four years earlier than "the express train" Roger Federer, with his technical and skillful playing style. But how many football players in the world are similar to Messi? It's understandable; they want to equip themselves with a masterful system of individual technique, and they train diligently day after day, but none of them achieve the same level as Messi.
Returning to the question fans are trying to answer, what qualities of Messi set him apart from the rest of the world?
One of the most brilliant stars of his time, often compared to Messi, is Cristiano Ronaldo. Just looking at the physiques of these two stars, we can see their paths to the top of the world are different. Ronaldo possesses speed, strength, and agility. The techniques he performs on the field are so skillful and complex that it's difficult for opposing players and spectators to comprehend, and even professional players would find it hard to emulate. He has the perfect physique of an athlete, with height and a powerful muscular system, a result of diligent training and discipline.
In contrast, Messi is almost the opposite; his physique is below average for a player, with unimpressive muscles, strength, and speed. The individual technical moves he uses in matches are also quite ordinary, so easy to perform that even amateur players in Vietnam often use them. It's impossible to explain the difference between this superstar and the rest of the world through football technique or anything else visible to the naked eye.
Perhaps, the difference between this player and the rest lies in his brain. Maybe, in the same moment, space, and posture, Messi has a broader and faster observational range; he estimates the movement of surrounding objects more quickly and accurately. This allows him to perform even very ordinary technical movements logically and precisely, as if the events around him are in "slow motion."
This often occurs in other areas of life, like a math prodigy who can calculate the exact result of a multiplication of two nine-digit numbers in seconds, or a piano player who can memorize and play back a strange piece of music perfectly, note by note, after hearing it only once. In short, we are watching a football superstar whose difference from the rest of the players is that he plays with the innate ability of a unique brain.