Messi

I mentioned to my boss who coaches youth soccer that while I was enjoying the World Cup it still bugged me that I had a hard time appreciating the great players because I didn't understand and couldn't easily identify what made them great.  He forwarded me this article on Lionel Messi.  You should appreciate it because it dives into the numbers like we would expect to do with baseball or basketball players.  Maybe a little too deep.  But this would arm you with the information to tell someone why Messi is the best, and by a wide margin.

The highlights of this article are these:  1) Messi shoots more efficiently from outside the penalty area than most players shoot from inside it,  2) Messi leads the world in both "weak" kick goals and long-range goals, 3) Messi scores on unassisted plays as well as the world's other top players score on assisted plays, 4) Messi leads the world in both taking on defenders and in dishing the ball to others.  All by wide margins.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/lionel-messi-is-impossible/

I think part of our problem is appreciating small athletes.  Lebron James is 6-8 270, Peyton Manning is 6-5 230, Mike Trout is 6-2 230, Lionel Messi is 5-7 150.  Can we appreciate an athlete who dominates the world's most popular sport and is 5-7?  Messi has won world player of the year 4 times.  He has starred for 3 Champions League winners, 6 La Liga Spanish League winners, and 2 Club World Cup winners.  But can we rank him with the world's greatest athletes?  The majority of sports fans in America never will, we love measurables too much.

S