Deco

[serghei]

And hes quicker with the ball than without it.

No doubt. And the balance. Ability to ride challenges and keep said balance, changes of directions at full pace, all of those make Messi the deadliest player to face running at you on the ball.

His physical qualities allowed him to pass players, any player 1 vs 1, and then once he got going at full tilt, any dribbled opponent was almost always out from the action. Almost no situations where Messi drops somebody and then that player somehow regains the position by outpacing Messi from behind.

 

[khaled_a_d]

They do in my book. Raphinha is a physical demon by comparison with the other players we have, most of which are substandard in terms of physicality. In an EPL side he wouldn't be such a standout physically.

Ferran and Pedri absolutely lack pace and intensity.

Pedri absolutely doesn't lack intensity, whatsoever, like it this is a total bs. He is the total opposite of that. It is the same bs that was said about Xavi in Rijkaard days. He also has very good speed for a midfielder.

Torres doesn't lack either, he isn't a standout but he doesn't lack anything in terms of physicality. Sort of an "above average " in every category but not great in one of them.

 

[Windhook]

Pace and agility are different attributes. The players mentioned above have agility and in some cases magic like Zidane and Iniesta.

 

[Gnidrologist]

Physically, there's no player you would ever take ahead of Messi, because speed and acceleration is the most vital attribute there is in football. And Messi was the most devastating player at this. Football is not boxing, by physicality, I mean speed and intensity first and foremost.

Stop responding to the poopjeet. He's just provoking with another session of stinking up threads as if was in the cow shit eating festival in Bangalore.
Messi was "faster" not because top speed, which is meaningless, but because of the 99 in agility and acceleration, which are stats that matter in what we consider into pace metrics in football context.
And you are also omitting his strength. Many people associate strength with bulkiness and height, which is ignorant. Strength has nothing to do with either. Messi was way stronger than even Lewandowsky in his prime, let alone now. His low gravity center and short and super fast legs helped, of course, but he also was rarely pushed to the ground by large and bulky defenders, even, when challenged with direct physical pressure. It was almost impossible to push him down or pressure him off the ball, he just kept on going leaving a trail of fumbling and tumbling defenders. Remember those "Messi never dives" comps. He did it all his career. He was sturdy as fuck and showed that even recently in at 35 in the WC. Only way to stop him is kicking his legs, which is not the case with tall, lanky players like Lewi. Muscles and sixpack doesn't help that. Leg strength and exceptional balance does. Kounde would be our strongest player, if believed poopster, but he is actually weak as fuck on legs, constantly tripping all over himself and being pushed around, because bodybuilders suck at this.

 

[MonteCuler]

Not fucking Vlahovic that's for sure.

Serbian Ferran Torres.

Respect Ferran

 

[Gnidrologist]

Pedri absolutely doesn't lack intensity, whatsoever, like it this is a total bs. He is the total opposite of that. It is the same bs that was said about Xavi in Rijkaard days. He also has very good speed for a midfielder.

This is also true. The myth that keeps on mything in some dullards heads. Not only he is one of the most pressing and active off the ball players on the team, he's also very sturdy on the legs, not weak at all. Again, confusing what strength means in football and what in weight lifting and strongman tournaments. He isn't as strong as Messi, but still rides challenges and shields ball with his body among the best in team. Only intensity he sometimes lack is in attacking phase, where we would expect him to be more proactive and less casual. The weakness myth stems from his leisure, untroubled style of dribbling and movement, which reminds of some legendary brazilian players, who were also not weak at all, just got that aura of carefreeness about them.