A round of statistics have come to the fore on Thursday, aptly highlighting the brilliance behind Lionel Messi’s latest performance on the international stage.
Veteran attacker Messi was of course back in action just shy of 24 hours ago.
After guiding Argentina to Copa America glory last summer, the PSG star took to the Wembley pitch for a meeting with Italy, as part of the first ever ‘Finalissima’ – pitting the champions of South America against their European equivalents.
And, when all was said and done, it was the Albiceleste who emerged dominant victors, thanks in no small part to the endeavours of their captain and leader.
En route to a 3-0 triumph in London, Messi bagged himself a pair of assists, whilst running the game with frankly ridiculous ease from his berth behind Lautaro Martinez:
Leo Messi was on FIRE last night in the #Finalissima! 🔥
2 assists and a MOTM performance 🅰🅰
Can Argentina win the 2022 World Cup? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/uGFED4ckmN
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) June 2, 2022
The 34-year-old, in turn, was afforded deserved Man of the Match honours on the back of the final whistle on Wednesday.
And now, as alluded to above, the true dominance behind Messi’s showing against Italy has been highlighted by a head-turning round of statistics.
As per statisticians Opta, Argentina’s number 10 led both teams in all of chances created, assists, shots attempted, take-ons completed, and ball distance carried:
1 – In last night’s match between Argentina and Italy, Lionel Messi created the most chances (4), had the most assists (2), attempted the most shots (8), completed the most take-ons (5) and carried the ball 150 metres more than any other player (493m). Phenomenon. pic.twitter.com/n9FsyEhAQg
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 2, 2022
Not only that, but, in bagging his latest piece of silverware, Messi last night joined an exclusive club, having now racked up an eye-watering 40 trophies across the length of his iconic career:
10x La Liga
8x Spanish Super Cup
7x Copa del Rey
4x Champions League
3x UEFA Super Cup
3x Club World Cup
1x Ligue 1
1x U20 World Cup
1x Olympic Gold
1x Copa America
1x FinalissimaLeo Messi has won 40 trophies in his career 🏆 pic.twitter.com/RRt5Z3ePPL
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 2, 2022
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