On the football field, Lionel Messi can appear to be at ease with many slandering him for just walking
Despite the gut-busting adrenaline and kinetic bursts that accompany Messi’s best individual goals, you get the impression that he exudes perfect peace and tranquilly for the most part.
Messi almost floats around the pitch in slow time, picking out passes and affecting the play as if he can picture each and every player with his eyes closed, except for those wild bursts of pure genius.
Lionel Messi Walking During Football Matches Brilliant Stratergy And Tactics Explained By Twitter Thread
Messi’s casual demeanour
Fellow legends like Zinedine Zidane and Andrea Pirlo adopted the same enigmatic nonchalance, suggesting that even the most technical and difficult feats didn’t cost them a gramme of energy.
However, in an ever-changing game where pressing and ‘heavy-metal football’ are becoming more popular, having a creative player swaggering smoothly between the lines is becoming less fashionable.
Even Messi, the all-powerful, has had the accusatory finger pointed at him on occasion, with viral videos showing him merely wandering around when he should be following back or tackling.
In reality, when it comes to the Paris Saint-Germain star’s tendency for wandering around the pitch, particularly in the first few minutes of a game, there is a certain story surrounding him.
However, the claims that Messi is a slacker are exactly that: slacker.
It should come as no surprise that when we’re talking about one of the best athletes of all time, there’s a good rationale behind everything he does on the field, including his walking.
Messi’s walking thread on Twitter
And, of all the debate and discussion on the subject, few can compare to an intriguing Twitter thread authored by user @TrungTPhan around the time of Messi’s death.
It’s no surprise that it received over 2,000 retweets and 10,000 “likes” because it provided a brilliantly complete breakdown of why Messi walking isn’t as horrible as it’s frequently portrayed to be.
Don’t take our word for it; check out the complete Twitter thread below to learn more about the genius behind Messi’s mid-game strolls:
Been watching Messi vids since he signed a 2yr deal to play with Paris St. Germain (up to $75m/year).
Messi is known for walking leisurely on the pitch. Many think it's to conserve energy. There's a more strategic reason and it's the epitome of "work smart, not hard."
THREAD🧵 pic.twitter.com/UwimRxLHkR
— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) August 19, 2021
While it’s tempting to dismiss Messi’s Sunday strolls as laziness, it’s encouraging to observe the energy-saving and footballing intelligence benefits that come with the Barcelona legend’s laid-back demeanour.
Messi’s walking, according to Guardiola
Even if you’re a cynic who thinks the Twitter thread is speculating on things that aren’t there, the comments being made are backed up by a rather credible football source: Pep Guardiola.
According to Marca, Guardiola once said of Messi’s video for an Amazon documentary, “He’s not sprinting, but he’s always observing what’s going on.”
“He can sense the weak spots in the back four.” After five or ten minutes, he has the map in his eyes and head, allowing him to know exactly where the area is and what the panorama is.
Football must be a stroll in the park for Messi.
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