Messi's stats in knockout matches

Continuing with the argument that Messi is a big game player, and with the upcoming Copa America KO matches he'll be playing against Ecuador, it's a good time to look at Messi's stats in all knockout matches in his career.

In total, he has played 202 knockout matches, winning 120, tying 41, and losing 41. He has 131 goals and 65 assists in those games, which is a 0.97 G/A per game ratio, unimaginable for most players considering not only that these are knockout matches but also the sheer amount of these types of games he's played.

Going into more specifics, in 107 games he has the following stats: 488 shots, 207 on target, 563 dribbles, 243 key passes, 63 through-balls, 51 MoTM, and an average rating of 8.35, which further proves the point that Messi not only appears more often than not in these games but that he has a great performance on average. As a side note, he's created 30 big chances in 55 games.

And now I'll go stage for stage:

Round of 64: 1 game (against Gramenet in the 2004/05 Copa del Rey).

Round of 32: 3 games, 3 goals.

Round of 16: 56 games and 51 goals, and 20 assists - In ~29 games: 137 shots, 64 on target, 156 dribbles, 69 key passes, 18 through-balls, 19 MoTM, 8.75 average rating - 10 big chances created in 18 games.

Quarter-finals: 54 games, 25 goals, and 16 assists - In ~30 games: 147 shots, 59 on target, 149 dribbles, 64 key passes, 15 through-balls, 11 MoTM, and an 8.03 average rating - 6 big chances created in 16 games.

Semi-finals: 45 games, 21 goals, and 16 assists - In 28 games: 119 shots, 50 on target, 161 dribbles, 63 key passes, 17 through-balls, 12 MoTM, and 8.31 average rating - 6 big chances created in 11 games.

Finals: 43 games, 31 goals, and 13 assists - In 20 games: 85 shots, 34 on target, 97 dribbles, 47 key passes, 13 through-balls, 9 MoTM, and 8.3 average rating - 8 big chances created in 10 games.

Hopefully, Messi can further strengthen these numbers against Ecuador. That's all for today, so I hope you liked this entry and I'll see you in the next blog.

Argentina destroys Bolivia and finishes top of the group stage

Yesterday, Argentina beat Bolivia 4-1 with two goals from Messi, an assist from Messi to Agüero and a goal from Lautaro Martínez. Messi's stats were: 2 goals, 1 assist, 4 SoT (5 in total), 1.3 xG (FBref), 4/5 dribbles, 1 key pass, 2 chances created, 1GCA, 7 SCA, 9 long balls, 1 cross, 59/74 passes, 7/11 duels won, 2 fouls won, 1 tackle, 1 interception, 5 pressures (2 successful), 2 recoveries, and 94 touches.

These were his ratings:

SofaScore: 9.9

Fotmob: 9.4

FootballCritic: 9.4

AiScore: 8.88

Tigo Sports: 10

This was his heatmap:

This was his performance on video:

And this was his performance with an exclusive cam:

This was obviously enough to win him the official MoTM:

Here are some fun facts after the game:

• This was Messi's 148th match, breaking the record for most games played for the Albiceleste.
• With this game, Messi equaled his record of 3 MoTM awards in a single Copa América, which he did in 2015 and 2016.
• This was Messi's 590th goal in open play.
• It marked Messi's goal Nº 50 in neutral games.
• Messi's 10th brace in 2021.
• It was Messi's 1st match at the Pantanal Arena and in the city of Cuiabá.
• Messi played his 31st match in Copa América, leaving him as the only 3rd place in the historical table. He is 2 games behind 2nd place and 3 games behind 3rd place (if Messi reaches the final/match for 3rd and 4th place he would equal the record then).
• Messi now has 12 goals in the Copa América, leaving him in 12th place in the all-time table along with Angel Romano and Roberto Porta.
• Messi scored his 100th penalty.
• 50th game where Messi has scored 1+ left foot goals in group stage games.
• Messi now has 20 wins against teams ranked 85 and lower at the FIFA ranking in group stage games.
• 10th game where Messi scored against a team ranked 85 and lower at the FIFA ranking in group stage games.
• 140th game against teams ranked 90 and lower.
• 10th game where Messi has scored a brace against a team ranked 85 and lower at the FIFA ranking.
• 50th game where Messi has scored a left-foot goal against a team ranked 110 and lower.
• 10th game where Messi has scored two left-foot goals against a team ranked 110 and lower.

After the game, Messi was seen alongside Lampe (Bolivia's goalkeeper). This is how it went. Lampe later made a post on social media about the encounter, showing admiration and respect for Messi.

Argentina's rival in the quarter-finals will be Ecuador, 4th place in group B. The game will be on July 3rd at Goiãnia, the first time Messi will play in that city. Hopefully, Argentina get a good result and can advance through to the semi-finals. As always, I hope you liked this entry, and I'll see you in the next blog.

Messi vs the referees part 8

As I've said numerous times before, Messi has been hurt by refereeing decisions a vast amount of times, so this series will be very long, as you can see by the fact we're now in part 8. So without further ado, let's look at more refereeing decisions against Messi.

The first one we'll be seeing happened against Real Madrid in the 2017 Spanish Super Cup, where Ramos fouled Messi inside the box but no foul was given.

Going forward to the second leg against Sevilla in the 2020/21 Copa del Rey, there was a penalty not given after Messi shot on target and Ocampos blocked it with his hands.

In the 2019/20 La Liga season, in an away game against Real Betis, there was a penalty from Bartra to Messi not given.

In the 2012/13 La Liga season, playing against Real Betis away, Messi had a 1v1 chance but it was wrongfully canceled because of a non-existent offside.

And last but not least, playing against Athletic Bilbao away in the 2018/19 La Liga season, there was this brutal stomp on Messi's leg by Yeray which wasn't given a red card for.

That is all for part 8 of this series. I hope you liked this entry, and as always, I'll see you in the next blog.

The king of panenkas

A 'Panenka' penalty or free kick is basically a chip shot, which takes courage as it is a bit, which risks the keeper saving it even if he chooses a side (in case of a penalty) or easily falls to the keeper's hands (in case of a free-kick). But for Messi, this isn't even a risk, as he has performed numerous panenka penalties and even free-kicks. So without further ado, let's look at those examples.

Messi's ability to make panenka penalties is excellent, and he has done so multiple times. In fact, after a panenka penalty against Getafe in 2015, Antonin Panenka, the inventor of the panenka penalty, said it was the best he had ever seen. Below is a video showing most of Messi's panenka penalties.

The next and last thing to see are Messi's panenka free-kicks. For some, this shot is simply too difficult to score, but for someone like Messi, no free-kick is out of his panenka range, even long ones. Below is a video showing a number of panenka free-kicks from Messi.

As we can see, Messi's chip shot ability expands to penalties and even free-kicks, and on an unprecedented amount. This shows how well he can control the power of his shot depending on the situation, an important finishing ability. I hope you liked this entry, and as always, I'll see you in the next blog.

Argentina beats Paraguay and qualifies through to the quarter-finals

Yesterday, Argentina got the win against Paraguay with a goal from 'Papu' Gómez and secured their spot in the quarter-finals. Messi's stats were: 2 SoT (3 in total), 5 dribbles, 1 key pass, 34/42 passes, 12/16 duels won, 5 fouls won, 1 interception, 2 tackles, 2 recoveries, and 73 touches.

These were his ratings:

SofaScore: 7.5

Fotmob: 7.9

FootballCritic: 7.1

AiScore: 6.35

Tigo Sports: 7.9

This was his performance on video:

This was his heatmap:

Some fun facts after the game:

• Messi is now 3rd in the table of most games in Copa América history, along with Víctor Ugarte (30). He is 3 behind 2nd place and 4 behind 1st place.
• This was Messi's 40th victory with Argentina in neutral stadium matches.
• Messi is now tied with Mascherano for the most games played with Argentina (147).
• This was his 20th game played against a team ranked 50 or lower in FIFA's ranking in a group stage game.
• This was his 10th game played against a team ranked 54 or lower in FIFA's ranking in a group stage game at Copa América.

Continuing with the fact that Messi now has the joint-most games played with the Argentine national team, both Messi and Mascherano made posts about it.

As previously mentioned, thanks to this win Argentina qualified through to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Their rival is still unknown since the positions of both groups are not yet known, with a round to go in each group. Argentina's next rival will be Bolivia, who's last in the group with no points won yet in three games. Hopefully, Argentina get the win and consolidate their 1st place position in the group. I hope you liked this entry, and as always, I'll see you in the next blog.

Messi's tourist circuit in Rosario

Having already been called Rosario's ambassador to the world, it is very clear that Messi is a popular figure in Rosario. So much so, that in November of 2019 a tourist circuit opened up detailing his childhood places when he was in Rosario.

It's made out of ten places where Messi used to spend his time, which go hand in hand with with stories, anecdotes, images and audiovisuals, where the Rosario Turismo app presents a journey through Messi's childhood neighborhood, his school, the 'potreros', his first clubs (Grandoli and Newell's) and even the place where he met Antonella Roccuzzo, his wife.

The places are the following:

Santa Fe Sports Museum: This museum is located where Battalion 121 used to operate. When he was a boy, Messi and his friends would outwit the soldiers guarding the place and sneak into the huge field that turned into a 'potrero' to emulate an eleven-a-side soccer field. Today, a large metal cube 40 meters high stands out in the Parque Héroes de Malvinas. It houses a museum that pays homage to athletes who made the national sport great and were born in the province of Santa Fe. On the second floor, at the end of the tour of the football area, there is an exclusive space about Messi.

Club Abanderado Grandoli: The little field where at the age of 4, when he was with his grandmother in the stands as a spectator, his brother's team lost a player and Leo replaced him, scoring the winning goal. I've done an entry on Messi's time at Grandoli.

School N° 66 "Gral. Las Heras": His elementary school, which today has a mural by the Brazilian artist Paulo Consentino showing him wearing the albiceleste jersey. I've already done an entry on this topic.

La Bajada neighborhood: The streets where La Pulga played soccer with his brothers and friends. The figure of the crack can also be seen in one of the 34 murals that decorate the neighborhood.

El Campito Club: The 'potrero' where Leo Messi began his relationship with the ball is now a neighborhood club. In this little field he made his first friends and spent long afternoons kicking the ball and riding his bike. In December 2018 these friends decided to transform the place into a space for recreational, artistic and sports meetings. Girls and boys from La Bajada neighborhood can now enjoy a place where they can practice different sports, get together with friends and dream like Leo did.

Central Córdoba: In 1995 Messi wore the blue and red shirt of the Charrúa in a children's tournament in which he was crowned champion.

Paseo de los Olímpicos: The star plaque of the promenade is located at the intersection of Av. Pellegrini and Entre Ríos, where Lionel Andrés Messi, who in 2008 won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, is depicted.

Complejo Malvinas Newell's: This is the Newell's Old Boys children's soccer school where Messi began to approach his future as a professional.  You can check this entry for more information.

Coloso del Parque: Newell's stadium, where Messi used to go with his father and siblings as fans.

City Center Rosario: At the age of 9, Lucas Scaglia, a friend of Lionel's, invited his cousin Antonella to enjoy the Paraná River with them. It was there where their lives began to intertwine. They became good friends and even though Leo went to live in Barcelona, they never lost contact.

The page for the circuit can be found here. That is all for today, so as always, I hope you liked this entry and I'll see you in the next blog.

Barcelona announces Depay as their new signing

Yesterday, Barcelona announced Memphis Depay as their new signing for the club. Rumors were spreading for months about Depay's arrival to Barcelona, with an agreement supposedly made weeks ago, but since Depay was playing at the Euros, they had to send medicals for his examination. After passing it, everything was set for Depay to join Barcelona, which will happen after his contract at Lyon expires. His new contract with Barcelona will run until the end of the 2022-23 season.

In relation to Messi, Depay played twice against him, which were the 1st and 2nd legs of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League R16 between Barcelona and Lyon. In the tie, Messi scored 2 goals and made 2 assists (out of Barcelona's 5 goals). Here are some pictures featuring both of them:

That is all for today, so as always, I hope you liked this entry and I'll see you in the next blog.

Argentina gets the win against Uruguay with an assist from Messi

Yesterday, Argentina beat Uruguay 1-0 after Messi made a cross to Rodríguez and scored. It's their first victory since the return of international football this year (4 consecutive games tied). It was also Argentina's 1000th game in their history. Messi's stats were: 1 assist, 1 SoT (2 in total), 4 key passes, 9 dribbles, 1 cross, 40/47 passes, 15/24 duels won, 5 fouls won, 1 tackle, 2 recoveries, 11 pressures (4 successful), and 78 touches. This won him the official MoTM, his 2nd in the tournament.

This was his heatmap:

This was his performance on video:

And this was his exclusive cam (also detailing his performance):

Here are some fun facts after the game:

• Messi is now in sole 4th place in the Copa America's most games played table, with 29. He is 1 game behind 3rd place, 4 behind 2nd place, and 5 behind 1st place.
• Messi gave his 10th assist this year.
• Messi got his 40th goal contribution this year.
• With today's assist, Messi has 30 assists in neutral game matches.
• Yesterday was Messi's 10th match against Uruguay.
• It is Messi's 20th victory in 2021.
• Argentina reached 1000 games played (the stats are in the link).

Another thing to note about the game were Messi's runs and Messi's ball control, which was phenomenal all throughout the match, even in the last minutes of the game, gaining precious time.

After the game, Messi posted on his Instagram: "Let's go !!! It was important to win today. This will give us peace of mind for what is to come, which will continue to be tough 💪💪🇦🇷🇦🇷"

Argentina is now placed 1st in the group alongside Chile (though Paraguay has 1 point less with 1 fewer game). Argentina's next opponent will be Paraguay on the 21st, so hopefully Argentina can get a decisive victory to secure a spot for the KO stage. But until then, I hope you liked this entry, and I'll see you in the next blog.