Barcelona’s over-dependence on Lionel Messi has been exposed in recent weeks.
Barcelona emerged 2-0 victors over Getafe on Saturday, but the club’s problems are far from over as the Champions League beckons.
It’s not for nothing that the 32-year-old has been their top scorer in all but one competition since 2008/09.
Messi is a gem!
Like Cristiano Ronaldo, he has had to adapt his style of play over the past few years as his body begins to slow down, but he is still capable of scoring from a range of positions and creating chances that others just don’t see.
In fact, according to Opta, Messi has struck the back of the net from outside the area more than any other player in the top five European leagues dating back to the 2007/08 season.
The breakdown looks like this:
OptaPaolo✔@OptaPaolo
27 – Starting from 2007/08, Miralem #Pjanic has scored 27 goals from outside the box, only three players netted more in the top-5 European Leagues in the period:
69 Lionel Messi
54 Cristiano Ronaldo
35 Zlatan Ibrahimovic.Pianist.
The only player with a higher possiblity of catching up with him is none other than C. Ronaldo, but he finds himself 15 goals behind the Argentinian.
Source: EOnlineGH.com
