It’s fair to say that Lionel Messi has been one of, if not the, best footballer on the planet for a number of years now, but given the fact that the player turns 32 this year, some fans may fear that the Argentine is set to decline in the near future.
As is the case with most players, especially forwards, declining is just something that happens when they edge closer to retirement, however, as shown by these stats, Lionel Messi isn’t just an ordinary player.
So far this year, Messi has managed to contribute 40 goals and assists in just 26 appearances, an average of around 1.7 goals and assists per game.
This is a ratio that Messi has managed to get close to earlier in his career, but the fact that the Argentine is still able to pull off numbers like these at the age of 31 shows that the forward doesn’t seem like he’ll be declining any time soon.
26 – Lionel Messi has been involved in 23 of 26 games played for @FCBarcelona in all competitions this season (26 goals & 14 assists on aggregate, more than any other #LaLiga player this season). Essential pic.twitter.com/YgPjeJQx5y
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 30, 2019
Another stat, as seen blow, shows that Messi is averaging around 1.7 goals and assists per game this season, his highest ever for a campaign, a feat that proves the 31-year-old might genuinely be from outer space.
Messi l'extraterrestre. Ses statistiques et ses performances ne sont pas de ce monde. 31 ans, un âge dont la plupart des joueurs de foot commencent à être en déclin, Messi signe lui sa meilleure saison. Au niveau des statistiques l'Argentin n'a pas d'adversaire à sa taille. pic.twitter.com/ETaM9mO21Y
— Renaud_FCB (@Renaud_FCB2) January 30, 2019
Barcelona are still going strong on all fronts this year, something that is largely down to the individual brilliance of Messi himself.
And we’re sure Barca fans will be hoping to see the Argentine keep up his phenomenal numbers until the end of the season, something that, if he were to do, could very well mean we see the club win yet another treble come May…
