"why walking is the key to messi's genius"

(from today's telly g, so stop reading if you think you might actually just have to literally die if iu read more than 3 words - tho it is quite interesting)


Lionel Messi walks during Argentina's game against Egypt
Most of Lionel Messi’s World Cup (64 per cent) has been spent walking at ‘zone one’ pace, which is between 0 and 7kmh Credit: Evrim Aydin/Getty Images
Never before in the history of the World Cup has an outfield player as old as Lionel Messi had an impact as spectacular as this. Messi has demonstrated in all five of Argentina’s matches that, even at the age of 39, he remains capable of destroying defences on the greatest stage of all.

In a sport that is becoming ever-more physically demanding, how is Messi doing it? The answer becomes clear if you take your eyes off the ball during Argentina’s matches, and instead focus entirely on the little No 10. Messi, you will soon see, is either standing still or walking for the vast majority of his time on the pitch.

Messi was already the world’s best dribbler, passer and finisher. These days, he is also football’s most effective walker. In 2026, Messi’s greatest superpower is perhaps his ability to conserve his energy and choose the right moments to attack. This is a footballer who plays the game in the briefest of bursts, while his team-mates sacrifice their own bodies in order to preserve the remaining energy in his.

Data from Fifa shows that Messi has covered a total of 35,868 metres in his five matches at this World Cup so far. Of that total distance, 22,958 (64 per cent) has been spent at “zone one” pace, which is between 0 and 7kmh (4.3mph).

In Argentina’s dramatic last-32 match against Cape Verde, Telegraph Sport conducted an experiment. Over a 15-minute spell in the second half, we started a timer every time Messi actually broke into a run. His total time spent running in that period was just 51 seconds. Over a full 90-minute match, that equates to around five minutes of running.

It is not the most scientific measure, as different moments and opponents require different levels of effort, but those numbers help to illustrate just how slowly Messi is moving at this World Cup.


In the group stage, Messi ranked first of all 618 outfielders in the tournament for the amount of goals scored. He also ranked last for distance run per 90 minutes. This is a player who is so smart, playing in a team who are so subservient to him, that he literally scores the most goals while putting in the least effort.

Another comparison: after five matches of this World Cup, Messi had made a total of 298 high-speed runs. The other leading attackers in the tournament all made considerably more before the quarter-final stage. Harry Kane made 600 high-speed runs, Vinícius Júnior had 514, Ousmane Dembélé had 477, Mikel Oyarzabal 461 and Kylian Mbappé had 336. Only Erling Haaland, with 314 high-speed runs, was even within Messi’s ballpark on this metric – and he didn’t play a single minute of Norway’s third game.

There have been moments, of course, when Messi has been forced to move through the gears. In the final 20 minutes of Argentina’s controversial last-16 victory over Egypt, he charged around like a man possessed. Moving out to the right wing after his team fell 2-0 behind, he played for a while like he used to as a teenager, receiving possession on the flank and dribbling at his opponents again and again. From the 76th minute onwards, Messi had the most touches, shots, dribbles and chances created in the match.

By the end of that game, after inspiring Argentina’s remarkable comeback, Messi was so emotionally and physically drained that he burst into uncontrolled tears. He had been forced to put everything into the match, and there could be no doubt that his body was burning. In the first four games of the tournament, Messi attempted a total of 15 “take-ons” (effectively dribbles). In the Egypt game alone, he attempted nine.

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Against Switzerland in Saturday’s quarter-final, Messi will no doubt hope to revert back to a more peaceful style of play in which he can pick and choose his moments. Perhaps the best example so far of him doing so was against Cape Verde, when he scored Argentina’s opening goal by suddenly bursting into life and darting behind the opposition’s defence. From the moment Messi began his run to the moment the ball entered the net, only three seconds had passed. Those three seconds are all that Messi needs.

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For this strategy to work, it requires a team to have two qualities. The first is Messi’s own ability to read the game and identify the spaces in which he can thrive. The second requirement is that the other nine outfielders are all willing to cover Messi’s lack of movement with their own work rate and attitude. Messi’s team-mates know they must take on extra defensive responsibility, defending with 10 men while he rests between attacks.

Messi’s protector-in-chief is the tireless Rodrigo De Paul, who has played on the right of Argentina’s midfield and has put in plenty of hard running behind his captain. Compared to Messi’s total of 64 per cent of matches in “zone one”, De Paul has spent only 44 per cent of his tournament at such a slow pace.

Messi has covered 35,868 metres in 468 minutes of action. De Paul has covered a similar amount, 34,679, but in only 347 minutes. Central midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández, meanwhile, have each covered about 50,000 metres.

De Paul has long been jokingly referred to as Messi’s “bodyguard” on the pitch, having played a similar role at the 2022 World Cup. De Paul is usually the first on the scene whenever Messi is fouled, and the pair are also close off the pitch. Last summer, De Paul even joined Messi at Inter Miami.

Rodrigo De Paul, Lionel Messi and Cristian Romero of Argentina walk out of the tunnel
Argentina’s No 7 Rodrigo De Paul is never too far away from Messi Credit: Ezra Shaw /Getty Images
All over the pitch, Argentina’s players sprint and sweat and grind themselves into exhaustion for Messi. This is an entire squad that exists to serve one man. So far, Messi has repaid that faith and effort with the brilliance he has shown on the ball, scoring eight goals and registering one assist in five matches. Whether he can drag them all the way to glory is another matter, but one thing is clear: walking football has never been so entertaining.

Posted By: paulg on July 11th 2026 at 16:39:32

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