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Ryan O’Hanlon
Multiple Authors
Soccer is inherently complex.
Data analytics companies gather millions of data points for a single game, focusing not just on the ball’s movements but also on tracking each player’s position multiple times per second. The interactions on the pitch, combined with the unpredictable nature of the ball, create a dynamic environment that often evokes magical or spiritual comparisons to explain its intricacies.
Among those who illustrate and challenge this complexity is Lionel Messi. Over his two-decade career, Messi has managed to demystify soccer, showcasing his unparalleled skills in scoring, assisting, dribbling, and even his movement on the pitch.
However, leading up to the 2026 World Cup, there were questions about whether Messi still held the title of the best player in the sport, a status that seemed to lessen in clarity during the years prior.
Despite a stellar tenure in Major League Soccer, his performances felt less dominant, trailing behind earlier seasons in Europe. At the last major tournament, the 2024 Copa America, he managed just one goal and one assist before leaving the finals prematurely due to injury, even as Argentina clinched the title without him.
At 38 years old during the 2026 World Cup, Messi turned 39 midway through the tournament. Expectations shifted to him providing sporadic moments of brilliance rather than being the primary catalyst for Argentina’s success. Nevertheless, Messi has continually demonstrated that he remains the best soccer player in the world.
Four years ago, I hesitated to assert this without qualification; however, after his performance this summer, I’m ready to declare outright: Lionel Messi is the greatest male athlete in history. Period.
How Messi Continues to Dominate at 39
This summer, analyst Michael Caley compiled compelling data to support claims I’ve advocated for years regarding Messi’s unmatched prowess in soccer.
Caley remarked:
“Lionel Messi was not just the best player of his era; he was the best three players of his era.”
“He was nearly equal with Cristiano Ronaldo in goal-scoring, unmatched in chance creation, and the premier ball progressor, with only rare competition.”
In soccer, success comprises three core phases: advancing the ball, creating scoring opportunities, and taking shots. A goal-scorer needs a creator, while a creator requires effective ball movement. Messi excels in all three facets, and astonishingly, that remains true today.
While commentators may claim that Messi is as sharp as ever, that’s not entirely accurate. There was a period when he recorded a staggering 96 goals and 27 assists for Barcelona over just 64 starts, during which La Liga was at its peak. He no longer matches those numbers, yet he still outperforms his peers at a remarkable level.
At this World Cup, he is tied with Kylian Mbappé of France for the top goal-scorer position, each with eight goals. However, Messi’s efforts aren’t just a random streak; he leads the tournament with 34 total shots attempted.
Though Messi ranks second in assists (four, behind Michael Olise of France), assists can be misleading: a player can earn an assist for a simple sideways pass that results in a spectacular goal, while a brilliant pass through multiple defenders may not count if the recipient fails to score.
Instead, evaluating expected assists (xA)—based on where successful passes are received—provides more insight. Messi leads all players in xA at the 2026 World Cup.
Most players can’t achieve both scoring and creating opportunities. For instance, as highlighted by statistics from the app Futi, Messi has excelled beyond his competition in progressive actions—he’s completed 68 progressive passes, far exceeding anyone else in the tournament, and also has 45 progressive carries, outpacing 19-year-old Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal.
Moreover, Messi is setting records for metrics that didn’t exist during the beginning of his career, demonstrating his overall influence on games. According to Futi’s possession-value model—which analyzes each touch’s impact on the game’s score probability—Messi rates at an astonishing 99 among the final four teams, while his nearest competitor, Mbappé, scores 83.
Why Messi is Unquestionably the Greatest Male Athlete
When I assert that Messi is the best athlete of all time, I consider various perspectives. For example, while I humorously claim he would outperform Tom Brady as a quarterback or LeBron James as a power forward, the term “athlete” encompasses many meanings, particularly when we analyze sports in the American context.
The best middle-distance runner doesn’t necessarily compare to the best NBA player based on differing skill sets. With soccer, the sport’s global accessibility—nearly 30% of the world’s population has the requisite physical traits to compete—sets it apart from basketball, where an estimated 5% can meet the game’s physical requirements. Soccer’s broad participation creates a vast talent pool, making Messi’s achievements even more impressive.
To determine the “best athlete,” I propose two crucial criteria: how much better one is than the second-best competitor and how many participants play that sport globally.
Arguments for legends like Pelé or Diego Maradona are less compelling today, given the sport’s expansionista nature and the era they played in—when soccer lacked the competitiveness and global scope it holds today. Messi’s prolonged dominance, spanning nearly two decades across both club and international play, solidifies his claim as the best.
Unlike athletes in American sports who plot close rivalries, Messi’s difference from second-best players is unparalleled. Tom Brady’s MVP trophies were exceeded by contemporaries like Aaron Rodgers, while debates rage between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. In hockey, Wayne Gretzky remains a legend, but he played a sport less widely embraced globally.
The most fitting comparison to Messi’s unique blend of dominance and universality may lie in athletics. Usain Bolt, who achieved unrivaled success in sprinting, is often invoked due to his record-setting performances at the Olympics. Both have achieved greatness and exhibit unmatched endurance, but Messi’s sustained excellence and influence in the most competitive team sport heightens his legacy.
While I once leaned towards Bolt as the edge in comparisons, I now see Messi’s ongoing success as redefining the conversation. Since winning his first Ballon d’Or in 2009, Messi continues to defy age, and unlike Bolt’s Olympic peak, his two-decade dominance in soccer gives him the edge.
Soccer, arguably the world’s most competitive team sport and certainly among the most universal, showcases Messi’s unrivaled talent, holding him above his peers and establishing him not just as the greatest soccer player, but the greatest male athlete of all time—with a lead so extensive it’s indisputable.