How to Watch Lionel Messi
This article analyzes the unique playing style of Lionel Messi, focusing on his ability to control the game through movement and positioning even when he does not have the ball. It highlights his critical role in Argentina's performance during the World Cup.
Why it matters
It offers a deep-dive technical analysis of one of the world's most famous athletes, providing context for his enduring impact on professional soccer.
Look at him when he doesn’t have the ball.
Elsa / Getty July 18, 2026, 8 AM ET Share Save Lionel Messi on the soccer field takes the short, trotty steps of a dachshund in the park. Such diminutive, mincy movements are part of his mystique: He gives opponents absolutely no reason whatsoever to track his runty, 5-foot-7 figure, right up until he bolts away and suddenly tears open the grass in front of him. He becomes the most commanding man on the green expanse, and seems to grow a foot in stature as he charges the goal. Perhaps Messi’s greatest gift is this ability to control his opponent’s attention, to deflect and attract it at will.
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