Fan&#x27;s Incredible Thread Explains How Lionel Messi Is The Most Versatile Forward Ever

Lionel Messi- The last of his kind, most versatile forward ever? Versatility to mould himself in to different roles in different formations and tactical set ups under different managers has been one of the least talked abilitys of Messi. Here are few of my thoughts. Thread 👇🏻

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In one of my preview threads i shared my thoughts on the way he moulded himself in to different formations and playing style for Argentina. In this thread i'll talk about his Barcelona career and the way he evolved himself to become the most complete forward of all time.

2. contrast to the general perception that Messi can only thrive in one system, i've always said that Messi can thrive in any system because of his unparalleled ability to dominate every position in the final third, like no other player in the history of football

Messi has played under 7 different managers in his Barca career. Though most of them had similar ideas regarding possession football, the way they set up their team and the style of football were different from one another. Messi was the only constant because of his adaptability

To make it clear, his rival CR7 played in teams that adopted one idea, which is counter attacking football, but different managers had their own style and formations. Similar to that, Barca managers had different styles and formations by staying true to the ideals of Cruijff

Messi started of his career as a classical winger in Rijkaard's 433 formation. Like he stated in his interviews he was a creator more than a goal scorer with Eto/Henry/Larsson/G.Jonsson as strikers & Rondinho in Lw. Messi had 61 G+A contribution from 110 games under Rijkaard

Though Rijkaard stayed true to his 433 he has tweaked formations at times to 352 and even 4321 with double pivots in Mf (Van Bommel- Edmilson/Motta). Messi and Dinho drifted towards center to partner two advancing midfielders Deco/Xavi, when one of them operates through the wings

All was well till his final two seasons. with his growing obsession for physical presence in mf and his inability to incorporate Xavi and Iniesta in mf simultaneously along with decline of players like Deco, R10 and conflicts within the team lead to his drastic downfall.

Frank's final 2 seasons were disastrous. Decline of R10 & Deco, Eto's conflicts with Rijkaard and the departure of Hank Ten Cate ( Rijkaard's assistant) to chelsea didn't helped his cause either. A young Messi who was about to turn 20 was Barca's best player during this period

Two ssns were nothing was going well for Barca, teenage Messi shouldered the burden of carrying Barca. Especially in 2007-08. In those two ssns, Messi had 49 G+A from 76 games.. This has gone under the radar, because of the perception that it was R10's Barca.

Two sum up his impact as a 19 year old, he finished 2nd in FIFA POTY and 3rd in Ballon d'or voting in 2007. We're talking about 2007 Calendar year when Barca was in shambles. Messi stood out in a dysfunctional system during those seasons. System player?

Penultimate match of 2006-07 La liga season, Must win fixture vs espanyol. Result, 2-2 - Leo Messi scored a Brace Got knocked out against Getafe in CDR SF - Leo Messi scored a brace El classico tie, 2006-07 - Hat trick with 10 man Barca Insane carry job by a 19 year old,

Season 2007-08, Messi scored 16 and assisted 13 from 40 games Barca got knocked out against Valencia in CDR SF again. Who was Barca's best player on the pitch ?. Messi Who took on Sir Alex's great Man united side with a Dinho less Barca ?. 20 year old Messi

After surrendering the league title, Barca went hell for leather in a titanic clash with Manchester United in CL SF. In a game were Man Utd got pushed to the corners, a scholes banger separated two teams over two legs. Deceptive scoreline, Barca were the better team over 2 legs

20 yr old Messi rattled Sir Alex's Man U in Old trafford with washed up players like Deco& Zambrotta in the team. Everytime Messi got the ball Old Trafford sucked its breath in. He was clearly the best forward on the pitch. Imagine thinking that he won't thrive in premier league

Guardiola arrived. Painted the cathedral built by Cruijff. Created one of the best teams ever, with his unique philosophy and methods. Messi had to evolve, adapt from a winger to false nine in a different system with new players coming in (Villa, Pedro, Busi, Alves, pique, etc).

Pep introduced exteme version of Juego de posicion with 433 formation in his first 3 seasons, occasionally shifting to 343 in between the matches ( like Vs Atletico & Zaragoza 2010-11), with Busquets in single pivot, relying on positional superiority than physicality.

3 aspects stood out in Pep's JDP. 1)passing in triangles 2)counter pressing 3)short passing to gain positional superiority Towards the end of 2008-09, Messi evolved from a winger to false9 & Pep pushed Eto to the wings.Revolutionary, but not without Messi's hard work & skills

Was Messi a typical #9 ?. No he wasn't. When Barca found it difficult to recycle possession or against teams that defend in numbers, he often dropped deep overloading the center leaving acres of space for wingers to exploit, thus by providing numerical superiority in midfield

From a winger, who had lots of space in the wings to run in he moved to a false nine role, playing in the middle of the pitch with very little space to dribble and run in to. Messi under Pep scored 211 goals and assisted 80 from 219 games

2011-12, Pep signed Alexis and Cesc. Moved to cruijff's 343 diamond formation and it's variants. Cesc playing at the tip of the diamond, Alves pushed up the flanks and using Sanchez's experience, who played in Bielsa's 3313 for Chile. Messi had to adapt and evolve again.

Pep even tried an extreme variant of 343, against Ac Milan in 2011-12 CL Qf. He went with an unusual 334. Cesc partnering Messi in attacking 3rd, 3 man Mf and Alves, Cuenca pushed further up. So Messi basically played in two different formations and its variants under Pep

2011-12, Messi Mayhem. playing in Cruijff's ideal 343, Messi scored 73 goals in that season breaking all sorts of goal scoring records in Europe. Becoming first player to score 70 goals in a season and 50 goals in a league campaign. Perfect ending to a remarkable era.

Messi under Tito/ Roura and Tata Martino. Now this might be a subjective opinion. Imo those two seasons were least exciting in his career. Struggling with injurys and fitness Messi was playing more as a central forward than a false nine and his playmaking numbers took a hit

Luis Enrique' Barca. Less prominence to midfield, one of the best counter attacking teams, fast transitions from midfield to forwards, heavily reliant on most potent trio of modern era - MSN. Messi moved to Rw to maximise Saurez's potential, who played as #9 and Neymar in Lw

Enrique's Barca were one of the best exponents of counter attacking football and Messi was the main protagonist. People shouldn't even doubt Messi's ability to thrive in a counter attacking style of football Messi under Le scored 153 goals and assisted 66 goals from 158 games

Enrique's final season with Alves departure, Right flank became opponents target spot. System wrecked. Enrique had to sacrfice Alba to introduce 343 diamond formation, to push Messi towards the center. On the pitch it was 3313 with Messi at the tip of the diamond.

Both Enrique and Pep used 343. But what was the difference?. Messi Under Pep he was playing as false nine/ target player and Cesc was playing at the tip of the diamond. In LE's 343, Messi is playing at the tip of the diamond ( Am/ss) & Suarez is the #9. How versatile is he?

Historic remontada match vs PSG. One of Messi's underrated perfomance. Dropping deep in to mf he orchestrated attacks, won duels and Messi playing through the middle provided enough width for Neymar and Rafinha. imagine that system without Messi's versatility & tactical acumen ?

To downplay his achievements it's often pointed out that Messi got to play with amazing forwards. But ever wondered how those combinations worked? Because of Messi's ability to play anywhere on the attacking third. It has always been Messi who sacrificed positions for the team

Messi under Ernesto Valverde has a completely different role. He has evolved himself in to one of the best playmakers. To make use of that Ernesto gave him a free role as a #10 in 4231 during his first season. Another shift from the position he played under Enrique.

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Another season and Messi had to play in a new position. He is playing under a manager who is pragmatic, someone who won't deploy the kind of football Pep and Le showcased. Messi had to adapt. Messi had to evolve. He did and went won to win golden boot playing in a Am/ss position

I wonder how many players possess the ability to switch from wings to interior in different formations under different managers and tactics. managers changed, teammates changed, tactics changed, but Messi is still standing tall, evolving himself in to most complete forward ever.