Messi walked 64 percent of the time in the World Cup

When you see Lionel Messi on the field, it often seems that playing football is very easy for him. Even on the biggest stage like the World Cup, he is often seen walking slowly. It seems that he is waiting for the right moment in his own way. 64 percent of his total movement on the field in the tournament was walking, which is much more than any other outfield player. But behind this slowness is hidden his extraordinary football intelligence.

No outfield player of his age has been able to make such an impact as Messi in the history of the World Cup. Even at the age of 39, the Argentine superstar continues to prove that he can still destroy the opponent's defense on the biggest stage of football.

Modern football is becoming more and more physically demanding. Players have to run more and apply more pressure than before. To find the answer to how Messi is still giving his best performance at such a time, you have to look not at the ball, but only at Messi.

Then you will see that he spends most of his time on the field either standing or walking. Once the world's best dribbler, passer and finisher, Messi is now the most effective 'walking' player in football.

His greatest strength in the 2026 World Cup is to properly maintain his energy and choose the perfect moment to attack.

Messi is a player who makes the difference in a very short period of time in the match by giving his best. And his teammates create the opportunity to maintain that energy by giving their maximum physical effort.

According to FIFA, Messi has covered a total of 35,868 meters in five matches in the current World Cup. Of this, 22,958 meters, or 64 percent, he has spent at 'zone one' speed. That is, at a speed of 0 to 7 kilometers per hour.

A test was conducted in Argentina's dramatic last-16 match against Cape Verde. Whenever Messi started running in the 15th minute of the second half, the time was calculated.

At that time, Messi's total running time was only 51 seconds.

If you calculate this for the entire 90-minute match, it comes to about five minutes. Of course, this is not a completely scientific measurement, because the type of effort of the players changes according to each match and opponent. However, this statistic shows how calculated Messi is using his energy in the World Cup.

In the group stage, Messi was the top of the 618 outfield players in the World Cup. But he was the last in terms of distance run per 90 minutes.

In other words, a player who has the most impact with the least physical effort. Because his style of play is built on extraordinary intelligence.

However, this walking is nothing new in Messi's style of play. In an interview given to Clank Media in 2024, he said that he would 'hide behind trees' during running practice at his childhood club Newell's Old Boys.

Another statistic also makes the matter clear. After five World Cup matches, Messi had 298 high-speed runs. But other top forwards were far ahead of him.

Harry Kane had 600 high-speed runs, Vinicius Junior had 514, Ousmane Dembele had 477, Mikel Oyarzabal had 461 and Kylian Mbappe had 336. Only Erling Haaland came close with 314.

But here lies the secret of Messi's game. He knows when to run and when to wait. Messi's walking is not a sign of laziness, but rather part of his strategy.