#3 Lionel Messi
It might come as a surprise to many that Messi is not at the top of the list. In 2001, Lionel Messi came to FC Barcelona as a 14-year-old. After 480 appearances for the senior team and 441 goals later, maybe the time has come for Messi to leave Barcelona. Messi, one of the greatest footballers of all time, might not renew his contract with Barca next year.He is one of the most influential footballer and probably the greatest ever dribbler to have set foot on the football field.
Messi, had growth hormone deficiency while he was a child. And his financial background was not good due to which his parents were not able to pay for the treatment. In come, Barcelona. They realised the potential of the little boy and signed him at the age of 13 by promising to fund his healthcare as well as continuing his growth in football. He joined the famous La Masia academy. Barcelona took care of all his needs and provided him all the support that he needed to become the player he is now.
As Messi matured in his early 20s and became a ‘false nine’ under Pep Guardiola, goalscoring became his forte because Xavi and Andres Iniesta ran the game behind him. Messi really does run everything now. He drops deep, links up, dribbles through the middle, sets up goals and scores. He’s top among the regularplayers in La Liga for goals, assists, shots and key passes per 90 minutes.The number of key passes per 90 minutes: since 2012/13, Messi has stayed between 2.51 and 2.62. For 2018/19, he got up to 3.31.