Most fouls received (99)
As mentioned earlier, Messi would have much more dribbles had it not been for the number of fouls committed on him. He is in fact, the most fouled player in the entire league, drawing almost 100 fouls. The defenders are always targeting the Argentine as if they do not keep him in eyeshot, he can easily slip past them and put the ball at the back of the net. Sometimes it’s not enough to keep up with the player and the defenders must put in a tactical foul to stop his forward progress. While it is unfair, Messi has been dealing with such rough treatment from the early days of his playing career. The player is used to tough and unfair defending techniques and he often draws fouls in for a suitable free kick or a penalty.