Lionel Messi has started 2019 in the same way he finished 2018 as he produced a dazzling display in Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Getafe. After scoring the first goal of the calendar year for the fourth consecutive year in La Liga (?!), Messi proceeded to run the midfield as we have seen him do so many times before.
The peak of this performance came as the Argentine genius pulled off one of the best passes he has ever produced and that in itself is saying something given how regularly he pulls off stuff like this. Messi is simply the best passer in world football and it is often a fact that gets overlooked because of his goalscoring feats.
The pass below see Messi pull off something spectacular as his wand of a left-foot eliminates six Getafe defenders and is perfectly weighted into the path of Luis Suarez. Unfortunately, the former Liverpool forward could not provide the finish that the pass deserved but it did not take away from this piece of skill.
Messi has already scored 16 goals in La Liga as well as bagging ten assists in the league. That averages out at 83 minutes per goal and when he is making passes like this you can also see why he has so many assists to his name.
Dropping deeper into midfield could be the future for the Argentine as he loses his pace and we can look forward to more passes like this if he does drop into Barcelona’s midfield three. Take a look at this piece of magic down below.
The normal speed version of the Messi pass is better than the sped up gif. Shows the weight of the pass. pic.twitter.com/URvqsmPTFk
— James Nalton (@JDNalton) January 7, 2019