How Messi Won The World Cup Final by Checking his Shoulder

We watched Messi during the entire World Cup final vs France, counting every single scan that he made. Find out how the skill of scanning helped Messi to bring the trophy home for Argentina

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[beyourbestpro]

Had to remove some content due to copyright after I published 😢 so apologies if it doesn’t flow in certain points

[TheBirdThatWhistles]

He even scanned the sky just in case French players fly or something

[PurpleScrafty]

the more you learn about football, the more you appreciate Messi

simply the greatest of all time

[pandey]

A goalscorer with most assists.
A playermaker with 800+ goals.

Even as a madrid fan I've nothing but respect for this 🐐

[asifcammu]

His playmaking ability is totally untouchable ❤

[jackieyang]

90 percent forward pass accuracy is wild 😯

[krateng]

This is why I've always liked players like Pirlo, Modric, Messi. There's such an elegance in intelligent game overview, awareness and the great passing plays that emerge from it. So much more satisfying to watch than the cheap technical skill and tricks of more individualist players.

[christosnikitakis]

A perfect example is his side heel back pass to start that counter attack with Macalister and DiMaria vs France. Or running around like pacman with Gvardiol chasing him, while Messi watching Alvarez the whole time. What excellence...

[enohpius]

He's the greatest playmaker ever.
God bless and grant Messi good success and all he needs to retire gracefully and peacefully.

[ibrynz]

His feet are on the ground, his eyes are in the air, his intelligence is above the wind. Master of eagle eyes. Lionel Messi.

[piscesman]

It's called football IQ. And this is why Messi tops Pele and Maradona. It's not just about scanning. Scanning just gives you the information on which to base your decision. The most important part is making the right decision (especially when you have more than one option), and then executing it. And unlike how the game was played 30 or 50 years ago, when the pace was much slower, all that usually has to happen in seconds, sometimes within a split second.
As an example of what happens when you don't hone this skill, take Kolo Muani's last minute lost chance in the final. If he had not been hypnotized by the goalposts, and turned his head ever so slightly, he would've seen Mbappe open to his left. A simple touch would have done it. He also fails to see Emi Martinez coming straight at him with arms and legs wide open, and decides to whack it instead of trying a gentle chip. He's a young player and has much to learn.
With Messi, this is a natural talent. Nobody taught him. He had it since he was a child. And by now he's perfected it. This is made evident in Argentina's second goal in the final, when he receives a ball from MacAllister with his back toward the French goal, and watches him run past him for the return pass. But he had already seen two French defenders behind him and knew that they would likely block the pass. Additionally, he knew that MacAllister would need a couple of seconds to gain the advantage. He also knew that Julian Alvarez was open by the side line with nobody marking him. So he touches the ball lightly in the air with his right foot and then flips it to Julian with his left, throwing off the French defenders. Julian makes the razor-sharp through pass, and MacAllister times his pass to Di María to perfection. IMHO, one of the best goals ever scored in a WC, certainly in this WC.
For all the skills, and dribbling, and speed, and power that a player may have (and it's good to have those too), it's using those skills smartly that makes the difference. This video highlights that very effectively, and I'm glad someone has finally done it, because it explains Messi's 'walking' very well, and how it works to his advantage. Some people think that football is about running like a wild animal, when actually it's about running when you can make it count, and better yet, making the ball run to make it count.

[gastonlanteri]

It's NOT JUST THE SCANNING.

It's the incredible speed he processes what he's actually seing, which allows him to scan left to right and back again, with just a swing of his head.

He just "see" everything at a glance, and anyone who has played football at, at least, a semi professional level, knows how hard is to percieve things while moving at fast speed.

This is why Messi has that "spider sense" level awareness that alloes him to dribble players cominh right from behind, and makes us think "how the hell did he knew a rival ws coming?".

He not only scans a lot, he actually "see" things faster. His reflexes are out of chart.

[mursuka]

His assist totals are incredible. People forget that for all those goals he has scored.

[Validboy]

Great explanation of a vital skill in modern football. Scanning is the difference between a good player and a great player. Very important video and every young footballer should study and continually work on this skill.

[eyeshieldsena]

Explains his insane football intelligence. He probably constantly create a real-time mental map of those around him in milliseconds.

[alejandrobustos]

For me, he won by "devouring" the skills of his teammates, and by developing a "chemical reaction" with them.

[alun]

Scoring two goals and completing 90% of forward passes on the grandest stage of all is a legacy defining performance from Messi

[lucascuda]

He is a great strategist along with everything

[chikarasir]

That world cup final healed 99% of all my pains.

[rockylwilliam]

Pele inspired the world of Best Footballers.
Maradona made every one believed nothing was impossible.
Messi changed the landscape of how football was perceived by the Kings of Football.
Messi is the Goat of Kings of Football.