Ballon d’Or Discloses How Much Time Lionel Messi Spent Walking at 2026 World Cup
- A Ballon d'Or stat showed Lionel Messi walked for over 62% of his time on the pitch at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Messi still finished as one of the tournament's standout players at 39, setting multiple records
- The Argentina captain explained in a 2024 interview the tactical reason behind his habit of walking during matches
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Lionel Messi walked for the most of his time on the pitch during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to data published by Ballon d'Or, raising fresh questions about how the Argentine legend continues to perform at the highest level well into his late thirties.
The 39-year-old captained Argentina to a second consecutive final, scoring eight goals and providing four assists for his teammates across the tournament.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by Ballon d'Or, despite his numbers, stats showed that Messi walked for 62.7% of his time, stood completely still for 24.7% of his game time, ran for just 2.8% of matches, and sprinted in only 0.1% of his minutes played.
Messi left the competition as the player with the most appearances in World Cup history, the most wins, and the most assists ever recorded at the tournament.
He also briefly held the record as the all-time top scorer before Kylian Mbappé surpassed him. Those achievements make the walking statistics all the more striking, painting a picture of a player who conserves energy with surgical precision while still finding ways to decide matches.
Why Messi walks on the pitch
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner addressed this approach in a 2024 interview with Clank Media, cited by Goal. He said:
“When I walk I analyse the opponent's positioning, how we stand when we don't have the ball, get away from the marker and be able to initiate a counterattack. I don't pay much attention to GPS, statistics or data. I never cared how much I ran in a match.”
His words suggest the walking is a deliberate tactical tool rather than a sign of fatigue, allowing him to read the game and position himself to cause damage the moment possession arrives.
At his age, managing physical output while remaining dangerous in key moments appears to be central to how he operates at international level.
Messi drops in latest Ballon d'Or rankings
Legit.ng previously reported that Harry Kane is currently the leading favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d'Or weeks after the World Cup ended.
Messi dropped to fifth despite being in the lead to win his record-extending ninth Golden Ball throughout the tournament in North America.
Source: Legit.ng
