Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Time for another bit of data work, this is just an introductory piece for what is to follow throughout the season but where better to start than with Lionel Messi. For many he is the world greatest players not just now but of all time (whether you agree with statement or not is up to you, feel free to add something in the comments if you don’t)
In the link below I have created a very quick infograph showing the goals he has scored in each of his La Liga seasons – up to 2016/17. The question it does raise is whether or not we have witnessed the peak of his powers and even if only slightly he may well be on the wane.
Even if that is to be the case then there the amount of goals he has scored is something that should certainly not be diminished any way, not only that though it is the goal tally compared to the amount of appearances which is even more impressive.
In the link below you’ll be able to see the trendline in Messi’s career and where the exact heights where, not only that but you’ll be able to see what season’s can be classed as above average when based his career as a whole.
I’ve already received some solid feedback on this from and it has given me a couple of ideas for an epilogue, as there could be two hypothesis in play here
Will his goalscoring have diminished slightly after the arrival of both Suarez and Neymar
Was his goalscoring record at his best under Pep Guardiola.
They are additional aspects that I am going to look into and then produce an additional piece to test those hypotheses out.
If you have any other players you would like to see in infograph form then please let me know in the comments below and I will create them for you.
If you are part of any football statistical companies who have any available work, then do feel free to get in touch as I am always looking for additional projects to the ones I already have. You can email me at realfootballmanwordpress@gmail.com
