Messi, the player with the best numbers since 2017

Leo Messi's level is so impressive that anything below the expected outstanding performances makes him look like an average player. Nothing is further from the truth, as his statistics continue to show he is at the top of the game. Right when the media has been pointing fingers about his performance, a study by ProFootballDB shows he is still as lethal as ever. 

We looked at Europe's biggest leagues, as always, to put the best football stars under the spotlight, and we can confirm no player has the same impact offensively. 

He has scored 89 goals in 92 games. Or you could almost say 127, because he has given 38 assists. Neither Mbappé, nor Cristiano, nor Neymar; nobody can match those numbers.  

His dominance doesn't stop there. He is the player with the most shots on target (236), the most shots at the post (23) and the most free-kick goals (16). Not to mention his dribbles, which stand at a whopping 435.

All this in a sequence in which he only lost six times, almost once every 16 matches. Sixty-six wins and 20 draws, which has resulted in collective success for Barcelona. 

So Messi has scored almost a goal per game, has given an assistance every two and a half, has scored a foul every six games, has dribbled almost five players each time he has jumped to the field. Yes, you can measure his reign in football. 

His numbers, impressive on their own, become even more of a feat when compared to the players who follow him in the standings. Lewandowski is the second top scorer, 13 behind the Argentine. Thomas Muller, with 37 assists, is the only player who can compare in terms of assists. 

Then come Zaha, with almost 100 dribbles less, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who has shot on goal 37 times less than the Barça captain. Kolarov has scored seven goals from free-kicks, less than half as many, and both Benzema and Cristiano have hit the posts 15 times, eight less than Leo. 

Messi seems a little off lately, but his bad days are clearly still stellar.