The tactical evolution of Leo Messi at FC Barcelona

Around the middle of the past decade, Leo Messi began to go in with strength in the first team of the FC Barcelona.​ It did it in a team whose big stars were Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'or, competing for doing a gap in this offensive trident with players experienced like Henrik Larsson or Ludovic Giuly. In 2005, it won the place and only the injuries prevented that it played much more.

Ronaldinho Split from the left band, Eto'or from the centre and Messi had to adapt to play by the right band. Along the years, with the Argentinian always in progression, was readaptando his position in the classical 4-3-3 Barcelona in function of the circumstances. The account of twitter @fcbShawn published a map of heat very interesting in which it can see the tactical evolution of the Barcelona.

The first years of the career of Messi develop with him playing practically always by the right band since, as we have said, had to adapt to the presence of two so influential players like Ronaldinho or Eto'or, having Thierry Henry when it arrived in 2007. This map begins to change in 2008, coinciding with the arrival of Pep Guardiola to the bench.

The Catalan changed the role of the Argentinian, that turned into the fuselage insignia of the team and in a footballer with a lot of more freedom of movements, what does that in the map of heat begin to mark that Messi covered no only the band, but also big part of the central lane of the attack. It was a period in which it began to play of false '9', afterwards that the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not finish to work.

From 2011, it reduces a lot his presence in the band and raisin to occupy this demarcation by the centre, something that hard until 2015 by a very concrete reason: the signing of Luis Suárez. The Uruguayan arrived in 2014 and, after being sanctioned, began to play in winter like right extreme. In a party of Champions League against the Ajax, Messi proposed him to exchange positions, happening the Argentinian to play again in the right with the Uruguayan as '9'.

In this period, there was the famous trident formed by the Argentinian, the Uruguayan and Neymar. When the Brazilian went to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, the map of heat goes back to change and Messi disappears again of the right band to look for more the centre, as follows sucediendo in the actuality. This is the evolution of the best player of the history.

The map of heat of Messi

This is how Messi's heatmaps evolved through the entirety of his career. pic.twitter.com/to1pvikhrs

— Shawn (@fcbShawn) May 24, 2020