England defenders must prepare for a stern test when they meet Lionel Messi in the World Cup semi-final. The challenge stems not only from his status as the finest player ever but also from his singular approach to the game.

The 39-year-old often strolls through large portions of matches, preserving stamina for critical situations. This habit renders him tough to mark. Messi occupies areas that seem safe until the ball arrives nearby, at which point he suddenly accelerates into action.

That pattern shows why no other player here has finished more carries of five metres or longer with shots plus key passes. Messi has created 22 such moments by choosing the right instant to increase his tempo.

Even without a goal or open-play assist versus Switzerland in the quarter-finals, the running numbers from those fixtures illustrate how the Argentina leader stands apart from other top attackers.

Fifa supplies physical metrics for every World Cup game split into five speed bands. Messi covered 6,655 metres in the slowest band of 0-7 km/h, more than anyone else on either team.

This distance formed 64.8 percent of his overall running. The share far exceeds the totals posted by Harry Kane (40.5 percent), Lamine Yamal (45.4 percent), Kylian Mbappé (52.6 percent) and Erling Haaland (55.7 percent) in their outings.

By contrast the others spent more time in the 7-20 km/h ranges. Sprint shares above 20 km/h stayed broadly similar across the group.

Although Messi posts comparable sprint percentages to younger forwards, his raw totals are lower. The gap stays modest, however. He produced the equivalent of 85 sprints per 90 minutes against Switzerland, ahead of Haaland (74) and close to Mbappé (97).

When he reaches top speed Messi still travels quickly. Sofascore data lists his fastest sprint at this World Cup as 30.9 km/h, quicker than Lautaro Martínez (30.5) or Alexis Mac Allister (30.2) despite their youth. The figure sits close to Kane (31.4) and Jude Bellingham (31.1).

England can take heart that Nico O’Reilly posted their highest speed of 35.6 km/h, and he may help track Messi. Yet reading the veteran’s timing and movement remains the greater test.