Soccer resists simple explanations.

Data firms gather millions of points on ball actions alone. Newer tracking tools add millions more by logging all 22 players and the ball positions many times each second. All of this covers just one match.

The tangled movements of every athlete, the freedom for players to handle the ball in countless ways except using hands, and the erratic path of a ball meeting the foot combine to create the world's favorite sport. Its fluid and surprising nature pushes observers toward mystical or spiritual language to grasp the action.

Lionel Messi both captures and challenges these elements. Over two decades he has achieved the rare feat of simplifying soccer. He stands above all others because he excels in every visible skill: finishing, setting up plays, dribbling, distributing, and even positioning.

This holds true now, though it felt uncertain before the 2026 World Cup opened. The tournament began without the usual certainty that Messi outshines every rival.

He had controlled Major League Soccer for four years, yet his output matched his European form despite facing weaker opposition. His prior major event, the 2024 Copa America, brought one goal, one assist, and an injury exit in a final Argentina claimed without him.

Messi entered the 2026 World Cup at 38 and reached 39 midway. Observers expected limited flashes of skill to support Argentina's success without driving it. Instead he repeated his career pattern and confirmed he remains the world's finest soccer player.

Four years earlier I offered a measured view, but this summer leaves little room for debate: Lionel Messi stands as the greatest male athlete in history.

How Messi Continues to Lead at 39

Earlier this summer analyst Michael Caley supplied further data to support what I noted four years ago and have repeated often: no real argument exists over the top soccer player ever.

Caley stated it this way:

"Lionel Messi was not merely the top player of his time. He ranked as the three best players of his time.

He matched Cristiano Ronaldo as the leading goal scorer. He stands alone as the top chance creator, with only Angel Di Maria, Neymar, and De Bruyne approaching his peak output. He also led in advancing the ball, matched perhaps only by Eden Hazard in peak seasons."

When a side holds possession three basic steps matter: advancing the ball, creating shooting positions, and taking shots near goal. Scorers rely on providers, and creators need teammates to supply the ball in useful spots.

Messi mastered every step. The striking part of this summer is that this remains accurate.

Announcers may claim Messi looks unchanged, yet that overlooks reality. He once posted 96 goals and 27 assists in 64 starts for Barcelona when LaLiga led global leagues. Those numbers have faded, but he still outperforms everyone else across the board.

He shares the World Cup scoring lead with France's Kylian Mbappe on eight goals. This stems from volume, not luck. Messi tops the tournament with 34 shots.

While Messi trails in assists with four behind France's Michael Olise, raw assist counts can mislead. A simple sideways pass can earn credit if a teammate scores from distance, while a perfect through ball may yield nothing if the finish misses.

Expected assists offer a clearer view by crediting passes based on the scoring chance they create. Messi leads the 2026 World Cup in this metric.

Few players combine scoring and creating at high levels. Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland together produced just 1.7 expected assists, less than half Messi's total alone.

Even fewer athletes add ball progression to those skills. The Futi app measures progressive passes and carries that advance the ball at least 25 percent closer to goal.

With one match left, the final against Spain, Messi has 68 progressive passes, 20 more than any other player. He also has 45 progressive carries, three more than his final opponent and likely successor, 19-year-old Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal.

Futi also built a possession-value model that tracks how each touch shifts scoring or conceding odds. It highlights players who contribute beyond goals and adjusts for role before scaling to percentiles, where 50 marks average output. Among semifinal teams Mbappe ranked second at 83.

Messi sits at 99.

Why Messi Earns the Title of Best Male Athlete Ever

When I call Messi the top athlete ever I mean something specific. I do not claim he would outplay Tom Brady at quarterback, Tiger Woods at golf, or LeBron James at power forward.

"Athlete" carries varied meanings, a point often missed in summer debates over American soccer fixes.

The ideal middle-distance runner differs in build from the top NBA player. Dunking ability does not automatically surpass running a sub-four-minute mile. Soccer players often share traits with middle-distance runners due to the mix of steady movement and bursts.

To define the best athlete I focus on two measures: the margin over the second-best performer and the number of participants in the sport.

We set aside figures like Pele and Diego Maradona because the game lacked today's global scale, competition, and consistency during their eras. Messi has also sustained dominance longer across club and country. Supporters of those earlier stars may hold their view, yet career-long individual data does not favor them.

Messi's edge over the next player in the modern era exceeds gaps seen in major U.S. sports. In the NFL Tom Brady claimed seven Super Bowls and starred into his 40s yet earned only three MVP awards, with peers from his era taking more. NBA debates between Michael Jordan and LeBron have run for years. MLB arguments include Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, and Shohei Ohtani.

The nearest parallel appears in the NHL, where Wayne Gretzky owns the most striking individual mark. He scored 894 goals, second all time, yet would still lead in combined goals and assists without any goals of his own.

Gretzky and others fall short on reach. His sport needs ice and draws limited global play. American football carries its name. Baseball spreads worldwide but stays rare in Africa, Europe, and much of South America. The NBA grows more international yet trails soccer's scope.

As noted in 2022, Australian researchers found roughly 5 percent of the world has the size for basketball, while nearly 30 percent could suit soccer. Another study showed twice as many people play soccer as basketball globally.

Given soccer's popularity and Messi's lead over his nearest rival, only one other sport offers a comparable claim.

Tennis draws many players but carries early financial barriers and ongoing debates over its greatest. Cricket features Don Bradman's statistical dominance, though his era ended before full competition from nations like India and Pakistan.

Further research confirms soccer and running as the world's most common leisure pursuits. Soccer needs only a ball; running needs none. Short sprints in particular suit any able person.

Sprinting produced one comparable figure in Usain Bolt, the sole athlete to win both 100- and 200-meter golds in three straight Olympics. He set both world records in 2009, marks that remain unbroken.

Bolt shares Messi's peaks, durability, and range. Only eight other men have won 100- and 200-meter golds in one Games. None repeated it; Bolt did so three times. His records have lasted 17 years despite tech changes, and he remains the oldest 200-meter gold medalist at 29.

In 2022 I leaned toward Bolt, since everyone can run and his margin was unmatched. Four years later the comparison no longer feels settled.