5) Playing the full 90 minutes in 400 games
There is no question that Messi has been one of the fittest players in the world between 2008 and 2012. Apart from the knee injury earlier this season, there was only one season when Messi at 100% was truly missed, especially in the Champions League (2012/13) where he changed his personal physiotherapist.
His ability to bounce back and return to his phenomenal goalscoring ways is why he has set so many records. But another reason why he has scored so many is that he is hardly ever substituted.
Most managers take off their star attackers when the job is done and the result is a foregone conclusion. Not Messi, though. He stays on and wreaks havoc, never letting the defenders rest a single minute lest they be caught napping.
Currently, Messi has played the full 90 minutes in 393 games. He needs to complete 90 minutes in 7 games to reach the 400 mark – a mark he can easily reach this season.
