Lionel Messi news: One sensational graph that shows how the Barcelona star is way ahead of his competitors

What's the story?

We have always known that Lionel Messi is from another planet when it comes to his skills on the ball, his devastating dribbling and his awe-inspiring finishes. And going by his latest season stats, the mercurial Argentine has outdone himself yet again, deepening the gulf in class between himself and the chasing pack

In case you didn't know...

Messi is having a sensational season, even going by his lofty standards. He leads both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League goalscoring charts with 33 and 8 goals respectively. His skills as a provider remain unparalleled, having contributed a staggering 15 assists in all competitions. Messi is the top assist provider in La Liga with 12 assists, having contributed a goal or an assist for 45 out of the 81 goals scored by Barcelona this season (55%)

The heart of the matter

As per latest stats - a scatter graph in terms of goals and assists per game (Top 5 league, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europe League only included) reveals the true picture of Messi's dominance this season in Europe. The magisterial 'La Pulga' stand alone on the top right corner of the graph, in a class of his own. His goals per game ratio is an astonishing 1.13, with the next best being Neymar at 0.94. The top ranking Premier League stars are Sergio Aguero (5th, 0.75) and Harry Kane (13th, 0.61). Cristiano Ronaldo stands 6th with 0.71 goals per game to his credit.

Messi's all-round game performance comes to the fore in the assist per game statistical comparison. Only Nimes' French playmaker Teji Savanier and Neymar are ahead of him in the top 5 leagues with a score of 0.423 and 0.421 assists per game respectively. The Argentine talisman is a close third with 0.416 assists per game but has more absolute assists numbers (15 assists in UCL and La Liga put together) when compared to Savanier (11) and Neymar (8)

Scatter Graph-Europe (UCL, Europe and Top 5 Leagues)-Goals per game vs Assists per game

What's next?

Ernesto Valverde's Barcelona are set to face Huesca on Saturday in La Liga, a game Messi is likely to sit out owing to the facial injury he sustained against Manchester United on Tuesday. Messi is, however, expected to make a full recovery in time for Barca's Champions League quarter-final second leg at home against United next week.