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Looking back - on Guardiola, Pedro & Messi

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It has often been remarked that Leo Messi has succeeded in making the spectacular look so ordinary, such is the sheer number of incredible goals he scores. From 2009-2013 was Messi playing at a level few, if any players have ever reached. The ability to turn and dart past an entire defence on a whim, finishing it off with either a deft chip or a wrapped finish into the far corner. This Messi still exists - but today he tends to unleash it in shorter bursts, spending most of his time linking the play and freeing up teammates to run on goal. The Messi we saw under Guardiola played like a ferocious recurrent explosion. None of this is to deny how great Messi still is. To my mind he is still the greatest player in the world by some distance, but every time I've seen him play (nowhere near as much as I did 6/7 years ago...who at all watches any Spanish football these days?) of late, despite the flashes of brilliance, he seems to walk a lot more, wait rather than run for the ball a