It's Been A Walk In The Park For Messi

Lionel Messi has walked more than any other outfield player at World Cup with research from Lord Ping revealing that Golden Ball frontrunner has strolled for THIRTY kilometres in Qatar, dwarfing figures of second-placed France superstar Kylian Mbappe

Statistics have shown that Lionel Messi has walked more than any other outfield player at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Research compiled by us here at Lord Ping and collected from FIFA has revealed that Argentina’s talisman has strolled for a staggering 30km throughout the World Cup - more than any other outfield player.

Messi, whose side meets France in a mouth-watering World Cup final this Sunday, has travelled a total distance of 53km throughout the tournament. 

The 35-year-old has walked for 57% of the distance he has covered - the biggest percentage of any outfield player at the tournament.

These figures dwarf Kylian Mbappe’s statistics of 22km walked throughout the tournament, but the Frenchman still ranks at second place having spent 51% of his total distance covered walking.

In contrast to the youthful French superstar, old age is catching up with Chelsea defender Thiago Silva, who has spent the third-most of their distance covered walking (48%).

However, one of the fastest players in the Premier League, Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, seems to keep his energy until he needs to get his teammates out of trouble. The Dutchman has walked the third-most kilometres (22.72km) in the World Cup.

A spokesperson for Lord Ping said: “Lionel Messi may be the best player in history and his walking figures truly prove how devastating he is with the ball at his feet.

“At the World Cup, no player has walked more than the Argentine magician and yet he is the frontrunner for both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball.

“Kylian Mbappe has shown the world how quick he can be once he gets going, but his figures show he also likes a nice stroll before bursting into the explosive arsenal that he is.

“Despite their lack of running, the superstars have both shown immense quality throughout the competition, Messi has odds of 1/5 to win the Golden Ball whilst Mbappe has the longer odds of 9/2.

“Mbappe and Messi will save their sprinting for a chance to get in front of goal so they can win the Golden Boot on Sunday, with odds at 5/4 and 4/6 respectively.”

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Player Walking Stats