Here's what I learned after watching Lionel Messi walk more than 100 minutes in a match

Sitting high atop Kansas City stadium, where the press box is located a level above the nosebleed seats, it feels like almost the literal 10,000-foot view of seeing everything unfolding on the field as well as the surrounding atmosphere.

For Argentina’s quarterfinal victory last Saturday, that included watching and hearing the fans jumping, singing and celebrating. It included seeing Switzerland’s Breel Embolo’s diving incident that sent him off the field with a red card, leaving his team a man down.

And it included the opportunity to watch Lionel Messi, every step of the match.

It’s no secret that Messi spends a lot of time walking, standing, strolling during games. Heading into the match against Switzerland, The Athletic reported that Messi had spent 63 percent of this year’s World Cup walking. 

And while that might seem like the result of a 39-year-old man saving his legs for the biggest moments (and certainly there’s some truth to that), this isn’t a new phenomenon. That’s been a part of how Messi has played for a while. In 2019, Tottenham’s Kieran Tripper said, “a lot of the time he just walks and walks — and then, before you know it, it’s a goal.”

So taking advantage of that bird’s-eye view, I decided to watch Messi for 90-plus minutes, which turned into 120-plus minutes after Argentina needed extra time to defeat Switzerland, 3-1. Here’s what I learned.

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How much does Messi walk during the game?

Messi walks. A lot. 

As noted previously, Messi had spent nearly two-thirds of his time on the field walking in the five games before the Switzerland match.

Against Switzerland, using my eyes and a digital stopwatch, he walked or stood approximately 39 minutes, 27 seconds of 46 and a half minutes (removing the three minutes of the hydration break). In the second half, he walked or stood 43:15 of 51:20. In the first half of extra time, it was 13:45 seconds of 16:05. In the second half of extra time, it was 15:45 seconds of 19 minutes.

Add it up and that’s approximately 112 minutes, 12 seconds of 132 minutes, 55 seconds of game time. 

Or, walking or standing approximately 84.4 percent of the time.

For clarity, my definition of walking was just that. So not a slow jog, or shuffling, but walking, along with standing. That lines up with what The Athletic tracked entering the game, with Messi walking or standing a combined 87.4 percent of the time. And while acknowledging my timer during the Switzerland game is a very unscientific way of tracking, the point remains: Messi walks. A lot.

According to Opta Data, Messi walked 5.3 kilometers vs. Switzerland. He also walked 5.2 kilometers in the Cape Verde match, making Messi the only forward to walk more than 5 kilometers in two matches this World Cup.

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Why does Messi walk during games?

It’s remarkable to watch Messi in action — or inaction — during a full game. 

There are times when the ball is deep in the Argentina side of the field, and Messi stands alone near the center line, rubbing his hair. There are times when Argentina counters, and he still walks, sizing up the right moment and direction to break into a run. And there are times when there is action surrounding him, not bothering to pressure when an opponent has the ball a few feet away.

But all the while, his head is on a swivel. He’s watching. 

Watching the flow of the players and ball. Watching the spacing. Watching for the right moment to break into a sprint. 

He's constantly sizing up the action. He'll occasionally direct his goalkeeper or teammates, who are in continuous movement around him, but he always has a sense of when the right moment is right to spring into action.

We saw that during the match against Cape Verde. He was in an offside position, casually walking back while Lisandro Martinez took a pass near midfield. But Messi saw he was in open space, jogged back onside, and then immediately broke into a sprint as Martinez sent a pass over the Cape Verde back line. Messi took it in stride, controlling the ball with his first touch off a half volley, then zipping a shot over Vozinha. As Messi ran to the corner, he pointed back to Martinez.

They both saw the spacing, and executed to perfection. 

It almost happened against Switzerland, when in extra time Messi set up on the far right side, in plenty of open space. He took a pass, and, as we’ve seen him do countless times, dribbled to his left, looking for the space to deliver a shot. He did just that, forcing Gregor Kobel to make a nice save, pushing the ball to his right. That created disorganization in the Switzerland defense, and moments later, Julian Alvarez was all alone to line up his brilliant goal, giving Argentina a 2-1 lead.

Let’s go back to what Tripper said seven years ago. As it turns out, his summary of playing against Messi then is still holding true at the 2026 World Cup.

“I’ve played against him a few times now and he’s so good at just picking up those little pockets of space. Before Barcelona have made three passes, he already knows where the ball’s going.

"It’s amazing how clever he is. Even when he’s walking like that, you’ve always got to be aware. He’s unbelievable, the best ever.”