 A couple of weeks ago, I finally had an opportunity to get in on the Lionel Messi Hysteria when I watched Intermajans come back to me over six years ago. You know what I noticed? He walks 75% of the game. Yeah, walks like he's at the mall. Is it because he's lazy? No. Is it because he's tired? No. It's because he's apathetic, not a chance. It's because Lionel Messi is a brilliant soccer player. Part of what makes Messi the most dominant player on the planet and arguably most dominant player of all time is his soccer IQ. He has a master at energy conservation. He knows exactly when he needs to turn on the jets and sprint. He knows exactly when he needs to go all out and attack. He knows exactly how to vary his pace and change his tempo to make himself unguardable. It's been statistically proven that even elite level players only have the ball in their immediate possession for approximately three minutes the entire game. So the most important separator between good and great players is what they do during the 87 minutes that they don't have for the ball. Combine that with the fact that researchers conclude that Lionel Messi covers an average of seven miles in total distance every single game. This includes a combination of walking, jogging and sprinting. Messi is the best player in the world because he understands how strong of a deception tool changing speeds is as well as how to maximize his energy reserves. If he tried to run all seven miles as hard as possible he'd be easy to guard and his top attack speed would decline significantly. Lionel Messi sprints when he needs the sprint which is all that really matters. Knowing when to walk and when to sprint is a massive difference maker when it comes to your sustainable high performance.