Former Real Madrid boss Jorge Valdano has claimed that Lionel Messi is now capable of "[playing] an entire match just walking".
The Barcelona forward has netted 27 times in 30 appearances for his Catalan club this season and has once again been at the forefront of their excellent form.
According to Valdano, Messi has improved tactically this term and the "new version" of the attacker is a "better strategist".
"We're seeing a new version of Lionel Messi. He was dizzying, only playing at full speed, but now he understands that different matches have different rhythms," Valdano told Mundo Deportivo. "He can basically play an entire match just walking. There is no better strategist."
Since breaking into the first-team set-up in 2004, Messi has scored 439 goals in 512 appearances for Barcelona.