Lionel Messi is 26 years old, an age which represents the peak of a football player's career if we look at the average for the Ballon d'Or winners. Not including Stanley Matthews, the winner of the first edition of the trophy at the age of 41, the average age of the winners is 26.1 years.
Age should be the last thing that Messi is worrying about. What does give cause for concern is the downward trend of his statistics over the past two seasons.
All of his numbers - moves which he is involved in, passes, shots and goals - decreased in the 2012/13 season compared to the previous one, in 2011/12, when he hit his peak as a player. His figures have fallen even further this season, and in most categories are now below those of 2008/09, when Guardiola first took charge of Barcelona.
Up until May 2009, with the famous 2-6 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, he played on the right flank. It was in that game that Guardiola gave him his definitive posting. He placed Eto'o on the right and played Messi as a false nine, drastically increasing his involvement in the game.
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