Lionel Messi: Scientists discovered the key to his success

England, February 5, 2013

They say the secret of Messi is in his brain, which is more active than other players when doing quick movements.

A scientific study says that Barcelona’s Argentine star Lionel Messi is capable of dribbling because his brain is more active than other less gifted players when playing.

Researchers at Britain’s University of Brunel ensure that more experienced players are able, when they are approached by a rival, to activate more areas in their brains than most inexperienced players, allowing them to execute movements more successfully.

According to the study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, more experienced players achieve better control of their instinctive reactions, making them less likely to fall into the snares of the rival.

The researchers looked at 39 football players from beginner to semi-professional, who underwent an MRI brain scanner and showed them pictures of international youth players running towards them with a ball.

The results showed that the more experienced players were in greater harmony with the actions and movements of the novice opponent.

“We believe that this increased level of neuronal activity is something that can be developed through high quality training, so the next step is how to train the brain to anticipate the moves of the opponent,” said some of the researchers.