Lionel Messi: Barcelona star best in THIS stunning stat – No Real Madrid players in top 20

Lionel Messi is enjoying an outstanding season, driving Barcelona towards yet another domestic double while also hunting Champions League glory.

The Argentine has scored a truly stunning 25 La Liga goals in 23 matches this season, while he also has six in Europe and two in the Copa del Rey.

In fact, Messi has now scored 489 goals for Barcelona in the 2010s – the same amount that Sunderland have scored in the same time frame.

However, it’s not just goals that the 31-year-old is known for with his skill on the ball vital to Barcelona’s free-flowing style of play.

And Messi’s brilliance has now been recognised by new research from CIES Football Observatory who rank the Barca star as the best dribbler of the ball in Europe.

Based on their analysis, the forward completes a successful carry every 19.2 minutes – easily setting him apart as the most potent dribbler in the big five European leagues.

The data, record in domestic league matches between February 18, 2018 and February 17, 2019, only takes into account players who have notched at least 1,800 minutes of action.

No Real Madrid players make the top 20 but Jadon Sancho is included while Eden Hazard has the best success rate (73 per cent) among players who have attempted at least 100 dribbles – but who else comes close to matching Messi’s brilliance?

24 (Tied). Jose Morales (Levante) – 34.3 minutes per successful dribble (54 per cent)

24 (Tied). Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid/Chelsea) – 34.3 minutes per successful dribble (79 per cent)

23. Nicolas Pepe (Lille) – 33.5 minutes per successful dribble (56 per cent)

21 (Tied). Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina) – 33.3 minutes per successful dribble (48 per cent)

21 (Tied). Rodrigo de Paul (Udinese) – 33.3 minutes per successful dribble (61 per cent)

20. Giovani Lo Celso (PSG/Real Betis) – 33.2 minutes per successful dribble (65 per cent)

19. Fabian Orellana (Eibar) – 33.1 minutes per successful dribble (44 per cent)

18. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) – 32.5 minutes per successful dribble (55 per cent)

17. Max-Alain Gradel (Toulouse) – 32.4 minutes per successful dribble (56 per cent)

16. Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona) – 31.7 minutes per successful dribble (63 per cent)

15. Nathan Redmond (Southampton) – 30.9 minutes per successful dribble (58 per cent)

14. Granelli Imbula (Toulouse/Rayo Vallecano) – 30.7 minutes per successful dribble (76 per cent)

13. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) – 29.9 minutes per successful dribble (66 per cent)

12. Leroy Sane (Manchester City) – 29.7 minutes per successful dribble (60 per cent)

11. Felipe Anderson (Lazio/West Ham United) – 29.4 minutes per successful dribble (55 per cent)

10. Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid) – 27.1 minutes per successful dribble (65 per cent)

9. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) – 25.6 minutes per successful dribble (54 per cent)

8. Jeff Reine-Adelaide (Angers) – 24.7 minutes per successful dribble (61 per cent)

7. Marcus Thuram (Guingamp) – 24.2 minutes per successful dribble (72 per cent)

6. Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) – 24.1 minutes per successful dribble (61 per cent)

5. Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona) – 21.7 minutes per successful dribble (63 per cent)

4. Naim Sliti (Dijon) – 21.4 minutes per successful dribble (72 per cent)

3. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) – 21.0 minutes per successful dribble (73 per cent)

2. Allan Saint-Maximin (Nice) – 19.8 minutes per successful dribble (60 per cent)

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – 19.2 minutes per successful dribble (67 per cent)