As ever, 2019 has been another record-smashing year for Lionel Messi.
An unprecedented sixth Ballon d'Or this month was followed a week later by a record 35th La Liga hat-trick.
In November, the 32-year-old scored against a 34th different Champions League opponent, going one better on Cristiano Ronaldo's previous record.
All that considered, and with 14 goals in 16 appearances this season, one would be forgiven for thinking Messi was performing at his usual best.
However, despite the stats and moments of brilliance, Graham Hunter thinks the Argentine forward has looked off-kilter this season.
"It's mad. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever," the Spanish football expert said of Messi's form on Wednesday's OTB AM.
"He is producing moments of all-time genius, he is picking up personal awards everywhere. Since he came back fully fit – which was in Sevilla after two quite cruel injuries, particularly his calf injury – he's scored or created about 85% of Barcelona's goals and they've been splurging goals."
Recalling when he first watched Messi for Barcelona B, Hunter compared the current Ballon d'Or winner's performances to that young phenomenon who "wandered" and looked "lackadaisical".
"That was 16 or 17 years and records and records ago, but at the moment either he is a little bit tired because his preseason was fractured by that really bad calf injury it took much longer to get back from than was expected or else he's ticked off.
"I'm looking at him and he looks like a guy who in his head is always like 'why is it always me? I have to rescue you. Look at that pass. Look how we've given that away.'
"So in recent games, including his utterly astonishing goal against Atletico at the Metropolitano, he has walked and walked differently from when Guardiola said, 'he is taking x-rays left, right and centre. Don't worry about it he's taking in information like whales suck in plankton.'"
While Guardiola's defence of a young Messi was undeniably proven right, Hunter believes that Messi's in-game demeanor this year looks very different.
"It's different now. He's giving the ball away, he's wandering down dead alleys. He's allowed to do that because what he keeps doing is either winning games or creating chances for other players to win games.
"But is he on full form, this guy who has won more Clasicos than anybody else, who has scored more goals in Clasicos than anybody else? No. And what's more, in the last five Clasicos he has only started three and scored once.
"So, I am enjoying trying to unpick what is going on with Leo Messi in the way that the top numbers don't properly explain the underlying trend."
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