Thierry Henry explains in a simple way why Lionel Messi always scores from ‘Zone 14’.
Thierry Henry recently shared why Lionel Messi is so dangerous in Zone 14, an important part of the pitch just outside the opponent’s penalty box.
Even at 38, Messi keeps showing that age doesn’t slow him down. After scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s first World Cup match against Algeria, he became the tournament’s all-time top scorer, passing Germany’s Miroslav Klose.
His two goals against Austria on June 22 have now brought his total to 18 World Cup goals. Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, said, “When Leo gets going, everyone gets going, and that’s a credit to the team.”
Over the years, many have tried to break down Messi’s magic. This week, his former Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry gave his thoughts on why Messi is so effective in the final attacking area.
Henry spoke on FOX Sports about Messi’s amazing ability to control the game from Zone 14. In modern football analysis, the field is split into 18 zones: six rows across and three columns down.
Zone 14 is the center box near the opponent’s penalty area — sometimes called the “golden square.” Stats show that winning teams, like France’s 1998 World Cup champions (which Henry played for), performed really well in this zone.
Having a super-skilled player there who can pass sharply or weave through defenders is a huge advantage. Great players like Zinedine Zidane and Dennis Bergkamp thrived there, but many consider Messi the king of Zone 14.
Henry used Messi’s goal against Algeria to explain further. He said, “Messi lives, breathes, and even drinks coffee in this zone. It’s the spot right outside the box.”
Henry pointed out that Zone 17 (right in front of goal) is where most goals happen, but knowing how to work in Zone 14 helps create many chances. And Messi knows exactly how to use this space to score.
He described Messi’s moves against Algeria: the ball comes to him, strikers make runs, and defenders struggle to stop Messi’s clever passes and shots.
Henry added, “When the team is quick on the counterattack, Messi moves into Zone 14 or close by, receives the ball, and with his skill, it’s really hard to defend.”
Messi will look to work his magic from Zone 14 again when Argentina faces Jordan in their last Group J game on Sunday.
What do you think of Henry’s take on Messi? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!