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Lionel Messi, Steph Curry and Tom Brady were the main catalysts behind their teams' respective 2015 triumphs. Messi led Barcelona to a historic treble, Curry helped Golden State capture the NBA championship and Brady quarterbacked the New England Patriots to victory in Super Bowl XLIX.
The three athletes boast obviously varying skill sets, the positions of right forward, point guard and quarterback each contain their own variant demands. However, each was recognized as the vital cog in their team's ultimate success. Brady was the Super Bowl MVP, Curry the NBA MVP and Messi the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or winner.
While American football, association football and basketball are exceedingly different from one another, they’re all fundamentally team sports that necessitate a bit of individual brilliance to triumph.
In the NFL, there’s no position more important than the quarterback. While a superb defense could result in a Lombardi Trophy, it’s extremely rare that the Super Bowl champion won’t have a talented player in the quarterback position.
The same could be said of the world’s game. Defensive solidity can be the basis of a champion (e.g. Chelsea in 2012 or Greece in 2004), but normative champions usually excel in the midfield or boast a phenomenon in attack.
The most obvious difference between basketball and both forms of football is the amount of players on the court. While both forms of football players must rely on their 10 respective teammates to succeed, basketball can seem more individually focused with only 5 players on the court.
The differences between the sports could certainly lead to the claim that this is all an exercise in futility. It’s nevertheless interesting to speculate as to where these teams would be without their star players.
Each player’s decision making and ability ultimately allow their teams to manage games and emerge victorious. These three players, in three of the world’s most demanding sports, routinely decide games with their timely interventions and consistent brilliance.
Lionel Messi, Tom Brady or Steph Curry: Who is the real MVP?
To compare the three athletes, we've looked at the statistics that they've compiled in relatively similar sample sizes. For Messi, that's the 13 games he played during last season's UEFA Champions League run. For Brady, that's the entirety of the 2014/15 season, including the regular season and postseason (19 games). For Curry, we'll be looking at the 2015 NBA Playoffs (21 games for Golden State).
For Barcelona's team statistics, we've included the output of Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic. For the Golden State Warriors, Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut will factor into the stats.
Lionel Messi
Key Statistics:
13 UEFA Champions League appearances
Messi recorded 10 goals and 5 assists in 13 Champions League appearances. The combined total of goals scored for Barcelona's featured five players throughout the tournament was 29.
Percentage of total: Messi had a direct leg in 51% of the goals.
According to WhoScored.com, Barcelona averaged 15.1 successful dribbles per game over the course of the contest. A successful dribble is defined as an attacking player taking on an opposition defender and beating him while retaining the ball. Of those 15.1 successful dribbles, Messi accounted for, on average, 7.1.
Percentage of total: Messi accounted for 47% of Barcelona's successful dribbles.
Barcelona completed 8 key passes per game. Key passes result in clear goal scoring opportunities for the attacking team. Of the 8 key passes generated between Barcelona's five greatest offensive threats, Messi averaged 2.8 of them per match.
Percentage of total: Messi completed 35% of Barcelona's key passes.
Finally, a look at Barcelona's player ratings throughout the competition reveals disparity between Barcelona's brilliant attackers. Rakitic scored a 6.99, Iniesta 7.34, Suarez 7.9 and Neymar came in second with an awesome score of 7.92. However, all of these numbers pale in comparison to Messi's rating of 8.9.
Steph Curry
Key Statistics:
21 NBA postseason games
Throughout 21 games, Steph Curry averaged 28.3 PPG. The usual starting five (Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Green and Bogut) averaged a total of 75.9 PPG.
Percentage of total: Curry averaged 37.2% of the points scored by Golden State's starting five per night.
The Warriors players are renowned for passing up good shots to get their teammates great ones. On average, the Warriors averaged 17.6 assists per game (APG). Curry averaged 6.4 APG himself.
Percentage of total: Curry averaged 36.3% of the Warriors assists.
Steph Curry hit 98 three-point field goals throughout the 2015 NBA Playoffs. The Warriors averaged 9.5 per night, Curry splashing 4.7 of those.
Percentage of total: Curry accounted for 49.4% of the Warriors three-pointers.
The final statistical point of note with regards to Curry's value to the Warriors is his Player Efficiency Rating, or PER. Curry's postseason PER of 24.59 trailed only LeBron James and James Harden among players with 15 or more games. Draymond Green had the 2nd highest PER for the Warriors at 16.6, good for 47th among eligible postseason players. Klay Thompson's PER came in at number 65 overall.
Tom Brady
Key Statistics
19 NFL games (16 regular season and 3 postseason)
Throughout the 2014/15 NFL regular season and postseason, Brady accumulated 5,097 total yards of offense. The New England Patriots totaled 7,214 yards of offense.
Percentage of total: Brady played a part in 70.6% of New England's total yards.
The Patriots totaled 62 touchdowns throughout the season. Brady had a total of 44 touchdowns (43 passing, 1 rushing) himself.
Percentage of total: Brady was involved in 70.9% of New England's touchdowns.
Throughout the regular season, Brady completed 64.1% of his passes. That number increased to an astounding 68% in the postseason. His quarterback rating of 97.4 was good for fifth best in the league.
Other Key Factors to Consider:
The Patriots defense was eighth best, out of 32 teams, in points allowed per game.
The Golden State Warriors ranked first in NBA team defensive efficiency during their title winning season.
Barcelona had the seventh best defensive record out of the 32 Champions League teams, giving up 0.85 goals per game.
The Decision:
Tom Brady is the most derisive athlete on this list and so is the sport he plays. However, his six Super Bowl appearances and four Super Bowl rings in 16 professional years is simply remarkable. The fact that he’s accomplished this feat in a league that's structured to ensure parity only adds to his legend.
While Lionel Messi is quite possibly the greatest footballer of all time, it remains to be seen whether his eventual departure from Barcelona will hamper the team to the level that Brady’s will hurt New England. Neymar is looking like a worthy successor while “the next Messi”, or whoever could possibly come closest, will inevitably be signed by Barcelona.
Without a salary cap in club football, Barcelona are allowed, and even expected, to drop a plethora of money to finally sign the right individual. New England inevitably find Brady's successor to be a much more harrowing experience.
Will there ever be another Messi? That’s extremely doubtful, but Barcelona will always challenge for European domination. They are a club that no player can say "no" to with regards to transfers.
Steph Curry has only been in the NBA for seven seasons. His trophy haul is decidedly less than that of Brady or Messi. However, he’s accomplishing feats that have never been seen before. Not even Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant has gotten off to the start that Steph is enjoying this season. While the present moment tells us that he’s the least valuable of the three, this only stands to change as time passes.
