As a former ESPN analyst and Northwestern grad, I’ve dissected the numbers behind Messi’s elite ratings—and found something unsettling. It’s not just about goals or assists. The scoring system rewards risk-taking, even when it fails. In this deep dive, I explore how football stats can mislead us, using a viral match where Di María outshone everyone—yet was ignored by the national team. Is brilliance being mistaken for noise? Let’s unpack the real cost of 'high-impact' play.