3260: Messi

Messi

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Title text: Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.

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Explanation

This is one of 46 incomplete explanations: This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

In the vein of 605: Extrapolating, this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends, in this case what appears to be polynomial extrapolation. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which new data points are estimated from existing ones using some method. In this case, Randall appears to have smoothed discrete data points regarding Lionel Messi's average goals per World Cup game into a grey curve.

This method only works if there is a relationship to model - however, in this case, there isn't.

Transcript

This is one of 28 incomplete transcripts: Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

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Discussion

Does Randall support Messi? SectorCorruptor (talk) 16:26, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Who doesn't support Messi? :D 130.76.187.46 18:00, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

New football/soccer terms for me! 2 goals scored in one game = Brace, 3 goals = Hat-trick, 4 goals = Haul, 5 goals = Glut BorQhue del Sol (talk) 16:58, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

I think the explanation on the hover text is missing the point that, at 38 years old, this is likely to be Messi's last world cup, which is another way in which the statement "last world cup in which he faces serious opposition" is technically true.

I think the curve might be exponential, referencing the "predictions" of AI future capabilities 93.36.179.126 17:15, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

We should explain how there can data points in the graph with y-values between zero and one. I assume it's because a team might well play multiple games during a single tournament. —Scs (talk) 18:10, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

That's obviously true. In the current format, each team plays between 3 and 8 games. During the initial group stage there are groups of 4 where each team plays the other 3. Then there are 5 single-elimination knockout rounds plus a playoff for third place between the semi-final losers. So if Messi makes it to the finals and scores 1 goal in every other game, the y-value will be 0.5. Barmar (talk) 19:03, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Messiest graph ever. 64.201.132.210 18:34, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

I was going to update the transcript with estimated Y values of each data point. But maybe someone with a little more time and tooling could actually measure them and produce reasonably precise values. Barmar (talk) 18:57, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Updated the transcript with the goals per game values for each world cup.

Do we need a new category for improbable extrapolations? I remember one about a woman having multiple husbands because she just got married and that would mean she gets a new husband every day, and I swear there were more. 8.53.15.117 20:55, 17 June 2026 (UTC)
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