I agree with you about too much of a focus on numbers, but it’s the consistency that separates the great players from the truly excellent. Numbers like the likes of Messi and Ronaldo put up for so many years just aren’t attainable. They never missed games, they were always clutch, they didn’t have bad seasons, or even bad months.
I don’t like to boil it down to a stats game, not should they be remembered as that, but the stats paint a picture of two players that were ridiculously consistent, to the point of absurdity.
I think, after 15 years, people diminish their accomplishments because they are so used to them. They will be heralded even more in 10 years time though. There will be documentaries and movies made about them. They are that special.