The greatest player that ever lived? The lad is only 23 admittadley, but his career has been littered with team and personal honours. His statistics and how effective he is on the pitch is rivalled by no one on the planet. He is just ridiculously good. We have just passed the half way point in the season and we look set to see him break a record set by him and fatty ronaldo which is 47 goals in one year. He already has 37 this year. His assist count is also ridiculous, 17 for the season already. The mans already helped barca directy score 50 of their goals. Now some will say that he will need to win the world cup to be considered the greatest ever. I disagree with this completely. I dont think it should come town to team honours solely. All I know is when I watch him play I beleive without question he is the best player I have ever seen play. The thing is he may not be aswell rounded as players like C.Ronaldo but when nobody can do anything to stop the few things you are good at, does it really matter?
Hmm..tough question. First off, the 47 goal a season record. Like you said, he's on 37 this year already, in only 32 games. I'd say he'll surpass 47 probably by the end of February the way Barca are playing and based on how many chances they create. If not by then, then he'l certainly do it by the end of the season. Unless injury says otherwise. Didn't realise he had so many assists either. In the league he has 14 assists on top of 21 goals, in 18 games. Madness. Do I think he can be the best ever? I dunno. I'd like to see him tested in another league than Spain. It's fantastic for entertainment, but some of the defending leaves a lot to be desired. Ronaldo since his move to Madrid has 48 league goals in 50 games. Phenomenal. He'll probably go onto beat the 47 goals scored record as well. No doubt Messi is one of the greatever ever. I'd put him in the top 4 or 5, at the age of 23. But for me I'd to see him carry on with the numbers in a different league. Pele, the self-proclaimed Worlds Greatest Ever Player when he spent most of his career in the mickey mouse Brazil league is laughable. I'm not saying Ronaldo is better than Messi, he probably falls a tad short, but he's done it in 2 completely contrasting leagues. Take Messi out of his comfort zone and see how he does. His record for Argentina is hardly great. That being said, his ball control and instinct for the game is one of the greatest ever sights in football.
I dont think this testing yourself in another league buisness makes any sense to me. Yes La Liga may be by some deemed weak at the moment but it wont be that way forever. Things will improve, they always do in european football. One league will be better than another for say five years and then the cycle begins. He loves barcelon dearly and has stated he doesnt wanna leave and tbh why would he? Earns loadsa money, part of the best club team ever that are gonna have a chance of winning things for the bare minimum of the next 6 or so years, lives in a beutiful and exciting city. Cant see him leaving to be honest. And besides what would you say to someone if they said giggsy isnt good enough because he didnt test himself in another league? Because I would laugh at them, I give credit to players who wanna stay at one club there whole careers now, because these days you dont see a lot of it. So that argument doesnt hold enough water for me.
Good point. Although, and I'm a huge fan of Giggs, he isn't for me considered one of the greatest ever players. One of United's greatest ever, yes..but not up there with the likes of Maradona, Zidane, Messi and Cruyff in terms of ability. Some might disagree though. If Messi does carry on at the same rate, then I'd probably put him only behind Maradona in the greatest of all time list. Strangley enough, if Messi goes on at the current rate he'll have a near identical record for games/goals for Argentina too
No offence guys, but am I the only one sick of Barcelona and Messi? I think they're a tad overhyped to be honest. The only team to really stand up to them, not lie down for them, in the last 12 months was Inter, and they knocked them out
And don't forget how Chelsea got completely and utterly robbed against them. Really did a number on them for 2 legs, then 1 strike of the ball and that was it.
I think if Mourinho was allowed to use the tactics he needed to in a one-off game vs Barca, Madrid could actually win.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0AOm6B05QU Not really. Seen them giving both ways so wasn't stole wall either way.
Messi is a special player in a special team but I think he needs to produce on the international stage to be put up there with the true greats. Pele, Maradona, Zidane, and Cruyff all produced for country as well as club. At the moment Messi is in the George Best category - Best never had a chance for international honours because N. Ireland isn't a big football country - Messi doesn't have that excuse but time is on his side. All Argentina need is a decent manager to turn the talent they have into a team.
I agree that a player should be a success in more than one country before he can be considered for the title of greatest ever. To call him the greatest ever is premature and quite frankly disrespectful to some of the greats that have gone before him. He certainly has the potential to be the greatest ever but as good as he is he still has a ways to go.
Messi is nowhere near being the greatest player every, I'm sorry he's just not. He is playing in an extremely weak La Liga but in an exceptional Barcelona side, it's be hard for him not to bag hatfuls of goals. He has done nothing on the International stage despite being surrounded by World Class team mates. Truly great players can help poor sides win.
Well he is miles better than Pele ever was. Disrespectful? How? The kid has been named wpoty twice? He is 23. He could feesibly win it another 6 or so times.
Nowhere near? Sorry your jsut talking **** mate. No offence and its your opinion but its nonsense. Its not a weak La liga. The best striker in the world only has about half the amount messi has, so it cant be that easy to score loadsa goals for them toherwise they all would be.
3 years at least, then 7 after that and 11 that. He has 11 years to win the World cup and be lifted to the level of Maradonna. I seriously doubt he will. Argentina wont win the world cup for a long long time and the next few world cup winners will come from europe. Messi is fantastic but he isnt anywhere near the best player ever. He scores for fun in a league where Freddie Kanoute and Diego Forlan also score for fun. Players who couldnt buy a goal in England compared to spain. La Liga is like a show league, not a competitive one. Messi needs to win the world cup or go and do what he does at another club.
Spain? Not like it will be hot for them is it? Also south africa was quoted as a place European teams wouldnt do well yet the final involved 2 european teams and 3 of the final 4 were european. Wont be a problem.
Then what do you base the best player ever on then? The guy scores more goals than games played. Does his share of defending, creates for others. The ball is glued to his feet. Where has this myth of international football come from, its not the biggest stage, the best football isnt played on it. The world cup was awful in terms of quality. As for players like kanoute and forlan being succesful, league's dont suit everyone, VDV was bobbins in la liga but has been sensational in the PL.
VDV was great in La Liga. He also earned alot of respect after the way he dealt with the way Madrid treated him. He is much more free at Spurs and has the backing of the club. He didnt at Madrid but still played very well much of the time. And I agree about international football, its just I know for certain that in Argentina international football is more important than club football and unless he wins the world cup he wont be remembered like maradonna amongst the people of his home country. Add to that the fact for all south american footballers the world cup is greater than anything else he wont be in his own mind either. Everything you said aswell could apply to ronaldo basically.
