Maybe not yet, but he's only 24 and got time... Won the bollon thingy for a 3rd time already. .Lionel Messi has won the Fifa Ballon d'Or prize for the best player of 2011, becoming only the fourth player in history to win the trophy three times. The Argentine forward, 24, beat Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona team-mate Xavi to the prize. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson won an award for services to football, while Messi's boss Pep Guardiola was voted coach of the year. "I think [Messi] is going to break all the records that exist," said Xavi. Messi could play in any generation - Ferguson Messi, who previously won the prestigious accolade in 2009 and 2010, was man of the match in Barca's 2011 Champions League final victory over Manchester United and also won the Primera Division, Spanish Supercopa, Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup last year. Dutchmen Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten, plus Frenchman Michael Platini, are the others to have won the award on three occasions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/16031662.stm
NEYMAR Winner The FIFA Puskas Award 2011 Best Goal [video=youtube;fymwB3xCiCM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fymwB3xCiCM[/video] Get a haircut lad
What with the money these Sheilaâs earn you'd think they'd be able to get a decent cut rather than waiting in line at the local polytec. Let's get the mugs up the road to write us a sign......"Bring bak the mullit"
I think if Messi shows the same quality in one or two World Cups, as Maradona did, then he will be classed as the best ever.
For me the best player of all time by a mile was a certain Dutch legend, Mr Johan Cruyff. Maybe his time just happened to coincide with me being a kid but Cruyff was a bloody wizard with a Football. That is until now. IMO Messi has already surpassed all other players in history, one or two seasons like the last few and he'll be the out and out best player ever.
Only Platini has won the award in three successive years (mixing the Ballon D'or and Fifa World Player of the year award) but he was 30 when he won the third (Cruyff three times in four years and Ronaldo twice before he was 20 both deserve a mention as do Keegan who won it in successive years and finished second in the next, Karl-Heinze Rummenigge also had successive wins with a second place on one end of the wins, I'm NOT saying these guys are necessarily greatest ever). I know everyone bangs on about him needing to do it with Argentina and they are right, he does, but he is already at the top table and can be talked about in the same breath as the greats, if he does win the World Cup with Argentina or a glorious second (Netherlands 74, Hungary 54 etc) then he will be the greatest, no arguments in my opinion.
I don't think it's fair to say he has to do it with Argentina. That's like saying Ryan Giggs isn't one of the best players Britain has ever produced because he didn't do it at the European Championships. One man doesn't make a team. As an individual player Messi is on another planet to Cristiano Ronaldo and given what he's won and the massive amount of goals he's scored for Barca (2nd top scorer in their history already) scored in two champions league finals as well, I'd class him as the best player ever definitely.
I think Messi is the greatest player ever, he is sensational. When people say 'he has to win a world cup to be considered the best', I think that is bollocks, if Argentina's strikers scored the many chances Messi setup for them, people wouldn't of been saying Messi had a **** world cup. Also, the consistent brilliance in the Champions League imo, is amazing. He is the 8th top scorer(since 1955) in Champions League history with 43 goals in 62 appearances. He will beat Raul's record if he keeps it up. He has been top scorer the past 3 seasons and is currently joint second with 6 goals. [video=youtube;od7eaa5p4Xk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od7eaa5p4Xk[/video] Not up to date mind.
I'd agree he has got to do well in a world cup or two before being considered the greatest. Fair point about Giggs, but he was a grea player but never considered to be in the greatest bracket. I agree, he is one of the greats. However, would he be as good in another side other than Barcalona? Maybe, maybe not. I have a theory about Barca. Their reputation is that fearsom that a lot of teams are beaten before they get on the pitch with them. It's a mental thing IMO. I'm not saying that they are a great team but I think teams are scared of them also.
I find this all appalling tbh. Why the **** wasn't Nuggsy nominated? Bunch of biased ****s whoever runs this crock of ****e.
"Their reputation is that fearsom that a lot of teams are beaten before they get on the pitch with them." That might be true of the weaker teams, but Mourinho's Madrid? Ferguson's United? I can't see either of these managers allowing their players to go into those games with that attitude, and this Barcelona team has spanked them both on more than one occasion.
I must be in a minority but I think Ronaldo is better than Messi. He's quicker, stronger, better in the air, better at set pieces and he out scored him last year in a worse side.
