What you think... may be a good way of starting a debate? Personally, i don't think he is however in 5 years time my thoughts may change. It is too early to classify him as the 'best ever'. I would say the top three have to be: Pele, Diego Maradona, and Eusébio da Silva Ferreira. In no particular order
Personally I reckon he could well be. Players are fitter now rather than a couple of decades ago. He can make a world class team look invisible like he did with his second goal tonight. Got to be considered amongst the list you made if not at the top of it.
Yeah like i said in a few years time he may well be on that list, possibly even top it. However, he is far too early on in his career to be classed as 'best ever'
Pele's the best ever, then Maradona but I think in 5-10 years, Messi will be better, as long as he doesn't get a bad injury.
I've never seen anyone so completely dominate a World Cup series like Maradona in '86, not Matthews, not Puskas, not Pele, and certainly not Messi (2010). That whole '86 series was just a one-man show. Absolutely amazing. (The only candidate was Garincha of Brazil in '62. But he was a straightforward winger. He didn't dominate the whole pitch like El Diego). Messi's time may come, but it's not yet.
shola> messy, messi best ever, not a chance comparing him to pele and madonna is a joke at the moment.
All great players. The thing with Maradonna and the '86 WC was the Argentine victory was marred by their use of performance enhancing drugs. As usual FIFA did nothing about it but it has been admitted to by former players.
i know it was a slower game back then but George Best did do too defences what Messi does now but just looked more skillfull in the process
Not yet, a few more years playing like this though and I think he will be. I do think he is in the top 5 though.
maybe he needs to spend some time in the prem. it's ok playing week in week out in spain where they spend more time diving than jack cousteau, let him try over here, and see how good he is. surely to be considered worlds best, you should be able to play and adapt anywhere.
i think we can all agree he is ONE of the best of all time, defiantly the best player of quite a few generations Until last night i had Henry down as the best ive ever seen (i remember he was cheered off the pitch by the SAFC fans when we played arsenal a few years back he was so good)..no more, Messi is on another level.
Unless someone in the EPL is prepared to fork out ã100million+, I doubt he's ever going anywhere. Anyway, he doesn't really NEED to spend some time in the prem. Champions League football every year will let him pitch his skills against the absolute best clubs from all the leagues in Europe. That's probably a fair test of how he can adapt.
nah i think for us to really judge him, we need to see him against stoke, blackburn etc. not just against the skillfull teams, lets see if he is truly an all round great player. but as chappaz has pointed out, no one can afford him, shame really.
