Maradona or Messi?

Ooooooh, snap! He's got you there.

Completely agree with the point about how players would be fitter now. People seem to think that players like Maradona had some sort of advantage because they had the levels of fitness of current players but were playing against the unhealthy players of the time, but it's simply not true. Maradona wasn't some sort of supreme health being (quite the opposite really!) yet he made great players look silly.

On another note, one player who I think will go down in history is C. Ronaldo because of his pioneering techniques (like knuckleballs)

 

The man was very injury prone. He's a lot like Owen, who had a **** load of ability and I believe he was one of the best in the world. Then get got that injury, then another, then another. And he done what I'f I'm really honest, I would of done. Sold out. I hate him for being a greedy **** to us, but I can't say honestly too myself "If I was a Toon player, and was sold to Real Madrid only to get injured, wasted and sent to play for Bolton, would I preform to my best and continue to injury myself?" My answer is no. And if I got an offer from Man Utd I'd snatch it out of there hands!

 

I don't know why but I think if you put Maradona in today's game Messi would eclipse him by far, just a gut feeling based on..not alot

 

Don't see how really. Maradona's natural pace and natural technical ability are looked on now by South Americans and most of Europe as God like! When Maradona was placed in hospital, people in Argentina acted like the pope had died and thousands upon thousands waiting too hear the news outside the hospital. Now you don't get that respect and loyalty froms fans for being a mediocre player back in the day.

When Maradona played for Argentina in the world cup he was amazing.
When Messi plays in the world cup, he blends in. Doesn't do much. And in the game against Greece in the world cup he was completely marked out by Avraam Papadopoulos who in his own right, is a very very mediocre defender. That is NOT world class from Messi, Forlan was the star of the cup IMO and it should of been Messi!

 

Comparing a player from one era to someone from another is just so stupid, times have changed, footballs changed, could Maradona of played football today and still be world class, yeah of course, just like with other legendary players, they had a talent that nobody had, but we are not talking about past players that could play today.

We are comparing Maradona, a player from one era of the game who's had a 21 year career, to Messi, a player of today's game in a different era, who is only 23, he's only just started his career

The comparison cannot be done, simple as that!

 

Nonsense. The only thing that has definitely changed is the ability to stop a team scoring; new techniques and tactics mean it's harder for teams to score, but the players themselves haven't changed much. That is an ignorant thing to say. Has music got better? Not necessarily, it's simply changed

 

You can't really compare players of the past to the players of today, football has changed, it's more about sports science. Look at Socrates, he used to smoke as professional footballer, if a player smoked now they would probably get fined.

Messi is the player of my generation, and if i have kids he's the player that i will tell them about. He's the greatest player at the moment and Barcelona is one of the greatest teams ever.

 

Only when teams 'park the bus' and play on the break and it's not like you see that week in week out, the only time you do is when a poor team comes up against a team like Barca, Madrid, Utd, Arsenal etc... why? Because these teams can score goals for fun. I don't think the like's of Messi and C.Ronaldo have any trouble scoring goals as they seem to do it for fun year in year out

 

This!

 

Rooney, Barton, every other scouser. Loads of players smoke. I see the point about sports science, but surely if past players were brought into today's game they'd receive the same treatment and be the same level as they would have in their era, if you get me

 

Messi has came out now and stated that he can only wish to be as good as Maradona one day right? That's Messi comparing himself, with Maradona..Are you going to tell Messi he's not allowed to do that?

 

He can ask the question or make the comparison yeah, but he'll never get any proof that he is, not unless he asks Maradona to go back in time and challenge him!

 

But surely, by your own rule Messi is an idiot for even making the comparison?

 

Yup

 

Therefore, the huge amount of people who joined in with the discussion and Lionel Messi himself are idiots simply because some 23 year old lad, doesn't agree.

Aren't you a clever one!

 

Of course you can't get any proof, but you can make a pretty good analysis and come to a good conclusion. You can also pass a bit of time doing it

 

What's the point, he's obviously a very arrogant person to simply shove us off as idiots who's opinions don't matter..

 

Ok I take your point about judging a barely started career in comparison to a completed one. If you look back at post number 16 on this tread (my first) you will see they I basically said the same thing.

But it is not impossible to make the comparison even then. I don't need to see Charles N'Zogbia (as an example) play for the next 12 years to know that he will never be as good as Maradona, so it is a fair discussion point to debate whether Messi is even in the running to be better.

You will also notice that many posters on here think that Messi has already shown enough to be considered better than Maradona (I can't agree with this at all but am open minded to the fact that he has the potential to be).

 

Rep for you DT

 

So now you know me do you? You think I'm some sort of arrogant, narrow mind person who just ignores everyone's opinion and i'm not the one calling you all idiots, i never said that, that's just your assumption from my OP.

But if that's how you feel about me then fine i think i can live with myself.