After watching Lionel Messi, destroy Bayer Leverkusen tonight. It has confirmed in my mind that he is the best player I've ever seen. I rate him higher than Maradona, Cruyff and Pele, with the only blot on his copybook being he hasn't, yet, won the World Cup with Argentina. However at only 24, he can still improve! What are your thoughts?
Definitely the best player and team I've ever seen. That said I wasn't around to fully appreciate the likes of Maradona, Cruyff etc
For me, to be the best ever player does not just mean his own performance, but also the ability to raise other player's games by his example. Bobby Moore did this, as did Beckanbauer(sp), Cryuff, Pele and Mustavadonna. Yes, Messi is probably the outstanding personal footballer, but all round? Besides, as the game a has changed so much over the years, can you really compare players from different eras?
Messi is probably the best, there are others with better attributes. I think the key to his success is that amazing barca side. Best side ever? I think they'd run rings around any team throughout history. Scary talent throughout
He's a great player but it's premature to call him the best ever when he's had Xavi/Iniesta to supply him and a poor manager at international level
as I said, too good to miss. To quote Gabriel Byrne in The Usual Suspects "it was your mistake, not mine"
Don't tar all of us from GC with the same brush, I love Norwich: Colman's Mustard, Bernard Matthews turkey care, Sizewell B, Bootiful.
Does Messi play for Norwich City now? I think he could well be the best player ever - Pele doesn't agree though... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16661825
Messi is without doubt a brilliant player, but it's very difficult to compare players from different eras. We must take into account that Messi is playing in a game that is virtually a 'non contact' sport now. How would he have faired against hard uncompromising defenders of years gone by ? We'll never know. Best, Pele, Cruyff and to a point Maradonna all had to cope with being kicked up in the air for ninety minutes. I would wager that for all his brilliance, Messi would have been nowhere near as effective if he had been around in the 60's and 70's. Just my opinion.
i always maintained that maradona must be the best of all time because of clips i'd seen and what he achieved but its difficult because i never saw players from era's before him and never really witnessed him myself at his peak. i can just about remember the 86 world cup but not clearly. my dad thinks cruyff was the greatest, my granddad said ferenc puskas. i always rated 'fat' ronaldo as the best individual talent i'd seen but now messi is without doubt the best player in my lifetime; better than zidane, ronaldo and even maradona. its like the ball is attached to his boot with super glue. he is truly amazing and at 24 there's still the probability that he'll get even better. his goalscoring record, especially for a player who is not an out and out forward, is gobsmacking. i know he plays in a sensational team but he stands out like a sore thumb in it and that shows how good he is i will also point out that if you regularly watch messi, he too gets kicked about - he just bounces off challenges. remarkable player. the pitches are better - not sure if that makes any difference to the kid
I wonder what George Best would have done with £150,000 a week! I agree that it's fatuous to compere players from different eras, even if I've been around long enough to see many of them! Fact is, Messi is the best of the crop at the moment by a mile. I sat through 90 pointless minutes last night (results wise) just to be mesmerised by his skill on the ball. Seems to have a perfect temperament too.
Pele for me has to be the greatest. He could anything on the ground or in the air. thats the part of messi's game that lacks. Maradona for a small guy had a huge leap (even more so with his arms up in the air) so he was a threat always.
Best had tremendous dribbling ability. And he wasn't afraid to run through the middle of defences which is Messi's virtue. Most teams have always stuck the dribbler out on the touchline whre he is easier to mark. Pele was an all round midfielder/striker with extraordinary vision and stood out in a team of talented players as does Messi. England for patriotic reasons aside, the 1970 Brazil team was my favourite of any era. I'm not arguing they were the best, although many would say they are, but the team that pleased me to watch the most. Where do you think Barcelona, if they were a country, would be in the world rankings? Probably top?
brazil 82 is generally regarded as an even better team than the 70 one isn't it? barca would be top of the world rankings redruth - when you think spain are the best team in the world (in my opinion) they don't really have that one player going forward who you think would make them as good as barcelona. that player is of course messi!
82 Brazil, that was the one that got knocked out by Italy?? They say they were the best side to never win the world cup.
If I remember rightly, that was the year that Brazil kicked Maradonna all over the place. He retaliated in the end and ended up getting himself sent off.
