Pele is a man of many talents. [video=youtube;4i5KjchN3I8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i5KjchN3I8[/video] Give him an Oscar for this [video=youtube;gkysPiqyVCE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkysPiqyVCE[/video]
Great article that, apparently Messi is 'less popular than a referee' in Argentina, I rate him personally as the best striker I've ever seen.
Surely he's allowed to have an opinion. Most of us have barely seen Neymar in action so I don't think can comment yet. You can't just say 'he doesn't play in Europe, he's not that good'. I think in 2014 he'll show what a quality player he is. Of course he's likely to be biased though. Messi has done nothing in international football, similar to Rooney really. Whatever you say about Maradonna, unlike Messi, he managed to carry that Argentina through to winning a World Cup in '86. I still think Messi has a while to go before he is considered as better than Pele. People were asking the same question about Ronaldinho back in 2002 and then he went a bit mad and disappeared. The Brasilian league isn't a joke one like the MLS. He's certainly not a bad player ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUwVvyXkElY
Messi is by far and away the Best player on the planet now in this sanatised game. But to even compare him with the likes of Pele, Best, Cryuff, Rossi, Muller to name but a few is silly. In those days defenders could do what they liked almost. Now you cannot be touched. I would love to send Messi and Ronaldo back 30 years and see them up against the defenders of that era but it wont happen. So the argument is futile. As for Neymar being better than Messi ?? Not yet for sure.
i agree the champions league is a harder competition to win then the world cup, and also he got a hat trick last month for argentina so he isnt completely useless on the international stage.. and plenty of top strikers have played with iniesta, xavi etc and got nowhere near 62 goals in a season (so far)..
Messi should of taken Spanish nationality when he had the chance seeing as the argies don't like him, it would also have to put to bed this thought of "he has to win a world cup" rubbish. He I believe is the best player in the world, the things he does with a football is amazing. Xavi and co do help him but a lot of the goals he gets are from his own skill and ability. Neymar is quality but could do to come to Europe and play in the champions league. Only 20 but has a lot of potential.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's goal-scoring record for Barca was better than Messi's. Albeit a difficult comparison with Messi having played so many more games (and that he started out as a winger). My comparison to Rooney on an international basis is actually very close in terms of goals, in fact, Rooney is slightly better.
But the same can be said the other way, yes defenders can't hit you as hard as they used to any more but they're also much, much more organised and if anything the way defenders used to just chase strikers like psychos probably helped the attacker because they were being pulled way out of position (assuming they had one in the first place) The attackers of old played in a front 5 against a back 2, nowadays a striker generally plays on his own against an entire back 4 and in Messi's case, the midfield mark him too. Scoring a goal is much more of an achievement than it used to be and the same goes for World Cups and other tournaments. In the old days if you were good you played in a major tournament. Now there is so much competition for places, so many niggling injuries that spoil a players' performance or rule them out altogether and many of the top players don't make it to a tournament or they find themselves in a crap team or get marked out of every game by 3 or 4 defenders. You can't expect every good player to play well in specific games at your request before he is good. If he regularly has good games he's a good player!
[video=youtube;y4CXY6TVBMc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4CXY6TVBMc[/video] send messi back to the olden days?, pretty sure hed have a field day
For me Pele has always been overated - got injured in the 66 WC when he was in his prime and by the time the famous 70 side was born he was not even the best player in the Brazil side. In 66 Eusebio was a far better footballer than Pele and whilst I've always hated Maradona for the hand of god goal in 86, he was also IMHO a better player than Pele. Messi looks the real deal and to score so many goals in the modern game is incredible.. The Argies don't like him because hes's been at Barca since he was 12 and has failed to scale the heights in an Argentine shirt.. Pele has always lacked humility boasting about scoring 1200 goals over his career - many of which were either in jumped up friendlies or in junior games in Brazil..
Jairzinho, Tostao, Gerson, Rivelino and Carlos Alberto all played as much of a starring role of the 1970 side as i recall as Pele - he wasn't the stand out performer for me..
Messi without a doubt is the best player in the world now, twice the player that Ronaldo is. Messi is the best ever in my opinion.
Hence why Christiano Ronaldo is a more complete player than Messi. If I was manager of Hull City and was offered Messi or Ronaldo I would choose CR hands down all day long. He can do much more without players round him. There is more to his game.
