Messi "best player of all time"

[Bruce Wayne]

World cups shmucks


Messi has won a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record five European golden shoes. He has spent his entire career with Barcelona, where he has won 33 trophies, including nine La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and six Copas del Rey. Both a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga (394), a La Liga season (50), a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91), El Clásico (26), as well as those for most assists in La Liga (157) and the Copa América (11). He has scored over 660 senior career goals for club and country.




Eat my shorts

Yeah, but doing it in 7 games that included the might of South Korea and Bulgaria is a much better barometer of someone's career than several hundred games.

If you take their European record, Maradona scored 5 in 25 games for Napoli, versus 106 in 129 games for Messi. In domestic football, Platini had a better record than Maradona, but no one touts him as the best ever. Literally the only reason Maradona gets creamed about is because he duffed up a mediocre England side.

 

[wandyr79]

Check these stats out....

That is the first time I have ever seen a well timed photo being used as a 'stat'

 

[Pabbers]

The Ronaldo lovers completely forget Messi winning player of the tourny at 1 World Cup.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

The Ronaldo lovers completely forget Messi winning player of the tourny at 1 World Cup.

I don't think he deserved it in 2014 to be honest

 

[davek]

World cups shmucks


Messi has won a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record five European golden shoes. He has spent his entire career with Barcelona, where he has won 33 trophies, including nine La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and six Copas del Rey. Both a prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most official goals scored in La Liga (394), a La Liga season (50), a club football season in Europe (73), a calendar year (91), El Clásico (26), as well as those for most assists in La Liga (157) and the Copa América (11). He has scored over 660 senior career goals for club and country.




Eat my shorts

lollol

 

[TraffordBlue]

I don't think he deserved it in 2014 to be honest

I think James Rodriguez should have got it that World Cup but some have re-written history a bit when it comes to Messi not being very good at that tournament. His record in the group stage speaks for itself and easily matches Ronaldo's from this year where Ronaldo was getting all kinds of plaudits.

 

[TraffordBlue]

Can't comment on players before my lifetime with any real credibility (although from what I have seen and know Pele and Maradona seem to be the best) but no one comes close to Messi in the last 3 decades.

 

[larbert toffee]

lollol

The European Golden Shoe or Golden Boot is an award that is presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of every European national league. The trophy is a sculpture of a football boot. From its inception in the 1967–68 season, the award, originally called Soulier d'Or, which translates from French as Golden Shoe or Boot, has been given to the top goalscorer in all European leagues that season, with a weighting in favour of the highest ranked leagues. Originally presented by L'Équipe magazine, it has been awarded by the European Sports Media since the 1996–97 season.

You lose your argument completely when you mock what you wrongly perceived as a mistake, not like you Dave you're slipping.

 

[Jamalio Danubio DiCanio]

I think there's genuine conversation to be had about Messi versus Maradona. I don't think there is for CR7. Pele I'm unsure about because I didn't see him much.

I saw Maradona a bit in Serie A during the late 80's. He was absolutely magical. You got to account for the strength of that league at the time. It's arguably the strongest domestic league there's ever been. Go and have a look at the teams who were finishing 6th -10th and the players they had. Basically 90% of the top end players from around the World were concentrated in that league. Every game was really tough. Maradona was the best player and the deciding factor in 2 titles in such esteemed company. He didn't do it in European competition as much but did inspire a World Cup win and influenced a World Cup more than any other I can remember.

Messi is a wondrous player who undoubely deserves to discussed in that very top bracket of players. His stats are mind blowingly good in this era and any other era. His team has won numerous league titles and he's done it on the European stage too. However, I think domestically there's an argument that La Liga isn't a great league outside of the top 3-6 teams. There's 14-15 teams every season who are absolute cannon fodder for the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Players can wrack up stats and coast through games, saving energy for European completion or the big league games. Something that was never afforded Maradona.

I dont think there's any right answer to who the greatest player ever is. For me though, over the last 30-40 years watching football I think the most compelling cases can be made for Maradona and Messi. CR7 is probably the 3rd best player. Then a long gap to the likes of van Basten, Mattheus, Zidane.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

I Get tired of going round in circles with this argument. It is Hard to argue with Barney Ronay's assessment of Messi as "the most consistantly brilliant club footballer of his generation"

 

[Pabbers]

I don't think he deserved it in 2014 to be honest

Oh I do, he was immense. Especially in those group stage games.

Him Di Maria were superb.

 

[Prevenger17]

Messi probably the best ever, unreal stats. Though I think the fact that he is a walking Human Growth Hormone should be mentioned more

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I think there's genuine conversation to be had about Messi versus Maradona. I don't think there is for CR7. Pele I'm unsure about because I didn't see him much.

I saw Maradona a bit in Serie A during the late 80's. He was absolutely magical. You got to account for the strength of that league at the time. It's arguably the strongest domestic league there's ever been. Go and have a look at the teams who were finishing 6th -10th and the players they had. Basically 90% of the top end players from around the World were concentrated in that league. Every game was really tough. Maradona was the best player and the deciding factor in 2 titles in such esteemed company. He didn't do it in European competition as much but did inspire a World Cup win and influenced a World Cup more than any other I can remember.

Messi is a wondrous player who undoubely deserves to discussed in that very top bracket of players. His stats are mind blowingly good in this era and any other era. His team has won numerous league titles and he's done it on the European stage too. However, I think domestically there's an argument that La Liga isn't a great league outside of the top 3-6 teams. There's 14-15 teams every season who are absolute cannon fodder for the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Players can wrack up stats and coast through games, saving energy for European completion or the big league games. Something that was never afforded Maradona.

I dont think there's any right answer to who the greatest player ever is. For me though, over the last 30-40 years watching football I think the most compelling cases can be made for Maradona and Messi. CR7 is probably the 3rd best player. Then a long gap to the likes of van Basten, Mattheus, Zidane.

During the period Maradona was in Serie A, Italian clubs won 3 of 7 European Cups (with 2 teams), 3 of 7 UEFA Cups (with 3 teams), and 1 of 7 Cup Winners Cups. In the time Messi has been in the Barca first team (13 seasons), Spanish clubs have won 8 European Cups (with 2 teams) and 8 UEFA Cups (with 2 teams). Doesn't suggest a huge difference to me. It's also odd that if most of the best players were in Italy, why Maradona had such a poor record in European competitions.

 

[davek]

The European Golden Shoe or Golden Boot is an award that is presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of every European national league. The trophy is a sculpture of a football boot. From its inception in the 1967–68 season, the award, originally called Soulier d'Or, which translates from French as Golden Shoe or Boot, has been given to the top goalscorer in all European leagues that season, with a weighting in favour of the highest ranked leagues. Originally presented by L'Équipe magazine, it has been awarded by the European Sports Media since the 1996–97 season.

You lose your argument completely when you mock what you wrongly perceived as a mistake, not like you Dave you're slipping.

Diego's gutted he never won one of them. It's rumoured that he became addicted to beak because of it.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Diego's gutted he never won one of them. It's rumoured that he became addicted to beak because of it.

Aye, Messi just had to make do with winning 7 more league titles, 4 more domestic cups, 4 more European Cups. It's alright though coz a player who got Argentina to 4 international finals during his career couldn't hack it in the international game.