Cohiba Stevie Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Another hat trick this evening... He is now barcelona's all time top goal scorer at the age of 24. Think of all the greats like pele, beckenbauer, cruyff, zidane, ronaldo... Only maradonna comes close to playing at messi's skill level at the age he is now. In 2 - 3 years time he will probably be the greatest that ever lived. A god among men.
tmac77 Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Hard to deny his talent. Just wish he played for any team other than Barca. Then I might be a fan...
asudevil08 Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Just feel lucky to be able to see him be so talented at such a young age. One almost hopes he goes elsewhere at some point to try his skills in another league.
frenchkiwi Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Hard to deny his talent. Just wish he played for any team other than Barca. Then I might be a fan... Barca, a fan-owned club with 170,000 members in its governing body, UNICEF as sponsors, a good record for supporting home grown players, with historical links to freedom-fighting republicans and catalan culture even during Franco's repressive military dictatorship... i'm not a football fan but that history and type of organisation are as good as it gets in terms of pro sports clubs or just about any organisation nowadays... so can be admired for non-footballing reasons (although if you watch the manner they've played in for decades that's kinda leaving out the best bit).
Habanos2000 Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Barca, a fan-owned club with 170,000 members in its governing body, UNICEF as sponsors, a good record for supporting home grown players, with historical links to freedom-fighting republicans and catalan culture even during Franco's repressive military dictatorship... i'm not a football fan but that history and type of organisation are as good as it gets in terms of pro sports clubs or just about any organisation nowadays... so can be admired for non-footballing reasons (although if you watch the manner they've played in for decades that's kinda leaving out the best bit). I for one am not a fan of any business that operates at a loss and then accepts accolades for being “great”. According to ESPN, Barca was almost 600 million in debt at the end of the 2010 season. How hard is it to overspend in the short term only to ultimately bleed yourself dry? Color me a Bayern Munich fan. A club that not only dominates its domestic league, arguable the most competitive in Europe, but does so at a PROFIT! While Messi is deserving of the praise for his individual talents, although I’m still waiting for him to show up for Argentina, I’d take Robben or Schweinsteiger any day of the week over him.
khomeinist Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Robben over Messi? Umm no. Bayern are the Yankees of the Bundesliga. Big deal. They have a huge market and should be profitable. I don't think anyone would put the Bundesliga above EPL, La Liga, or even Serie A. Maybe not even some South American leagues. Haha. Messi is no Zindane, Pele, etc without a World Cup. If Argentina start raising trophies, I will take more interest in these weekly World's Greatest threads.
CaptainQuintero Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 I can see how people love him but personally I can't stand the gamesmanship that goes on at Barca, spoils any praise that I would want to give them. The Champions League final against Man U last year was the first match I've seen them play in which they played properly, didn't try to get other players sent off/win free kicks/get mardy and spit their dummy out. I think certain question marks need to be raised over any player who plays in Spain given the quality of the defending in the league. When Inter knocked them out of the CL in 2010 Messi was nowhere to be seen up against a very organised and skillfull defense. I could never rate Messi over players such as Ronaldo (Big) or Zidane until he has consistantly performed against top defenses like they they did. Plus I've never seen Messi single handedly take games by the scruff of the neck and essentially win them by himself ala Zidane 1996-2006 with France. Obviously he is young but he needs to do that for me to be rated even with those top, top players. At international level you could be forgiven for thinking Sean Wright Phillips has donned a cheap wig, white body leotard and an Argentina shirt. (Too harsh? ) But seriously, until he does he will suffer from George Best syndrome (and I don't mean booze) At the moment he still can't break into my dream team: Ronaldo(Brazil) Maradona Ronaldo (Portugal) Cruyff Zidane Figo Roberto Carlos Beckenbauer Baresi Cafu Schmeichel
khomeinist Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Any of those mid-fielders play defense? Just give me Cruyff, Zindane, and a couple of stouter mid-fielders like Roy Keane and Patrick Viera.
tmac77 Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 I can see how people love him but personally I can't stand the gamesmanship that goes on at Barca, spoils any praise that I would want to give them. +1
Cohiba Stevie Posted March 21, 2012 Author Posted March 21, 2012 I for one am not a fan of any business that operates at a loss and then accepts accolades for being “great”. According to ESPN, Barca was almost 600 million in debt at the end of the 2010 season. How hard is it to overspend in the short term only to ultimately bleed yourself dry? Color me a Bayern Munich fan. A club that not only dominates its domestic league, arguable the most competitive in Europe, but does so at a PROFIT! While Messi is deserving of the praise for his individual talents, although I’m still waiting for him to show up for Argentina, I’d take Robben or Schweinsteiger any day of the week over him. Lol no offense but your comments about taking schweinsteiger and robben over messi are laughable, and the bundlesliga dosent hold a candle to the premier league when it comes competitveness. The premier league is also the hardest league to play in. While messis argentina performances havent been his best, we need to remember he was 22 at the last world cup and his develoment since then has been phenomenal. He is also ranked in the top ten playes of all time already so why many people think he wont be remembered as one of the true greats is beyond me.
Ken Gargett Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 At the moment he still can't break into my dream team: Ronaldo(Brazil) Maradona Ronaldo (Portugal) Cruyff Zidane Figo Roberto Carlos Beckenbauer Baresi Cafu Schmeichel and nor does pele? i must be in a non-parallel universe???? or, and i mean no offence by this, are you simply too young for pele to have registered? i can understand that there may be some things one could argue about, like by how far pele is the best ever or even, on a slow day, whether he was the best or not. but not even in the team? i've seen enough of both renaldo's - and very fine platyers that they are - to suggest you are kidding if you think they topped pele.
Ken Gargett Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 but having said that, i understand that people have opinions that one, or at least i, can't understand. i still meet people from nsw who will not concede wally lewis as the finest of all league players (though you just know that all that is, is that they cannot bring themselves to admit it because he led qld to wins over them so many times). other delusion sods who rate mark ella the best 5/8 of all time (not even of his era or his country or his country in his era). and i had a quite heated debate one evening in a london pub with a good mate who insisted that gooch was a better batsman than bradman (two decades later, he conceded that one) so i do know people come up with odd choices (it is even possible that i might have done the same at times).
Smallclub Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 and nor does pele? i must be in a non-parallel universe???? or, and i mean no offence by this, are you simply too young for pele to have registered? +1. And no dream team without Platini for the free kicks…
Ken Gargett Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 He is now barcelona's all time top goal scorer at the age of 24. ... Only maradonna comes close to playing at messi's skill level at the age he is now. with respect, that is a complete crock. pele made the brazilian team at 16 and had won his first world cup at 17. he is the only bloke ever to win three world cup winners medals. scored over 1300 goals or something ridiculous. and i'd suggest that the brazilian team of that era was a cut above argentina today. so making it, and dominating in it, is all the more extraordinary at such a young age. one of the great moments about pele for me, was that the two sides in the nigerian civil war agreed to a 48 hour ceasefire so they could watch pele. he was that good. remember that he played in an era - as did maradonna - where the defence could be far more agressive. have a look at some of these highlights. you could blindfold him, break a leg and he'd still make any 'best of' side in history. i'd add this - remember seeing it as a young kid. never forgot it. even though he didn't score, it has always been, for me, the boldest move on a football pitch imaginable. think of the supreme confidence to allow that ball to go on, before chasing it. first, it would not occur to 999 out of every 1,000 players. and then 999 out of the 1,000 that thought of it still would not have the balls.
HydroRaven Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 I am not a fan of Barcelona as a football team. Am I the only one that sees having UNICEF as a sponsor morally wrong?
pedromendes Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 I am not a fan of Barcelona as a football team. Am I the only one that sees having UNICEF as a sponsor morally wrong? Barca pays UNICEF, not the other way around.
CaptainQuintero Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 I agree Pele is completely an age thing for me, never saw him play. In my mind I had to draw some kind of line otherwise I would be sticking in a young Bobby Charlton etc. Big Ron was just such an outstanding player, even when he was all bloated in his later years he could beat a whole defense in seconds. Obviously with pele you have to start going into the whole 'leather football and hob nailed boots' debates etc. Viera and Keane were my second midfield pairing but I was an avid 'Los Galacticos' fan, I can remember sitting in awe of how Real would play, the most graceful and stylish football I've ever seen to date, there was no need for a defensive midfielder as their motto was 'score as many as you want against us, we will just score more' ..and I'd take Zidane over Platini everyday of the week, personally I think he's the best football player to have ever graced the field I'm just thoroughly happy that I got to see four of my dream team play in the same team for a number of years http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmbmWr0U3UE
Hash Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Appreciating Messi's talent,we should not foreget the midfield players that feed him all those passes.
Cohiba Stevie Posted March 21, 2012 Author Posted March 21, 2012 Ken: i never discounted pele whatsoever, what i will say when it comes to actual playing abilty compared to achievements from two completley different eras of football, i would still have messi over pele. Just my two cents
Orion21 Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Good point from hash. You are only as good as the people who surround you, but Messi's individual ability to get the ball in the net is amazing. He's a once in a generation player for sure and at 24 he still has many good years ahead of him, barring injury.
mk05 Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 The team is important as well, as one mentioned previously. It spreads the opponents. Do you think Messi can walk over 5 guys just as easily if the opposing team didnt consider Messi's teammates a threat? I love Ronaldinho for his magic and the creativity he left Messi before departing. Nice to see the flashes here and there.
khomeinist Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Xavi and Iniesta are ridiculously good. Fabregas and David Silva? Also studs. Let's see how Messi does for Argentina. Strikers are always so overrated. Xavi might be the best player on Barca in my opinion.
Ken Gargett Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 this might be a good time to point out that, although a gunners fan, i do have the very first barcelona fabregas shirt made. a mate (man u fan who thought it would be funny to get me a fab shirt) was on his way to the airport. made the cab go via the ground to buy a fab shirt. none printed. he made them get a blank barca shirt and put on all the fab stuff. then caught the flight.
khomeinist Posted March 21, 2012 Posted March 21, 2012 Wear it in a review video. Stripes suit you mate.
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