World's Greatest - Messi or Ronaldo?

[TheDon]

Had this dicussion (very heated in the end) in the common room today who is the better player
Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

Also the discussion included who is the greatest player of all time? I say Zidane, but many said Messi, saying he is already better than Pele which is far from true IMO

Discuss.

[99mph]

Messi has a long way to go until he is the best player of all time.

For me, probably Maradona or Cruyff.

[Defunct]

Of the two it's Messi, simply because he isn't a tw*t.

[folkestone orn]

Messi. It's a team game and he's a team player.

It is impossible to judge who is the greatest ever because football has changed so much throughout time.

[LLST]

Although Pele's strike rate is ridiculous.

[TheDon]

Although Pele's strike rate is ridiculous.

Someone tried to tell me today that if Pelé was playing today he wouldn't be anywhere near as good as Messi.
Imagine if he had all these physios, nutritionists telling him what to eat. With a perfectly round football on a pitch like a snooker table...

[HORNETCP]

Messi IS better than Pele. So is Ronaldo. BUT. It's down to how finessed on focus football is now. If Pele was alive now it would be impossible to judge. But based on performance Messi, Robaldo, Maradona, Pele. Difference between Messi and Ronaldo? One plays for a team, one has a team playing forhin.

[Defunct]

If Pele was alive now it would be impossible to judge.

Did he die suddenly?

[HORNETCP]

Did he die suddenly?

My bad. Obviously I meant still playing.

[99mph]

I decided to look up Pelé's goals to game ratio. It's ridiculous!

[With A Smile]

of the two its Messi, alround better player not just a striker.

Maradona and Pele both insipred fairly average teams to winning the world cup. Both Messi and Ronaldo have yet to do it on the big stage

[Smudger]

of the two its Messi, alround better player not just a striker.

Maradona and Pele both insipred fairly average teams to winning the world cup. Both Messi and Ronaldo have yet to do it on the big stage

Average teams. Maradona had players in that 1986 side who were scoring well in La Liga and France ie Valdano and Burruchaga.

He had excellent players in midfield like Enrique and Batista and that defence was very solid. Many of the players in that Argentine side had played for River Plate and Independiente who had beaten the best club sides Europe had to offer in Liverpool and Real Madrid.

And Pele was surrounded by superb players many of whom have been overlooked in his self serving publicity machine. Players like Djalma Santos. Cafu ? Carlos Alberto ? No he is the grandfather of them all. And he could also defend.

Garrincha who was Pele's equal. And he is actually the most similar player that little Leo resembles in terms of his dribbling ability and left footedness. Pele comes out with a lot of rubbish too about how many goals he scored but his Santos side also swept aside Europes best of the time ie Benfica and AC Milan.

I think players and teams can be compared across eras. All great players have that extra time on the ball, impeccable technique and footballing intelligence par excellence. All great teams pass and move the ball with speed and win it back with equally great rapidity. Not only that the players in the sides can often interchange very flexibly from River Plate to Ajax to Barcelona.

Bielsa is the mastermind of the current Barca tactics as his Bilbao side showed against Manchester United.

As for Leo is an very good player. Great ? In time perhaps but he still not even in the top five of all time Argentine players. That said he is in a different league to the egotistical Ronaldo. He is a better passer and technician and lacks all the unfortunate trappings of modern footballers.

No sleazing around nightclubs, no tattoos or stupid goal celebrations, flash cars and so on. And there are signs that with a proper manager in charge of Argentina now namely Alejandro Sabella that he is transferring his club form to the international stage as in recent games against Colombia and Switzerland.

[wfcmoog]

Average teams. Maradona had players in that 1986 side who were scoring well in La Liga and France ie Valdano and Burruchaga.

He had excellent players in midfield like Enrique and Batista and that defence was very solid. Many of the players in that Argentine side had played for River Plate and Independiente who had beaten the best club sides Europe had to offer in Liverpool and Real Madrid.

And Pele was surrounded by superb players many of whom have been overlooked in his self serving publicity machine. Players like Djalma Santos. Cafu ? Carlos Alberto ? No he is the grandfather of them all. And he could also defend.

Garrincha who was Pele's equal. And he is actually the most similar player that little Leo resembles in terms of his dribbling ability and left footedness. Pele comes out with a lot of rubbish too about how many goals he scored but his Santos side also swept aside Europes best of the time ie Benfica and AC Milan.

I think players and teams can be compared across eras. All great players have that extra time on the ball, impeccable technique and footballing intelligence par excellence. All great teams pass and move the ball with speed and win it back with equally great rapidity. Not only that the players in the sides can often interchange very flexibly from River Plate to Ajax to Barcelona.

Bielsa is the mastermind of the current Barca tactics as his Bilbao side showed against Manchester United.

As for Leo is an very good player. Great ? In time perhaps but he still not even in the top five of all time Argentine players. That said he is in a different league to the egotistical Ronaldo. He is a better passer and technician and lacks all the unfortunate trappings of modern footballers.

No sleazing around nightclubs, no tattoos or stupid goal celebrations, flash cars and so on. And there are signs that with a proper manager in charge of Argentina now namely Alejandro Sabella that he is transferring his club form to the international stage as in recent games against Colombia and Switzerland.

Much as I hate Maradonna, what he turned Napoli into was a miracle.

[PaddingtonsYellowArmy]

Billy Jennings - end of!

[PaddingtonsYellowArmy]

Much as I hate Maradonna, what he turned Napoli into was a miracle.

yeh a city of car theiving, knife yeilding shytehole of poverty and drug dealings, corruption and violence.

[Smudger]

yeh a city of car theiving, knife yeilding shytehole of poverty and drug dealings, corruption and violence.

Sounds like London in many areas.

[SM#16]

But then the big stage was a bigger thing back then (devils advocate).

I don't agree with Pele's goal record, it's in a ***** league, and most of his '1000 goals' were in friendlies and ****ing military games, what a farce.

Cruijff was the best player in the world, followed by Maradona and then perhaps Beckenbauer?

Messi is by far the better of these two and if he carries on as he is will be up there with Cruijff, Maradona etc.

[99mph]

I wouldn't say the Brazilian league is a ***** league. But you are right with the friendlies and military sports teams

[TheDon]

Even if you get rid of the friendlies, he still got 643 goals in 656 games. Unbelievable.

I still think Zidane was better than Messi though.

[scummybear]

I still think Zidane was better than Messi though.

I'd agree with that.

Out of the two I'd say Messi is better right now, however you can't call them the greatest players in the world. They'd both be rubbish at CB, so does that make Rio Ferdinand better than both of them? I'd love to see Messi play in goal, he'd concede any shot above 5ft! So really its who is the world's greatest creative midfielder, and even then I don't know enough about non-european football to actually judge that.

So in short Messi is the greatest creative midlfielder currently playing in the top European leagues...