But he has played in a World Cup. Has Messi done it in a World Cup as of yet? No. The standard of the Champions League, like the World Cup can be poor at times with clubs like Celtic, who wouldn't be the best side in the Championship, being able to beat Barca. The Champions League is not the be all and end all, Chelsea won it last year! You can say the same with the World Cup with little countries like Scotland and Costa Rica getting there in the past of course. Messi is a wonderful player. Will he go on to be the greatest ever. Quite possibly. He is not there there yet. Perhaps when he retires, he will be seen to be but if you stopped his career now, there is always going to be that 'what if' on the international stage. From his recent international form, he looks like he is there now, come Brazil 2014, I am sure he will be the greatest. Also, he is still to perform at Stoke on a wet Tuesday night to show he can do it in all conditions
That's a bit of a pointless argument since many of the players of those clubs are in top international sides. Besides unless it is a WC or EC/Copa these players do not get the time to train together as they do in a club environment. Argentina would beat any club side.
He's not even the best Argentine player either. Maradona, di Stefano, Sivori, Pedernera and several others are placed before him over there. Had it not been for the Second World War it is quite likely Argentina would have won 2 World Cups with the basis of that side being the all conquering River Plate maquina that invented total football long before Rinus Michels was aware of it. And quite possibly 1958 as well. Thanks to the incompetents at the AFA any Argentine player who went to Europe was ruled ineligible and that included players like Sivori, Angellilo and Maschio who thumped Brazil in the 1957 Copa America. Much of that Brazilian side went on to triumph in Sweden the following year. He's a great player Leo but he has to do it either in 2014 or 2018 and he now has a good coach in charge. In my mind he looks just like Garrincha reincarnated. The same dribbling ability at speed, left footedness and ability to attack from deep and pass. HB1 I haven't seen him in the flesh but I watch him like a hawk especially when he plays for Argentina off the ball. His awareness of team mates and the ability drop into space, pick a pass, urge his companions on and ability to control his movement through a game are improving all the time. I though he needed serious work on his set pieces 2-3 seasons ago. He has done that. All he needs perhaps to do is work a little more on that right foot. Zizou is a good player no doubt about it (when he was missing from the French team it was noticeable how their level of play declined) but on a level with Platini. Maradona could take free kicks like Zico, dribble like Messi and pass like a Platini/Zidane. Simply incomparable. The best player from these isles has to be George Best. Dribbler extraordinaire, great passer, finisher and header of the ball as well again with that lightning acceleration and perfect body balance.
I'm biased I know because he plays for my "home town" club, but I've never seen a player like him. He's he's so consistant, this is what makes him great. His football brain and speed of thought is incredible. He choses the right option nearly every time, whether to shoot or pass. This is why he scored so many and gets so many assists because of this intelligence. He is so unselfish and humble. This is what makes him such a special player.
I like the fact he is humble. He is a perfect role model for any child wishing to become a professional. I think that a great footballer from any era would be great in any other era. You cannot teach innate spatial awareness, footballing intelligence, balance. You can improve those all though to an extent. But all these great players had that coupled to great balance, technique and that footballing intelligence. They make playing the game look easy by having extra time on the ball. Intelligence to read where the ball is heading in defence and intelligence where to anticipate space is going to be. All the great clubs have been very flexible in their positioning of players from River Plate to Barcelona, comfortable on the ball and very resolute in winning it back. All the older players would differ from their counterparts today is the levels of fitness and nothing else. As for Diego his passing was something else.Messi still has a little way to catch up to him in that regard: [video=youtube;--ACUzCCza8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--ACUzCCza8[/video]
Just been watching some Maradona videos on Youtube having been inspired by Smudger. He was a bit before my time, so one of those guys that I know was brilliant, but have never truly had much appreciation for myself having never really seen anything beyond the odd clip here and there. Having spent the last 30 mins watching countless clips, I feel like I can really understand the genius that he brought onto the football field. Wow. Incredible balance and technique, just something else.
So Lionel bagged another brace yesterday. One perhaps slightly fortunate to be awarded as he chipped the ball over the Bilbao keeper only to see Amorebieta hammer the goalbound chip into the net. Just one behind Mullers all time record: [video=youtube;dQSi5uv_URA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQSi5uv_URA[/video]
You never fail to disappoint moogie. I don't think Leo gets into fights after a glass of rioja though.
I was lucky enough to attend the match against Bilbao on Saturday evening and it really is strange watching Messi live rather than on TV. Watching on TV you only see the effort he puts in as the ball is in and around him, what you don't see is the almost Forestiery like slow mooching about the pitch when the ball isn't in the right place for him. As soon as the ball comes near it's like a switch has been thrown and he's energised again. Unbelievable player.
Thank God he doesn't play for Watford; he'd be christened as 'Princess Lionel' and called a lazy barsteward in no time.
I was a bit concerned seeing him stretchered off last night, but happily it's just some bruising around the knee. The record is still on.
He's just saving energy for the next little run on a counter attack. There isn't much point in the little master going back to defend a corner for example
He has learnt to conserve his energy as opposed to when he was a youngster running all over the place. He still will put a defensive shift in if required and I've seen him chase opposition players down and win the ball back. Forestieri could learn a lot from him in conserving energy and making breaks at the right time. It's only a bruised bone so perhaps miss the game against Betis and the record is still on. Still ran rings around Benfica:
Does it Kieran ? Apologies if it does. Imagevenue is the host and it is marked as family. I recommend using Ad Block Plus with your browser. It stops adverts all over the place although disable it for this site so Meister won't be upset .
I don't get a sexy pop up. I get an advert for a wind farm. Kieran must have a dirty browsing history. I do all my porn browsing in real life, not on the internet. If there was Google Ad Sense in real time, prostitutes would be popping up and slamming their *****s in my face every time I walked down the street.
As did I. But I can see what you mean Kieran so I've slightly edited the image link so that it doesn't go anywhere when you click it.
Great photo but he did just chip it through to the keeper http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/gif-lionel-messi-v-7-benfica-players/
Yes he did indeed nascot. There were several Barcelona players all straying offside. Sometimes he's on a level they fail to understand. Similarly with Argentina. If other players were on his level he'd have an even bigger number of assists.
Congratulations to him. How many games has he missed this year...doesn't seem to be injured at all or "rested"
What does this have to do with anything ? A supreme dribbler in a modern game where dribbling has died, an expert passer and finisher. And humble with it. Nice to see Gerd Muller effusive in his praise of the record breaker: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...cord-broken-by-barcelona-forward-8399119.html Messi's records: World Most goals scored in a season (club and national team): 82 goals Most goals scored in a season (club): 73 goals Most goals scored in a year (club and national team): 86 goals Most goals scored in a year (club): 74 goals Most goals scored in FIFA Club World Cup: 4 goals (held jointly with Denilson) Europe Most goals scored in a European Cup season: 14 goals (held jointly with José Altafini) Most European Cup top scorer awards: 4 awards (shared with Gerd M*ller) Highest scorer in a European Cup game: 5 goals (held jointly with ten other players) Argentina Most goals scored in a year (national team): 12 goals (shared with Gabriel Batistuta) Spain Most goals scored in La Liga in a season: 50 goals Most La Liga hat-tricks in a season: 8 hat-tricks Most goals scored in the Supercopa de España: 10 goals Most consecutive La Liga matches scored in: 10 matches (shared with Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima and Mariano Martín) Barcelona Top goalscorer in official competitions: 283 goals Record Goalscorer in UEFA Champions League: 56 goals Record Goalscorer in European Competitions: 57 goals Record Goalscorer in international Competitions: 61 goals Most La Liga hat-tricks overall: 15 Most all competitions hat-tricks overall: 21 He is in company with some great players there,Altafini. Muller and the 2 greatest strikers of the nineties the real Ronaldo and Batistuta. Forthcoming targets: Europe Top goalscorer in European Cup (excl. qualifying): joint 2nd with 56 goals | Raúl leads with 71 goals Top goalscorer in European Cup (incl. qualifying): 4th with 56 goals | Raúl, Ruud van Nistlerooy and Schevchenko are ahead of him Argentina Top goalscorer for Argentina NT: 4th with 31 goals | Batistuta leads with 56 goals, Crespo 35, Maradona 34 Spain Top goalscorer in La Liga: 9th with 192 goals | Telmo Zarra leads with 251 goals Barcelona Top goalscorer in all competitions (incl. friendlies): 3rd with 305 goals | Paulino Alcántara (no relation to the current Thiago) leads with 369 goals World Cup 2014 with an ever improving Argentina and the Copa America in 2015 would cap it all off rather nicely for the little superman. [video=youtube;vY6m8sOjenU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY6m8sOjenU[/video]
Smudger, I know you love the man in all, but come on pal, we both know this record will be smashed in 4 years time by Benteke.
Hehe Cude. You never know he might just be the next big (in more ways than one) thing. And don't forget John Obi Mikel...... I hear Ronaldo has emptied the Kleenex depot's in Spain. They might as well give Leo his fourth Ballon d'Or now.
"Christian Benteke passes to Andreas Weimann and the Austrian has surely secured Villa's place in the semi-finals with four minutes or so remaining." See quality. Watch this space. He's going to be HUGE.
