Messi

doomed

Very hard to compare across the generations but..

I would still have Maradonna slightly ahead because his influence was greater and he succeeded at both club and international level. Dragged an inferior Argentina to victory. At club level he was Napoli.

He is already up there in a very rarified group containing Pele Marradona and Cryuff. If he can inspire Argentna the way Marradonna did and like Zidane did for France then I think he is the best ever.

The other things that make him truly great already

(1) the way he just gets up when fouled. Some players roll around even if they weren't touched
(2) when the other team has the ball he works his socks off closing them down instead of poncing around like a superstar

C Ronaldo? Yeah right! He's not even the best Ronaldo.

thorbarry

kryogen wrote: »

Messi has not done it at International level, or in any league outside Spain, which is tailor made for his style of play


this should be good

Champions League dude. Fair enough its not a league. But its a competition with all the best teams from Europe.

Remember against united in the final, 2 goals

Davaeo09

thorbarry wrote: »

Champions League dude. Fair enough its not a league. But its a competition with all the best teams from Europe.

Remember against united in the final, 2 goals

Yes Messi played a fantastic game that night but it was Eto'o who broke the deadlock.

dyl10

It's times like this when I wonder how Ronaldinho ****ed up so bad...

bonerm

dyl10 wrote: »

It's times like this when I wonder how Ronaldinho ****ed up so bad...

2006 was supposed to be 'his' world cup, where he would show off to the world exactly what he could do. He didn't perform and his career seemed to decline directly after it.

plasmaguy

Bit of an old thread I know, but where else can you celebrate this wonderful achievement?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17932028

Hopefully in years to come all of you will remember where you were when you heard Messi had broken Gerd Mueller's longstanding record.

Eventually you run out of superlatives to describe Messi.

I know there is an argument whether he is the greatest player of all time, but at this point in his career, he is the greatest European Club player of all time.

We live in a great era in terms of football, and Ronaldo is no less special imo.

Warper

I am sure that every older person remembers who their greatest player ever was but i am 35 now and Messi is the best i have seen. Whether he is better than Pele or Maradona etc. i cant comment on as i have never seen them play on a consistent basis. Perhaps someone older can comment on this.

bullvine

Warper wrote: »

I am sure that every older person remembers who their greatest player ever was but i am 35 now and Messi is the best i have seen. Whether he is better than Pele or Maradona etc. i cant comment on as i have never seen them play on a consistent basis. Perhaps someone older can comment on this.

I'm 36, and I remember all the great players from the 80's, Maradona, Platini, Enzo Scifo, Gary Lineker, Lothar Matthaus etc very well but Mainly from their international football from the 80's. You could argue all you want but you cant make a discision till Messi is retired, who knows what the next 10 years will hold for him.

SeantheMan

Well he broke a near 40year record last night ! 68 goals in 1 season
, and still has 3 games to go to put in a few more.

Unearthly

I joked 12 months ago that he will probably score 70 goals the following season :eek:

Dolph Starbeam

Unbelievable, I said it before and I'll say it again, he won't score this many in a season again..

Helix

kryogen wrote: »

Messi has not done it at International level

who cares

he plays week in week out at a far, far higher level than international football

plasmaguy

I hope he breaks the 70 goal mark.

craggles

Incredible that more hasn't been made of this. No one has ever scored more goals in competitive games in a single season.

craggles

Archie Stark scored 70 for the now defunct Bethlehem Steel in the US in the 1920's but if we're counting that, well... Sure he'll break that with three games left!

JaMarcus Hustle

69 now. Incredible really, to put in perspective, I once had a brilliant career going in Football Manager 2010 (the best FM ever if you ask me). I was managing Celtic a few years into my career when I spotted a regen player for Southampton. Well, my scouts alerted me to him.

He was 16 years old and went by the name Ian Hughes. He was a small and fairly lightweight player, but I figured he'd grow into the game. So I snapped him up for £800k compensation as he hadn't signed a full time contract with Southampton yet. This was him:



His debut season was amazing. At 16 years old, he scored 38 goals in the league. It was Roy of the Rovers type stuff. But then he just kept scoring.... and scoring and scoring and scoring, producing the following statistics between the age of 16 and 22 years old -



You'll notice on his last season, he only played 13 games scoring 18 goals. Well, that's because I only took that screenshot in October. Because I quit playing that game soon afterwards. Why? Because it felt like cheating. It was too easy, and it just didn't feel real. I wasn't enjoying it because this made up player was too good and it ruined the experience.

I like to think that roughly 2 weeks ago, Pep Guardiola came to the same conclusion. We will forever be linked in spirit for having a freak midget ruin our love of the beautiful (computer) game.

Slogger Jogger

Another hat-trick. 71 goals so far this season. Wow.:D

dfx-

72...keep up:pac:

SteelyDanJalapeno

make that 4 tonight

Royale with Cheese

Would love to see the look on Ronaldo's face when he gets off the pitch today and is told Messi got 4.

Warper

50 league goals alone and 14 in the CL - records shattered all over the place and he is still only 24.

Orando Broom

Warper wrote: »

50 league goals alone and 14 in the CL - records shattered all over the place and he is still only 24.

An amazing personal achievement that could only be accomplished by his teammates unwavering dedication to the cause. Behind every great player is a great team, even if they did come up a little short this year.

Jimmy Iovine

50 goals in the league is a joke. He has scored more goals than 13 other teams I think.

This is the greatest single season we'll ever see from any player. I don't think even Messi can top this.

The only player I'd back to beat it would be the Brazilian Ronaldo if he was starting out now and was never going to get injured.

MisterAnarchy

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

The only player I'd back to beat it would be the Brazilian Ronaldo if he was starting out now and was never going to get injured.

Ronaldo got 48 goals for Barcelona in one season and I was truly amazed by it,thinking we never see its like again.
Messi has now scored 50% more ,which is just mind boggling.

Some player.

Joke of a league though tbh.

Great for betting on though

Jimmy Iovine

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Ronaldo got 48 goals for Barcelona in one season and I was truly amazed by it,thinking we never see its like again.
Messi has now scored 50% more ,which is just mind boggling.

It was 47 in 49 I think. He was only 21 as well. He was just ridiculously good.

Messi is just a sick man.

A Dub in Glasgo

He missed a great chance for number 5 tonight as well. Great achievement

craggles

rarnes1 wrote: »

Joke of a league though tbh.

Will this ever go away

IrishKev

rarnes1 wrote: »

Some player.

Joke of a league though tbh.

Great for betting on though

`

Yeah, joke of a league is right. Especially when the team in 10th position comfortably knocks out the 2nd placed team in the 'best league in the world' in Europe

Zebra3

kryogen wrote: »

Messi has not done it at International level

Olympic gold medalist. :pac:

Giggsy11

Last season Ronaldo scored something like 11 goals in 3 games when La Liga was over, people went on how Ronaldo scores so many goals when it doesn't matter, now Messi is doing the same People are saying what a genius he is. Ronaldo can't win and Messi can't lose for some people.

Not saying Ronaldo is better player than Messi as he isn't but some people are ****ing hypocrites.

A Dub in Glasgo

Giggsy11 wrote: »

t but some people are ****ing hypocrites.

Are you saying it is the same people?

Bodhisopha

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Last season Ronaldo scored something like 11 goals in 3 games when La Liga was over, people went on how Ronaldo scores so many goals when it doesn't matter, now Messi is doing the same People are saying what a genius he is. Ronaldo can't win and Messi can't lose for some people.

Not saying Ronaldo is better player than Messi as he isn't but some people are ****ing hypocrites.

I think the distinction there is that Ronaldo fans were harping on about him beating Messi for the Pichichi but this is much bigger than that, Messi is breaking long standing records that looked like they would never be broken in the modern era. That's why it is worthy of praise. I'm sure if this was just a case of Messi being top scorer in La Liga nobody would be too fussed, i certainly wouldn't be anyways.

Having said that, Ronaldo has nothing left to play for either whereas this time last season Messi was stewing on the bench until the CL final and was effectively out of their sideshow race to for top scorer, so again it's different. Not that this should have anything to do with Ronaldo, this is above and beyond.

doomed

Just because Messi is better and may well be the best player ever to play the game (and IMO that means having to overtake Maradonna rather than Pele) it does not mean C Ronaldo is not a great player in his own right. Its like being a great golfer when Nicklaus or Woods comes on the scene or being the fastest man on the planet until Usain Bolt jogs past you.

IrishKev

IrishKev wrote: »

`

Yeah, joke of a league is right. Especially when the team in 10th position comfortably knocks out the 2nd placed team in the 'best league in the world' in Europe

Probably should have chosen my words better, you took me up wrong.

It's very predictable is what I'm saying. Barca and Madrid hockey most teams week in week out more almost without fail.

I never compared it to the EPL It's far stronger than it. Lol at anyone that thinks the EPL is the strongest in the world btw.

SeantheMan

Messi's 73 goals !! 2011/2012

@03:19 -- 50 La Liga
@15:41 -- 3 gols Copa del Rey
@19:04 -- 3 Spanish Supercup
@21:43 -- 14 Champions League
@26:10 -- 1 gol Euro Supercup
@29:23 -- 2 World Club championship

Nuri Sahin

:eek:

What a hat trick!!! Puts Argies 4-3 ahead now.

frisbeeface

Brilliant hat trick goal against Brazil

CongoPowers

The commentators on my stream are losing the plot because of Messi.

Drumpot

-Ade- wrote: »

:eek:

What a hat trick!!! Puts Argies 4-3 ahead now.

Did you see his third goal? Wow . . Messi is just on a differant planet to anybody!

markie29

yeah but Neymar is better :rolleyes:

Nuri Sahin

Think I watched 20 mins combined of the match due to the Germany game, but what I saw was brilliant!

Nuri Sahin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiB_tjyA8Os

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJLNVNINjks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNWnVVBN92s

ctrl-alt-delete

So in the height of the Euros,

Brazil and Argentina organise a friendly in New York,

It finishes with 4-3 scoreline and probably contained more entertainment than all the matches put together so far at the Euros,

With Messi scoring a Hattrick just to remind everybody who the best player in the world is for those that might get carried away at the Euros

Leiva

-Ade- wrote: »

<Messi goals>

Those goals are just ridiculous .

The fella is by far the best player to ever play the game to date.

CongoPowers

Apparently first player to score a hattrick for Argentina against Brazil in over 50 years and the first player from any country to score one against Brazil since Rossi for Italy in 1982.

Nuri Sahin

All his goals in the one vid -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDB1-bPuuq0

Bodhisopha

Poor Marcelo.

Ardent

TheTownie wrote: »

The reason he has to have success with Argentina is to prove he can do it outside of Barca.

It would just put to bed any suggestion he couldn't do what he does without Xavi and Iniesta beside him.

Complete bollocks. Anyone with two eyes in their head can see how good the lad is, regardless of who his team mates are. International football is overrated, the best teams are clubs competing in the Champions League and Messi is a proven big game performer.

Win a world cup my arse.

eagle eye

Ardent wrote: »

Complete bollocks. Anyone with two eyes in their head can see how good the lad is, regardless of who his team mates are. International football is overrated, the best teams are clubs competing in the Champions League and Messi is a proven big game performer.

Win a world cup my arse.

He is a proven great player in a team of great players(Barca). He hasn't had success with a team thats not great all around the park. Maradona won a World Cup and got to the final of another with a team of less than stellar talent. He won Serie A with a team that was not great.