ddippset:

ok xavi is a million times better than raul, u win but i think you dodged the issue i raised on pedro. 

it's too early to judge pedro. . . .pedro is still a rookie but i won't be surprised if he goes on to become a great player in the future. you cannot just do any comparison between a rookie who has just 2 seasons in top flight football to raul who had almost 15 yrs of top flight footie.

did you see messi's goals against getafe 2007, madrid this year, arsenal this year. who scores solo goalslike messi? who assists like messi?  plus dont lie to yourself just to discredit messi,

many players have been scoring that type of goals before messi was born. van nistelrooy did it against fulham in 2003, cristiano did it against fulham in 2007. maradona did in 86, fat ronaldo did in 96, henry did in 2004 - abeg make we hear word.

who knew  messi b4 holland 2005? i know i mite be getting under your skin but dont get personal aight.

don't compare my level of exposure to yours. i knew messi before holland 2005.

usbcable:

of which the second was unjustified and we were denied a legit one for that matter.
Imagine dissing nigeria because of one foreigner and foreign club. na wa sha.

Well said. If na so e sure for Messi, why him no show face for Abuja come display him skills. / sarc  

montelik:

Well said. If na so e sure for Messi, why him no show face for Abuja come display him skills. / sarc  

do you mean for the equatorial guinea match or the argentina feeders match?

coogar:

it's too early to judge pedro. . . .pedro is still a rookie but i won't be surprised if he goes on to become a great player in the future. you cannot just do any comparison between a rookie who has just 2 seasons in top flight football to raul who had almost 15 yrs of top flight footie.

many players have been scoring that type of goals before messi was born. van nistelrooy did it against fulham in 2003, cristiano did it against fulham in 2007. maradona did in 86, fat ronaldo did in 96, henry did in 2004 - abeg make we hear word.

don't compare my level of exposure to yours. i knew messi before holland 2005.

only messi and maradona have done that really, i dont mean doing an hussein bolts with the ball. knew messi b4 2005? meaning you knew him b4 he turned 18? wow !he must be a genius then!

ddippset:

do you mean for the equatorial guinea match or the argentina feeders match?

Argentina is Argentina, so which one come be feeder team? Him suppose show, come collect koboko like his team-mates.   /sarc

coogar:

xavi and iniesta are greater than raul. xavi has been the top midfielder in the last 6 seasons. there was never a time raul has been the best striker in his entire career. xavi won the best player in euro 2008 - raul has never been any player of any tournament for spain in his entire career. without puyol/pique, xavi and iniesta are trash? which pique? xavi and iniesta had won champions league before pique moved to barcelona in 2008 summer.

messi became famous in a barca shirt. he has been making waves in barcelona team b before his exploits in holland 2005. and that he single-handedly disgraced your fatherland is a bit pushing it. if scoring 2 penalties in a final is disgracing your fatherland then you value the country of your birth so cheaply. messi needs barcelona more than barcelona need him.

I will continue to say this cos it is really baffling how under rated and unrecognized someone Xavi is. D guy is a real marvel, talk about an almost perfect footballer. Maybe its cos he doesn't have a big profile or simply cos d likes of Messi, Ronaldinho, Etoo, and other Barca players of d past and present got most of d limelight and accolades he should have gotten.

ddippset:

only messi and maradona have done that really, i dont mean doing an hussein bolts with the ball. knew messi b4 2005? meaning you knew him b4 he turned 18? wow !he must be a genius then!

[flash=425,400]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NStY4v1rGyg?version=3&hl=en_GB"[/flash]

montelik:

I will continue to say this cos it is really baffling how under rated and unrecognized someone Xavi is. D guy is a real marvel, talk about an almost perfect footballer. Maybe its cos he doesn't have a big profile or simply cos d likes of Messi, Ronaldinho, Etoo, and other Barca players of d past and present got most of d limelight and accolades he should have gotten.

xavi is great. one of the greatest in the game. but xavi himself has said that in his oppinion, messi is the greatest player EVER. this is what xavi said.

ddippset:

so in football nowadays if you score a goal or two then you performed very well but if you do not score a goal then you are flop. so if i say we use overaged players or that messi dismantled Nigeria then it amounts to dissing nigeria? pls dont derail from the issue. like it or not messi was the top scorer and the best player of that tournament. that was when the world knew him.

I think you seem to be missing the point. You Barcelona fans always shout to the high heavens that he is the greatest footballer ever to grace a green field in football. But unlike other great footballers he has not done much or better still practically nothing with the Argentine national team.
messi may better still be described as one of the greatest footballers in club history and not in football history.

He is marvelous great daunting but not the greatest ever as you want to push down everyone's throat like blackmailing Arsenal everyday.

His record for barcelona is Amazing but woeful for Argetina National team.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2011/07/19/2579385/lionel-messi-has-only-scored-three-goals-in-four-major

^^^ These goal.com peeps won't kill Messi and CR7 with all their persistent analysis and postulations every minute. Jeez they need to leave both these guys alone, wetin.

A. Saying Messi can only play well with Xavi/Iniesta "supplying" him is a bit daft considering the fact he's still at his mercurial best for Barcelona when either of the duo are not playing, and he had more assists than both of them COMBINED last season.

B. Messi doesn't play as a striker for Argentina, it's pretty idiotic to be counting how many times he's scored for them considering the fact he creates 40-50% of their goals.

C. Messi was EASILY Argentina's best player at the World Cup/Copa America. If Argentina bombed at both competitions then there are underlying causes, none of which go by the name "Messi".

D. Messi is not the GREATEST player of all time, he's simply the BEST.

ritchboy:

A. Saying Messi can only play well with Xavi/Iniesta "supplying" him is a bit daft considering the fact he's still at his mercurial best for Barcelona when either of the duo are not playing, and he had more assists than both of them COMBINED last season.

show me an example where messi played against a quality side without xavi/iniesta. just one example.

B. Messi doesn't play as a striker for Argentina, it's pretty idiotic to be counting how many times he's scored for them considering the fact he creates 40-50% of their goals.

he doesn't play as a striker for barcelona as well. his markers simply don't have anyone to mark. messi drops deep or just roams around with pedro and david villa flanking him.

C. Messi was EASILY Argentina's best player at the World Cup/Copa America. If Argentina bombed at both competitions then there are underlying causes, none of which go by the name "Messi".

ronaldo was portugal's best player at the world cup. this argument is neither here nor there. with messi being the best player at the world cup, his team still got royally sodomized by germany.

D. Messi is not the GREATEST player of all time, he's simply the BEST.

fat ronaldo is better than him. let's even ignore pele and maradona for now.

coogar:

show me an example where messi played against a quality side without xavi/iniesta. just one example.

I remember Leo putting four goals past Arsenal in one of the most scintillating individual performances in the history of association football, without Iniesta on the field.

Xavi has hardly missed a big game(i can't remember any right now) since the Barca/Messi dominance under Pep.

Can you explain to us why Leo had more assists than these so-called midfield generals COMBINED?

coogar:

he doesn't play as a striker for barcelona as well. his markers simply don't have anyone to mark. messi drops deep or just roams around with pedro and david villa flanking him.

Messi plays as a striker for Barcelona, not all the time, but he does.

coogar:

ronaldo was portugal's best player at the world cup. this argument is neither here nor there. with messi being the best player at the world cup, his team still got royally sodomized by germany.

Really? I was more impressed by Coentrao.

coogar:

fat ronaldo is better than him. let's even ignore pele and maradona for now.

Fat Ronaldo is probably the best center forward of all time but he still can't lace Leo's training boots.

Maradona and (especially) Pele played in a less competitive time were goalies could catch back-passes. Messi is playing in a more competitive era were tactics have evolved to another level.

In any case, Messi still trounces them both puond for pound.

ritchboy:

I remember Leo putting four goals past Arsenal in one of the most scintillating individual performances in the history of association football, without Iniesta on the field.

but xavi was there and i am sure xavi had the most key passes that night.

Xavi has hardly missed a big game(i can't remember any right now) since the Barca/Messi dominance under Pep.

reasons why xavi is the key in that barca team.

Can you explain to us why Leo had more assists than these so-called midfield generals COMBINED?

it's the way barcelona plays. messi is like the 4th midfielder. his energy propels him forward and backwards depending on the state of play. he's a deep-lying forward. an extremely wonderful tool for barcelona as he leaves his markers chasing shadows. ferdinand and vidic had no one to mark in wembley cos messi wasn't even there.

Messi plays as a striker for Barcelona, not all the time, but he does.

but he does not. he's too deep to be called a striker.

Really? I was more impressed by Coentrao.

probably because coentrao was relatively unknown before the media and he played out of his skin.

Fat Ronaldo is probably the best center forward of all time but he still can't lace Leo's training boots.

you were probably too young when ronaldo was in his pomp in 96-98. in that period, even messi himself would bow down to el fenomeno who was a powerhouse of a striker for club and country. everywhere he went, he made goalies cry. he won the world player of the year at age 20 and 21. . . .
when fat ronaldo and romario were partners for brazil, the earth stood still. i am sure dayokanu would remember that friendly against germany when ronaldo breezed past the german goalie, rounded him and slot in a goal.

Maradona and (especially) Pele played in a less competitive time were goalies could catch back-passes. Messi is playing in a more competitive era were tactics have evolved to another level.

hahaha, i laugh in mandarin. the kinda tackles maradona were absorbing back in the days, messi would have retired at the age of 18. you think all the dives messi does now were tolerated back then. dang! i could show you one clip of maradona where his sheer brilliance alone surpassed everything messi has achieved till date.

In any case, Messi still trounces them both puond for pound.

pound for pound he trounces without a world cup to show for it.

Coogar!
U are very prepared for this Messi ! U go finish him today! Who he be self?

However, take care so ur sheer hatred does not drive u kolo

Johnpaul88:

Coogar!
U are very prepared for this Messi ! U go finish him today! Who he be self?

However, take care so your sheer hatred does not drive u kolo

he is actually speaking the truth, if not prove him wrong which none of you all has been able to

well this arguments i guess would never go away. but it's pleasing to know that my best player messi is even being compared to greats like maradona and pele. the comparisons maybe ridiculous but are just enough 4 me to sleep well at night. iam glad that the messi vs ronaldo debate is gradually fizzling out and it's now pele vs messi vs maradona. something worthy of note however is that if maradona and pele were still playing today, they would be criticized and glorified with respect to club affiliations. for instance why would i as a barca fan agree that a real madrid player is good? nowadays? it's a no-no.i wouldn't. even with a gun to my head. na so football be nowadays.

Well . . .

I like Cesar Luis Menotti's comment on the issue.

I think there have been four kings of football and the fifth has not yet appeared. Di Stéfano, Pelé, Cruyff and Maradona. Now we are waiting for the fifth, who might be Messi, or at the moment, might not be anybody. He’s the closest. But we can’t give him the crown for at least five years. To give Messi the crown, we would have to see him outside of Barcelona, doing what Maradona did at Napoli. That team was a band that he converted into an orchestra. Messi is a treasure, a marvelous thing, but we’ll have to see what happens. He doesn’t have to demonstrate anything to be the best in the world [of his time]. But he’s missing one more step to be the best. I don’t doubt that he could claim the crown of the fifth king, but not yet. However, do you know what’s even better?

That Messi learns. Before, every time he got the ball, he would think about how to win the game. No longer. He has evolved. That’s how you notice the touch of the master.



Read more: http://www.totalbarca.com/2011/interviews/part-ii-football-was-stolen-from-the-people/#ixzz1SpJnRhY0

Messi is the best right now, but he's got a long way to go, to be crowned the best of his generation.
But he is on the way, and is learning. Personally, I think he is beyond brilliant, but he needs to develop that iron streak we've seen in the four 'kings' Menotti listed in his analysis. Even CR7 has that iron mentality, despite not even coming close to Messi in terms of sheer genius.
Messi needs to start growing up

^^^
like

usbcable:

he is actually speaking the truth, if not prove him wrong which none of you all has been able to

I will prefer to wait till a match comes up at the Bernabeau to prove u right or wrong.

Won't u rather wait?

i think i agree with mennotti partially. it would be very audacious to single out an individual as the greatest in history. it's OK to call someone one of the greatests. and i think messi has paid his dues at 23 already. those 4 kings weren't exactly perfect too. their own flaws cannot be said to be smaller than messi's. i tell y'all what;
1. IF PELE WAS TODAY'S MESSI, HATERS WOULD SAY-'GET OUTA HERE YOU BLACK AND UGLY, GO WIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, GO PROVE YOURSELF IN EUROPE'
2.IF MARADONA WAS TODAY'S MESSI, HATERS WOULD SAY-'GET OUTA HERE YOU MIDGET, YOU USE DRUGS TO ENHANCE YOUR GAME, YOU CHEAT'
3. IF CRYUFF AND STEFANO WERE TODAY'S MESSI, HATERS WOULD SAY-'GET OUTA HERE, GO WIN THE WORLD CUP FIRST, GO PROVE YOURSELVES IN THE EPL WHICH THEY WOULD CLAIM IS THE BEST LEAGUE IN THE WORLD'
so just like messi they weren't flawless. it's just today there are barca 'fans', man u 'fans', madrid 'fans', chelsea 'fans', etc.

I'd only disagree with Menotti on the 'outside of Barcelona' comment.
If Messi is a prime actor in a golden era of his club, he doesn't really need to prove himself anywhere else.
Barcelona is on a different level right now. Despite the weakness of La Liga, they're able to maintain a very high standard.
I'd much rather see Messi keep Barcelona at the very top of world club football, long after Xavi and Iniesta have left the stage. He doesn't have to play in other teams. He can just meet them in the CL and beat them.

I dont ''totally'' subscribe to the school of thought of playing in another club, but every single legendary player mentioned is usually great on club level and country level.
and the country level is what is the missing puzzle for messi.
abi i lie?
so clubwise,he already great
country wise, he never start sef.

usbcable:

I dont ''totally'' subscribe to the school of thought of playing in another club, but every single legendary player mentioned is usually great on club level and country level.
and the country level is what is the missing puzzle for messi.
abi i lie?
so clubwise,he already great
country wise, he never start sef.

e never start? USB are you kiddn me or what. a guy is 24. won olympic gold, won the junior world cup, got to the world cup quarter finals being his country's best performer in the process? and you still say he never start? our own kanu that we glorify and respect as the king of nigerian football has not even won as much for us as messi for argentina. and you still say he never start? haba USB.

jay-jay okocha did more for nigeria than messi has done for argentina.

and anyone who wants to tell me that the olympic gold medal and the junior world cup medal are nothing should remember how ghana celebrated their last success and how we celebrated atlanta 96.  also watch out for nigeria as the junior world cup starts again next week. some of us will pray, some will skip work, some will cry, some will praise our junior eaglets, some will insult them, some will have sleepless nights, some will bet. and if we win after 3 weeks everyone will celebrate. the streets of ph, lagos, abuja, will be chaotic. and then later someone again will say the junior world cup is nothing because he remembers that a certain lionel messi has almost single handedly won it b4.

coogar:

jay-jay okocha did more for nigeria than messi has done for argentina.

ddippset:

e never start? USB are you kiddn me or what. a guy is 24. won olympic gold, won the junior world cup, got to the world cup quarter finals being his country's best performer in the process? and you still say he never start? our own kanu that we glorify and respect as the king of nigerian football has not even won as much for us as messi for argentina. and you still say he never start? haba USB.

o.k lemme rephrase; he is yet to achieve with the national team.
or better still is yet to achieve glory with the albeceleste

I dint say he average but his actually amazing for his age but all this beautiful adjectives apply only to Messi in Blue and Maroon colors and not Blue and White colors.

coogar:

jay-jay okocha did more for nigeria than messi has done for argentina.

hmmmm interesting but technically we can say, you are absolutely correct.

AjanleKoko:

if na lie talk else close yah eyes'es

usbcable:

hmmmm interesting but technically we can say, you are absolutely correct.if na lie talk else close yah eyes'es

I don't wanna start that argument at all.

I disagree with menotti cos Zidane and ronaldo have to fit in somewhere there.

Also Messi doesnt have to leave Barcelona to be recognised. I cant remember Pele doing anything meaningful outside Santos

i think CR7 is better than Messi,CR7 did well in EPL and he is also doing well in LA LIGA let Messi move like Ronaldo did and the world will know that Messi is not that superb like Ronaldo.CR7 JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO