Lionel Messi is arguably the best footballer today but I heard some football analysts saying that he is the greatest player of all time, and I thought perhaps that statement was made in a haste considering the fact that Messi's achievements have only been with one clubside and is yet to be replicated with his national team. In my opinion Zinedine Zidane still stands shoulder tall and Messi would have to put in a lot more particularly with Argentina if he is to be considered the greatest player of all time. Comments please.

messi has not evn reached a world cup semi final , hw can he surpass ppl dat have lifted de world cup more dan once ?? messi is a gr8 playa no doubt bt 2 me he has don jst enuf #period

He need to start winning titles with the argentine senior national squad. You really cant blame him for lack of these so far; afterall zidane would not have won world/europen cup without deschamp, henry, pires, lizarazu etc.
And maradona without batista, buruchaga
Or Pele without carlos albeto, jairzinho or rivelino

A tree cannot make a forest.

Effiko:

messi has not evn reached a world cup semi final , hw can he surpass ppl dat have lifted de world cup more dan once ?? messi is a gr8 playa no doubt bt 2 me he has don jst enuf #period

in term of glory, nah buh in terms of raw talent, bloody yes.

hmmm. equalled their talent me think, don't know about surpassed.

md4real:

in term of glory, nah buh in terms of raw talent, bloody yes.

if its abt raw talent , messi is jst 1 of dese kind of ppl , dey are many odas

Messi is nowhere near Maradona, talkless of Pele or Zidane.

I was privileged to watch the 1986 World Cup where Maradona shone like a star, and followed his career throughout. The guy was too much.

Pele is in another class. No one comes close.

Zidane? A father! What he used to do from when I first saw him as a substitute in a World Cup Qualifier in 1992 till he retired was just too much.

Messi dey try, but he is nowhere near these greats.

the young shall grow; messi will have his time

Messi is over-rated he still has to surpass Zidane and the original Ronaldo

hw can u guys say dis tins? sumtyms, i wonder if u guys know anytin abt football,
I ddnt watch maradona, pele nd i cant say anythin but i will b right to make assumptions dat footbal wasnt as vigorous as it is nw.
deres alot of money involved and d pace nd strength has improved very well over d yrs,
so u cnt tell me he isnt better dan dese pple.
then, futbal was a sport, nw futball is business! and if any player can dominate d way he's doin nw, then he's d best!

dabraska:

hw can u guys say dis tins? sumtyms, i wonder if u guys know anytin abt football,
I ddnt watch maradona, pele nd i cant say anythin but i will b right to make assumptions dat footbal wasnt as vigorous as it is nw.
deres alot of money involved and d pace nd strength has improved very well over d yrs,
so u cnt tell me he isnt better dan dese pple.
then, futbal was a sport, nw futball is business! and if any player can dominate d way he's doin nw, then he's d best!

absolutely spot on.

Effiko:

messi has not evn reached a world cup semi final , hw can he surpass ppl dat have lifted de world cup more dan once ?? messi is a gr8 playa no doubt bt 2 me he has don jst enuf #period

Maradona and Pele never won the champions league, Messi has won 3

medjai:

Maradona and Pele never won the champions league, Messi has won 3

comparing a WORLD CUP to a EUROPEAN championship ? . I hav nutin 2 sai 2 u , man

Effiko:

comparing a WORLD CUP to a EUROPEAN championship ? . I hav nutin 2 sai 2 u , man

you are wrong and medjai is right. how can maradona and pele be complete legends when they failed to win a european champs league in their career. pele can be forgiven somewhat as he did not play much club foot ball in europe, but diego, . . . .

snowdrops:

you are wrong and medjai is right. how can maradona and pele be complete legends when they failed to win a european champs league in their career. pele can be forgiven somewhat as he did not play much club foot ball in europe, but diego, . . . .

buh messi can also be forgiven 4 not winning a whole WORLD CUP ?? . u dont knw wat ure tokin abt , u too

a 23 year old been criticized for not winning a world cup . he has only featured in one edition, and despite going with an inexperienced and controversial coach and a crappy team. are you for real.
messi would win at least a world cup with Argentina. mark my words.
until messi is 36 years old, your argument holds no water.

snowdrops:

a 23 year old been criticized for not winning a world cup . he has only featured in one edition, and despite going with an inexperienced and controversial coach and a crappy team. are you for real.
messi would win at least a world cup with Argentina. mark my words.
until messi is 36 years old, your argument holds no water.

tank GOD u knw he is jst 23. So jst maybe til wen he can win a world cup with his country {which cud be wen he is 36 or above} , no one can claim dat he has surpassd the both of pele or maradona

^^ Well said. Messi is on d way to potentially eclipsing all others and he has plenty of time. But pple should slow down and let him reach there first, before rushing forward with proclamations.

single honour (may be) yes, but double honour, no. world cup, let him go and sleep jare!!!!

Messi will outshine Pele and Maradona at the end of his Career. His type don't come often.

snowdrops:

you are wrong and medjai is right. how can maradona and pele be complete legends when they failed to win a european champs league in their career. pele can be forgiven somewhat as he did not play much club foot ball in europe, but diego, . . . .

Winning the European Champions League is no benchmark for measuring football success. So Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Nicky Butt, etc are all greater than Pele and Maradona because they won the ECL? ECL is an European competition. The WC is a better benchmark.

Messi may surpass most records by the time he retires but he actually HAS to do it first before you can compare him to the greats. As it is now, the following are still ahead of Messi - 1) Pele 2) Maradona 3) Zidane 4) Original Ronaldo

Even if Messi is able to get close to Zidane, Maradona, and Ronaldo, its almost impossible to catch Pele

1. Pele scored a total of 1,283 first-class goals, including 77 for Brazil in 92 games
2. He won three World Cups, two World Club Championships
3. At 17, Pele became the youngest ever winner of a World Cup. He also scored twice in the final against home side Sweden.
4. When Pele retired, J.B. Pinheiro, the Brazilian ambassador to the United Nations, said: "Pele played football for 22 years, and in that time he did more to promote world friendship and fraternity than any other ambassador anywhere".
5. In 1967, a 48-hour ceasefire was declared in Nigeria so that Federal and Rebel troops could watch Pele play on a visit to the war-torn nation.
6. On the 19th November 1969, Pele scored his 1000th career goal. Hundreds raced onto the pitch to mob the Brazilian star and it took over thirty minutes for the game to resume.
7. When Pele played for the New York Cosmos so many of his opponents wanted to swap shirts with him that the club had to give each of their opponents a shirt after every match. "Pele was the main attraction," says Gordon Bradley, one of the club's coaches at the time. "Sometimes we had to take 25 or 30 shirts with us to a match - otherwise, we'd never have got out of the stadium alive."
8. The Queen of England broke protocol to shake Pele
9. The Shah of Iran waited for 6 hours at Heathrow to meet Pele
10. "How do you spell Pelé?" the Times of London once declared. "G-O-D".
11. In 2000, Pelé was named second in the BBC's "Sportsman of the Century" award. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali came first.
12. Tarcisio Burgnich, Italian defender who marked Pelé in the 1970 World Cup Finals said afterwards: "I told myself before the game, he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else — but I was wrong."
13. Cristiano Ronaldo said: "Pele is the greatest player in football history, and there will only be one Pele".
14. England World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore on Pele: “The most complete player I've ever seen.”
15. He was voted athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999.
16. Pele scored 92 hat-tricks, and scored four goals on 31 occasions, five on six occasions, and once scored eight
17. He holds the record for the most number of goals scored for the national team, which is a record that has stood for almost 40 years.

Katsumoto:

Winning the European Champions League is no benchmark for measuring football success. So Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Nicky Butt, etc are all greater than Pele and Maradona because they won the ECL? ECL is an European competition. The WC is a better benchmark.

Messi may surpass most records by the time he retires but he actually HAS to do it first before you can compare him to the greats. As it is now, the following are still ahead of Messi - 1) Pele 2) Maradona 3) Zidane 4) Original Ronaldo

Even if Messi is able to get close to Zidane, Maradona, and Ronaldo, its almost impossible to catch Pele

1. Pele scored a total of 1,283 first-class goals, including 77 for Brazil in 92 games
2. He won three World Cups, two World Club Championships
3. At 17, Pele became the youngest ever winner of a World Cup. He also scored twice in the final against home side Sweden.
4. When Pele retired, J.B. Pinheiro, the Brazilian ambassador to the United Nations, said: "Pele played football for 22 years, and in that time he did more to promote world friendship and fraternity than any other ambassador anywhere".
5. In 1967, a 48-hour ceasefire was declared in Nigeria so that Federal and Rebel troops could watch Pele play on a visit to the war-torn nation.
6. On the 19th November 1969, Pele scored his 1000th career goal. Hundreds raced onto the pitch to mob the Brazilian star and it took over thirty minutes for the game to resume.
7. When Pele played for the New York Cosmos so many of his opponents wanted to swap shirts with him that the club had to give each of their opponents a shirt after every match. "Pele was the main attraction," says Gordon Bradley, one of the club's coaches at the time. "Sometimes we had to take 25 or 30 shirts with us to a match - otherwise, we'd never have got out of the stadium alive."
8. The Queen of England broke protocol to shake Pele
9. The Shah of Iran waited for 6 hours at Heathrow to meet Pele
10. "How do you spell Pelé?" the Times of London once declared. "G-O-D".
11. In 2000, Pelé was named second in the BBC's "Sportsman of the Century" award. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali came first.
12. Tarcisio Burgnich, Italian defender who marked Pelé in the 1970 World Cup Finals said afterwards: "I told myself before the game, he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else — but I was wrong."
13. Cristiano Ronaldo said: "Pele is the greatest player in football history, and there will only be one Pele".
14. England World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore on Pele: “The most complete player I've ever seen.”
15. He was voted athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999.
16. Pele scored 92 hat-tricks, and scored four goals on 31 occasions, five on six occasions, and once scored eight
17. He holds the record for the most number of goals scored for the national team, which is a record that has stood for almost 40 years.

This speaks volume.

Katsumoto:

Winning the European Champions League is no benchmark for measuring football success. So Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Nicky Butt, etc are all greater than Pele and Maradona because they won the ECL? ECL is an European competition. The WC is a better benchmark.

Messi may surpass most records by the time he retires but he actually HAS to do it first before you can compare him to the greats. As it is now, the following are still ahead of Messi - 1) Pele 2) Maradona 3) Zidane 4) Original Ronaldo

Even if Messi is able to get close to Zidane, Maradona, and Ronaldo, its almost impossible to catch Pele

1. Pele scored a total of 1,283 first-class goals, including 77 for Brazil in 92 games
2. He won three World Cups, two World Club Championships
3. At 17, Pele became the youngest ever winner of a World Cup. He also scored twice in the final against home side Sweden.
4. When Pele retired, J.B. Pinheiro, the Brazilian ambassador to the United Nations, said: "Pele played football for 22 years, and in that time he did more to promote world friendship and fraternity than any other ambassador anywhere".
5. In 1967, a 48-hour ceasefire was declared in Nigeria so that Federal and Rebel troops could watch Pele play on a visit to the war-torn nation.
6. On the 19th November 1969, Pele scored his 1000th career goal. Hundreds raced onto the pitch to mob the Brazilian star and it took over thirty minutes for the game to resume.
7. When Pele played for the New York Cosmos so many of his opponents wanted to swap shirts with him that the club had to give each of their opponents a shirt after every match. "Pele was the main attraction," says Gordon Bradley, one of the club's coaches at the time. "Sometimes we had to take 25 or 30 shirts with us to a match - otherwise, we'd never have got out of the stadium alive."
8. The Queen of England broke protocol to shake Pele
9. The Shah of Iran waited for 6 hours at Heathrow to meet Pele
10. "How do you spell Pelé?" the Times of London once declared. "G-O-D".
11. In 2000, Pelé was named second in the BBC's "Sportsman of the Century" award. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali came first.
12. Tarcisio Burgnich, Italian defender who marked Pelé in the 1970 World Cup Finals said afterwards: "I told myself before the game, he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else — but I was wrong."
13. Cristiano Ronaldo said: "Pele is the greatest player in football history, and there will only be one Pele".
14. England World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore on Pele: “The most complete player I've ever seen.”
15. He was voted athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999.
16. Pele scored 92 hat-tricks, and scored four goals on 31 occasions, five on six occasions, and once scored eight
17. He holds the record for the most number of goals scored for the national team, which is a record that has stood for almost 40 years.

OMG!! Messi is a great player, but Pele is untouchable - no offense to Barca Fans. Messi is a good story,Pele is a LEGEND

remember in the days pf pele not many people took football seriously. players were played peanut as wages and sign on fees. you had few sponsors for the sport. the rules of the game were different at the time and really lax.
pele and maradonna were both special players that defined their generation, but messi is a phenomenon in the making.

snowdrops:

remember in the days pf pele not many people took football seriously. players were played peanut as wages and sign on fees. you had few sponsors for the sport. the rules of the game were different at the time and really lax.
pele and maradonna were both special players that defined their generation, but messi is a phenomenon in the making.

So because football is more commercial these days, those that play it today are more talented than those that played in the past? That doesn't make sense. If we are to use your logic in music, you will say lil wayne and kanye west are better rappers than Rakim, KRS 1, Biggie, Ice Cube.

Messi may be great now but you can't judge him until he has finished his career. Messi is 23 and has never played in a WC semi-final; at that age, Pele had won two WCs. Messi has to win the next three WCs to equal Pele's record; meaning he has to win at 26, 30, and 34. That is almost impossible. Pele scored 77 times in 92 games for Brazil. Messi has scored 16 in 55 games for Argentina; Messi has to score 61 goals in 37 games to match Pele's scoring record for Brazil.

Please stop comparing Messi to the god of football

English football writer Geoffrey Green once declared: “Di Stefano was manufactured on earth, Pele was made in heaven.”

Katsumoto:

So because football is more commercial these days, those that play it today are more talented than those that played in the past? That doesn't make sense. If we are to use your logic in music, you will say lil wayne and kanye west are better rappers than Rakim, KRS 1, Biggie, Ice Cube.

Messi may be great now but you can't judge him until he has finished his career. Messi is 23 and has never played in a WC semi-final; at that age, Pele had won two WCs. Messi has to win the next three WCs to equal Pele's record; meaning he has to win at 26, 30, and 34. That is almost impossible. Pele scored 77 times in 92 games for Brazil. Messi has scored 16 in 55 games for Argentina; Messi has to score 61 goals in 37 games to match Pele's scoring record for Brazil.

Please stop comparing Messi to the god of football

English football writer Geoffrey Green once declared: “Di Stefano was manufactured on earth, Pele was made in heaven.”

if you had read my earlier post you would not have spewed some of your gibberish. of course messi is 23 and judgement on his footballing career should be reserved until he nears retirement. that has been my stance.

however, football in the 50s 60s and 70s is nothing compared to what we have today. your comparison of ice cube whatever is nonsense. ice cube is 80s/90s. goodness; do you read what you type

pele was outstanding in his days when there was less pressure on footballers and the rules relatively easier. he is by no means a god. he may be yours by the way.

snowdrops:


however, football in the 50s 60s and 70s is nothing compared to what we have today. your comparison of ice cube whatever is nonsense. ice cube is 80s/90s. goodness; do you read what you type

Football in the 50s, 60s and 70s is nothing compared to today because men played against women or children. Men played against men; end of story. Only someone with a limited knowledge of football would argue that football is more difficult now.

1. The Ball
The ball has been getting softer over the years. I guarantee you that Messi would have had a difficult time playing with those balls

2. Defenders
Defenders in that era were brutes. Do you honestly think Messi could have played against defenders who were out to kill you or break your leg without protection from the ref? Red and Yellow cards were introduced at the WC in 1970 (Pele's last WC). Substitutes were introduced in 1958 but only for injured players. Do you honestly think Messi could have played in a match such as the battle of Santiago between Chile and Italy at the 62 WC? Refs offer more protection to strikers these days.

See below
In Mexico 1970, Beckenbauer is most remembered for playing on with an obvious shoulder injury in the classic 4-3 semifinal defeat to Italy. Heavily strapped he refused to be sustituted and battled throughout the full 120 minutes only to see his side lose the close contest.

In the FA Cup Final against Birmingham, Bert Trautmann (german) bravely dived at the feet of opposing striker Peter Murphy, sustaining an horrific neck injury. Despite intense pain, Trautmann refused to leave the pitch and reduce Manchester City to 10 men. Instead, he continued in goal and was involved in two further dramatic saves to help Manchester City beat Birmingham 3-1.

There are many other examples of players of old playing with serious injuries. Google some of the english players in the 70s. Can you think of one player today who finished a game with serious injury?

3. Technology
Technology is helping make the game easier; players careers are being elongated through improvements in sports sciences.

4. Squads
Squads are getting bigger meaning that players play for less.

With regards to your comments about Ice cube; if cube was from the 80s and 90s, I suppose Biggie, KRS 1 and Rakim were from the 60s. You don't know football and you don't know music.

snowdrops:

pele was outstanding in his days when there was less pressure on footballers and the rules relatively easier. he is by no means a god. he may be yours by the way.

WRT football, Pele is considered a god by many and not just me. Rather than reply with petty remarks, why not tell us Messi's (or any other player for that matter) accomplishments that compares to Pele's.

i can see you are making too much use of wikipedia. that is the hallmark of someone who knows nothing but tries too hard that he knows what he knows too little of. sometimes, i feel like i am wasting my precious time debating with some persons in here because they remain as ignorant as they were ab initio.

snowdrops:

i can see you are making too much use of wikipedia. that is the hallmark of someone who knows nothing but tries too hard that he knows what he knows too little of. sometimes, i feel like i am wasting my precious time debating with some persons in here because they remain as ignorant as they were ab initio.

State your argument and stop resorting to petty insults. What has Messi accomplished that will make him greater than other legends? ECL is not a benchmark because not all players have the opportunity to showcase their skills in it.

What president has waited at an airport to meet him? What queen has broken protocol for him? What war was stopped temporarily because the combatants wanted to see him play? His he likely to have scored 77 goals by the time he plays 92 games for Argentina? Has he won a single WC? I could go on and on.

On March 5, 1961 (he was 20), Pele scored "The Goal of the Plaque." Collecting the ball in his own penalty area, he beat the entire Fluminense team, dribbling the entire way without passing before scoring. A plaque at the entrance of Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro was put up honoring the goal as the "most beautiful" ever in its history.

Has Messi ever beaten an entire team of 11 to score a goal? I suppose football was so easy back then as Pele was playing against a team of ants.

How many players have ever been sent off but still finished the game?

At a match in 1969 in Colombia, Pele was kicked out of the game for arguing with the referee. He was quickly ushered back onto the field because the police feared a riot. The ref was however replaced by the fourth official.


In 1959, Pele had his highest season total with 129 goals. How many players have scored close to 60 in a season?

you are comparing an era where there were no internet, satellite communication, mobile phones etc to today. when people in Africa cant watch live matches but only read the scores in newspaper. if this were the 50s we wont be having this argument here; would rather be in a beer parlour, were rumour turns into fact. why wont wars be stopped as you claimed for a so called larger than life footballer.

you are quite mischievous character and trying dubiously at all opportunity to twist my points. now is messi is greater than pele. how pathetic can you get.

this boy has achieved a lot for his age given the pressures he is under. if messi played in the team Pele played in the 1958 world cup in Sweden, he would 100% win the world cup as well. you make it sound like Pele single handedly handed the team the trophy.

the tournament that defined Pele was the 1970 WC,when he was already into his 30s. so give messi a break; come back in 15 years time hopfully with your tail betwen your legs.