₦airaland Forum

ddippset: and switzerland! without messi, argentina would have gotten 1 point from bosnia. without messi argentina would have gotten 1 point from iran. (why? in both games he won them with the last kick of the ball). against nigeria, i cant tell. meaning they just might have faced france instead of switzerland and you know what the means, a probable second round exit. against switzerland, without messi they were destined to have a shootout but mascherano or lavezzi or any other argentina could never have made that run to set up angel.

Without Kolasinac's own goal Argentina's game would have also ended in a draw. If the defence didn't do their job Messi's goal would also not have given Argentina 3 pts. Try dey give other people credit as well! Everything isn't always about Messi

ddippset: against belgium, he danced around 3 midfielders to draw space and set up angel again. against holland he beat kyut and vlar on the right side to set up maxi who had an easier job than gotze had last night but he blew it. if maxi had scored from that assist, messi would have been man of the match definitely!

Wow even Di Maria's effort was deflected by Verthongen without that Higuain would not have even gotten the ball to begin with.

Robben also had a chance that Mascherano's last ditch block prevented from being a sure goal

ddippset: nowadays people like to talk mascherano; against iran nobody mentioned mascherano, against bosnia nobody, against nigeria nobody, against switzerland nobody, against belgium nobody, and then against holland for the first 80 mins nobody. with the match almost ending masch made a tackle to deny robben and all of a sudden mascherano became argentina's best player. some even go to the extent of saying masch was argentina's best player by a wide margin; for real?

No one remembers what was done against Bosnia, Iran or Nigeria if we did then guys like Benzema, Neymar should also be in the Golden Ball discussion since they also shone in the Group stage. How can you deny the defensive line credit for keeping a clean sheet in 3 out of 4 knockout games while the attack could only provide 2 goals

ddippset: seriously people are taking for granted how much a feat it is to play in a world cup final, win or lose simply because messi is involved. messi and argentina must be celebrated. messi almost single handedly dragged his country to a world cup final, 7 mins more the story could have been very different. surely messi will no longer be regarded as a national team flop.

No Argentina's defense dragged them to the World Cup Final! 1 goal conceded in 450 mins of knockout football is no mean feat

ddippset: like i said b4 only thomas muller deserved the golden ball ahead of messi.

Now you are talking

ddippset: nobody else. however you do it, sweet or ugly, to make it to a world cup final you must be celebrated and honoured. ive never seen a team play in a world cup final and still be maligned. i have never seen a player captain a team to a world cup final as their captain and best player and still be criticised. messi has set the bar too high, that's the albatross around his neck.

You people need to embrace the bitter truth! Your boy failed to deliver when it mattered the most. Maradona said it all and I don't think you love Argentina more than Maradona

medjai: Worst team to ever the win the world cup

Dun cry dun beg

Nihilist: I can easily top that...

Jerome 'Alago' Boateng, the time prefect of Munich, has somehow won the bundesliga, champions league, and the worldcup....and he's not even a real footballer!

He's not a real footballer but he started and played a considerable part in

2 Bundesliga titles
1 UCL
2 DFB Pokals
1 Club World Cup
1 UEFA Super Cup
1 FIFA World Cup (with an epic performance in the Final)

All at the young age of 25. Maybe you can tell us who a real footballer is if Boateng isn't one

occam: Deng to Heat; Lebron to Cavs. basically the 2 teams swapped small forwards with the Heat getting the very light version. New big "3" Bosh, Deng and Wade. Jeez Heat fans are in for a very long season.

Don't sleep on Deng bro. He's been an All-star and can still give you 14-18pts on any given night plus an excellent defender too! The key here is D.Wade's health if he is healthy the Heat are still a top 4 team in the East

Özil: While he didn't set the World Cup on fire I strongly disagree with people who claim he had a bad tournament! He was played out of position for its entirety but still made himself useful. Easily the 2nd most creative player in the team from open play besides Müller

Klose: Showed his class and experience and scored two very important goals to eclipse Ronaldo and become the World Cup's best goalscorer. Class act and a fitting way to go out. Legend

Götze: Played out of position and was given a shorter leash than the likes of Kroos and Özil IMO but kudos to him for not being mentally fragile and letting his head drop I am absolutely delighted that it was he who went on to score the most important goal of all! Maybe with Kroos's exit we would finally get to see the best of Götze who despite scoring 15 goals and 14 assists last season is still inexplicably being labelled a flop

Müller: King Müller, the Raumdeuter was simply amazing at this World Cup! Golden Ball winner IMO the boy is already a legend at 24! Was responsible for more goals than any other player at the World Cup yet covered the most ground. Awesome does not even begin to explain this ninja! If I start with superlatives I might not finish so let me stop here

Schürrle: Jorgi Loew's Joker, dude came off the bench and always brought gobe to the opposition! Too much energy too much ginja and fitting too that after slaughtering Caesar in the semis with that amazing 7th goal he provided Götze with the World Cup winner not forgetting his heroics against Algeria. Germany are not World Champions without Schürrle that's how important he was

Löw Even the harshest of critics can be shut up with a World Cup title and Jorgi has finally delivered! He grew up tactically at this World Cup tbh apart from playing Mustafi and his IMO unfair handling of Götze he did very well! Made the right substitutions and adjusted on the fly in all situations

Still a bit pissed that Müller was robbed of the Golden Ball award but in the end FIFA had to console Messi its just a bit frustrating that in a World Cup where at least 5 players played better that he still won the award I honestly think its bad for football and sends the wrong message out there to the other players that their efforts would never be recognized

Neuer: What can be said about the best keeper of his generation who could wind up surpassing legends like Kahn, Buffon after all is said and done. Dude almost redefined the goalkeeping position and continues to amaze with his supreme calm and confidence in the most high pressure situations

Lahm: Embodiment of leadership, a player that let's his play do the talking and rarely ever let's his team down! Thank God for Mustafi's injury, we saw the best of Lahm when he moved back to right back especially against Brazil

Boateng: What can be said about the Boa-tank? Started the World Cup out of his natural position but adjusted seamlessly when played in his natural habitat. Saved his best for the biggest game of all! Say what you will but Boateng is an elite defender

Hummels: Was exceptional in pretty much every game bar the Final where he needed some help from the Boa-tank definitely deserved to be in the FIFA XI

Höwedes: Unspectacular but solid and reliable! Definitely played better than he usually does at Schalke and bar the Ghana game was faultless in this tournament though offered little going forward

Schweinsteiger: The engine room of this team! It takes a very attentive eye to notice his contributions as he was the defacto defensive midfielder from after Mustafi's injury onwards. Its ridiculous just how much protection he provided the backline and how much defensive work he put in. His display especially in the Final after Kramer's injury showed how much of a warrior Fussballgott is.

Khedira: Played his best ever game against Brazil too bad he missed the Final but showed a lot of ability going forward bar the horrific miss against Portugal

Kroos: Had a pretty good World Cup and also came to life in the Brazil game. Still didn't create enough chances from open play IMO despite playing the #10 but all in all announced himself into the big stage

Mcleo007: Food for thought: Would Germany have won the WC without Muller? Possibility is of the lowest rank, afterall they lost Marco Reus early on. Would Argentina have played at the finals? The answer is a resounding probable NO!

Four man of the match awards, a record highest ever at the WC. NINE dribbling occasions in a single match, smashhing Maradonna's record of seven in 1986. Created the highest goal scoring chances the entire tournament... and many more personal records.

.

Man of the Match against Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria? Make una apply perspective abeg

Argentina would probably not have made the Finals if it were down to their attack which Messi is a big part of. FACT

Shebi its now that creativity and not goals scored matter to yall ba

So when we say Messi did not deserve the Golden Ball this automatically means we hate Messi. Loool at the logic of these unapologetic ret@rds

ddippset: you think bosnia and nigeria are small teams? no way. by the way i tell you it is easier to score a hattrick against an all out attacking spanish team than an iran or a bosnia which keeps 9 men in front of their goalie. ask mourinho. the entire spanish team were out looking for goals. have you forgotten messi's goals versus iran and bosnia? there were at least 9 men between him and the goalies.

Did Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany keep 9 men in front of their goalie too? If we are to go with your theory then why didn't Messi score?

So called best player of all time with 0 goals in World Cup knockout football

Where is barackohandso that used to come and incessantly complain about how we butchered the Bundesliga. Now that we have butchered the World I wonder what he has to say

Of all the Golden Ball, Young Player, Golden Glove nominees no single EPL player. Shior! Yeye dey smell

homesteady: yea the defense played a big role but Messi played a bigger role! without his goals and assist where will the defenders be? back in Argentina I guess!

Without Argentina's solid defence they wouldn't have even gotten to the Final! They only managed 2 goals in 4 knockout games. When your defence does not concede the job is half done

ddippset: lol. all this talk about messi not being argentina's best player started with the tackle masch made when robben was about to score in the semi final match. dont believe the hype messi was argentina's best by a very wide margin, rojo or garay a distant second, then mascherano in 3rd place. fact is that i always maintained the golden ball was goina be between muller and messi depending on who won the final. but i guess muller had more than enough help thats why they gave messi.

I'm more blown away by how solid Argentina's defence was! If not for Götze's strike they would have gone the entire knockout phase without conceding! That for me is a more remarkable achievement than scoring against immortal superpowers like Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria

You guys made your bed so lie on it! Sabella opted not to take a competent striker like Tevez because he didn't get on well with Messi, the whole attack revolves around Messi yet you complain when the other players don't do well. Müller didn't necessarily have more help he just played for a team that attacking-wise understood the team concept a bit better

Things are picking up nicely

Ariza to the Rockets

Gasol to the Bulls

Pierce to the Wizards

Deng potentially to the Heat

And the Rockets are not matching the Mavs offer sheet for Chandler Parsons

birdman: One moment Rashard is good enough. The next moment, Wade and Bosh are not good enough. The longer you argue, the more you ramble, because like I said, when it comes to James, you lose logical thinking. Even you have realized it, and have reverted to name calling in lieu of facts. All the names you can call me in this world doesn't change the plain simple facts

Wade and Bosh not good enough? When did I say that you ret@rd! So a player slowly edging past their prime means they are not good enough? Is that what it means in Simpletonia where you obviously come from? You are just a big eediot and arguing with you is simply a waste of time

7 new World Champions well probably 6 by the time Kroos leaves but who the hell cares? Guardiola now knows he has no excuses

Ecstasy by Barry White and Jarule is playing repeatedly in my head

pkasso: This tune is more popular with the Italians but feck it. .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY

Seven Nation Army

chic2pimp: Me I can name 10 o

You dey find Barcelona people trouble. Dude scored against Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria goddamnit

elampiro: Messi won the FIFA best. FIFA is right. It was straight between Robben and Messi for those who are objective. Messi was the outstanding player tonight trying to single handed create a victory.

Many of you are attacking me at same time and getting me tired and confused. Many of your criteria are baseless in selecting world best. Goals stat, shot on target, etc. Today match showed their was one player who could go past two players- Messi. If scouts were here from another planet for the first time, Messi would be bought first. If only there was a Di Maria to help out. The moment that number 22 got injured, it was hard from the midfield.

If goals or goals per match were to be used. Enna Valencia would be among top 10. Oleg Salenko would be a world cup golden ball winner. Inzaghi and Nistelroy would be Ballon D'or winners, even Lineker.

Germany and Argentina play different styles. Argentina completed over twice the number of dribbles Germany did and this is by design! While one team build their hopes round one player the other team relies heavily on passing and finding the open player! Individually Messi didn't do enough to win the Golden Ball but I understand FIFA must compensate their Golden child I'm just happy he missed out on the main trophy

J12: Javier was a lone DMF all through the tournament, Bastian had Khedira and Kroos to cover up his tracks but Javier was all by himself and he displayed such an excellent performance. Muller was instrumental but he wasn't that special (my opinion) and you can't include three attacking midfielders in your selection. You need a DMF

I'm not sure you watched Germany at this World Cup at all! Khedira and Kroos covering Schweinsteiger's tracks? Loool that is hilarious

J12: Ol'boy shun matter. If Higuain and Palacio converted their chances, the outcome would have been different.

Only that Germany had 7 shots on target while Argentina had 2 but go on. . . .

Shoutout to Andre the giant! The boy is a gem and una fit reap the benefits if una use am properly. Absolute livewire

elampiro: Yes, it's my best world cup since Mexico '86.

Elamps baba we have witnessed Europe destroy South America again this time on South American soil what do you have to say about this?

ddippset: lol. 3 goals against a 10 man portugal and 1 goal arrangement with the usa. germany did not need muller to win the world cup, without messi argentina would be out since last year. yeah the blunt is good, no sticks, no seeds.

Hahahaha you just embarrassed yourself there. Oya let's list the teams Messi scored against

The mighty Bosnians
The immortal Iranians
And the baba of them all Nigeria

Bwahahahahaha

ddippset: robben too did not score in the knock outs, he ran away from taking a penalty which could have qualified netherlands, he scored only 3 goals, he had a lot of dribbles and dives- so how should he beat messi to the golden ball?

When and where did Robben run away from taking penalties? If I recall he scored both his kicks! Robben shone against tougher opposition and easily outshone Messi at this World Cup! It can even be argued that Messi wasn't Argentina's best player

ddippset: muller scored 5 goals but he wasnt an impact player, germany would have won the world cup even without him -thats why you people keep calling kroos, schwein, lahm and co to win the award too. guy abeg chill make we go sleep. messi must be hugging his golden ball as we speak, no vex.

Müller with 5 goals 3 assists, almost 20 chances created and the most KMs covered wasn't an impact player? Shuooo?

homesteady: how on earth does he not deserve it? do you think its easy to be heavily involved in getting your team to the semi final?

What is the end product? The entire team is built around him but 0 goals and 1 assist in 450+ mins of competition shows he didn't do much. The defence played a bigger role! Guys like Mascherano, Garay deserve more credit than Messi

logica: 21 goal scoring chances. Who had more? Robben?

So that is the only metric that should count? I don't get you at all! We should give a player Golden ball because he created the most scoring chances?

sebod: yes he deserved it! He was the reason why the dutch could not go past them because Sneider could not play his game as he had to keep an eye on Messi. He followed him everywhere he went and the only two times he failed to, Messi had two most dangerous run which the palacio and co could not utilise. He was the link between the defence and the toothless forwards. Had he a fine midfielder who could hold on to the ball well and has an eye for a final pass, the world would have seen the best of Leo.#he must have missed Xavi!

Sneijder keep an eye on Messi? Sneijder has no defensive bone in his body but let's even assume you are right how about the guys on the other end that worked extra hard to keep Robben quiet?

Messi had an average game and at the World Cup was bettered by at least 5 players!

Mcleo007: How on earth does he not deserve it? With the mediocres around him, yet they got to the the final. Haba! Clean that bias off your eyes abeg

Rubbish! Aguero, Lavezzi, Higuain are mediocre? When the coach has chosen to build the team around Messi instead of opting for a more balanced ethos other players are bound to look bad

Loool how on earth did Messi deserve the Golden Ball. This phuckery na highest

FIFA really need to GTFOH with this Messi a$$-kissing! How does a player without a single goal in the knockout stage go away with the Golden Ball? No goal in over 450mins of football

I can easily name 5 players that had a better World Cup than Messi

RuuDie: I just love the way few are giving Argentina a chance... I hope this one is settled by a ridiculously, sublime piece of individual brilliance by LM10; that would be the coup d' gras I'd love to see!

Team Argentina... Team Messi... Let's go make history!!!

Dun cry dun beg

coded01: My predictions have been spot on all through this competition...

Dun cry dun beg

Mario Götze. Ma nigga!!

If I hear pim about the Boa-Tank! Make nobody compare that beast to calamity Luiz

Jorgi Löew I humbly apologize for my criticisms

birdman: You are the same dude that claimed Rashard Lewis was a star player, because you wanted to prove Lebron had too much help. Now you are trying to prove Wade is over the hill, Bosh is old, Granger and McRoberts are nobodies. You went from hailing Rashard Lewis to dissing 2 all stars and 2 solid players. See yourself for ground? As I said, logic is not your strong suite.

Stop being silly! You said Rashard Lewis was more or less a dud and I only tried to explain to you that it was not the case. Its obvious Lebron means so much to you you are willing to sound dumb just to prove a point! Wade and Bosh are stars but even a ret@rd knows that they are slowly moving past their prime if that is your interpretation of dissing then you are much dimmer than I thought

pkasso: I dey tell you! That was arguably Schweini's biggest performance in a Germany shirt.He also had two assists in that game if my memory serves me well.I've not seen anyone do a better yeoman's job on Lionel Messi since then(well, except for Godin and Miranda).Basti is my nigga but let's face it, he has not impressed since that cameo against Ghana.I understand he's not fully fit and is probably playing through the pain barrier but he's been too conservative and even Khedira has been more adventurous.It would be interesting to see a Messi-Hummels duel.I remember him shackling Messi in a friendly against Argentina some years ago before going off injured.I mean if he can stop CR7,who says he can't do the same to Messi.I pray and hope Boateng steps up and plays the game of his life.THIS IS IT, BOYS!

Schweini's conservativeness is the reason Kroos and Khedira can bomb forward to begin with. He is the glue that holds that middle together and he puts in the majority of the defensive work required in that midfield

Abeg make una helep me convince my fellow Bayern fans who are still coveting after a sh!t defender like Luiz

That Brazilian team must be Elampiro's favorite. Players like Hulk, Gustavo, Ramires, Paulinho, Fernandinho all pawaful players

Hulk 0 goals 0 assists! This guy has to be the worst player at this World Cup! (Ok Fred and Jo are a close second) Does nothing but lash truckload of shots into row Z match after match. No sane Brazil coach should ever give him another cap

I heard Ray Allen also wants to join Lebron in Cleveland. Loool how pathetic! You 9 years older than him do you have a mancrush or something? Hahahaha

birdman: So he left a team that got to the finals 4 straight years, won 2 out of 4 championships, and just added granger and mcroberts to a team boasting wade, bosh and and a playoff tested coach for a team with one good point guard, a high draft pick and a rookie coach plus 10 other no name guys on the team which has sucked consistently since he left. As usual, logic is not your strong suite when it comes to LeBron. Enjoy your ignorance.

You clearly cannot see beyond your nose when the subject matter is Lebron! When last was Granger relevant in this league? Who da phunk is McRoberts? Wade and Bosh have no upside! Bosh is already 30 Wade would be 33 in a few months so the only way for them is down! now compare that with Andrew Wiggins (a player touted as the next big thing in this draft) Kyrie Irving (one of the best PGs in the league) and a young flexible team that can only get better, the incentive is there to join the Cavs knowing fully well there would be numerous opportunities to win Championships even when he is past this prime because guys like Wiggins and Irving would have fully evolved

birdman: exactly. dude is so stuck on hating one player he loses all objectivity. dont bother trying to convince him. he will believe 1+1 is 3 before he comes around.

I'm hardly suprised since you can't see past your Lebron tinted shades I have friends who are Lebron fanboys like you who have been honest enough to at least admit Lebron phucked up

They say he left because the Heat didn't bring in enough backup but I ask how many players in their career had the luxury of playing with a Wade and Bosh in their prime on the same team? How much help does this diva possibly need?

Its easy to join the Cavs knowing he can compete for at least half a decade with younger talent than Wade and Bosh