₦airaland Forum

sotall:
Dembele losing balls

He's rusty.

Give him time.

losprince:
Setien and his cows gifted these barbie dolls the Liga last season.

Actually Setien, his cows and VAR.

joviegghead:
Lol! We all know that whether Messi is just coming back from South America or Africa, the man is always ready and fit. It's not like he trekked down from there to spain or something.

BTW, I'll prefer resting Messi in the Champions League tie and have him come in later against Ferencváros , than against Getafe. Just saying

You have a point there.

Better to rest him against Ferencvaros or whatever they call themselves.

joviegghead:
Goalkeepers:

13. Neto, 26. Iñaki Peña, 36. Arnau Tenas

Defenders:

2. Sergiño Dest, 3. Gerard Piqué, 4. Ronald Araujo, 15. Clément Lenglet, 20. Sergi Roberto, 24. Junior Firpo, 28. Óscar Mingueza

Midfielders:

5. Sergio Busquets, 6. Carles Aleñá, 8. Miralem Pjanic, 12. Riqui Puig, 14. Philippe Coutinho, 16. Pedri, 21. Frenkie De Jong

Forwards:

7. Antoine Griezmann, 9. Martin Braithwaite, 10. Lionel Messi, 11. Ousmane Dembélé, 17. Francisco Trincão, 22. Ansu Fati


Predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1):

Neto; Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Dest; Busquets, De Jong; Griezmann, Coutinho, Ansu Fati; Messi

Having returned from far away South America, how about resting Messi till the 70th minute?

There's UCL on Wednesday and EL Classico on Saturday.?

Cvesta:
You talk as if you aren't a nigerian or you will never have kids who will walk the streets if Nigeria.. Political jobber. How unfortunate

Don't deviate from his point and whip up sentiments.

Respond to what he said.

IKON360:
This thing is simple, Spain were under performing at the national stage until Euros 2008. After then the rise of Barca as a force to be reckoned coincided with the rise of Spain in national team football.
Also the success of the Spanish golden generation isn't being restricted to Xavi and Iniesta, just as the success of the Barca side of 2008/2009 isn't restricted to just Messi.
And this Argentina you are ridiculing have reached 3 finals, THREE!! Two Copa America and 1 World Cup final. So don't undermine them. You don't reach finals by coincidence or luck, you play well and reach the final. Even the finals all were decided in either Extra time or penalties.
Modified Argentina and Messi have lost 4 finals, Copa America 2007, World Cup 2014, Copa America 2015 and Copa America 2016.

Bolded GBAM!

So how then does anybody come up with such logic;

Xavi and Iniesta = Trophy for Spain.
Messi = No trophy for Argentina.

Therefore it is proven that Xavi and Iniesta were more instrumental to Barca's success than Messi was.


I mean how does someone draw such conclusion?
How does someone reason like this.?

Two fun facts!

1. Messi's hattrick against Equador was the only reason we saw Argentina at World Cup 2018.

2. Before Tuesday's qualifier against Bolivia, the last time any player not named Messi scored for Argentina in a World Cup qualifier was in 2016.

2016! 2016!! 2016!!! Let that sink in.


And some dude would come up here and be talking Barca Messi, Argentina Messi.

Mtcheew.

IKON360:
Before the ascent and after the descent of Xavi and Iniesta, what has Spain won in World football? What has Spain even done in World football? You know that Alonso, Casillas were in the national team before Xavi and Iniesta. Ramos too. And what did that Spain side win. Then 2008 things started changing and improving due to the influence of the Barca players spearheaded by Xavi and Iniesta. And by 2010, they won the world cup and to lay emphasis on their supremacy they won the Euros in 2012. Without Messi.
No one is downplaying Messi's. But Guardiola was extremely privileged to have Xavi, Iniesta and Messi when he had them.

Oh please stop lumping Xavi and Iniesta together like they are the same person.
Xavi and Iniesta are 2 different people.

Also there is bothing like ascent of Xavi and Iniesta in world football
Pique, Alba and Busquets were the only first team players in 2008 who were not at World Cup 2006 in Germany.

And the only starter at Euro 2008 who was also in the starting eleven in 2006 was ........

Stop misinforming the public.

Every one of Puyol, Ramos, Iniesta, Xavi, Casillas and Alonso had their first major national team role at Germany 2006.

I know we are all Barca but any attempt to restrict the successes of the golden Spain generation to Xavi and Iniesta only is as false as false can be.

Spain of 2008 to 2012 had a very solid team from goalkeeper to defence to midfield to attack.

But Argentina! Very rich in attack, mediocre in midfield, mediocre in defence, mediocre between the sticks.

Messi was playing with Otamendi and Mascherano and who in defence and midfield?? ?

Banega, Biglia, Perez?

Oh please!!

That logic about Xavi and Iniesta winning without Messi but Messi failing without them and so they were more important than Messi in the Barca set up is so laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame.

joviegghead:
As in, this thing is just so annoying.
The thrash I have been reading his baffling. Dude based his argument on the abandoned claim that Messi's success is based on his reliance on Xavi and Iniesta.

The whole world have abandoned such thinking because he's proven everyone wrong by single handedly picking barca and Argentina to levels they would have never been. All by himself.

Na all these over-sabi people.

The success of the Barca team 2008 to 2015 was down to many individuals; most notably;

Messi
Xavi
Iniesta
Busquets
Puyol
Dani
And Pep Guordiola.

But if anybody has to pick only one individual; the most important figure and they picked anyone other than Messi,
Then that person is insane.

IKON360:
Well you have point, because the midfield without Messi won the world cup and two Euros. And Messi without that midfield hasn't won an international trophy. Even though these were awesome players.
But I still think that Messi was instrumental in taking that midfield to the next level of excellence. If you watched some of Spain's matches in that 2010 and many of Guardiola's matches without Messi, some resolute teams have proven extremely difficult to break down. From Madrid, Athletico Madrid for Guardiola to Germany, Netherlands etc for Spain.
But I still think that Guardiola is known today, not because of his work with the best midfielders in the last 10 years but because of his work with the best player ever

What do you mean by "the midfield"?

Or are you guys telling us that a team of 11 players played football but only Xavi and Iniesta won the world cup?

You mean Xavi and Iniesta won the world cup and the euros?

Not David Villa?
Not Fernando Torres?
Not Carlos Puyol?
Not Gerald Pique?
Not Sergio Ramos?
Not the GOAT goalkeeper at the time Iker Casillas?

Wao!

The dude has no point! Even if he was working decimals all day, he'd still have no point.

Godx:
Bro you still haven't said anything we don't know before. Pep Barca was built on Midfield domination. That trio was the essence of Barca domination under Pep especially Xavi which even Spain benefitted from. Messi was just the cherry on top,the finishing touch. Like I said before Messi performance for Argentina and Barca during Pep era proves it.

What is Messi's performance for Argentina? Because they lost 3 finals?

1.Making it to 3 finals in the first place in rubbish?
2.Scoring the highest goals for Argentina is rubbish?
3.Making the highest assists for Argentina is rubbish?
4.Creating the highest scoring chances for fellow teammates is rubbish?

Do you think that Xavi and Iniesta would ever have won anything for Spain if the didn't have prime Villa and Torres upfront and then Puyol, Pique and Ramos at the back?

You really need to broaden your reasoning of this game called football.

FirstbornWds:
I'm not sure he's the one writing that. Maybe his account has been compromised.

Seriously?

Godx:
Messi was not the crown of Peps Barca and that's the fact. The midfield trio was the crown of Pep Barca. Without that Midfield trio there will be no Pep Barca. Messi performance with Argentina and Barca during Pep era proves this. You are the one being economical with the truth here.

Big ups and no disrespect to Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets but what manner of nonsense are you spewing here?

Are you trying so hard to be politically incorrect?

Awesome01:
Thanks bros for the response, though I would have let Tespidd counter the point you raised, however let me reiterate that the write-up was on Messi's stats, and not on comparison between CR7 and Messi.

Furthermore, if you look further down the piece, you'll find out that he (Tespidd) brought Messi"s stats against others in Europe, where CR7's before (Man u.), La liga (Madrid) and after (Juve) were considered.

I hope you are satisfied with this.

I wouldn't respond to him.
He fails to understand the major essence of this;
which is the fact that Messi appears in all of the categories,; scoring, dribbling, passing, creating, assisting, freekicks. He even tops almost all of them.

No need to respond to him.

TooMuchStuff:
It's your type that brought BuhariAPC into Power and the country never move forward but backwards since 2015. The stone dead cadaver was sold to you as "man of integrity" ..!
Hope you're lucky enough to clinch any of the 99% job slots given to his Hausafulanikanuri Muslims since 2015. If not...ya suffer head go long

I can feed you with 3 square meals for the next 30 years meathead.

In case you have forgotten, Nigeria's problems did not start in 2015.

Since 1995, 80 percent of Nigerians have lived below the poverty line and below 1 dollar per day.

TooMuchStuff:
Nemesis on Sowore at last.
When Tinubu and Elrufai hired him against GEJ in the past, little did he know that Fulanis don't share power but can ride your back as tiger to get your own brother out of power for them to take over. After getting the power they now come fully for your own very head

Leave Gej out of this.

He isn't excluded from the problem, he is part of the problem.

He remains the ineffectual baboon that he is.

favour32:
Read the news again

He doesn't need to read the news again.

They are all crooks.

Lionel Messi by numbers:

More than a decade of dominance in La Liga and beyond.


Lionel Messi is closing in on a mammoth 750 appearances for Barcelona in what could be his final season for them.

The Argentine’s contract expires at the end of 2020/21 and given his very public fallout with the club board this past summer, the potential for him to not renew in Catalunya is very real.



Messi would leave behind a legacy of feats, practically all of them achieved by him during his time at the Camp Nou. If there’s a record to be set, you can be sure Messi has set it.



Messi’s dominance is especially apparent in La Liga.
League play is the benchmark of consistency and quality that all great squads aspire to. It is the hardest trophy to win and most managers consider it the best. It perhaps lacks the razzle dazzle of a knockout cup, but it illustrates true consistency and quality better. And if two words summed up Lionel Messi’s footballing career, it would be consistency and quality.


The Argentine has been great ever since his debut.
But starting with 2006/07, the first season he played more than 20 league games, his performance and output in La Liga is absolutely, utterly, incomprehensibly ridiculous.
He dominates every major metric that Opta keep track of. Don’t believe us? Well check this out:



La Liga since 2006/07:


1. Appearances
Lionel Messi: 464
Raul Garcia: 454
Aritz Aduriz: 425



Messi’s ability to always be fit for selection is an underrated part of his skill-set. It is what makes all the records you’re about to read possible. By managing his physical exertion in games (i.e. those times when he walks around) he manages to stay fit and avoid serious injuries, meaning more minutes for much magic.


2. Dribbling
Take-ons completed

Lionel Messi: 2,039
Joaquin: 749
Andres Iniesta: 739


Messi’s dribbling is quite simply without equal. Usually great dribblers have a few years where they’re able to dance past anyone, but Messi has been doing it for nigh-on 15 years now. Bewitching and bewildering defenders for an entire generation. Levels.



3. Playmaking
Chances created

Lionel Messi: 1,019
Xavi: 662
Joaquin: 639

Messi’s passing is definitely his most underrated skill, as he is genuinely one of the best playmakers in the world and has been for a decade. He is constantly putting team-mates into positions to score.


4. Assists

Lionel Messi: 181
Dani Alves: 89
Cristiano Ronaldo: 87

Messi’s 181 assists is a huge number that owes itself the quality of his team-mates (Luis Suárez, Samuel Eto’o, Neymar, etc.) but the massive gulf between chances created and assists shows that he could have created more goals for Barcelona if said team-mates were sharper.



5. Goalscoring
Shots on target

Lionel Messi: 1,039
Cristiano Ronaldo: 831
Karim Benzema: 449

“You’ve got to make the goalkeeper work,” is what the old heads always say about shooting, and Messi does just that more often than anyone.


6.Goals

Lionel Messi: 438
Cristiano Ronaldo: 311
Karim Benzema: 170

Goals are the most basic currency in football, and it is a currency in which Messi deals regularly. The Argentine’s ability to outscore even a dedicated goal-getter like Cristiano Ronaldo while maintaining the rest of his game to a ridiculous level is why he’s the greatest of all time.



7.Direct Free-kick goals

Lionel Messi: 36
Cristiano Ronaldo: 20
Dani Parejo: 11
Benat: 11

Messi’s expertise from set-pieces emerged in 2012 and has been a significant feature of his time in Barcelona since. When Messi stands over a free-kick, you can feel the anticipation build to fever pitch… and then he shoots!



8.Goals from outside the box

Lionel Messi: 79
Cristiano Ronaldo: 42
Santi Cazorla: 22

But Messi’s ability from range is not restricted to set-pieces, from chips against Tenerife to thunderbolts vs. Osasuna to bending beauties at the Bernabeu, Messi is lethal from all distances.




Across Europe.

*If Messi’s magical metrics in La Liga weren’t impressive enough, his production is actually that dominant across all of Europe’s top five leagues.
You may wonder how those absurd numbers from above stack up against all of Europe’s finest since 2006/07? Can Messi’s dominance extend out across all of the top five leagues and over other legends who dominate their own divisions? Let’s have a look.


Europe’s top five leagues since 2006/07:

1. Appearances
Hugo Lloris: 477
Samir Handanovic: 474
Blaise Matuidi: 467

This is a bright start for the anti-brigade as Messi doesn’t feature among the top three appearance-makers across Europe’s top five leagues. He’s only three appearances away from levelling Blaise Matuidi, however, and given the Frenchman is currently playing in the MLS we are not far from seeing Messi break the top three.


2. Dribbling
Take-ons completed

Lionel Messi: 2,039
Eden Hazard: 1,244
Franck Ribery: 974

Messi remains Dribble God even when up against someone like Eden Hazard, who has spent most of the time facing less technically excellent defenders in England, or Franck Ribery dicing up defenders in the counter-happy Bundesliga. He simply cannot be touched.



3. Playmaking
Chances created

Dimitri Payet: 1,162
Mesut Ozil: 1,107
Lionel Messi: 1,019

Messi quite predictably drops a bit down the list for pure chances created, as dedicated playmakers Payet and Ozil (who also take every passing set-piece, which Messi doesn’t) edge their way above him. That he is still contending with guys, whose only job is to set team-mates up, again shows the breadth of his brilliance.



4. Assists

Lionel Messi: 181
Cesc Fabregas: 136
Mesut Ozil: 132

Messi cannot be touched for assists, though. As good as Cesc Fabregas and Ozil are (and remember some of those Fabregas assists were for Messi) they cannot compare to the Argentine’s ability to create goals.



5. Goalscoring.
Shots on target

Cristiano Ronaldo: 1,187
Lionel Messi: 1,039
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 676

With his spells at Old Trafford and Juventus Stadium taken into account, Cristiano Ronaldo manages to surpass Messi for hitting the target with his shots.



6. Goals.

Lionel Messi: 438
Cristiano Ronaldo: 432
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 257

Cristiano Ronaldo is older than Messi and since 2008 has dedicated himself wholesale to goalscoring, yet Messi has outdone him in this area. Not by much, admittedly, but again: Messi is a player who spreads his influence across every facet of his team’s attack, and dominates all of those facets.



7. Direct Free-kick goals

Lionel Messi: 36
Cristiano Ronaldo: 30
Miralem Pjanic: 16
Juan Arango: 16
Andrea Pirlo: 16

Messi’s free-kick dominance extends even over Cristiano’s Manchester United period when the Portuguese was lethal from dead-ball situations. Other specialists like new team-mate Pjanic and the hipster legend Pirlo aren’t even close, seeing their totals doubled by Messi.



8. Goals from outside the box

Lionel Messi: 79
Cristiano Ronaldo: 58
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 37

Messi is football’s deadliest sniper, rifling in more goals from distance than anyone else, even Cristiano Ronaldo and the mighty Zlatan Ibrahimovic.


Messi can dribble to shoot from close, he can shoot straight-up from range, he can thread the eye of the needle with a pass and he can do all this while playing almost every game possible. That he only dropped out of one of the above top threes when his metrics were placed against the very best Europe can offer says it all.

Completely dominated world football for the past 14 years.

The best player in the world, bar none.

GBOKASINCHA:
This people are making us more angry

Lol

This one is in his one room apartment doing end SARs.

Who would blame them anyway?

If the protesters had left blocking roads and streets after the President had addressed the nation and adopted the 5 point demands and even started the process of implementing them.

These northerners wouldn't be planning what they want to do today.

Your demands have been accepted and implementation has begun yet these silly people are still constituting a nuisance and shouting end sars. Which sars again?

We southerners need to stop burying our heads in the sands.
Any reasonable person would begin to sense a political undertone in these protests.

Truth is we can't canes the northerners. We're just hypocrites.

JBoss25:
If you know the atrocities that SARS commit, you'll delete this your stupid statement, ending SARS is the most important issue if you don't know.

There they go.

He cannot even comprehend a 3-paragraph write up.

No one is talking about the importance of the protest or otherwise.

Yes ending SARs is very vital but the protest is very far from a direct protest against the government in power.
In fact it's merely a protest against a subset of the police.
That is why the government has allowed it to fester.
That is why the protesters have grown "balls" overnight.

90 percent of these people couldn't even come out to protest fuel price and electricity price increase.

90 percent of these people couldn't even come out to join revolution now protest.

But for end SARs they are beating chest all over the place because it doesn't affect the state and federal governments.
Try it with something that affects the FG or the legislators na.

Some even wanted to protest against bad roads in Rivers state 2 months ago but Wike dealt with them; none could come out!


Most of them are displaying #endSARs on cardboards but the real agenda they have on their minds is #removeBuhari but none has the balls to say it.

Every demand has been accepted and is being implemented but the clowns are changing their hashtag by the minute.

Sorry y'all can't change Buhari till 2023.

joviegghead:
Were you expecting back to back fiery performances. Chill. Dude's still young. I meant upcoming. Reduce the expectations.

I am not criticizing.

I am genuinely worried because that was how he started last season.

And he's supposed to be a mainstay this season cus I still don't trust Dembele.

If he knows he's still "upcoming" they better find how to sign someone at winter; even if it's Depay.
To complement the squad.

Karlovich:
I'm gainfully employed, wasn't born in that shithole too so I've never been eligible for such jobs.

i believe you;

Then be reasonable and stop acting like your brain is safely and firmly tucked in between your thighs.

arsenal33:
so should they employ foreigners?

Don't mind these people with low IQ everywhere.

80 percent of those youths protesting would do worse than the SARs themselves.

Maybe the IQ will go to America or Is real to recruit SWAT.

Or go to our university graduates where cultists also abound.

Corruption cuts across the entire fabric of this country.

Karlovich:
Senseless IGP, I guess you will manufacture robots for the training exercise. I am glad the years of trying to deceive Nigerian youths are over.

I bet if you were recruited into the police today you will collect 50 naira too.

What's the essence of the training? Is it not to correct their orientation?

Even if they don't use the police is it not the same corrupt Nigerians they will still recruit?

Or do you want IG to go to America and Europe to recruit police for us?

Why are you people foolish like this?

A40 and airmark go pay rent for here ooh.

Antsu Fati started the Nations league on fire for Spain.
Ever since he's dropped performances.

Let's hope and pray for him as he returns.

This one wey dem carry fight come here na wa o

DenreleDave:


From Ronaldo to penaldo then to tapnaldo then to rapenaldo, now he has changed to Coronaldo.... only God knows what next now

So upon all his 6 packs, fitness and those abs he is always displaying on Instagram, so baba no even well..


No wonder Our Messi will always be the first.....

Anyway, his miscreants fans will call this another record again..

The first player with 5 Ballon dor to win CORONA ... And His name shall be called CORONALDO

Chai Coronaldo is ahead of Our Messi in corona .. It is worth celebrating by Ronaldo fans oooo


Our Messi, keep healthy and please avoid any contact with Coronaldo on the day of champions league.. Avoid him like a flu[

Before them begin to call us hater, Sha get well Coronaldo...... But pls avoid contact with Our Messi on champions league night.. Tanchu.

Get well soon Coronaldo

The first corona victim with 5 Ballon dors.

Ronaldo fans dem kukuma like records.