The naturals like him have a feel for the game that you never can learn but no doubt Ronaldinho, Riquelme, Deco, Xavi, Iniesta, Dani, Pep et al helped him expand his artistry. It's just an enormous gulf in class, must be frustrating as hell to play with mere mortals
Lionel Messi - Performances
- Thread starter Rado_N
- Start date
The naturals like him have a feel for the game that you never can learn but no doubt Ronaldinho, Riquelme, Deco, Xavi, Iniesta, Dani, Pep et al helped him expand his artistry. It's just an enormous gulf in class, must be frustrating as hell to play with mere mortals
Poetry in motion.
The best. If you disagree, you don't know shit.
Meh, I wanted to see him perform magic against Real at home.
This man has spoiled us too much. He gets to this level where it's like he's just doing training drills and the other 21 players on the pitch are props. The next player up for the 'best in the world' title is gonna have big hoes to fill.
He's the best all-round attacking player football has ever seen, by a considerable distance.
The assist for the 3rd goal was crazy as well.
The guy is 2-3 cuts above everyone else, simple as. Pure joy to watch.
Doubt I'll ever see a better player!
Just another day in the office for Messi.
Absolutely! I will never understand how there are those who genuinely do not feel that.
But Ronaldo scores hat tricks so he must be better. 
Ray Hudson dropped a few clangers
" cleaner, than neutrogena for the man from Argentina "
" more twists and turns than a cheap garden hose"
" cleaner, than neutrogena for the man from Argentina "
" more twists and turns than a cheap garden hose"
Easily the best player I have watched live. It is not even close tbh, this is also a big credit for Ronaldo who's done everything he could to keep up with him.
Somebody said to me before the match that he always turns in a big game after a Ronaldo win, maybe they were right. As much as the rivalry talk gets irritating, I do think it has helped drive Messi on.
They've got Copa del Rey matches either side of Christmas, so I'm guessing he's of on a nice winter break now. If he comes back rested and in this form, it's going to be spectaculor.
They've got Copa del Rey matches either side of Christmas, so I'm guessing he's of on a nice winter break now. If he comes back rested and in this form, it's going to be spectaculor.
This guy is insane. By far the best player I've ever seen. Incredible.
Nope, that would be Pele, who was also a physical specimen and monstrous in the air (as an addition to all the dribbling, scoring and playmaking).
Messi has a better claim to be called "the best ever" than "the best all-rounded attacker ever".
A normal haircut, finally!
He just takes the piss. People keep bringing up antiques from ancient times but it's just not humanly possible to be better than this guy at football. Best attacking player ever by a considerable distance and most all rounded one as well. He could probably play as a CM and still be the best player in the world. It's really annoying how good he is. As someone put it, he's essentially a cheat code that Barca get to use all the fecking time.
He just does things no other player can. A blessing to the sport.
Maradona Mode in the SH there 
Nnnnnope. Those "antiques" were just as good, and they were better than him in the big games
Messi has been pretty good in the big games. United fans know from experience.
God damn that display last night was magical.
I'm 25, and I'm pretty sure I'll never see another player like Messi for the rest of my life.
I'm 25, and I'm pretty sure I'll never see another player like Messi for the rest of my life.
Thats how older people talk of Pele, you say best ever by considerable distance as if you watched all these players? It reeks of ignorance, Pele could do most things Messi could do also, Messi is up there but it could never be by a considerable distance that he is better than former greats.
That's probably true but there's a good chance you'll see a different player, perhaps playing a different way, but just as good. I had to wait a long time to see a United player as good as Best, but then Ronaldo came along. Others didn't expect Maradona to be matched. Live a long time, keep an open mind, and with any luck football can continue to surprise.
The Messiah
Messi destroys mid table Spanish side... big wow.
I was more impressed when he stuck 4 passed the Arse in the Champions League a few years back
I was more impressed when he stuck 4 passed the Arse in the Champions League a few years back
Okay?
I just read earlier that Messi has scored the most amount of goals, has the most assists and the most hattricks in the history of El clasico. He's also done pretty well for himself in every single CL final he's ever played in, which we sadly know all to well.
But I guess you mean NT games only when you say big games.
Messi for me anyway is in the top tier alongside Pele, Best, Ronaldinho, Maradona, Zidane and both Ronaldos. It's impossible to pit players against each and say one is better than the other, as all these great players have different attributes. If your talking about have a player in team for a whole then there isn't a better player than Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo but a one off game e.g. the most important game in football - The World Cup final then Messi is lower on the list compared to Pele, Maradonna, Ronaldo(Brazilian) and Zidane.
But anyway the display yesterday was pretty dam special.
Pretty sure it is the way he did it rather than who he did it to that impresses people. I don't know what football you watch but it's not like any random mid table team in any of the big leagues gets their ass handed to them like that by a single player very often.
Like I specified, I wasn't talking about tiers of greatness (Messi is definitely up there with the very few of the best ever), but rather arguing the point of him being the best attacking all-rounder of all time. He is a prolific goalscorer, genius dribbler and amazing playmaker but that's about it - while Pele was all of those things and also a physical beast and one of the best headers of all-time.
Or you don't remember Maradona.
I've been watching football since early 90s, and don't buy the story about better defending in old days. Defending is an aspect of the game that has ever steadily evolved, as it is more dependent on system and preparation, and less on talent. There is so much more intensity and athleticism in the game today, compared to few decades before. Football is indeed quicker.
And even in that context Messi dribbles, passes and scores more, and at rate never seen before. His control, quickness and instinct are simply beyond comparison, it's plain to see. As it stands, he's the best that's ever played the game.
And even in that context Messi dribbles, passes and scores more, and at rate never seen before. His control, quickness and instinct are simply beyond comparison, it's plain to see. As it stands, he's the best that's ever played the game.
I don't let nostalgia cloud my opinions. Football is at a better standard than it''s ever been, and Messi is the absolute pinnacle of it. He excels at everything and compares to the best midfielders, the best wingers, and the best strikers. As I say, the best all-round attacking player ever.
I love both, but for me Messi is way more complete. Maradona had a better control in my eyes.
And Messi is way more consistent.
He is the among the best ever at dribbling, playmaking, and scoring. Arguably the best in every of those 3 key offensive category. That makes him the most complete offensive player ever IMO.
Messi doesn't excel in physical duels, he isn't a serious aerial threat - Pele, who was comparable to him in goalscoring (probably even superior), dribbling and passing (there I'd give an edge to Messi), but clearly ahead in those two components is, by definition, a more complete player. You lots confuse the overall quality of the player and his all-roundness, which isn't that hard to separate, really. Messi isn't complete - but that doesn't get in a way of his game anyway.
The "nostalgia" argument and the 1985 in your nickname probably suggest that you haven't seen Pele play, apart from a few youtube compilations maybe. But seriously, you don't even need to do that - just use logic.
Never watched Pele so dont want to participate in that specific argument but this is wrong, one part of game that is often unnoticed, he is one of the strongest players in the world and he is winning 50:50 duels more often then not.