Still has a very mediocre record for Argentina.
Lionel Messi
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Still has a very mediocre record for Argentina.
How is that a relevant comment in context of that post? 
He just said 'what a player'....
Very weird. You don't like him at all, do you?
He just said 'what a player'....Very weird. You don't like him at all, do you?
Yeah, surprised Lavezzi wasn't involved earlier. The midfield/attack never looked balanced under Maradona and those three additions make a world of difference.
Will Messi ever be better than Ronaldo in your judgement, despite what he may achieve?
It's clear, to a sane football fan, that Messi is comfortably better overall.
If an English player had scored 5 goals against them it'd be brushed off as "only Albania", Messi plays well and its a jizz fest.
He's the best player in the world from a top 5 team and they're ranked like 50th.
Bit of an over reaction.....just a bit.Christ, if an English player had scored 5 goals against anyone, the press would be wanking over it so furiously that there'd be jizz stains over every single copy of every tabloid printed the next day.
Such is the state of the English national team football currently....
Such is the state of the English national team football currently....
I remember Darius Vassel, didn't he get a hatrick against the Dutch ? Or was it a Barce then all the hype in the world came.
The press would but people on here wouldn't!!!! No one is mentioning Messi v Albania in the papers, its on Redcafe I'm on about over reaction. Its Albania lads, calm down. Enjoy it but don't explode.
Some of those passes were so obscene that I'm not sure anyone in the world could cope with them. Watched that compilation a few times now. Such a fecking ridiculous footballer.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I've watched most of Barcelona's matches over the last couple of seasons simply because he plays for them. It's mental how dangerous a player he's become.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I've watched most of Barcelona's matches over the last couple of seasons simply because he plays for them. It's mental how dangerous a player he's become.
Yep, he's one of the main reasons I watch them too. Was the same with Ronalinho too in ways. Never the same when they put a weaker team out. Great player.
He looks a dead cert for world player of the year, that will be 3 in a row? Has anyone won more than that?
Don't think so. Remarkable.
It's why I find the negative attitudes towards him by the weirdos on here a bit....weird. Like most people growing up in the 80s will harp on about Maradona now, and how those who witnessed the 70s tell the tales of Cruyff et al, I will be absolutely waxing lyrical about this young, growth-impaired (is that a term?) Argentinian I watched whilst growing up, who took the world by storm pretty much as soon as his first team career started.
It's warranted all the shafting that goes on whenever his name's brought up. If the FA forced all our kids to watch Messi videos on repeat, we'd be producing more footballing geniuses as opposed to the Barrys, Hendersons, Downings and cocking Manciennes.
As it stands, we've got a flawed grass roots and coaching system across the country that produces fairly unskilful players in comparison to other large footballing nations, a media that hypes them up to no end despite this, and Stuart Pearce as a last line of defence for producing decent players.
'kin hell.
It's why I find the negative attitudes towards him by the weirdos on here a bit....weird. Like most people growing up in the 80s will harp on about Maradona now, and how those who witnessed the 70s tell the tales of Cruyff et al, I will be absolutely waxing lyrical about this young, growth-impaired (is that a term?) Argentinian I watched whilst growing up, who took the world by storm pretty much as soon as his first team career started.
It's warranted all the shafting that goes on whenever his name's brought up. If the FA forced all our kids to watch Messi videos on repeat, we'd be producing more footballing geniuses as opposed to the Barrys, Hendersons, Downings and cocking Manciennes.
As it stands, we've got a flawed grass roots and coaching system across the country that produces fairly unskilful players in comparison to other large footballing nations, a media that hypes them up to no end despite this, and Stuart Pearce as a last line of defence for producing decent players.
'kin hell.
It is a bit weird, but then the thing is we're so much more easily impressed by the wonderful things that players do today when the older ones have already seen players do that and more 2 decades ago, and they just can't put themselves in the shoes of the easily excited, young ones they used to be and end up being cynical old feckers...
I've been on a Maradona-spree recently and I can see where they're coming from though - you see the brilliance of his passing, in any game, against any opposition, and what you call obscene passing from Messi (and you do love your passionate, slightly hyperbolic descriptions!) is something you'd see Maradona do again and again in a typical game and it's hard to get that excited/impressed when you see it so often, as they have over the years.
Zidane & Ronaldo 3 times winners. I think Messi will rack up a minimum of 5 (I still think Sneijder deserved the previous one). Not only does he produce high tallies of goals and assists but he's winning trophies too, compared to Ronaldo. He's the icing of the Barcelona team, without him they'd be plain.
It is a bit weird, but then the thing is we're so much more easily impressed by the wonderful things that players do today when the older ones have already seen players do that and more 2 decades ago, and they just can't put themselves in the shoes of the easily excited, young ones they used to be and end up being cynical old feckers...
I've been on a Maradona-spree recently and I can see where they're coming from though - you see the brilliance of his passing, in any game, against any opposition, and what you call obscene passing from Messi (and you do love your passionate, slightly hyperbolic descriptions!) is something you'd see Maradona do again and again in a typical game and it's hard to get that excited/impressed when you see it so often, as they have over the years.
I'm talking more in terms of people (no names mentioned!
) that just seem to take a dislike to him rather than look upon him less favourably in light of having seen players from other generations.I wish I'd seen Maradona, really. Gutted I missed out on that one. The one thing I'd say about the highlighted comment is that, even though a Maradona spree is unfortunately something I've not yet been on, is that I'm guessing the majority of the games that can be gotten hold of are the ones he's absolutely excelled in, or the ones with his national team. I may well be wrong, but I doubt Maradona went game after game (not that you've said that), twatting all manner of opponent without fail, putting in passing displays comparable to the one above (even if it is just Albania). I'm not sure it's actually possible to be more consistent than Messi in this aspect. Over the past two seasons, genuinely more often than not he has been excellent over the course of 90 minutes, or at least very productive. However, this is going dreadfully off topic and into the realms of comparing player x with Messi - something I'm sure someone will get a ban for at some point soon.
Saying that, to round off, I did watch a few Maradona clips not long ago and, to continue this hyperbolic, adjectival spree, it was, unquestionably, sickeningly ridiculous murkage.
I am off to bed now. Held hope of catching the Santos match, but there's no chance. Goodnight insomniacs!
He's the best player of our time and all, but all I'm saying is, ffs, get a grip
He is 24 and is already going to be World Player of the Year three years in a row. Who knows how many more times he is going to win it!
Gone quiet this one, how's he doing for his country now in the CA? any better? I haven't seen anything but I'm sure Boss will fill me in.
He assisted 2 goals yesterday with great passes. The first was especially good.
I'm longing to see Messi play in midfield, just to shut those people up who say he has a limited range of passing.
You should try watching him for Argentina for the past couple of years then, it is a midfield role. The position he's playing is the perfect role for the best passers, it's why many of the best passers to play the game have played there...
As long as Argentina give him the Maradona role instead of a false 9 role, Messi will start to consistently be fine for them.
agree with Chief. He can't do the role he does for Barcelona. The false assumption that because he is the best player there for Barcelona that he will be the best there for Argentina is flawed.
I don't honestly think Barcelona are built around Messi and i think it's folly to build Argenitna around him too. You have to put the players in the roles that benifit the team the most, for Barcelona is has been the false 9 for Messi but with Argentina he should be employed in a wider area or in a central creative role with runners off him.
I don't honestly think Barcelona are built around Messi and i think it's folly to build Argenitna around him too. You have to put the players in the roles that benifit the team the most, for Barcelona is has been the false 9 for Messi but with Argentina he should be employed in a wider area or in a central creative role with runners off him.
I want to see him play as a proper old school Johnny Haynes type CM, controlling the play with his passing. I believe he can slot into the position with ease since he already possesses an extraordinary understanding of the game while still relatively young. His passing is already outstanding but will shine in such a role.
You're old enough to have seen Johnny Haynes? I thought he was an inside forward anyway.
Yup, saw Haynes in his heyday..I'm an old fecker and a word of caution: Don't trust Wikipedia. From what I saw yesterday, Messi was a midfielder travelling with the ball further up to deliver the final pass. This is the system that suits him most with the current Argie personnel. Maradona and Batista in previous games have tried to use his ability as high up the pitch as possible where his influence doesn't often spill over into the game as a whole.
With Di Maria, Aguero and Higuain providing the movement as the attackers, Messi was allowed to pull the strings in a similar way he does for Barcelona albeit not as fluently yet anyway. In previous games, he basically needed the Masch-Cambiasso-Banega midfield to create which often meant he didn't get as involved as he would have liked in the game. In last night's match he was part of the trio along with Mascherano and Gago who backed him up clearing up any loose balls, while he was tasked with pulling the strings for the side. Batista has found the system, it's up to him now not to feck around with it.
With Di Maria, Aguero and Higuain providing the movement as the attackers, Messi was allowed to pull the strings in a similar way he does for Barcelona albeit not as fluently yet anyway. In previous games, he basically needed the Masch-Cambiasso-Banega midfield to create which often meant he didn't get as involved as he would have liked in the game. In last night's match he was part of the trio along with Mascherano and Gago who backed him up clearing up any loose balls, while he was tasked with pulling the strings for the side. Batista has found the system, it's up to him now not to feck around with it.
True.
Messi vs Cosa Rica
He does, I've seen him dive plenty of times. He doesn't deserve to be lambasted for it however, because unfortunately it's become ingrained within football now and you see far more senior and respected footballers than Messi going down easily too.
In fact, I just had a look at the video above (the Messi compilation vs Costa Rica) and it has one noticeable absentee which I even remember from watching the match -
A blatant dive by Messi in his last match. It is commendable when he stays on his feet, but he, like practically all players, dives as well. It's less of a slight on him and more a sad truth about football as a whole.
all players dive now and then. Messi included. Nowadays, it's the frequency with which they are willing to stay on their feet it's measured against.
But I also think football fans, especially British ones, overplay how much players in general actually dive. The vid above for example, it is very hard to tell whether it's a dive or not from that angle. It looks to me like the no 2 puts his leg in and cuts him out with his knee, but at that angle it's impossible to tell whether there is contact or not. A lot of people will say it's a dive without hesitation though.
But I also think football fans, especially British ones, overplay how much players in general actually dive. The vid above for example, it is very hard to tell whether it's a dive or not from that angle. It looks to me like the no 2 puts his leg in and cuts him out with his knee, but at that angle it's impossible to tell whether there is contact or not. A lot of people will say it's a dive without hesitation though.
He definitely didn't need to go down, I don't think there was enough contact at all. But you're right in that there is a difference between a full-blown dive and going down easily.
42 – Lionel Messi shots in the 2011 Copa America and 2010 World Cup combined: he failed to score in both. Zero
Shux, just by looking at that compilation, Messi could have easily racked up 5-6 assists just in that 1 match. (Higuain forgot his shooting boots me thinks).
Argentina needs to get a able manager for once, who tries to get the best out of the team and not just throw gifted individual footballers out there, in the hope of playing together. Once that balance is sorted out, only then will we see the individual brilliance of Messi deciding matches for his country, like it so often does for his club, IMO.
Argentina needs to get a able manager for once, who tries to get the best out of the team and not just throw gifted individual footballers out there, in the hope of playing together. Once that balance is sorted out, only then will we see the individual brilliance of Messi deciding matches for his country, like it so often does for his club, IMO.
Chicharito has more international goals than Messi having played in less than half the number of games Messi has.
Random fact of the day.
Random fact of the day.
I think it's due to many players in the Argentina setup not being on Messi's wavelength. You can see him ask for quick one-two's around the box and no one offers themselves, whereas in Barca they all queue up to give him that option. His teamplay as well as his individual brilliance is what makes him a special player, and when not many players are prepared to form that telepathic connection with him in tight spaces it often has a detrimental effect on his game.
You could say that for many of the best players to play the game, what makes them special is that they are on a different wavelength to everyone else. Messi should be able to deal with the fact that he won't always have players that can have a telepathic connection with him, and he surely will.
Pastore and he have the looks of a nice understanding mind.
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