Amazing capture!
He's prickless? Jesus, they shouldn't go around advertising news like that..
Lionel Messi
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He's prickless? Jesus, they shouldn't go around advertising news like that..
Even if he doesn't, I already regard him as the best player of all time. My brain just cannot fathom that there could have possibly ever been a player better than him.
i still see Maradona as more technically capable, the pinnacle of footballing ability, but possibly i'd regard Messi as the most dangerous and efficient player to have played yet. He's George Best, but stronger, a better shooter, a better passer, a little quicker, and that's insane when you think about it.
Cheers anyway buddy. Just looked, seems there are no wall-paper sized ones lying around.
I agree that Maradona trumps Messi in that regard, while Messi is more dangerous and efficient (add consistent, too), but i'd say Ronaldinho - even if Maradona was the better player - was the pinnacle of pure ability. He could do things others couldn't even imagine doing.
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When you say more technically capable, in what sense do you mean?
He is stronger than Best? I am not so sure. Messi does well to drive past the tackles he gets nowdays but the ones Best faced in his day or even Maradona faced in 80s were on a totally different level.
I love Ronaldinho so much, but Maradona could do things in every regard of technique to such an impossibly high and unimaginable level that not even Ronaldinho touches him. Maradona was the type to do no look one-touch 50 yard volley passes, consistently and constantly, in single matches. It wasn't even something for him to be considered 'daring', just his pure ability to pull something like that off confidently.
Ronaldinho was always a brilliant playmaker, even in his days at Milan where he was the top player of Seria A in 08/09 before Allegri threw him aside. The difference to me is that Maradona could do anything with the football in any situation. Even ronaldinho needed a little space, and a little time to set himself up for a pass. Grounded backheels are good and fancy, but nothing compared to the spontaneity of Maradona. That's the difference between him and the other greats and legends. There's no player that poses a legitimate comparison to the total ability of Maradona in history to me. He was at the pinnacle of technique because he was a player that embodied vision, touch, technique, dribbling, passing, in an unmatched fashion.
I can certainly agree with you that nobody played with the same joy as Ronaldinho, that spirit of trying things for the sake of trying them.
I hope i'm not implying that Best was weak. I'm only saying Messi is a little stronger. The challenges Messi faces today will only be revealed in hindsight for the gross irregularities that he overcomes daily. Best faced the same, the only difference was the legality of those coming from behind chop down tackles, but that's never a question of strength or ability to overcome in those situations, only brutality and fouling. In terms of resisting the strength of players trying to push, and keeping balance, i do think Messi was better then Best, but not by alot. They were quite similar, I just see Messi as being a little more resistant, having better balance.
In comparing Messi to Maradona, i think the two were pretty similar in terms of balance, with not one clearly superior to the other in this aspect.
I kicked George Best very hard 5 times in the first 10 minutes at Highbury, the little bastard scored a stunning goal in the 11th.
Messi may or may not be more talented and technically capable than Best and Maradona were. The decisive advantage he does have over them is the dedication to be the best footballer he can and the intelligence to make the most out of his circumstances. Best frittered away what should have been the second half of his United career and Maradona fell out with Barcelona when he should have become their star player.
Hmm, you raise some interesting points. I admit Maradona was perhaps the better passer, he had a remarkable range and consistently threaded it through the eye of a needle like no other. Ronaldinho was an amazing passer, but just from clips, I can see that Maradona's ability to play a ball was something else. I always remember Ronaldinho's pass to Giuly for the goal vs Milan, though - what a pass. That was truly something unimaginable, something i'd never seen before in all my years watching football and didn't think was even possible. Easily one of his best moments, to me.
I think we can agree to disagree about Ronaldinho - to me, it seemed like he could play a pass or make a turn on a six-pence, with any amount of defenders right by him. I think he was one of the few footballers who needed no conditions (eg, lots of space, or a certain formation etc to thrive). Again, though, perhaps Maradona was even better in that regard - I wasn't around to watch him so I can't say. I agree about the dribbling, vision and passing, though - Maradona was unlike anyone in the way he ran with the ball, or created openings for others. He had such a naturalness on the ball, for lack of a better word, that made it look like he was born doing it. His foot to the ball was like those paddles with the ball on a string, he'd tap it away as he dribbled at top speed, and it would only leave his foot about 10 centimetres. Madness. It stuck to him.
To me, Maradona was the greater player (perhaps the greatest ever, but I am never sure with my answer on that question - Ronaldinho certainly isn't in the equation). However, Ronaldinho was, in my opinion, the most talented footballer of all time. Maradona bested him in many ways, but I just feel no one had such control over the ball like him - it was under his spell all the time, and he made it do what he wanted. I think Ronaldinho was better in terms of pure control and trickery, if only those attributes. All that having been said though, I was not lucky enough to watch Maradona play, I only watched Ronaldinho & so perhaps I am not the best judge.
all of that is very fair to have as an opinion. I'd invite you to watch videos of Maradona, there are hundreds of hours worth on youtube alone, it's brilliant viewing the genius he orchestrated on a regular basis. There used to be this 30 minute video of Maradona compiling just the most ridiculous passes i've ever seen, but i think it was taken down a few monthes ago. Hopefully you can find something similar.
I've been watching a lot of Maradona (among a few others from that time & before) on YouTube, and he's just amazing. There's so much he does that won't make his usual 3 minute skill videos etc, that makes your jaw drop. The passes as you said, especially. We're lucky to have this sort of stuff available to us in this generation, I could watch him all day.
Amazing little player, played some fantastic little passes in the penalty box the other day.
How much?
How much?
I wouldn't go that far, he's surrounded by them on training and during games.
Maradona's passing and creativity were at a different level. These days every other random internet gimp can make videos from 20 different angles and big up a random pass. There were few great moments offered by Ronaldinho that were brilliant to watch, compare that with Maradona's genius during his time at Barcelona, Ronnie stinks in comparison. Its a clip of very poor quality wit multiple angles but still its not hard to figure out his genius.
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https://www.redcafe.net/threads/lionel-messi.225097/page-30
Few years back there were some proper debates on this thread comparing Maradona and Fat Ronaldo with Messi. Fortitude a renowned fat Ronaldo fanboi and his passion for Brazilian footballers was too cocky to admit. As for myself and few others we put Messi down as inferior to El Diego.
Things have certainly changed.
Few years back there were some proper debates on this thread comparing Maradona and Fat Ronaldo with Messi. Fortitude a renowned fat Ronaldo fanboi and his passion for Brazilian footballers was too cocky to admit. As for myself and few others we put Messi down as inferior to El Diego.
Things have certainly changed.
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Yep, I never disagreed - Maradona's ball playing and vision was unheard of, he was in a league of his own in that respect. I'd say Ronaldinho offered plenty, but Maradona was simply a lot better (and there is no shame in that). Maradona could thread a ball through a gap that, to the other 21 on the pitch and 100k watching, didn't even exist. Cheers for the video, too. Unbelievable player.
The boy's a genius.
That pass for Neymar...
That pass for Neymar...
Best player that has ever lived. I refuse to comprehend that there has ever been anyone better than this lad.
Same boat. He's an absolute freak. Hope Argentina win the World Cup.
Hattrick.
I agree but I feel sorry for the fact no defenders ever get called "the best ever player" or goalkeeper, only forwards or goal scorers, shame really.
Top corner... so calm, stupidly accurate... when you're that good, you begin to question how is it even humanly possible to do what he does.
He's run the match today. It's not just the goals, it's that he runs pretty much everything.
Incredible player.
Incredible player.
3 goals and an assist. Brilliant passing all the way through. Great to see him back on form.
Iniesta was motm for me - involved in everything and played better than Messi. It's hard to overlook those three goals though.
What a performance and I remember someone on here saying Ronaldo is at the same level when it comes to passing - yeah right.
Run out of superlatives for this guy. He is sensational. His passing is on another level today.
Messi is FC Barcelona. Yes, with Xavi and Iniesta as his supporting cast you can argue that its not difficult to be the headline act, but its the fact Messi's quality shows itself when Barca most need it that makes him stand out.
Nah. Iniesta was good but Messi was central to everything today. All the play went through him.
Can you imagine that one day there may be a better player than Messi and Ronaldo? although it's just great to be in a generation of players where two of the all time greats play at the same time.
3 goals and 1 assist, as well as the assist for his own penalty. Best player in the world by a distance.
If it hasn't been obvious enough already, Messi carries Barcelona.
It's unfair on Ronaldo to have this guy around at the same time as him. Messi constantly ceases to amaze when the standard is continuously set higher and higher after every passing season.
I know, rightI think the two times Ronaldo has won the Balon d'or too, Messi has had injuries in that season for 2 months+ that take him out of the running, both times he's been injured like that, I say "well this year is Ronaldos year".
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