He is supposed to adapt a lot better to physical decline than Ronaldo (or so people say...). So it will be interesting to see how his career pans out from here, assuming he is actually on the decline physically.
Lionel Messi
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They are both going to suffer a great deal because their athleticism is one of the main reasons they are as good as they are. Those predictions are usually nonsense cause even supreme technicians suffer a great deal once they go into physical decline. It messes with a player head cause he becomes unable to do things that he could previously do.
He was crap. Even in games like that before you used to see him take the ball and just beat a few players to create something out of nothing, okay his team mates were shit too but still..
It's so strange for him to losing his explosiveness at this young age. Was his injury such a serious one? He could well become a brilliant number 10, as he's done so far this season, but it would be a shame if at 27 we don't see that explosive genius anymore.
Either way he was a bit wank last night. Should have taken the initiative more.
Either way he was a bit wank last night. Should have taken the initiative more.
Perfectly describes his match
The rate of his physical decline and the question marks over Barca's ability to cater for it are so similar to Ronaldinho's case. Of course, Messi is a far greater player but the evolution of football is that when 1 team has a style that gets the best out of the team via sub-servicing a star player and the signs are showing that the player in question is under strain, at what point is it best to keep the faith or try something new?
Ronaldinho, of course, had many off field problems and general attitude issues but Messi, for all his professionalism is becoming embroiled in legal off field issues also. He has won everything there is to win, is his hunger and appetite still the same? Will it remain so for the foreseeable future etc. He appears to have lost that acceleration he once had almost completely, in turn he is stronger now and this is the main asset to successfully completing his dribbles now. The speed in decline of his work rate, acceleration etc is such that playing into his mid thirties looks unlikely, in Europe perhaps without reinvention.
And suddenly there are more and more issues, more debate, more concerns. Now I'm not suggesting Messi is done or anything daft like that. The goals and impact he has still far outweighs all but 1 player in the world right now so a fair grasp on the real context is needed also but there will come a time when all things need to be considered ie life after Messi.
With Munir, Rafinha, Suarez, Neymar, Dongou, Seung-Woo etc evolution is a continual process at Barca and 1 day Messi's time will be up. That day may be approaching much faster than any of us could have imagined just 1 year ago.
Ronaldinho, of course, had many off field problems and general attitude issues but Messi, for all his professionalism is becoming embroiled in legal off field issues also. He has won everything there is to win, is his hunger and appetite still the same? Will it remain so for the foreseeable future etc. He appears to have lost that acceleration he once had almost completely, in turn he is stronger now and this is the main asset to successfully completing his dribbles now. The speed in decline of his work rate, acceleration etc is such that playing into his mid thirties looks unlikely, in Europe perhaps without reinvention.
And suddenly there are more and more issues, more debate, more concerns. Now I'm not suggesting Messi is done or anything daft like that. The goals and impact he has still far outweighs all but 1 player in the world right now so a fair grasp on the real context is needed also but there will come a time when all things need to be considered ie life after Messi.
With Munir, Rafinha, Suarez, Neymar, Dongou, Seung-Woo etc evolution is a continual process at Barca and 1 day Messi's time will be up. That day may be approaching much faster than any of us could have imagined just 1 year ago.
and before you start thinking about life without messi, why dont you think about life without xavi and iniesta, because mancman92's stupid video asks "wheres messi" but in that video neither xavi nor iniesta asked about him because they werent there either
and on another note, besides that penalty
where is ronaldo?
That's the worst "funny" video I've ever seen in my life.
Messi might "decline" faster than Ronaldo simply because, in terms of physical abilities, he relies mainly on one attribute: His incredible acceleration on the first few meters. Ronaldo is just an overall fantastic athlete: Accelaration, sprinting, jupming, strength, the lot. So even if he loses a step or two, he's still a good all-around athlete while Messi would lose his single biggest advantage.
I wonder if the growth deficiency and hormones he took have some effect on the length of his physical peak and length of his career.
Can these things catch up with you later in life?
Can these things catch up with you later in life?
jeeeesus!
Ronaldo's definately the better athlete and physically Messi will decline at an earlier age than Ronaldo will, but that's wrong. He doesn't rely on any specific part of his game.
so many clueless posters in this thread
this vid is from 5 days ago
I was only talking about his athletic attributes. Of course his footballing abilities are fantastic across the board, but the one thing that he can use to an advantage physically is his explosive acceleration. It's the thing that gets him into the position to cast his magic. Without it he wouldn't post numbers even close to what they are/were.
your explanation shows that you are as wrong as i thought
Yep. I guess people want to make up myths regarding his ability because he's not as untouchable as he was three years ago when everything he did do turned to gold.
Never relied on his pace, and bar the first couple seasons started becoming more and more static. He's become less clinical and alot more lethargic, but because his stats aren't so great that's been misinterpreted as him going on some big decline.
What's sets him apart is that he basically has everything to his game. He scores a goal a game, he creates numerous chances a game and can be a playmaker. Rarely do you see one player with his finlishing, passing, touch, dribbling and creativity. If there's one player who could still be the best in the world despite losing a bit of burst, it's messi. I'd definitely expect him to deal better with loss of physical attributes than Ronaldo. Obviously it's hard to say for sure whether he's lost it yet.
So 1 bad game and he's over?
Seems to be the case with most players nowadays.
And managers. The things that were said about Mourinho and Guardiola last season after they lost in the CL semi-finals still makes me laugh.
He's not been the same for some time. And he's not over. Still miles ahead of the rest of the worlds except Ronnie who is ahead of him for now
well, ronnie's year has been wonderful, there's no point in denying thatHe's not been the same for some time. And he's not over. Still miles ahead of the rest of the worlds except Ronnie who is ahead of him for now
Hang on, that term 'form is temporary, class is permanent', does it no longer exist? Does anyone genuinely believe Ronaldo is a better player than Messi?
Even this year Messi has been better than Ronaldo, IMO. Don't get me wrong, Ronaldo has been amazing, but Messi is just great this season. His passes, his dribbling, the team work is just like when he was at his best. The only thing missing is the goals, but who knows, maybe he'll start scoring soon enough.Hang on, that term 'form is temporary, class is permanent', does it no longer exist? Does anyone genuinely believe Ronaldo is a better player than Messi?
Found an interesting stat on the Barcelona forum:
Re Hazard:
"Statistically he is way better than Messi in dribbling this season. Messi has 54 unsuccessful dribbles vs 53 successful dribbles, while Hazard has 32 unsuccessful dribbles vs 67 successful dribbles. They have both played 12 matches."
Yeh
(Not sure what source that is, and i'm not suggesting Hazard is better, made me smile though)Thats good because dribbles win football matchesFound an interesting stat on the Barcelona forum:
Re Hazard:
"Statistically he is way better than Messi in dribbling this season. Messi has 54 unsuccessful dribbles vs 53 successful dribbles, while Hazard has 32 unsuccessful dribbles vs 67 successful dribbles. They have both played 12 matches."
Yeh
Thats good because dribbles win football matches
Only if you're Messi.
Incredibly true.
No, he isn't. I'd say that since messi got over his injury issues 5 or so years back, he's been the world's best player. What's changed is that isn't God like anymore. Earlier he used to be the best by a good distance whereas of late it's become a tight contest.Hang on, that term 'form is temporary, class is permanent', does it no longer exist? Does anyone genuinely believe Ronaldo is a better player than Messi?
The thing is, Messi has been poor in big games for a while. The Atletico Madrid semi finals was absolutely apalling from him.
When your team plays a very weird tactical set up basically because of him, he has to deliver more in big games. I could care less about Ajax, Granada, etc
When your team plays a very weird tactical set up basically because of him, he has to deliver more in big games. I could care less about Ajax, Granada, etc
Disappointing
And what do you put his less 'God-like' performances to? And don't say a lack of EPO and all that blood doping stuff.
Not true. As has been mentioned again and again, he scored a hat trick in the Classico in march towards the end of last season. He made kompany look foolish and scored in both legs against City, and he was actually good in the title decider and should have been awarded the goal which would have been the title winner. Heck, given how poor his team were, he was class against Psg a few weeks back.
Agree with this. The two Atleti CL semi finals, The Copa del rey final, the last clasico. Out of all of those I'd expect some flashes of brilliance, the Messi of a couple of years ago was a dead cert to do special things and bring his A game to the big stage, it seems to have deserted him now.
Could be many things.
For one, one can't possibly keep up those ridiculous levels forever. Even the most perfect careers will have peaks and troughs. Roger Federer looked unbeatable at one point but his peak probbaly ended at 27 with the baton then passing on to nadal and then djokovic.
Then there's the possibility of him having lost something physically. He's a lot more static these days, like your usual top forward.
Then again, it could just be a temporary thing due to something mentally or plain fatigue of being run into the ground these last 5 years.
Either way, he's still such a special player and has been excellent this season. I can't see him not being either the best in the world or right up there for a long long time yet. It's just whether he will still remain a clear level above like he always was.
the fact that he drove argentina to the world cup final doesnt mean a thing?
He's not getting his due credit for that, probably because of how much he faded in the semi final and final. Also don't think he looked 100% fit, but for all the big name attackers they have the rest get off very lightly.
Ronaldo mad redcafe somehow decided he was mediocre or shit at the World Cup.
As I've stated in my post, it's not like he's not performing in big games anymore. He still is. It's just that there are big games now where he can get bypassed, which was never the case with messi. It was almost impossible to do that before. If you stopped him, he would have beaten you 10 times and you'd have nicked the ball off his foot with a last ditch tackle. It would be an ordeal.
Apparently needed an ankle injection to play on Saturday, and Barcelona have asked for him not to be included by Argentina for the next international break.
Hope his injuries aren't starting again...
Hope his injuries aren't starting again...
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