Yeah, he is insane. This is why he is hands down the best to me, he can do everything from an attacking sense, he pass yesterday for Jordi Alba and the one for Neymar (which Neymar flufffed) ridiculous stuff. The one at the world cup..... I had to rewind and replay it numerous times it was that ridiculous.
Lionel Messi
- Thread starter cesc's_mullet
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Yeah, he is insane. This is why he is hands down the best to me, he can do everything from an attacking sense, he pass yesterday for Jordi Alba and the one for Neymar (which Neymar flufffed) ridiculous stuff. The one at the world cup..... I had to rewind and replay it numerous times it was that ridiculous.
I guess that's settled then.
Messi is officially only the second best player in the world.... again.
Messi is officially only the second best player in the world.... again.
Yet the best player ever, go figure!
where you at, cal?
where you at, cal?
He is a has-been and is living on his past glory until the next match.
Here we go....
Lord Palmerston!
Another year of comparing Ronaldo and Messi 
What a time to be alive!Another year of comparing Ronaldo and Messi
In top 2 for 8th consecutive year, winning 4 of them. And most likely will win another couple before he retires. We would have to go a long way to find this level of consistency.
Sometimes I think the guy just set too much high standards for himself. 58 goals + 22 assists is now considered as bad season? Fun fact: Without penalties, Messi has most goals in 2014 as well as this season too. Strange to produce such numbers and yet have a bad year.
Do you have the stats on goal totals without penalties in 2014 for both Ronaldo and Messi?
It's insane when you think about it, they really have set the bar ridiculously high.
he is an absolute monster, just like Cristiano. No point debating who is better, but Messi is something else.
Spot on. Messi is judged by higher standards than everyone else in the world.
Totally agree. He could be known as one of the best players ever many years from now and it's because he's been so consistent in terms of goalscoring and assisting over the years. Up till the point where it's considered the norm for him to post already amazing stats, whereas for most other players it would be an amazing achievement .
oh dear
i see he's already climbed back to the top of the assists board this season too. That didn't take long.
Those gifs on the last page are ridiculous
This might be harsh on Ronaldo but I really hope Messi finishes his career with more Ballon D'ors. As good as Ronaldo is, I don't think he deserves to be seen as equal to Messi in that regard.
This might be harsh on Ronaldo but I really hope Messi finishes his career with more Ballon D'ors. As good as Ronaldo is, I don't think he deserves to be seen as equal to Messi in that regard.
just dont
I'd say Xavi and Iniesta were both better passers of the ball in their prime. Messi is brilliant at reading his teammates' movement while he's still in full control of the ball, which is why he creates so many clear cut chances for other players. But most of his assists are in the final third of the pitch. The way Xavi could set someone up from deep midfield with just one pass was something else for me though. He just split the defence on so many occasions, spotting spaces in behind that no other player would've even seen. Those assists were unreal, he read the game like no one else. This might be some nostalgia speaking, but he edges it for me. No question they're both ridiculous passers of course.
I'd always take Messi over Xavi and Iniesta as far as the killer ball goes although this Xavi pass is just ridiculous...
Don't think it quite tops Messi's pass v Belgium in the World Cup or his assist for Villa in the 5-0 game.
Don't think it quite tops Messi's pass v Belgium in the World Cup or his assist for Villa in the 5-0 game.
Xavi/Iniesta doesn't like to take much risks in passing. I feel that they try to avoid risky passes, whereas Messi is always looking for a killer pass. That's probably a reason why Xavi/Iniesta have better pass percent compared to Messi.
This guy is not bad. We should put in a bid.
I'm willing to bet that Messi will not be the player with the most Ballon Dor by the time he retires.Those gifs on the last page are ridiculous
This might be harsh on Ronaldo but I really hope Messi finishes his career with more Ballon D'ors. As good as Ronaldo is, I don't think he deserves to be seen as equal to Messi in that regard.
Don't see how, Messi is currently ahead and has a few years on Ronaldo. He also has more to his game which can help him transition into the 30's - as in his ability to act as a playmaker, which Ronaldo simply doesn't have in his locker.
However Ronaldo is a supreme athlete who obviously keeps himself in peak condition. I can see him being lethal into his mid 30's, and I don't doubt he won't be able to evolve his game further to counter any physical decline he goes through. He's changed his game a whole lot over the years so who's to say he can't do it again. Maybe he'll end up as a CF by the time he retires?
I think Messi will be affected by physical decline more than Ronaldo.
I just hope it's not injuries that keep one of them down.
Xavi and Iniesta are both better at passing generally but I'd say Messi has overtaken them both at playing the final pass. He plays a lot of them from deep in midfield too.
As CLARiiON said though a lot is to do with Xavi and Iniesta being so risk averse.
He's technically got 4 Ballon D'Or to Ronaldo's 3 and he's playing for a team that is likely going to struggle for the next couple of seasons. It remains to be seen how far the transfer ban will set them back. It's not unlikely that he won't hit those peaks again without that team around him.
It's also not inconceivable that Ronaldo will win the next two considering he's still improving at the age of 30.
Not sure how you figure that out. Ronaldos games seems more built on pace and power than Messi, who could probably play a no10 role like Mata or deep lying playmaker role like Pirlo when his legs go. His passing is THAT good.
Cristiano Ronaldo could probably become a proper poacher up front once his pace goes to be fair, he's got the movement and finishing for it. Agree about Messi being able to adapt easily though, he's too good at everything to be affected by a loss of pace/power.
I agree, I just don't agree Messi game would decline more, when its clear Ronaldos game is more based on his pace and power than Messi's
Sorry, it wasn't worded correctly - I mean he will physically decline more than Ronaldo, who is the adonis athlete. I see Messi losing his acceleration before Ronaldo does despite the age gap. Ronaldo will still be strong and quick for a few more years yet.
But like I said earlier in the post - Messi has the extra aspect to his game that Ronaldo doesn't, so it won't affect him as he can adapt.
Ah I see makes sense.
As well as that, if Messi's overall game really did decline, he'd always be able to rely on his finishing anyway I expect. Since he's an incredible all-round player, it's often easy to forget how good the finishing aspect of his game is.
For me, unless messi is unfit or injured, he's the best player in the world. He's the best or thereabouts at too many things. He's probably the most creative player around. Right up there part of the two best goalscorers club. The best dribbler. He also takes as much responsibility for his team's fortunes as anyone I.e running the show, constantly picking the ball up deep.
Has he been the same player since the Spanish doping controversy? Actually, have Barcelona?
He's been great, doping or no doping.
Best player in the world for the last 6 years, he did have a bad 2013 for his standards but I think he got back to his best now.
He was injured on/off for the last 2 years though which I'm sure played a big part of that.
He puts a smile on my face when I watch this guy and I hope he keeps smashing records for a long time.
He was injured on/off for the last 2 years though which I'm sure played a big part of that.
He puts a smile on my face when I watch this guy and I hope he keeps smashing records for a long time.
go fishing somewhere else spoons
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