He's been Argentina's best player in the last 2 WC's as well as the CA
Messi retires from Argentina.
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He's been Argentina's best player in the last 2 WC's as well as the CA
Good for him. he has had a very long career considering the many years he has played at the highest level. To protect his body and career this is the right move else he gets burned out. There is just too much football these days
Some just waited for this. You can see the haters just waited for this moment for years, to turn up now and throw abuses and comparing him to inferior players.
Messi is so hard to judge, in terms of overall player performance, with this one club thing. On one hand he is an extremely amazing player and on the other his teammates have been extremely amazing too.
Football is obviously an 11-men sport and regardless of how good you are, without the support of your mates, you will struggle.
One thing, however, is decide on who is the greatest of all time. I think, with such a rich history, football just can't objectively have GOAT. It's all about the greatest playerS from different time periods. It's stupid, for me, to try and measure the greatness of players who are obviously better than the rest. Ronaldo and Messi have been the best for the last how many years. I see it as childish to take straws against each and then proclaim the other king of all time.
Football is obviously an 11-men sport and regardless of how good you are, without the support of your mates, you will struggle.
One thing, however, is decide on who is the greatest of all time. I think, with such a rich history, football just can't objectively have GOAT. It's all about the greatest playerS from different time periods. It's stupid, for me, to try and measure the greatness of players who are obviously better than the rest. Ronaldo and Messi have been the best for the last how many years. I see it as childish to take straws against each and then proclaim the other king of all time.
I don't understand what he's saying, but bloody hell that was kind of tough to watch just looking at his body language.
He needs some time away from the media and the spotlight, go on holiday, chill with the family and don't watch/listen to the media. He looks a broken man.
I don't think he'll stay retired. I can see him enjoying the international breaks and less travel and that helping him stay fit and sharp for Barca. Then I think he'll be back for Russia (with Simeone perhaps, wouldn't that be interesting)
As to legacy, poor bugger hasn't retired yet. Let's do that one a few years after he finally stops playing.
As to legacy, poor bugger hasn't retired yet. Let's do that one a few years after he finally stops playing.
What part of my comment are you replying to exactly? I don't see how any of that negates anything I said. Even if it were true and objective, which it isn't.
Simeone will not give up on Atletico now to go into international management but that'd actually be pretty great. With him and Messi I think they'd win it in Russia.
I really hope he's back for the WC, won't be the same without him. Ronaldo is 31 now so it's possible he'll retire too, though I think he has one more WC in him. Hope they're both there.
Sad really, he is only bloody 29 !!! he will regret this, but I think Argentina has a lot of backstage politicking.
Another unfortunate stick for the Ronaldo Fanboys to beat him with.. while Ronaldo is a few years older at 31 and still going strong (doesn't look like slowing his body down) internationally and doesn't look like retiring from international football anytime soon (theres no whispers about Ronaldo retiring from international football infact he says he wants to play until he's 40 at Qatar 2022!!). Maybe Portugal doesn't have the same dramas behind the scenes or in-fighting, we don't know.
But in terms of not seeing Messi on the next World Cup.. it's sad. He would be in his prime/peak.
Another unfortunate stick for the Ronaldo Fanboys to beat him with.. while Ronaldo is a few years older at 31 and still going strong (doesn't look like slowing his body down) internationally and doesn't look like retiring from international football anytime soon (theres no whispers about Ronaldo retiring from international football infact he says he wants to play until he's 40 at Qatar 2022!!). Maybe Portugal doesn't have the same dramas behind the scenes or in-fighting, we don't know.
But in terms of not seeing Messi on the next World Cup.. it's sad. He would be in his prime/peak.
What is this ridiculous joy people get undermining once in a lifetime players? Even if you don't appreciate someone to be GOAT, what's the gloating for?
Oh so that's why he quit?
His skill as a player is exactly the point. His decision on how long he will play for the NT is not.
Yes the CV does look better with a WC win but it still doesn't say a lot about how good you are as a player. Wes Brown has won more big titles than pretty much everyone on the planet yet I would be quite surprised if anyone would have him on a list of top250 players of all time.
The other stuff is indeed a silly argument, often used by people who have never seen him play for more than 20min.
Well i guess that's what happens when you fail in as many finals as he has. Im glad.
I think Aguero, Messi and Mascherano will be surprised if their intention is to return in time for World Cup 2018 finals. Without them Argentina might not even make it to Russia (I think Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Uruguay are all better than them in that case, Paraguay and Ecuador will give them a run for their money).
There's definitely some stuff going on behind the scenes, but I wouldn't go so far as to say its a power play. They seemed pretty united as a group in this tournament. Also Mascherano isn't exactly a spring chicken, he's more the age where you might start to think about retirement, and it's not like they haven't got players to fill in that position.
Reminds me of Ryan Giggs retiring from Wales to focus solely on Utd. Never done him any harm.. extended his career a few more years and he benefited from the break
It's just you miss Messi in the big international tournaments like the World Cup, so let's hope he returns for that.
I think he's a victim of his own success: he's always used to winning *something* at the club level which makes international footie all the more frustrating for him.
And lost all three...
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2022 World Cup could be my last for Portugal:
http://www.espnfc.co.uk/portugal/st...ldo-2022-world-cup-could-be-last-for-portugal
He obviously intends playing both forms of football club and internationally at the highest level until he's 38 years old !
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Messi can take the example of LeBron James. He got his redemption at 31 years of age (messi's age in russia) and finally gave Cleveland a title, after years of scrutiny and criticism..
When winning overtakes the pride of wearing your countries colours....
I don't think losing another final was the only reason he retired. Pretty sure I saw an Instagram post of him complaining about how shit the organization of their national team was again.
I think that's probably a bit harsh, here. Losing four finals in a row must be a horrible and draining experience. He's probably very emotional right now.
I'd say he will eventually come around and play for them again, probably take a year off or something.
Also I've heard before that Argentina aren't a very well coached team, maybe it's a stand by him to get them to fix it?
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2022 World Cup could be my last for Portugal:
http://www.espnfc.co.uk/portugal/st...ldo-2022-world-cup-could-be-last-for-portugal
He obviously intends playing both forms of football club and internationally at the highest level until he's 38 years old !
Can you imagine a 38-year old Ronaldo constantly asking for the ball and taking all free kicks to the frustration of the whole country?
SAF said this in march : " Now don’t get me wrong, Messi is a fantastic player, it’s like he’s wearing slippers when he controls the ball. But here, for me, is the difference. Messi is a Barcelona player."
Seems true...
Seems true...
True - but in the heat of it, that's what's going through his head. Giving up as there is no point going on, instead of an aging body that can't cope with the gametime.
Scholes also retired early from NT which gave him much longer career with United, Messi will be alright, Barca must be happy out of their mind about it!
It's not just prestige. And, if quality of opposition is that much worse at international level, why are these so-called superstars unable to deliver at the same individual output irrespective of team-mates being poor or less cohesive? You can still perform at a level that is clearly above your peers and be noted for it even in failure, and that's all that's ever asked historically.
Those that do pour cold water on those that don't basically killing the argument.
International tournaments provide more burden, more pressure and more demand on the individual, irrespective of others, to deliver. It's a serious test of mental fortitude and constitution, much more so than the arms race and squad buffing that club football now is.
Club football has it's place and is obviously a big part of a legacy, but international tournaments on top of club performance cements players' legacies in a way nothing else can.
Messi asked Chile whether they´d compete in the next Copa. Then he asked Germany whether they´d compete in the next World Cup. When both said yes, he retired.
exactly.. its not even debatable imo
people only say quality, but the mental aspect is a huge chunk of quality
i dont give a crap if you play in UCL against cute european players like hazard and whatnot, with guys wearing armani and drinking capuccino in the crowd , knowing that if you don't win this year, next year its either you, or bayern, or madrid again.. the mental burden isnt there
world cup is hundreds of thousands of argentinains in the streets, its the memory of your childhood seeing diego bring a smile to people in a misery of dictatrorship.. its much bigger than football,
and mental = quality also.. big time players have to decide in big time moments, world cup is just way bigger than ucl in that aspect. 3.2 billions vs 300 million viewership, that says it all
sorry but its a huge chunk of your career and it puts him behind Diego hands down
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It´s just national team. Not getting rid of him. Sorry.
comparing Messi, a #10, to Ronaldo, the most pure #9 of all time when it comes to scoring goals.
I could probably score a goal or two if I had Ronaldinho and Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos feeding me balls.
This is pure ignorance and a statement I'd only expect people to make who never saw Ronaldo play in his prime. Honestly - if his knees hadn't started to give in at the age of 23 he would be in contention for the title of GOAT right now. If fit he was unplayable. He was like Suarez with better technique and better finishing. He really wasn't dependant on anyone to feed him balls to score. Too bad his body couldn't handle the strain.
Comparing Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima and Messi is a bit silly as you pointed out. Ronaldo chose to let the doctors inject painkillers and anti-inflamatories for his knees to hold out at the 2002 World Cup and sacrificed his carreer for the WC Title win with Brazil scoring two goals in the final. That's why he's a legend and will always be remebered by the poeple of his country, while Messi apparently chose to call it quits at the NT (at 29 with a healthy body) of his own volition, while there's still a possibilty to win titles with the team. Weak minded as feck. He's a marvelous player to watch and a Barcelona club legend already, but not GOAT material.
there goes any claim he had of being the G.O.A.T.
Can you imagine a 38-year old Ronaldo constantly asking for the ball and taking all free kicks to the frustration of the whole country?
I clearly do
Ronaldo may change opinions às his body takes longer to recover but for now he says it isn't in his plans to retire from our Nt. He basically runs it with Jorge Mendes. Sad but true. Also not looking forward to seeing my NT without him and even Nani (who's Messi's age). Bar our midfield i don't see top prospectos coming up. Of course this can change suddenly.It's sad to see Messi make this decision but i think he was just frustrated. He also criticized the FA few days ago maybe he's just trying to shake things up. He will be back for Rússia.
Real shame, I hope he comes back for the next World Cup, football just isn't the same without Messi.
Nah, he already is.
What a quitter, lucky he has it so fantastic at Barca, this gives me serious doubts about how his attitude would have been had he changed clubs at some point.
Not at all impressed by a player like him turning his back on his country aged 29 because it's not as "easy" as his club, imagine if the poor fecker played for Sweden like Zlatan or Wales like Bale?
Not at all impressed by a player like him turning his back on his country aged 29 because it's not as "easy" as his club, imagine if the poor fecker played for Sweden like Zlatan or Wales like Bale?
Which fluke goal? Curious.
That's probably one contender less for the next WC
