10 - Lionel Messi - v1

[FCBarca]

And how would one classify his status at present?...Is this his prime yet?...In terms of peaking, where is he on that curve?...How much better can he get?...It's impossible to tell because it doesn't seem like he's plateaued in any manner of speaking or play

 

[VivaBarca]

And how would one classify his status at present?...Is this his prime yet?...In terms of peaking, where is he on that curve?...How much better can he get?...It's impossible to tell because it doesn't seem like he's plateaued in any manner of speaking or play

I think in two or three seasons Messi will have a season so unbelievably brilliant that it will be regarded as the greatest ever season, hopefully 2013-14 where he can win La Liga, CL and World Cup. He can't improve much in goals but I think he'll just blitz 98% of the games he plays one year.

That's my hope.

 

[zanela]

Leo has been making defense-splitting passes since he broke on to the scene. He's made some breathtaking passes pre-Pep era. Not a recent phenomenon at all. I would say playmaking comes more natural to him than goalscoring.

 

[Fourteen]

Leo has been making defense-splitting passes since he broke on to the scene. He's made some breathtaking passes pre-Pep era. Not a recent phenomenon at all. I would say playmaking comes more natural to him than goalscoring.

Oh, I don't know about that. But he is certainly a natural playmaker, I suppose it does get overshadowed by his impressive goalscoring ability.

 

[Pepe Silvia]

Who are we kidding? The little man can do it all!

 

[barcelonista]

The Maradona WC Debacle sure helped us a lot

It's probably true. Imagine IF he had won the WC in 2010 with 22. Would he stay as ambitious as he is now? Who knows. But as long as Argentina is failing, he will stay 100 % ambitious. He just can't do a "Ronaldinho" without ever making it past the quarter finals of a WC. The Argentinian people wouldn't forgive him.

Leo has been making defense-splitting passes since he broke on to the scene. He's made some breathtaking passes pre-Pep era. Not a recent phenomenon at all.

Errr. I didn't suggest that.

I would say playmaking comes more natural to him than goalscoring.

Here I disagree. He is NOT a playmaker. It's one of the reasons Argentina is failing so hard recently. They treat him like a playmaker but he isn't. His passing is great but passing alone doesn't make a playmaker (it's just one aspect of playmaking). He's far too direct to be one. Whenever he gets the ball, he goes directly towards goal, trying to dribble past 2, 3, 4 and quiet often it results in an assist. He's always looking to pick an attacking option with his passes. But that's not playmaking. Compare that to a genuine playmaker like Xavi or Riquelme for Argentina or any other playmaker for that matter. They don't look to score or make an assist in the first place like Leo. They dictate the tempo of the game, know when to slow it down or up it, shift sides, play sideway passes 90 % of the time if they have to etc. Everything Leo is NOT about. Leo's style is too "rushed" because that's what he has to do for Barcelona (provide directness). I don't know if he can grow into a playmaker. Probably, that's how talented he is, but I suspect it will happen quiet late in his career once he loses a bit of his pace and get moved deeper on the pitch.

 

[Pepe Silvia]

I think little to moderate knowledge football fans would remain ambiguous about Messi's status but footballing fans who understand the game wouldn't have so much of a hard time understanding that with his trophy haul and his abilities (even without a WC) he would get the nod in a few years as the goat.

 

[Het_fenomeen_Messi]

Here I disagree. He is NOT a playmaker. It's one of the reasons Argentina is failing so hard recently. They treat him like a playmaker but he isn't. His passing is great but passing alone doesn't make a playmaker (it's just one aspect of playmaking). He's far too direct to be one. Whenever he gets the ball, he goes directly towards goal, trying to dribble past 2, 3, 4 and quiet often it results in an assist. He's always looking to pick an attacking options with his passes. But that's not playmaking. Compare that to a genuine playmaker like Xavi or Riquelme for Argentina or any other playmaker for that matter. They don't look to score or make an assist in the first place like Leo. They dictate the tempo of the game, know when to slow it down or up it, shift sides, play sideway passes 90 % of the time if they have to etc. Everything Leo is NOT about. Leo's style is too "rushed" because that's what he has to do for Barcelona (provide directness). I don't know if he can grow into a playmaker. Probably, that's how talented he is, but I suspect it will happen quiet late in his career once he loses a bit of his pace and get moved deeper on the pitch.

If Messi would be a "playmaker" (your definition) and just pass it , ARG would be even worse. What Xavi does is only to tire opponents and try to find an opening. Messi skips that part and directly creates the opening for himself and his teammates with more higher success.

Xavi has almost most passes? how many of those result in a danger in front of goal? If not much ,its trying to hard. Messi has the talent to be much more direct and more successfull at less attempts

 

[barcelonista]

Xavi has almost most passes? how many of those result in a danger in front of goal?

Quiet a lot. He created 25 chances in the last World Cup. 8 more than any other player: http://twitter.com/#!/optapaolo/status/18189789136

But as I said. Creating chances is not even his main job. His job is to control the game and make his team tick.

 

[Het_fenomeen_Messi]

Quiet a lot. He created 25 chances in the last World Cup. 8 more than any other player: http://twitter.com/#!/optapaolo/status/18189789136

But as I said. Creating chances is not even his main job. His job is to control the game and make his team tick.

He also played more matches than Messi + define chances. It's like defining an assist. Passing to someone who dribbles and scores is not special. Also depends on the run patterns of your team mates. The most creative player in the world is Messi.
Xavi was underrated for years, now he is overrated. Still brilliant though

 

[BerkeleyBernie]

Whenever he gets the ball, he goes directly towards goal, trying to dribble past 2, 3, 4 and quiet often it results in an assist. He's always looking to pick an attacking option with his passes. But that's not playmaking.

Good point. A creative and precise passer with good vision, but not a field marshal.

 

[barcelonista]

He also played more matches than Messi + define chances. It's like defining an assist. Passing to someone who dribbles and scores is not special. Also depends on the run patterns of your team mates. The most creative player in the world is Messi.
Xavi was underrated for years, now he is overrated. Still brilliant though

Your clutching at straws. Xavi is a playmaker. And the best by quiet a distance. Messi is not a playmaker.

 

[mitkoa7x]

He scored a header, where is Pele now? He's been into hiding since the CWC thrashing.

 

[BarcaGirl]

Former Argentina international Hugo Gatti believes that Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi would have struggled for regular first-team football in the era of players such as Pele, Johan Cruyff and Diego Maradona.

"The best player ever is without any doubt Pele. After that you have Alfredo [Di Stefano], [Johan] Cruyff, and Diego [Maradona]," Gatti said in an interview with Radio La Red.
"In those times, Messi would have been a substitute rather than a star.
"All of these Barcelona players who say they play for the best team in the world would have been bench-warmers in the times of Maradona and Cruyff."


What an idiot!

 

[Yugi]

lol
smoking that much heroin is making "wonders" for him