10 - Lionel Messi - v1

[Pepe Silvia]

hahahahaha I'm not a good troll

 

[gingerless]

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!

is this in order of nostalgia?

 

[Metaphysical]

EPIC video.

watch the stands. like roaches when you turn the light on.

 

[Wendylam]

Lionel Messi: A Good Example of Being Professional

Once again, Lionel Messi gave a good explanation of being professional. On the day Barcelona having a competition for Copa del Rey, Messi had two goals though he had slightly recovered from his sickness.
After the competition, Messi replied, “I got a stomachache in the morning but there was no fever or vomit. I didn’t join the training for it is always not hard on the competition day.” Referring to this game, Messi commented, “We performed well today but we know that the away game will be very tough. They are strong there and it is hard for any team to win there. Therefore, we had to double our strength.”
Jan.6th is the Three Kings Day in Spain but Messi showed no special wishes, “It is our open day and it is said that there will be many people here to watch our training. After that we will go to send gifts for kids, which are all what they really need. We ask for nothing… maybe health.”
No wonders Messi has got so great reputations since he is playing so skillful and professional. As Messi is getting growing popularity, his jerseys are in great need. Soccerjerseyreplica is one of the sites that have received piles of orders for Messi jerseys. This site is releasing alluring promotions for all products. Click to look and find your one.

 

[JonM]

One of the most subtle spammers I've seen on the net! Kudos!

Tell me more about Soccerjerseyreplica...

 

[ammarfcb]

who is that runing to pep when the goal is scored stright away

 

[Wouterinho]

He is good but he is not THAT good. He is nothing compared to the legends of football if we are being honest.

I'm desperately hoping that's a goke?
In my opinion, he's the best ever and many people (not just barca-fans) agree with me. If you compare him to former-legends, he's just better in almost every aspect (I agree that new shoes etc are a part of that evolution but nevertheless, he's just a better player). Guys like Maradona wouldn't score nearly as much now as they did in their days.

 

[abual3bed1]

who is that runing to pep when the goal is scored stright away

Mascherano

 

[winda]

I'm tired Of seeing him dribbles and scoring or being playmaker. He must surpassed cassilas as goalkeeper in order to be called the best. I haven't seen him as goalkeeper yet hence cron will always be a more complete player than him.

 

[mitkoa7x]

True, after he proves him self as a keeper he needs to play as a corner flag, a ball boy and manager. Only then he will be worthy enough to (maybe) be compared to Penaldo.

 

[Clockwise]

I'm tired Of seeing him dribbles and scoring or being playmaker. He must surpassed cassilas as goalkeeper in order to be called the best. I haven't seen him as goalkeeper yet hence cron will always be a more complete player than him.

And the fact that CR stepped it up in a heated clasico, saving us time and time again just proves how great this man is, he doesn't even need hands to outshine casillas under pressure
CR >>>Casillas>>>>Valdez>>>>>>>>>Messi

 

[zanela]

I think we can agree on that. Nevertheless, Leo has not even played as a #10 for Barcelona except for very few games (the one where David Villa broke his leg was one of them recently). The majority of his career he was either playing as a winger or as a false #9 without anyone infront of him bar the 2 wingers who stretch the pitch. Providing breathtaking throughballs to those wingers who are cutting in and to some extend to deep runners from midfield like Fabregas is really not "playmaking" in my book. At least not in the modern game anymore. The overview over the pitch is far too limited for a #10 to control things. I'd rather call Messi a "second / supporting striker" than a playmaker.

In your book, only a CM (deep lying midfielder) can be a playmaker. Thats a flawed definition i'm afraid. Yes, they have a greater overview of the pitch and usually in heart of the action. But they are not the only ones who make plays on the pitch.

"Playmakers are midfielders with good on-the-ball control and good passing ability but also good off-the-ball ability to be able to read the game and to seek goal-scoring opportunities. Playmakers usually play as attacking midfielders, but some play as defensive or central midfielders (deep-lying playmakers). Some also play on the flank usually on their weaker side as that gives them the opportunity to cut infield."

The basic purpose of a playmaker is to create plays (horizontal or vertical). And depending on a team's tactics, formation and its personnel, a team can have 'n' no. of playmakers at a time. In Barca: Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Alves are playmakers, with players like Xavi and Alves having greater defensive responsibility due to the positions they assume on the pitch.
Similarly a wing-based system will have wingers as their go-to-man. Di Maria, Nani, Mata, Robben, Cazorla, Gaitan are your playmaking wingers. They initiate attacks, link-up, set-up the rhythm and provide. Maicon, Bale are not your CMs but they play-make for their teams.
Likewise there are systems that mostly rely on advanced midfielders as their playmakers- they are your AM's - Sneijder, Silva, Iniesta, Özil.

Messi is unique in the sense that he can make plays from every midfield position- Deep, advanced, wings. He's certainly not as accomplished CM as Xavi at this point, but if you watched him for Argentina at the WC, you can tell he has it in him. Only he didn't 've a proper system in which to function, nor the required support. But whenever he's played the #10 for them, he's been good. But for him to function effectively as a #10 he requires a ball supplier/carrier behind him which has been the biggest issue for the Argies thus far. Either they lack quality or good ones like Banega/Gago are inconsistent or play shit.
For Barca, he's filled in for Iniesta in his absence quite a few times. If i remember correctly some CDR games in the past also had him play as the lone playmaker.
Messi is the second best playmaker in the world. I challenge anyone to refute that.

 

[Elite-BkD]

Messi is the second best playmaker in the world. I challenge anyone to refute that.

Xavi & Iniesta

 

[tariqo]

Xavi & Iniesta

 

[barcelonista]

It's bollocks, really. You should notice yourself though since by your definition you consider Alves a playmaker when in reality he's a highy skilled fullback with 5 lungs who's instructed to function as another winger in a team that plays 80 % of the game in the other teams half, thus resulting in him being involved in attacking moves more than anyone else. Hence why he had more assists last season than Xavi and Iniesta together. It doesn't make him a playmaker though. Neither is Messi, no matter how big his assist tally might be. Playmakers are "making the play". Messi doesn't even communicate with his teammates. Once the ball is at his feet, he's running towards goal, creating space and releasing the ball at the right team. That. Is. Not. Playmaking. Wenger said something very interesting after the 4-1 defeat of Arsenal. He said (from my head, the interview is on YouTube as well): "What makes it so hard to contain Messi is the fact that he's often not in the game." It was spot on. He's often taking his time out in games, trotting upfront (people here are fuming then that he should be rested instead of doing that). Have you ever seen a playmaker who's "often not in the game"?

If he actually WAS a playmaker, Argentina wouldn't struggle so much, searching for a creative playmaker like Riquelme again.

Xavi & Iniesta

Checkmate!