10 - Lionel Messi - v1

[Yaotzin]

So if we play the max 15 games, and Leo scores just 1 a game (seems easy for him..), he'll hit 70 goals. Feels weird typing that. He's so much better than anyone else it's hard to believe.

Billy Beane might well be right that Messi is actually the most undervalued player in football.

 

[Aryagorn]

he only needs to score 12 goals in the remaining 12 games (potentially 15) of the season to reach 67 goals in this 2011/2012 season, meaning he would beat Pele's 66 goals in the 1958 season for Santos(he was only 18 btw when he did it ) in all official competitions (no friendlies included btw) and equal Everton's Dixie Dean's 67 for the total number of goals scored in a single season.

Dixie Dean only has 60... The highest in a single season is by Ferenc Deák at 66 goals.

Please check this out

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

Dixie Dean only has 60... The highest in a single season is by Ferenc Deák at 66 goals.

Please check this out

Dixie Dean has 63 all competitions. 60 in the league alone. according to dixie dean wiki page. my mistake, i was including international games in that 67 total.

an 18 year old Pele had 66 in all competitions in 1958 season.

 

[Aryagorn]

Dixie Dean has 67 all competitions. 60 in the league alone. according to dixie dean wiki page.

an 18 year old Pele had 66 in all competitions in 1958 season.

my bad... 60 in the league alone, but still overall it is only 63.

 

[Myrmecophile]

Dixie Dean has 63 all competitions. 60 in the league alone. according to dixie dean wiki page. my mistake, i was including international games in that 67 total.

an 18 year old Pele had 66 in all competitions in 1958 season.

Maybe you could learn to read properly. DD's page clearly states his total for Everton that year was 63. It's only with the addition of his goals for England do you get 67.

Deak's 66 is the European record.

 

[Maria]

Like I said before the game, only a motivated Messi could keep us in the fight for the league and CL. I'm expecting nothing less then an epic performance against Milan.

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

my bad... 60 in the league alone, but still overall it is only 63.

no it was my bad.

he has 63 goals for Everton in all competitions.

i accidentally included his 3 goals for national team.

But Pele there is no mistake at all, 18 year old Pele scored 66 goals in all Official Club Competitions for Santos in 1958 season

 

[Der Kaiser]

no it was my bad.

he has 63 goals for Everton in all competitions.

i accidentally included his 3 goals for national team.

But Pele there is no mistake at all, 18 year old Pele scored 66 goals in all Official Club Competitions for Santos in 1958 season

back then games ended 8-3, teams were playing 3-3-4 formations etc... what Messi is doing today is far more impressive IMO.

 

[Hatem Ben Arfa]

back then games ended 8-3, teams were playing 3-3-4 formations etc... what Messi is doing today is far more impressive IMO.

yeah, an 18 year old boy named Pele scoring 66 goals in a single season in Brazilian league at a time when Brazil league was the best in the world (Campeones Del Mundo multiple times and they all played in Brazil) is not that impressive at all. Let's just belittle that because every game ended 8-3

funny, I could have sworn at times this season Pep has played on 3 at the back and a 7 in midfield that camps in the oppostion half playing keep ball and probing for a goal.

besides we only won 5-3 a few days ago

 

[Der Kaiser]

yeah, an 18 year old boy scoring 66 goals in a single season in Brazilian league at a time when Brazil league was the best in the world is not that impressive at all. Let's just belittle that because every game ended 8-3

just saying that there were a lot more goals scored back then, breaking this record in today´s football game is a massive achievement.

 

[AzaR]

Having seen the quality of football in the 1950/1960s i can safely say Leo would score about 1066 in one season.

 

[OriginalThinking]

yeah, an 18 year old boy scoring 66 goals in a single season in Brazilian league at a time when Brazil league was the best in the world is not that impressive at all. Let's just belittle that because every game ended 8-3

funny, I could have sworn at times this season Pep has played on 3 at the back and a 7 in midfield that camps in the oppostion half playing keep ball and probing for a goal.

besides we only won 5-3 a few days ago

You know exactly why the point was made. Football is a very different beast to 60 years ago. Tactically teams are far better now. They are better organised. They are better trained. With the advent of TV wall to wall coverage there are very few surprises in teams anymore. The players are far fitter. The technology used to study players is light years better. If this Barca played 60 years ago they would have battered every team going. It is a generally accepted fact that it is more difficult to score goals in modern football than it was in the 50's. It's not an insult to Pele to suggest that his feat (or Dixie Deans for that matter) were accomplished against teams that simply lacked the tactical discipline, fitness and in depth preparation and professional level of coaching that todays defenders do. ie the odds favoured attackers then, especially as the game was played at a slower pace. An extremely talented player back then with pace, strength and agility would have destroyed defences. Pele was one such player, but Messi's achievements stand out because of the advances in modern football. It is because of these advances that
Fifa had to alter the offside rule and change the points for a win to rebalance the game, because with better organised, fitter, more athletic defenders it was becoming so hard to score that football was in danger of going sterile.

 

[Der Kaiser]

yeah, an 18 year old boy named Pele scoring 66 goals in a single season in Brazilian league at a time when Brazil league was the best in the world (Campeones Del Mundo multiple times and they all played in Brazil) is not that impressive at all. Let's just belittle that because every game ended 8-3

funny, I could have sworn at times this season Pep has played on 3 at the back and a 7 in midfield that camps in the oppostion half playing keep ball and probing for a goal.

besides we only won 5-3 a few days ago

You seem very offended by what I´ve said. Take a breath.

If you look at the style of football that was played in Pele´s era, you can see that scoring goals was a whole lot easier than it is today. The games were more open, less tactical, with less defenders. A young and athletic player like Pele could easily exploit the slow defenders. I´m not so sure about Brazilian football back then, but in Germany/Europe, 35 was still considered a good age for a defender...
And 3-3-4 and 8-3 were examples to make things simpler, don´t take it too litteral.

 

[barcelonista]

I've heard Pelé once didn't celebrate a goal with Garrincha. Is there some truth to it, HBA?!

 

[ledzep]

^

I agree with the those saying that defense of pele's time as a whole was nowhere near it is today, thus harder to compare the players from completely different eras. I mean the famous Italian defense only came about during the 80s (also the reason I consider Maradona to be the greatest for winning a WC alone by himself against much harder, not tacticaly inept defenders, as well as making a mediocre Napoli side 2 time champions in a country where the defense that had been considered greatest for 20 years)