Lionel Messi - v7

[Hardy]

That is precisely my point.

Not a coincidence that Messi and CR7 have been terrible (for their CL standards) at national level.

the fact that Benzema will likely be the third or fourth all time scorer of CL says a lot about how strong was that Real (and Manchester reached CL final without him just 2 years later he left) but this is the same for Messi, the same core of Barca 2008-2012 won 2 euro and a WC without him, he won a lot of ballon d'or with other players of Barca on podium. Both had luxury from playing with dominant teams for most part of their careers.

 

[Gari]

)))))

 

[te amo barca]

Messi is playing better than any 33 year old I have ever seen, 27 goals and 22 assists are amazing numbers for anyone. Look at someone like De Bruyne with 13 goals and 20 assists playing in a similar position in a much better team, Messi is held to higher standards than everyone else but he should be judged by the same standards. The problem with this team are the other 9 outfield players, he needs young dynamic players beside him but unfortunately, that is not the case.

You have no clue if you think De Bruyne and Messi are playing in remotely similar positions.

 

[snowy]

yo te amo too!

Haven't you been paying attention? Messi is everywhere!

everywhere​

everywhere​

everywhere​

Try 2 keep up will ya

edit: according to Serguei's latest update, GOAT's been spotted orbiting Ur... [ok I'll be nice ] nearby the constellation of Aries the Ram

 

[Horatio]

One interesting observation about the modern greats. They've put up more more amazing (statistically) and more frequent amazing performances than the greats of the past but they've also mostly done this when things are in their favor.

Messi, Xavi, Iniesta had each other. All 3 had Pep.
CR7 had top coaches in SAF, Mou, Ancelotti, ZZ and has played for a strong European side basically from 06-07 to 17/18 (Last 3 at United, all 9 at Madrid except maybe 09/10).

Yes, I understand that these modern greats helped make conditions favorable for their teams but still...

I personally feel like greats of the past had more in them in adverse situations. R10 was a beast against a strong Chelsea and Milan at their stadiums for example when I felt we were the inferior team. Never saw Maradona play but seems to be the story about his 86 WC or even 90 WC.

I feel greats of the past had an easier time putting in great performances because the gap of really talented players were bigger compared to the average player. Scouting has advanced, defensive tactics have advanced and training programs and facilities have advanced. Nowadays there are better ways to deal with personal shortcomings.

 

[Batistuta9]

Enjoy Messi with whatever little time he has left guys. I was watching a couple of videos on YouTube and he has been so good for so long. What makes it even more special, is that he has been the best in an era where quality is almost secondary to athleticism and work rate. In this modern era, the game has become more about physicality, become more robotic which has almost killed the traditional number 10 player. If you look at the best young players coming through these days like mbappe and haaland, they have elite physical attributes. What if Messi is the last of the true football geniuses

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

Nowhere near world class let alone GOAT status. Messi like we have known him is done.
I have always believed in him, he has always been THE one outstanding player for me but it is over.

 

[te amo barca]

Enjoy Messi with whatever little time he has left guys. I was watching a couple of videos on YouTube and he has been so good for so long. What makes it even more special, is that he has been the best in an era where quality is almost secondary to athleticism and work rate. In this modern era, the game has become more about physicality, become more robotic which has almost killed the traditional number 10 player. If you look at the best young players coming through these days like mbappe and haaland, they have elite physical attributes. What if Messi is the last of the true football geniuses

Messi was just as fast as Haaland and Mbappe when he broke out. Number 1 reason Messi was as good as he was earlier in the career was insane athleticism. His stamina has always been bad, but he wouldn't have been as successful without his tradermark explosiveness, agility and runs. He was very quick and would terrorize defences all day long on the wing and in the center. Messi did not play as a traditional number 10 back then. I mean the first thing that comes to mind to people when talking about Messi is his dribbling, which is not as good these days precisely due to the natural loss of that pace and acceleration he had in the past.

 

[Batistuta9]

Messi was just as fast as Haaland and Mbappe when he broke out. Number 1 reason Messi was as good as he was earlier in the career was insane athleticism. His stamina has always been bad, but he wouldn't have been as successful without his tradermark explosiveness, agility and runs. He was very quick and would terrorize defences all day long on the wing and in the center. Messi did not play as a traditional number 10 back then. I mean the first thing that comes to mind to people when talking about Messi is his dribbling, which is not as good these days precisely due to the natural loss of that pace and acceleration he had in the past.

Nope. Number 1 reason Messi has been the best, is his technical ability and understanding of the game. He was never going to play as a 10 at Barca as a 17 year old. He had insane acceleration which helped him so much, but it isn't what made him the best. There are players faster than Messi that are garbage. No one would really describe Messi as possessing elite physical attributes

 

[Horatio]

Nowhere near world class let alone GOAT status. Messi like we have known him is done.
I have always believed in him, he has always been THE one outstanding player for me but it is over.

This hurts coming from you.

 

[DonAK]

I do complain a lot about the club, the players and all that, but how spoiled do you have to be to claim Messi is not even a World Class footballer anymore based on these average games since we returned to football again.

I find it sad to be honest.

 

[Horatio]

People will say its wishful thinking or state of denial, but I truly think Messi still has a couple of good seasons ahead of him. It?s not that realistic to think he regressed that much after having one of his best seasons with that amazing CL run.

If Messi is done he is done, so be it. No problem accepting it. But don?t think we are quite there yet.

 

[Altomonte]

Judging Messi after all those post COVID games without enough rest is ridiculous. He has played every minute and has been decisive in all wins. When we played our two 2:2 draws, the defense let him down (or the referee awarded penalties + retakes when our GK made a save). Against Villarreal he was our best player.
He may not have been quite as sharp with his freekicks abd his passing, but he is still the one player you want to watch.

 

[Total-Football]

Messi now is like a walking paradox (double entendre dont axe me how).
Side 1 of the paradow: he always will produce moments of outrageous nature. Always ! That would put him almost always as an elite player on the pitch

Side 2: Messi by his walking will always make it hard to build a sound system, especially defensively. So he will always hurt the team in that regard no matter who the coach or what the system.

So yeah.. Its a tough paradox to unlock. Sacrifice the system or sacrifice a player who is capable of the impossible in scarce moments.

Intriguing indeed.

 

[Horatio]

You can improve the system and pace of play a bit without sacrificing Messi. Have players with pace and a solid midfield and Messi will linger more upfront.