Messi.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Made a thread on the old GW a while ago about him and frankly how good he was. He has gone absolutely mental since then (Barcelona's record goalscorer for one). He's the best player I've seen and it's conceivably not even becoming a contest now. Having said that, I'm not sure he, nor Barcelona would be driven to these levels were it not for their infernal relationship with Real Madrid, or on a more personal level, Ronaldo. And of course, vica-versa.

This is the most up-to-date video I can find of his, so it exludes everything since his 5 goals against Leverkusen, I think. Not sure about the music though, it's not like he's dead.



Blocked out six of those goals though tbf.

[bignev]

He is unbelievably good. Certainly the best player I have seen in my lifetime.

I would love to see him in the Premiership to see how he does but I doubt it will happen.

[Marc Overmars]

So many little chips and dinks over the keepers, makes it look piss easy.

Great player, almost as good as RVP.

[Dennis Bendtner]

Good vid. Props to the creator. Like that there was no special effects or replays. I like the goals he scores when you think he'll go across the keeper but he just slams it in the near post.

The chips. He is what Vela wanted to be.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

I actually almost feel sorry for Ronaldo (well... almost) because if Messi wasn't around we'd be talking about Ronaldo being comfortably the best player of his generation. For quite a few generations actually.

But as it is, he isn't. That's life I guess.

It will be interesting to see how Messi can go on from here though, because seemingly all he has to do is to win the World Cup and the debate is over. (I think that's ridiculous but beside the point) It's hard to see how he can get better but the scary thing is he probably will. And whether getting kicked around every game and the whole thing with his growth will catch up with him but he's only 24, theoretically he's 4/5 years from his prime!

There is a curiosity to see how he would do at another club, in another league but that's purely from a selfish point of view. He's probably the only player I would pay to watch just because he was playing, which is a bigger honour than the Ballon d'Or, obviously.

[Xhaka Can’t]

We were talking about him at work this morning and trying to work out a way of describing his play and what he does to be so effective.

Quite simply, he is so good and so far in advance of his peers that he makes the spectacular look unspectacular.

[Letters]

I personally think it's a bit early to be handing him the 'best ever' crown.
He's helped by playing in arguably the best ever club side and he hasn't quite done it at international level in the way you might expect. He's definitely the best player in the world right now, I think when the time comes to look at his career he'll rank alongside Pele and Maradona and arguably be better than either, but that's a debate to be had when his career has finished.

[Marc Overmars]

'doing it at International level'.

That's another cold night at the Britannia there.

[Letters]

What?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I personally think it's a bit early to be handing him the 'best ever' crown.
He's helped by playing in arguably the best ever club side and he hasn't quite done it at international level in the way you might expect. He's definitely the best player in the world right now, I think when the time comes to look at his career he'll rank alongside Pele and Maradona and arguably be better than either, but that's a debate to be had when his career has finished.

I don't think it is, although I have to qualify it with 'that I've seen' as the footage of Maradona, let alone Pele is limited at best. The issue I have though is that it supposes Pele was not involved with numerous magnificent teams himself. I mean, there's a reason Brazil 1970 is looked back on so fondly and it isn't just because of Pele.

There's always a hesitancy to come out and say the current player is the best ever because their career could end, or be stifled by injuries, like Fat Ronaldo. If you look at Federer, he is someone else that some were hesitant to call as the Best Ever but I'm not sure why; for me, his talent exceeds all others I have seen. Another thing, is Messi's level of consistency and I don't just mean in the goals he scores, I mean in how many chances he creates too, every single game. And that was true in the last World Cup too.

And if we go on what they have won then Pele and Maradona never won the European Cup, which must be a big mark down if we just look at what they've won (which I don't think is the best way).