Lionel Messi

What a season this man is having already.

3 appearances 4 goals and 3 assists. So he has played a part in every goal Barca have scored this season.

I honestly don't know how he does it. Best player ever for me.

 

Not yet, but he probably will be eventually.

 

Not best ever yet, but well on his way.

So far it looks as another 50+ goals season for him.

 

The fact that we can debate it right now speaks volumes about his ability.

 

a think he is the best ever and seems the most humble out of the players he is compared to

 

Best ever..hes not fair. A * glitch in The Matrix.

 

I would feel cheated every time I played against him.

 

All he is missing is a great world cup performance then there would be no debate over him being the best there ever was.

 

The world cup is overrated, international football isnt what it used to be. The Champions league is the premier football competition. So he doesnt need to have a good world cup to be the best.

 

He is absolutley phenominal. Probably the most intelligent(probably spelt that wrong) player ever by scoring and creating and finding spaces etc and I dont know how to seperate the three but id say no worse than Pele or Maradona.

At the age of 24 he will have:
Won atleast 17 Club Trophies(possibly/probably 20)
3 time World Player of the Year
Scored 200 Club goals
Been named in the Fifpro World XI 5 times

Unheard of stuff.

 

a think thats quite unfair that people say he has never had a great world cup he has never scored many goals but his assist where what kept argentina in the world cup last year and if not for some great goal keeping in the last 1 he would of scored a barrel load of goals

 

Pep Guardiola

“Put in the superlatives yourselves, I’m running out. It’s already been a while now that he has been outstanding. He’s more than decisive in every way. That he’s capable of doing everything that he does at his age is something impressive, that doesn’t make any sense.

“The best players are always in the thick of the action. (Michael) Jordan did it with the Bulls, (Kobe) Bryant does it with the Lakers and Leo does it here. We want him to stay with us because he’s the best and we wouldn’t swap him for anyone.”

“Messi is an irreplaceable player, today if he was here we would have won 5-0 but he was not and we had to play another in his place.”

Diego Maradona

“I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi. Messi is a genius and he can become an even better player.”

“His potential is limitless and I think he’s got everything it takes to become Argentina’s greatest player.”

“Messi I think is like me, he is the best in the world along with Ronaldinho.”

Frank Rijkaard

“He’s a unique player and he deserves it, because he can do things of almost imperceptible excellence and is a gem to watch.”

Johann Cruyff

“He deserves ten out of ten for doing what he does. He is a sensation, but still he can improve. He must know when to move the ball on quickly and when to try the impossible mission. When he learns this, he won’t win a single Golden Ball, but an entire collection.”

Carlos Tevez

“His speed is astonishing. It’s amazing how he can go 1 to 100 in just one second. I’m constantly around great players like Cristiano and Rooney, But this guy is just a step up above every other great footballer out there at the moment, Not only is he quick, determined, and extremely intelligent on the ball, but his movement off the ball is just as fantastic – unbelievable to sum it up in a word.”

Juan Sebastian Veron

“I see Maradona every time he grabs the ball and accelerates. We must protect him. I’d personally put him in a drawer of my bedside table.”

Gilberto

“Messi’s plaudits are hard to accept, we play in other countries and we do not see the local fans supporting our players there. Over 40 thousand Brazilians applauded, and that’s hard for who is on the field. When I see them applauding Messi I get annoyed.”

Julio Grondona

“Without Messi there isn’t a team for Argentina, Messi is brilliant, different, with a strong mentality. Let’s hope he doesn’t change.”

Jose The * Mourinho

“The best way to stop Messi is when you play with 11 men and then you can double mark him, one player to stay on him and the other to help out. If it is 11 against 10 then you have almost no chance of stopping him.”

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

“Nobody was so wonderful at 19 years, neither Pele nor Maradona.”

Fernando Gago

“For me, the best in the world is Messi because of the way he plays, moves with the ball and changes matches, Messi has incredible ability and I love the way that he plays.”

“Messi is the best player in the world by some way, I always thank * that he is an Argentine, not just as a player, but as a person too. I have known him since I was 18, he is incredible, a very good person and we are very good friends. Right now, he is at another club, and we have a little bit of a rivalry, but the friendship is larger and stronger.”

Theirry 'The Cheat' Henry
“I have the possibility to watch Messi in training each morning, and because of what he demonstrates he is the best player in the world, he stated during a press conference. It is a pleasure to watch him, and because of the way he plays he is an undisputed leader of the Barcelona team.”

Antonio Cassano

“Ronaldinho is better than Cristiano Ronaldo, but neither are as good as Leo Messi.”

Sergio Aguero

“Nowadays, Messi is better than Ronaldinho. He is the best footballer in the world right now. And I’m not the only who says so. Everyone who has seen him play says so too.”

Pele

“I knew when we gave Kaka the FIFA World Player of the Year award that he (messi) would become the best player in the world. With young people like him we need patience and that is the problem we have in Brazil.”

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

“When I see Messi – who is the best player in the world in my opinion – lose the ball, he runs off until he gets it back or commits a foul. Our guys lose the ball and fold their arms.”

Juan Laporta

“This year at Barcelona team spirit is dominating but players like Messi show there is individuality too. He is a virtuoso player who is determined and fast with the ball at his feet….he is a mixture of Maradona and Cruyff.”

Carles 'The King' Puyol

“He is a spectacular player, there is nobody else like him. I should not because I have suffered so much in training. I think he is the best forward at the moment and I think he will be so for many more years. He has his feet on the ground.”

Cesc Fabregas

“He has a great future if he can stay clear of injuries. For me, he is the best there is.”

Ronaldinho

“Every time he plays, Leo Messi reminds me more of Maradona, both left-footed and short, Messi is the best player in the world, along with Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo. For us it is not a surprise. Since he began to come and train with us and we knew we would go down this path. Someday I will explain that I was at the birth of one of the footballing greats: Leo Messi.”

Txiki Begiristain

“He is priceless. Right now, in Messi, Barcelona has the best soccer player on planet Earth.”

Marcello Lippi

“The best? Messi”

Daniel Alves

“Lionel Messi? When I played against him at Sevilla it was always very difficult, so now I’m pleased that we’re on the same side. He’s just fantastic.”

Mikel Arteta

“It is as if someone commands him from the stands, like a video game. I have never seen a human run with the ball at that speed. I have not seen Maradona so I cannot compare, but Messi is simply unbeatable.”

Raul

“The other day I saw one of his games. He was running with the ball at a hundred percent full speed, I don’t know how many touches he took, maybe five or six, but the ball was glued to his foot. It’s practically impossible!”

Xavi

“It is clear that Messi is on a level above all others. Those who do not see that are blind.”

Johnny Heitinga

“I believe that I played well against Barcelona, the problem was that Lionel Messi was simply unstoppable.”

Arsene 'Your Past It' Wenger

“He’s like a PlayStation”

Unknown

Some 51,000 fans went to see Argentina play Serbia in soccer Wednesday night … They made it clear that they were there to see superstar Lionel Messi, chanting his name from the first 10 minutes onward. [[Nb. Messi did not play in this match]]

 

Messi has surpassed both Pele and Maradona in terms of club achievements.

 

Yes I think Messi is the greatest player ever. People can say Pele and Maradonna are better but the game has become so much more since their time. Far, far harder imo. For Messi to consistently rip teams to * is unbelievable.

 

I think people under-rate Pele though because he played only in Brazil.

Pele only played 3 games against European teams and scored 7 goals against the European Champions Benfica and AC Milan in the Intercontinental Cup. Thats shows how good Pele was too that the European Champions got absolutley horsed off him like no-one has ever done before or since.

 

will always be questioned until he wins the world cup.Unfairly imo for me the champions league is harder than the world cup and the wee man is just head and shoulders above everyone and i include the ladyboy ronaldo in that :bbpd:

 

Best player I've ever watched and I didn't think I'd see anyone pass Zidane, Ronaldo (Brazil) or Ronaldinho.

A 42 year old Argentinian guy I work with still reckons Maradonna was better though.

 

He's in my top 5

Messi
Xavi
Garrincha
Best
Ronaldo (fenomono)

I find it impossible to separate these 5

 

I cant believe he scores so many goals either, he is hardly ever in the box but when he does go in he seems to score 1 of every 2 chances he gets, he doesnt shoot a lot either.

Compared to Ronaldo whos probably the other best goalscorer he shoots all the time probably about 12 times a game, wants all the freekicks and penalties too and is constantly running into the box.

The amount of times Messi lingers outside the box and gets to the ball when its cleared out then either scores or sets a goal up is great too, not many if any other players do it.