Is Messi better than...

Pele, Maradona, Best, Zidane, Cruyff ....? After watching him last night , i would say yes

I'd say that he's not as good as Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Zidane or Cruyff as they did the business in the World Cup, Messi flopped in the last World Cup. We'll never know if Best could have done it in a World Cup but I think he was a better club player than Messi from the video footage I've seen, but not by a long way

I'd say that he's not as good as Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Zidane or Cruyff as they did the business in the World Cup, Messi flopped in the last World Cup. We'll never know if Best could have done it in a World Cup but I think he was a better club player than Messi from the video footage I've seen, but not by a long way

Fair comment that, regarding Messi in the world Cup

If you believe the Echo Messi would be a long second best to Steve McPhail

If you believe the Echo Messi would be a long second best to Steve McPhail

Yes they are quite similar type's of players

I'd say that he's not as good as Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Zidane or Cruyff as they did the business in the World Cup, Messi flopped in the last World Cup. We'll never know if Best could have done it in a World Cup but I think he was a better club player than Messi from the video footage I've seen, but not by a long way

But to be fair to Messi, every game in the world cup he was ALWAYS at least doubled up on in every game.

Jay Emmanuelle Thomas?

I dont think thats fair to say that about the world cup really. Yeh of course it would make him greater, but he has been in a poor team! Best player ever for me! He is only 23 and already considered the best ever! if people aren't convinced now they will be in a couple of years!

Jay Emmanuelle Thomas?

No

gavin rae? i dont think so

I'd say that he's not as good as Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Zidane or Cruyff as they did the business in the World Cup, Messi flopped in the last World Cup. We'll never know if Best could have done it in a World Cup but I think he was a better club player than Messi from the video footage I've seen, but not by a long way

But to be fair to Messi, every game in the world cup he was ALWAYS at least doubled up on in every game.

Yeah, agreed, but the mark of a great player is how you influence a game. Look at Maradona in 1986, he single-handedly took Argentina to the final and he was sometimes doubled, trebled or quadrupled up on (remember that photo of him in the semi-final v Belgium when he had 4 or 5 players shadowing him?). I don't think Messi is up there at that standard yet, but, like someone else said, give it a couple of years from now and he will be

messi isnt as good internationally because theres a heck of alot more club games than there are international. If they made an international league (like the championship for example) he would do alot better because he'll be more used to international matches

maradona is over-rated due to one game v the english really. messi is already better than him

maradona is over-rated due to one game v the english really.

You're joking, right? Don't forget what he did at Napoli, too, when the Italian league was by far the hardest in the world

never in the top 3 for the ballon d'or......

never in the top 3 for the ballon d'or......

OK. I think that was just European players at the time, although I may be wrong

I honestly don't know what else Messi has to do to. Is it 52 goals so far this season with 11 goals in the last 10 games?

Also I always think that players get a hell of a lot better after they've retired. Memories are often rosed over a tad.

One interesting post here is that he's not as good because of his world cup. Well George Best never managed to even qualify for a world cup. Does that make him crap then?

One interesting post here is that he's not as good because of his world cup. Well George Best never managed to even qualify for a world cup. Does that make him crap then?

Read it again

Well yeah I did read it and I see your point "We'll never know if Best could have done it in a World Cup ". Point is though we do know how well Best did in the world cupS, he never made it past the qualifying stages. Granted he was in a shit team, but so was Messi. Again, neither means anything at all for Best or Messi. Best was a fantastic player regardless of the world cup and the same applies to Messi.

Lets also not forget that you are comparing ex players who had an entire career behind them with Messi who is only a 23 year old with possibly another 10 years or more and lots of world cups etc.

Well yeah I did read it and I see your point "We'll never know if Best could have done it in a World Cup ". Point is though we do know how well Best did in the world cupS, he never made it past the qualifying stages. Granted he was in a shit team, but so was Messi. Again, neither means anything at all for Best or Messi. Best was a fantastic player regardless of the world cup and the same applies to Messi.

Lets also not forget that you are comparing ex players who had an entire career behind them with Messi who is only a 23 year old with possibly another 10 years or more and lots of world cups etc.

Granted, but my own personal opinion is that, at the moment, Best is better than Messi from what I've seen on old footage, which is all most of us can say on here. For the time being I believe that Best is better than Messi, but in the next couple of years at the same rate of development, there's no doubt he will be in the top 2 or 3 best players.

We can have this debate all day long, but a lot of it will probably just boil down to personal opinions. I mean, there's another debate over who was the best team of all time or what was the best goal of all time? You can never really compare teams of different eras as there were so many different influences going on at the time with pitches, ball weights, fitness levels, etc, etc. And the same applies to the greatest goals of all time

The other thing I'll say about Messi is he has become a football hero to many kids and holds a lot of responsibility with that. When he scores does he run up to the cameras swearing and pulling "look at me I'm hard" faces? No he doesn't. He remains the perfect professional. These days there's a lot to be said about that, which he's not given any credit for.
When it comes to holding role model responsibilities George Best didn't exactly do a very good job now did he.

No, this is true. George Best wasn't the greatest example to kids with his lifestyle choice and you often wonder when players have god given talents like Best and some who have nmade it to premiership level why they decide they can't be bothered. It has happened down the years to many, many players and, if I had the ability to make it as a top footballer, I would be doing my damnedest to stay at the top and earn as much money as I possibly could. Look at how many wasted talents have fallen by the wayside just because they couldn't really be arsed to put in a fraction of the work and hours people like you and me do for many times the wages

No, this is true. George Best wasn't the greatest example to kids with his lifestyle choice and you often wonder when players have god given talents like Best and some who have nmade it to premiership level why they decide they can't be bothered. It has happened down the years to many, many players and, if I had the ability to make it as a top footballer, I would be doing my damnedest to stay at the top and earn as much money as I possibly could. Look at how many wasted talents have fallen by the wayside just because they couldn't really be arsed to put in a fraction of the work and hours people like you and me do for many times the wages

Yes and the problem is they won't appreciate the lives they've got until it's all over.

Messi is an incredible talent. His performances and goal record speaks for itself. HOWEVER, it is hard to judge him against Maradona, as Messi plays club football for the best team in the world by far. Maradona did the business for far lesser teams. Don't think anyone will ever be able to say with any certainty who the best player ever was. There are far more players, that aren't even on your initial list, that could have an argument to claim the worlds best ever footballer.
Regarding George Best, I think it's a bit unfair to put him down about his 'image to kids'. No matter what you say, he was the first 'superstar' footballer, often reffered to as the 6th beatle. No one player had ever recieved the attention he bagan to get at a very young age. With no real advice at 19, if miss worlds were throwing themselves at you, it'd take a stronger man than me to turn that down.
That famous occassion when he was lieing in a bed with 2 Miss worlds and bottles of champagne, when a reporter asks...'where did it all go wrong George'?? haha, I wish it could go that wrong for me!

Also, I know a lot of kids actually started supporting Man utd in the 60s for the sole reason that was George Best!

Messi is an incredible talent. His performances and goal record speaks for itself. HOWEVER, it is hard to judge him against Maradona, as Messi plays club football for the best team in the world by far. Maradona did the business for far lesser teams. Don't think anyone will ever be able to say with any certainty who the best player ever was. There are far more players, that aren't even on your initial list, that could have an argument to claim the worlds best ever footballer.
Regarding George Best, I think it's a bit unfair to put him down about his 'image to kids'. No matter what you say, he was the first 'superstar' footballer, often reffered to as the 6th beatle. No one player had ever recieved the attention he bagan to get at a very young age. With no real advice at 19, if miss worlds were throwing themselves at you, it'd take a stronger man than me to turn that down.
That famous occassion when he was lieing in a bed with 2 Miss worlds and bottles of champagne, when a reporter asks...'where did it all go wrong George'?? haha, I wish it could go that wrong for me!

I think the quote was something like "I spent my money on women and drink, but I wasted the rest".

Also, I know a lot of kids actually started supporting Man utd in the 60s for the sole reason that was George Best!

Yes most of them are now womanising alcholics.

No, this is true. George Best wasn't the greatest example to kids with his lifestyle choice and you often wonder when players have god given talents like Best and some who have nmade it to premiership level why they decide they can't be bothered. It has happened down the years to many, many players and, if I had the ability to make it as a top footballer, I would be doing my damnedest to stay at the top and earn as much money as I possibly could. Look at how many wasted talents have fallen by the wayside just because they couldn't really be arsed to put in a fraction of the work and hours people like you and me do for many times the wages

Yes and the problem is they won't appreciate the lives they've got until it's all over.

I can guarantee there's not a person on here who wouldn't swap with them. The ones who appreciate what they've got and give back to the people who got them there shouldn't be begrudged, it's the arrogant, can't be arsed ones that don't deserve it

Also, I know a lot of kids actually started supporting Man utd in the 60s for the sole reason that was George Best!

Yes most of them are now womanising alcholics.

Lucky bastards

Maradona did the business for far lesser teams.

Like Barcelona?