Is Lionel Messi the most talented footballer you have seen ?

[Craig]

Agree with everything Brumby's said here, and ATM would put Ronaldo comfortably ahead. Give Messi 5 years, to settle into being a international midfielder rather than a dazzled youngster, and it may well be different (look how Ronaldo's improved over the last 5 years).

Have to say it, but from watching Barca this season, reckon Bojan should be getting more credit than Messi. Thats a kid that scares me, at 17 n all.

Giovanni Dos Santos isn't half bad either. Imagine if they weren't slow enough to stop Cesc Fabregas to join Arsenal. You snooze, you lose IMO.

 

[Goughy]

Nah.

Best footballers I've seen are Ossie Ardiles, Matthew le Tissier and Felipe. Ah... Almost forgot Kemi Izzet and Greg Halford.

Haven't watched many live football matches.

haha. You got there first. I was actually going to answer, with an element of seriousness, Super Matt

Enjoy

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

haha. You got there first. I was actually going to answer, with an element of seriousness, Super Matt

Class. The 2nd and last goals of that selection were the best. Loved the little silky skills used for the second and how he managed to score that last one with his back to the goal. Incredible. The others were just a variation on the theme of finding the top locker.

 

[chalky]

Van Basten was pretty special during the 88 Euro Championships, (can't quite remember Maradona in 86) and during the next few years for Milan defiantely the best all round player I ever saw.

 

[cpr]

Le Tiss was one of those players i really wish we'd signed when i was growing up, his skills were simply unbelievable. People complained about his weight, but that was only really in later years, and tbh, when you can do that from 30 yards with either foot, who cares for running.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Kinda makes you weep that the English team couldn't find a use for a player as lavishly gifted as Le Tiss. Hoddle was the manager I had most hope for; if anyone knew what it was like to be an under-appreciated genius surrounded by willing carthorses it was surely Glenda, but no.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Have to say it, but from watching Barca this season, reckon Bojan should be getting more credit than Messi. Thats a kid that scares me, at 17 n all.

I understand that to even be in the Barcelona first team at 17 is a massive achievement... but other than that, personally I'm yet to see the hype. Other than getting in the team at his age in the first place, I haven't seen him do too much of note (I think I'm right in saying he scored a stupid amount of goals at youth level, though this could be said of a lot of players). Admittedly I have not actually seen him play too much tbh, the odd domestic game here or there plus the CL semi.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Le Tiss was one of those players i really wish we'd signed when i was growing up, his skills were simply unbelievable. People complained about his weight, but that was only really in later years, and tbh, when you can do that from 30 yards with either foot, who cares for running.

Concur with this, still think he's a **** though.

 

[cpr]

From what i saw of Bojan in the CL Quarters, he made me brick it at the idea of playing against him in the semi's, he looked bloody good, really ran for the team, created chances with skill and accuracy, looked at home leading the line for Barcelona at the age of 17, thats a bloody worry for the future. For me, Messi can run and run, a good defence like ours were tested, but never beaten. Bojan, with more years on his side, just screamed superstar, he'll really have it all come 21 IMO. Reckon we should try and nab him now and pair him with Rooney

 

[Tom Halsey]

From what i saw of Bojan in the CL Quarters, he made me brick it at the idea of playing against him in the semi's, he looked bloody good, really ran for the team, created chances with skill and accuracy, looked at home leading the line for Barcelona at the age of 17, thats a bloody worry for the future. For me, Messi can run and run, a good defence like ours were tested, but never beaten. Bojan, with more years on his side, just screamed superstar, he'll really have it all come 21 IMO. Reckon we should try and nab him now and pair him with Rooney

Fair play, didn't see the quarters tbf.

IMO Messi was the only one of their front three that ever looked like doing something against us. Thought Evra and others had to be at their very best to contain him tbh.

 

[cpr]

Well yeah, one of the best players does mean we have to raise our game. Compared to the dross we face each week in the prem, he tested the defence a hell of a lot more. Fact is, over the two legs, he was effectively marshalled out of the game. He ran a bit, he got nowhere. So we doubled up, he needed it, but it worked very effectively.


Its the same with Ronaldo, he can be marshalled out of a game by a good, efficient defence. Having seen Ronaldo a hell of a lot more, i know that even when he's out of a game, he has it in him to do that one moment of genius that'll break himself free. Thats what puts him with the best playing today. Does Messi have that? If he does i'll take your word for it, because i've not seen enough this season against good defences to know.

What made Maradona and Zidane up their with the finest ever to play is even the best defence had no answer for them (well, bar 'ya mam' jokes for the latter). Nearest we had to that sort of class in recent years is a peak of his career Paul Scholes, and even Ryan Giggs. (odd to say that now were having to suffer their winding down years). 2 men who could play against 100 and still find that breakthrough, be it a perfect pass or jinxing skill

 

[luffy]

Bosnich, itbt.

 

[headhunter]

Nay, Zidane the best to play in my lifetime.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Well yeah, one of the best players does mean we have to raise our game. Compared to the dross we face each week in the prem, he tested the defence a hell of a lot more. Fact is, over the two legs, he was effectively marshalled out of the game. He ran a bit, he got nowhere. So we doubled up, he needed it, but it worked very effectively.


Its the same with Ronaldo, he can be marshalled out of a game by a good, efficient defence. Having seen Ronaldo a hell of a lot more, i know that even when he's out of a game, he has it in him to do that one moment of genius that'll break himself free. Thats what puts him with the best playing today. Does Messi have that? If he does i'll take your word for it, because i've not seen enough this season against good defences to know.

What made Maradona and Zidane up their with the finest ever to play is even the best defence had no answer for them (well, bar 'ya mam' jokes for the latter). Nearest we had to that sort of class in recent years is a peak of his career Paul Scholes, and even Ryan Giggs. (odd to say that now were having to suffer their winding down years). 2 men who could play against 100 and still find that breakthrough, be it a perfect pass or jinxing skill

Doubling up works very effectively against anyone though, bar the odd moment of genius (which Messi has produced before) - we could do it against Barcelona and get away with it because they had no-one else. If they had have done, that doubling up would have been our undoing. No-one has ever really doubled up on Ronaldo, we have too much elsewhere to make it viable really.

FWIW, WRT Scholes, obviously his game has changed somewhat, to me he's still vital to us, he's had the disadvantage of being injured for a fair amount of time in the season just gone, bar a couple of games when he was just coming back he's been excellent IMO. Giggs, different story here, and Nani is still too inconsistent, we need a left winger IMO. Giggs though has at times looked decent still when playing inside, in the old fashioned number ten position I reckon.

 

[cpr]

Giggs is a big game player now. He can look shocking and wasteful for 4 games, then in the 5th, when it really counts, he produces some magic that only he can.

Looking at his record this season, his goals/assists have come in close games, usually won by that one goal. Sometimes they've been utter sublime (cross for tevez v chelsea).

Not writing him off completely just yet

 

[Tom Halsey]

Giggs is a big game player now. He can look shocking and wasteful for 4 games, then in the 5th, when it really counts, he produces some magic that only he can.

Looking at his record this season, his goals/assists have come in close games, usually won by that one goal. Sometimes they've been utter sublime (cross for tevez v chelsea).

Not writing him off completely just yet

I'm not writing him off completely when he plays centrally, he has played well on occasion this season, mostly when he's played centrally.

 

[roseboy64]

Seen him play well on the wing too, when he's allowed to roam like Ronaldo though.

 

[aussie]

No. But he would definately make the top 5 in my time of watching football which would be:

- Zidane
- Ronaldinho
- Giggs
- Batistuta
- Messi

On the little Ronaldo/Messi debate i'm seeing here would have them equal ATM especially skill wise. But i get the feeling in Ronaldo's last 2 season of dominance that he is a bit of a weak defense basher if thats a term you could use. Watching him againts AC Milan last season in Milan, up close @ OT a few weeks back & a international friendly vs Italy that a freind showed me he just seems to want to do a maradona every time he gets the ball & consistently gets tackled out of it very frustrating, plus i don't think he has scored againts Chelsea yet.

But i would love for him to prove me wrong this summer.

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

Giggs? Let's take off the red-tinted glasses for a bit here.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Tbf, Giggs at his peak was ****ing awesome.