Is MESSI the Greatest?

Best ive seen but im only 28, and pele is no were near the class of messi

Christiano Ronaldo must be 4th.

ronoldo would be 4th.

Cruyff over 400 goals in just over 700 appearances from midfield and he may never have won a world cup but I bet no player has ever done this

Ever heard the phrase "total football"?

Put simply, it means all 10 outfield players in a team are comfortable in any position.

So if a defender wants to go on a mazy run towards goal, a midfielder will fill in for him at the back - and stay there.

It may sound crazy, but it was a style of play that made Holland the greatest side of the 1970s.

The brains behind it all was the Dutch captain and Ajax star player - Johan Cruyff.

With two fabulous feet and mesmeric ball skills, Cruyff was at the heart of everything Holland did - literally.

All 15 of their goals in the 1974 World Cup either started or ended with the captain.

You must be joking
Messi has played all his career alongside xavi and iniesta at barcelona.
We have absolutely no idea how good he would be outside of that environment, which is one hell of a comfort zone.
His international record is far from encouraging.
0 world cup wins, 0 copa americas.
He is very talented but he can be nullified.
At the very best he has an outside chance of a top 10.
And he has a lot to do to get past guys like Cruyff, Zidane, di Stefano, Puskas, Beckenbauer, Platini, Best even before he gets to the acknowledged top 2 Pele and Maradona.

PELE scored a 1000 goals, won 3 world cup winners medals and went to the USA and they built a pro league on the back of him. Maradona won leagues with Boca and Napoli against impossible odds, you could say the same of his world cup win in 86.

If Messi and CR7 want to be considered among the worlds greats they need to get out of spain where the imbalance makes their achievements the equivalent of shelling peas.

Messi goes back to Argentina, wins a copa libertadores with Newells (he's from Rosario) and a world cup with arg then yes he gets in the argument.

Crissy goes back to Sporting Lisbon, they win a champs league and he wins at least a EUros with Potugal then he gets in the argument.

Otherwise boys you cannot seriously put them in the same bracket as the big 2.

Cruyff my fav player of all time

Diego still the best, and no doubts about the top 3. Portuguese Ronaldo doesn't get near the top 10 for me, maybe Brazilian Ronaldo. Zidane and Cruyff make the top 5 for me.

you cant win a world cup "on your own" that is a fact. You cant tell me the rest of the Argentinian world cup winning teams were rubbish!

Yes a fcking Messi debate!

Of course he is the best ever its not even close.

Pele and Messi are equal 1st, the difference between Pele and Messi, is we see Messi every week, but we only saw Pele at World Cup Finals, as South American Football wasn't shown and still isn't over here. Pele in the 1970 World Cup Finals was sensational. Messi well he's just a pure magician and unlike most players, he plays, because he loves the game

Messi could not have scored that goal v England. Not Messi, not anyone except the supernatural Maradona. He was a freak.

maradonna's club career doesnt stack up. there were other good players in the napoli team. his scoring record isnt good enough. there are so many players with better club careers than maradonna. he never won the european cup, did he.
as i said before, his greatness is based on two games in 86 world cup.

If only he'd joined Sheffield United and not Barcelona...

Thanks geordie, top man.

Where does one start with all you messy numpties?
Dear oh dear.

The notion that Bale can be mentioned in the argument for the worlds best?
Great scott.
You people need to understand that there is a huge gulf in ability that exists in the top leagues in england and spain.
Teams like ManU and Barca are miles ahead of the likes of crystal palace and elche.
Because messi bangs in 40 or 50 against hugely inferior opponents does not make him the GOAT (greatest of all time).
You can only judge these people in games against equal opponents. And Messi's best days have been in a barca shirt often surrounded by world class talent like Xavi, Ini, Eto, Henry, Pujol, Villa.

I saw Zidane dismantle the Brazillian side which included Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, Adriano in Germany 2006. It was done in midfield and by far the most impressive performance by any player of the last decade.

Nothing Messi or Cristiano have done has been as good.

The champs league successes Messi has enjoyed have been as part of a collective, the Barca collective, and he's been the first to admit this.

If he wants to be mentioned with Pele and Maradona and I'm not sure he cares, then Messi has to move form Barca.

Cruyff won 3 consecutive European Cups, 9 Dutch titles with 2 teams and a La Liga plus numerous cups and all this whilst being a constant 20 a day smoker

Uh, Maradona at Naples had to take on the might of the 3 northern devils, Inter, AC and juve who are always strong.
Milan had Van Basten, Gullit, RIkjaard ffs.

Just because Naples managed to sign Alemao and Careca as well as DIego meant they were only entering the ball park.
It is universally recognised that Napoli winning 2 scudetti was a monumental achievement.
Certainly beats anything Messi has achieved.

"Because messi bangs in 40 or 50 against hugely inferior opponents does not make him the GOAT (greatest of all time).
You can only judge these people in games against equal opponents. And Messi's best days have been in a barca shirt often surrounded by world class talent"



If that's your reasoning for not accepting messi then how can you say Pele? As i said above he scored most of his goals against local sides in state championships.
And if Messi's achievements are only because he's surrounded by world class talent then how come you point to Pele's 3 world cup wins. It's not as if the 1970 Brazil side was a bunch of cloggers