Lionel Messi: GOAT 🐐

[El Duderino]

I don’t hold Ronaldo missing the Euro final or never winning a World Cup against him.

For me he just wasn’t as good as Messi when I watched them play.

I enjoyed both of them, for what it's worth. Messi just more of my kind of player.

Felt that it was unfair to hold their NTs against them.

Despite Ronaldo's knack for being decisive and clutch at club level, Messi just had more flair about him.

 

[Entropics]

Mbappe will sack you from PSG so come to the PL you absolute coward

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Probably MLS for some silly money.

But Saudi Arabia could also be an option with having Messi and Ronaldo in their league.

Messi already has all the money. Like, all of it. What salary can you offer to someone who has made half a billion dollars?

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Just similar with Mbappe and Haaland now when i watch Mbappe he can do everything when I watch Haaland he just goal scorer he don't do the things Mbappe does during the game.

No it isn't, Mbappe is a ruthless goalscorer with some frankly unfair attributes, much like Haaland. In that respect they're both much more similar to CR7 than Messi.

 

[boonthegoon]

Messi vs Ronaldo was never a debate before this tournament as well for me. It's always been Messi and quite easily IMO.

Of my lifetime like someone mentioned earlier. I don't like comparing different eras. So will skip the pele, maradona comparisons.

If I'm not wrong, he has won every tournament he's participated in, right? That's amazing.

 

[Haphazard]

Still remember when he got so pissed when Bendtner scored at the camp Nou that he scored 4 past us

 

[jones]

No it isn't, Mbappe is a ruthless goalscorer with some frankly unfair attributes, much like Haaland. In that respect they're both much more similar to CR7 than Messi.

He's definitely a lot closer to Cristiano than Messi but compared to Haaland he's more Messi than Cristiano if that makes sense. Much more ability with the ball at his feet

 

[dashsnow17]

I enjoyed both of them, for what it's worth. Messi just more of my kind of player.

Felt that it was unfair to hold their NTs against them.

Despite Ronaldo's knack for being decisive and clutch at club level, Messi just had more flair about him.

The last para is interesting cos people generally feel that Messi was this natural player and CR7 was more engineered, the street vs the practice pitch, but in terms of tricks CR7 did all the tricks, most I’ve ever seen Messi do on a pitch is a nutmeg, he’s always been ruthlessly efficient, go past the man and get to goal as efficiently as possible.

 

[dashsnow17]

As for Mbappé v Haaland, I think there are a few reasons why it won’t be anything like a rivalry in the way Messi v Ronaldo was, they don’t play for club rivals, Haaland plays for a small country so there’s never gonna be a fair debate about international achievements etc.

But crucially they’re less differentiated from one another in people’s minds. They’re different players of course but not really different enough to become totems for opposing sides. Messi v Ronaldo became a debate about how you see football, even life. Don’t think Mbappé v Haaland has the same poignancy, it’s just two very good players.

 

[dashsnow17]

For eg the reason Piers Morgan is simping like a lil b*tch for Ronaldo rn isn’t cos he sincerely believes that Ronaldo is a better footballer, it’s cos Ronaldo symbolises things that Morgan aligns himself with, strength, power, fame, being an alpha male. If Trump watched football he’d also be a Ronaldo fan, no doubt about that.

 

[Trilly]

Kinda ridiculous that he needed to win the World Cup to remove any doubts?

It is but that’s football fandom for you.

I’m so happy we can finally rest. Every single CR7 fan knew this was the one they simply couldn’t deny.

 

[Macho]

It is but that’s football fandom for you.

I’m so happy we can finally rest. Every single CR7 fan knew this was the one they simply couldn’t deny.

It’s a fitting full stop and exclamation mark anyways, we are lucky to have had him entertain us so long. I’m quite ambivalent about Argentina winning, but happy Messi won it.

Alan Shearer wrote a nice piece articulating his thoughts about the final, I will post it once I get to my lappy.

 

[Trilly]

Glad i was young to witness i still remember his debut i think was in 2005 i was 15 and this guy came on late 2nd half and i was laughing at him because he was ugly and short silly me he shut me up in like 5 minutes and scores in his debut.

I remember his CL debut against prime Chelsea when he was coming on as a sub and the commentator said something like

“remember the name because you’ll be hearing a lot more of it in a few years”

If only we knew what was about to happen, it didn’t even take a few years.

 

[Trilly]

He's definitely a lot closer to Cristiano than Messi but compared to Haaland he's more Messi than Cristiano if that makes sense. Much more ability with the ball at his feet

I don’t know if we’ll ever have someone who was a better goalscorer than the elite goalscorers and a better playmaker than the elite playmakers again, even for just a season or two let alone a decade.

CR7, Mbappe and Henry have had 30+ goal and 20 assist type seasons but they’ve never been ‘playmakers’.

The closest we have to Messi is Neymar in that regard. When those two are done it will be sad, I don’t even see anyone currently on the scene that could grow into that type of player let alone hit that level.

 

[jones]

But crucially they’re less differentiated from one another in people’s minds. They’re different players of course but not really different enough to become totems for opposing sides. Messi v Ronaldo became a debate about how you see football, even life.

This why football called the beautiful game. My man used to just ****post here now he's turned into Oscar Wilde talking about universes and totems.

 

[OnlyOne]

Swear GOAT's never really retire at the peak of their achievement but I suppose there is a pattern they don't want to give up even when you look around the other sports.

 

[Trilly]

I think @dashsnow17 has regained the joy of football and maybe life in general.

Don’t worry Artetaball is back soon to end all that.

 

[Trilly]

Swear GOAT's never really retire at the peak of their achievement but I suppose there is a pattern they don't want to give up even when you look around the other sports.

They just love the game too much and know their limitations. All the GOATs seem to have a good understanding of when they’re done done.

MJ came back for Washington and was still a very above average player and Messi is arguably still a top5 player in the world.

I think Messi could still do another season or two in a top five league if he goes to a team that can do the running for him. If football wasn’t so athleticism and pressing based these days you could play him as a number 10 for another five years imo.

 

[jones]

I remember his CL debut against prime Chelsea when he was coming on as a sub and the commentator said something like

His CL debut was against Shakhtar, he didn't play Chelsea that season.

Had me second guessing myself how you'd remember a match in 05 as a juice box drinking year 7 when you didn't even remember when we broke our trophy drought.

 

[OnlyOne]

They just love the game too much and know their limitations. All the GOATs seem to have a good understanding of when they’re done done.

MJ came back for Washington and was still a very above average player and Messi is arguably still a top5 player in the world.

I think Messi could still do another season or two in a top five league if he goes to a team that can do the running for him. If football wasn’t so athleticism and pressing based these days you could play him as a number 10 for another five years imo.

Yeah they do, suppose it's part and parcel. Bit of a different one, but SAF is considered a GOAT and won the PL title in his last season, pretty decent ending.