Is Messi the Greatest Ever?

[Adi]

Simple... is Messi the best player of all time?

I'm prepared to say yes and it seems a lot of the soccer community agrees.  Glad to see the little guy already mentioned as the best at the age of 25.  If he stays injury free, there's no doubt he'll be the greatest in everyone's eyes by the time he retires.

[Emil Nissen]

For now, i dont see him as the best ever because, (and u probably hear this all the time from Messi-critics) he hasn't won any trphies with his nation. Meaning he hasn't proven himself on any other team than Barcelona, which is an incredibly amazing team.

[Zarzi]

It's hard to say whether it's the best player in history. Many players on the saw, because I was not even born, but with short reports you'll find that it was and will be many geniuses.
As mentioned Emil, Leo has not won anything yet with his own representation. We have to wait a few years to say something.

[Royal Freakiness]

In terms of european and individual achievements - clearly the best
achievements for argentina/international level - controversial, he should win a WC then there will be no doubt at all
overall player ability on pitch - clearly the best

[redsforlife]

No, just no.

[VRK]

naah.. not for me... there are others who are ahead of him... but he still got time to prove that hes the greatest ever...
his trophies & achievements speak for him... and yes i agree with royal a WC wil do it... but all the argentinian players would have to hook up together develop to messi's style of play and i think it would be real close !!! 

[vittoleon]

He is the greatest player ever at age of 25 no question. Lets see if he will be at the end of his carreer. He already won WC under 20 where he was nominated best player in the tournament and he won 2008 olypics. So saying he didnt win anything national is wrong.  Judging a player by his national team wins is a bit stupid anyway since he is just one player. Spain as a team is just far superior to Argentina and one player cant change that.

[Adi]

He may not have won a WC yet, but he sure as hell has won more club titles than any of the other greats.

[redsforlife]

He may not have won a WC yet, but he sure as hell has won more club titles than any of the other greats.

So have his Barca teammates. Does that make them better as well? It's as an individual. I hate hearing the winning WC or any other title arguments in this debate. For me, there are still players that have been better. He might prove to be the best ever eventually, but right now, I don't think so. I also think many of us want to call him the best ever, so we can say we watched the best player ever play.

Funny thing, this same debate is going on on the other forum I use.

[Adi]

Who is better in your opinion?

I agree with your comment about it being about the individual.  Barca has some top players but he stands well above them, and despite all the studs on the team he still carries them in just about every way.  His humble personality is another thing that neither Pele nor Maradona possessed like Messi.

[redsforlife]

Humble personality doesn't mean he is a better player. I'd rank Pele and Maradona both above him currently. I'd also rank several other players above him at the moment. I am not convinced that a prime Ronaldo wasn't better. The only time he played with a team as dominant as the current Barca was with Brazil. He was extremely prolific everywhere he played, and he was virtually unstoppable in his prime. I also still think Zidane's overall impact was greater than Messi's. If I had to pick between Messi and Zidane, I'd pick Zidane every time.

Also, Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic both seem to agree C. Ronaldo is better. I won't say that's completely true, but they make some good points. Part of the reason Messi is scoring as much as he does is the team he is playing with. I'm pretty sure there are many players that would go into that team and score 30-40 goals in a season. C. Ronaldo has never quite got that kind of help.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCLPkN7RnjE

Ibrahimovic didn't have a video, but his quote was something like this, if Ronaldo had the help Messi does, he would have scored 100 goals in a season.

Now, I'm more of the opinion it's better just to sit back and enjoy than argue over whom is better. They are both great, and there are also many legends in the history of football. Picking the all time best is a nearly impossible task.

[Adi]

Zidane is not as good as Messi.  That's an easy one.  That's just a statement that tries to get people into a long argument.  Even Zidane doesn't think that.  Zidane controlled games but he could never change games as consistently as Messi.

Mourinho said Ronaldo is better than Messi?  Of course he would.  He's his manager.  No way in hell does he believe that.