Messi doesn't dive

[Maldini]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgSPVOti_58

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

he's a f***ign genius. The speed of his feet & his balance are amazing.

 

Him & placcy Ronaldo - playing the game like it should be

[doug_mac]

he's a f***ign genius. The speed of his feet & his balance are amazing.

 

Him & placcy Ronaldo - playing the game like it should be

 

ronaldo is a diving t*at

 

messi is on a different planet to every other footballer

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

I was being ironic

[surf]

I was being ironic

 

ironically, you were being sarcastic

[schmuckdonald]

He did dive last night.

[Zoob]

He did dive last night.

 

haha - thought this was going to be what the thread was about. But to be fair, I think you get thrown out of the Copa if you don't dive, so he was just doing what had to be done. Created about 12 chances for Argentina last night - was quite amazing.

[Leo No.8]

He did dive last night.

 

Playing so close to Di Maria it had to rub off on him a bit at some stage, probably did it once as he just wanted to fit in.

[épieur]

He's simply brilliant. There's a couple of sequences just after the 5 min mark where I bet he was thinking "damn it ref, no need to blow the whistle. Just needed to beat a few more players in the area and it would have been a great solo goal."

[Ombudsam]

He's in a different league to anything else. He's genuinely one of the reasons kids start liking football. How can you be so amazing and be so humble.

[Farmer's Tan]

He's in a different league to anything else. He's genuinely one of the reasons kids start liking football. How can you be so amazing and be so humble.

 

he helps Argentina win a world cup he will be considered in the same bracket as Maradona and Pele,as good as he is and i think most people would put him in that bracket already, he can't be in it until he wins them a world cup.

[Zoob]

he helps Argentina win a world cup he will be considered in the same bracket as Maradona and Pele,as good as he is and i think most people would put him in that bracket already, he can't be in it until he wins them a world cup.

 

Can't work out whether this post is serious or not.

[Maldini]

he helps Argentina win a world cup he will be considered in the same bracket as Maradona and Pele,as good as he is and i think most people would put him in that bracket already, he can't be in it until he wins them a world cup.

 

That seems to be how most people feel, it's a cop out though, The Champions League is a far higher standard than international football now. Judging him because he hasn't won an international tournament when there are so many other factors at play is completely illogical. Maradona only won 3 league titles in his career.

[yellow jumper]

messi's playing with more great players at club level and at international level than maradonna ever did. the world cup's not the same standard as the CL, but it's a bigger stage. and the test of a great player by the end of their careers is almost always how they performed on the biggest stages. that ability to impose yourself completely on your team mates, opposition and the dynamic of a game is as much part of it as simply how much ability you have. generally proven harder to do that for national teams.

 

what separates players like henry or ibrahimovic, who are phenomenons in lots of senses, from the likes of ronaldo and zidane?

 

so far messi's disappointed a little for argentina. although he continues to churn out huge performances in big games for barca (albeit in a beautifully functioning team). lots of time on his side though.

[schmuckdonald]

Argentina are dysfunctional due to their clueless managers.

 

Champions League is a much bigger competition than any international football now.

 

Messi is the best player.

 

There are the succinct thoughts of Rob McDonald.

[Farmer's Tan]

That seems to be how most people feel, it's a cop out though, The Champions League is a far higher standard than international football now. Judging him because he hasn't won an international tournament when there are so many other factors at play is completely illogical. Maradona only won 3 league titles in his career.

 

Maradona carried Argentina to 2 world cups,as brilliant as we all know Messi to be he somewhat bottled it in the the last world cup. He has the ability to be one of if not the very best to have played the game but for me he can't be considered so unless he wins a world cup. It's not like he plays for some back water team that would take an absolute miracle for them to get a world cup. As for the Champions League, and i don't mean to belittle his achievements but he is playing in one of the best club sides of all time.

[Maldini]

Maradona carried Argentina to 2 world cups,as brilliant as we all know Messi to be he somewhat bottled it in the the last world cup. He has the ability to be one of if not the very best to have played the game but for me he can't be considered so unless he wins a world cup. It's not like he plays for some back water team that would take an absolute miracle for them to get a world cup. As for the Champions League, and i don't mean to belittle his achievements but he is playing in one of the best club sides of all time.

 

Bottled it? He had a madman a manager who left out most of the team's best players. So does Messi playing in the best side of all time mean he can never be truly great? You realise how deeply flawed that argument is right? Your argument is like saying Gerrard isn't a great player because he's never won the league.

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

Your argument is like saying Gerrard isn't a great player because he's never won the league.

 

It's like saying Gerrard isn't as good as Maradona because he's never won the league. Which is fair enough really.

[lfc003]

Maradona carried Argentina to 2 world cups,as brilliant as we all know Messi to be he somewhat bottled it in the the last world cup. He has the ability to be one of if not the very best to have played the game but for me he can't be considered so unless he wins a world cup. It's not like he plays for some back water team that would take an absolute miracle for them to get a world cup. As for the Champions League, and i don't mean to belittle his achievements but he is playing in one of the best club sides of all time.

 

[Farmer's Tan]

Bottled it? He had a madman a manager who left out most of the team's best players. So does Messi playing in the best side of all time mean he can never be truly great? You realise how deeply flawed that argument is right? Your argument is like saying Gerrard isn't a great player because he's never won the league.

 

Maradona took an Argentinian team that was no better than the one Messi played in,and yeah i think he bottled it, not Rooney style but he was more subdued than he would be playing at club level,i felt the expectation and pressure got to him a little. He will be truly great in my eyes at least when he wins a world cup. There is a reason why Maradona and Pele are consider by most to be on a pedestal,because on top of having the talent they made it count on the biggest stage,there have been plenty of other great players who could be mentioned along side those 2 but imo they are not because they didn't win a world cup, 2 off the top of my head who were fantastic footballers are Eusebio and Cruyff but i can't say i rated them as highly as Pele and Maradona. I think there is more to being considered truly great than just being great footballer i think you have to prove it by winning the top prize in the game.

[Maldini]

It's like saying Gerrard isn't as good as Maradona because he's never won the league. Which is fair enough really.

 

Nah, Gerrard's not as good as Maradona because he's not as good as Maradona

[jimmylibel]

Do think that the reason Di Stefano doesn't get the level of praise he deserves is because he didn't do it at a World Cup.

 

But Maldini is right, playing the way Messi does in the Champions League is a much, much higher standard than the World Cup offers these days.

[épieur]

Nah, Gerrard's not as good as Maradona because he's not as good as Maradona

 

Exactly.

 

And for Maradona's world cup, 3 league titles and UEFA Cup, contrast Messi already having won five league titles and 3 CL trophies. And individually breaking all kinds of scoring records, being a regular fixture at the top of the CL scoring charts every season and scoring in two CL finals. So far. He's still only 24. If he keeps this up, it won't matter if he wins a world cup or not. He'll be the most successful player at club level of all time.

 

I am really not sold on the notion that Messi must imitate to surpass, as if that somehow makes sense. You weigh up the totality of his impact on football at the end of the day and see how it compares to Maradona. World Cups are not a neccesity. It's possible to make a tremendous impact without it, just as Maradona made a tremendous impact without ever winning the European Cup.

 

Messi is more like Pele than Maradona anyway, in the sense of being a crazy goalscorer who is also the best around in the buildup. I don't think he'll ever reach Diego's level as a playmaker, but he has already far surpassed him as a goalscorer.

[Maldini]

Exactly.

 

And for Maradona's world cup, 3 league titles and UEFA Cup, contrast Messi already having won five league titles and 3 CL trophies. And individually breaking all kinds of scoring records, being a regular fixture at the top of the CL scoring charts every season and scoring in two CL finals. So far. He's still only 24. If he keeps this up, it won't matter if he wins a world cup or not. He'll be the most successful player at club level of all time.

 

I am really not sold on the notion that Messi must imitate to surpass, as if that somehow makes sense. You weigh up the totality of his impact on football at the end of the day and see how it compares to Maradona. World Cups are not a neccesity. It's possible to make a tremendous impact without it, just as Maradona made a tremendous impact without ever winning the European Cup.

 

Messi is more like Pele than Maradona anyway, in the sense of being a crazy goalscorer who is also the best around in the buildup. I don't think he'll ever reach Diego's level as a playmaker, but he has already far surpassed him as a goalscorer.

 

Good post.

[lfc003]

He's not a true great till he does this in a game lol

 

http://youtu.be/LnKW-yVTSrM