Messi better than Maradona?

[Jairzinho]

Haven't read all your posts, it was just where you were saying Maradona couldn't repeat what he did in International football today. The Argentina team he played in was full of absolute shit compared to the one today. Messi doesn't seem to have the balls to transform that team into something greater than the sum of it's parts. It is a legitimate criticism. Having said that, I think Messi will prove to be three times the club player Maradona was. Swings and roundabouts.

 

Anyway, stats and internationals and drugs aside, for me I would rather still pay to watch Maradona. Simple as that.

 

Hmm, agree to disagree as you're not being exactly fair to what I've written.

[zigackly]

Hmm, agree to disagree as you're not being exactly fair to what I've written.

 

Maybe you're right as I'm only picking on one small point. I've got to wonder how Messi can play in a team with the quality of players that today's Argentina has though and look so completely lost.

[Unrighteous]

Maybe you're right as I'm only picking on one small point. I've got to wonder how Messi can play in a team with the quality of players that today's Argentina has though and look so completely lost.

 

Because most of those players are 'talismanic' and are used to doing things by themselves...

[moof]

He doesn't look lost for Argentina, he mostly stands out head and shoulders above the rest of the players on the pitch. He was awesome in the last world cup, not his fault he had a manager with no tactical knowledge and came up short against a very talented German side

[zigackly]

And yet Maradona's Argentina was completely driven by him, regardless of the manager or the other players ...

[moof]

Fair point, hard to argue with that.

[zigackly]

I might be being a little unfair on Messi. He is the only player I would even compare to Maradona so he has that going for him. I expect before I die I will be saying he's better.

[moof]

Yeah he certainly has time on his side, if he can keep this level of performance for another 6 or 7 years then it would be very hard to put him anywhere but no. 1

[Captain]

We will never see a better player than Maradona. The reason being he had it all. In abundance.

 

If we're lucky, some day we'll see one just as good as Diego.

 

Messi is worthy of the comparison. A better compliment than that I cannot possibly pay him. Awesome player in an awesome team. He is a joy to watch.

[Dicko]

I might be being a little unfair on Messi. He is the only player I would even compare to Maradona so he has that going for him. I expect before I die I will be saying he's better.

 

I voted Messi.

And that was the reason why.

By the time he finishes I think he'll be hailed as the greatest ever.

An absolute joy to watch.

[zigackly]

Both are/were an absolute joy to watch, that's for sure. Pele too. It's worth stepping back from the who was the best discussion sometimes and just enjoying all three.

[George Costanza]

And yet Maradona's Argentina was completely driven by him, regardless of the manager or the other players ...

 

International football now is totally different and miles harder than what it was. All football is to be brutally honest. The greatest players of years gone by would find it much tougher nowadays. Not to say they won't adapt but footballers simply haven't been as quicker, stronger, tactically aware as they are now.

 

It makes for quite boring games at international level imo. Structure is more important than individual flair. Unlike with club football I believe there is more of a defensive nature to International football these days.

 

Going back to the Maradona v Messi debate. Its a toss of a coin who is/was more naturally gifted but I don't think anyone can argue who has applied themselves the best.

 

Anyone seen the Pele - Football's greatest A lot of unseen footage, at least for me and all i can say is wow. He really was fucking unreal.

[zigackly]

International football now is totally different and miles harder than what it was. All football is to be brutally honest. The greatest players of years gone by would find it much tougher nowadays. Not to say they won't adapt but footballers simply haven't been as quicker, stronger, tactically aware as they are now.

 

It makes for quite boring games at international level imo. Structure is more important than individual flair. Unlike with club football I believe there is more of a defensive nature to International football these days.

 

Going back to the Maradona v Messi debate. Its a toss of a coin who is/was more naturally gifted but I don't think anyone can argue who has applied themselves the best.

 

Anyone seen the Pele - Football's greatest A lot of unseen footage, at least for me and all i can say is wow. He really was fucking unreal.

 

I do agree with you about football being harder these days, but I think the once in a generation players could only benefit from the training, dietary habits, technological help, etc, that today's players benefit from. Just as I think Messi would have been a lot tougher if subjected to the kind of tackling that Pele and Maradona were.

 

It is all a little subjective really. I suppose it comes down to individual opinion in the end. As I said earlier though, it is a blessing to have seen two of the quality of Maradona and Messi. A joy to watch, both of them, and a great pity Maradona's genius was flawed.

 

It is well worth noting that Messi seems to date to be impervious to those kind of demons, and perhaps that as much as anything is what might set him apart in time.

 

I would love to see that Pele footage. Is it available online anywhere?

[Sugar Ape]

[YOUTUBE]HZc9q3tg5Ug[/YOUTUBE]

 

[YOUTUBE]wqAM4hKVtE4[/YOUTUBE]

[zigackly]

Thanks!

[Scousa Tomo]

Messi will be the benchmark in football,when future players are world class it is he they will compare to because he is like a freak of nature, like the stars were in the exact right place when his old fella emptied his muck into his maa. He is a one man army and the shit he does with a football gives grown men wet dreams. Not only the best player there ever was but probably the best for many generations to come.

[Pidge]

Haha, love the way they use the mongiest VO guy for Eusebio when talking about Portugal kicking him out of the 66 WC.

[Lee909]

 

International football now is totally different and miles harder than what it was. All football is to be brutally honest. The greatest players of years gone by would find it much tougher nowadays. Not to say they won't adapt but footballers simply haven't been as quicker, stronger, tactically aware as they are now.

.

While I completely agree with that it has to be said it easier to shine as a flair player now that the tackle from behind has been banned.While we moan about the silly yellow cards dished out these days it is these changes that gave protected the great players from some of the thugs that used to play.

It's just a shame that Van Basten had to pay the biggest price before anything was done.

Players like Goikoetxea and Gentile could have destroyed Maradona but he survived some of the abuse he took from them by being a hard bastard and having legs the size of tree trunks,it's the abuse that he took that forced FIFA to get the game in order.

Defending can be a art form IMO and it shows the different outlooks that alot if British fans and media still want the blood and thunder of years ago and complain " that wouldn't be a foul in the premier league" I wonder if they have ever thought that it isn't Europe that has the problem.

Over the past 20 years or so we have been lucky to see some truly great defensive players in the game who are largely overlooked when the debates about the best players come out.

I personally rate Maldini,Baresi, up there with Messi

[Mbrownrigg]

Messi for me.

 

Mainly because I can pretty much watch every single match he plays, and I can't remember many when he hasn't done something which has amazed me.

 

Maradona? how many matches were we actually able to watch him? I only remember watching him for 90 minutes for Argentina.

 

As class as he was, I've just seen much more of Messi!

[KMD7]

Maradona for me. It says something about Messi's talent though that we're even having this poll. Never thought I'd see anyone come close to Diego's talent in my lifetime but Messi is up there.

[.PsEatMyShorts.]

There will never ever be a better footballer than Messi.

 

Unless if somehow Djimi Traore and Igor Biscan somehow produced a kid who had a mixture of both their talents..

[Guest LFD]

Was watching Question of Sport the other night and was shocked to hear Maradona never won the World player of the year or European footballer of the year awards.

[18-5]

I am too young for this but did Maradona have as big a rival as Messi does in Cristiano Ronaldo?

[Lee909]

Seeing as he played from the late 70's to early 90's there were alot of good players around.

I suppose his main rivals while at Napoli were the great Milan teams,Zico on a international level.

[dirk grout]

Was watching Question of Sport the other night and was shocked to hear Maradona never won the World player of the year or European footballer of the year awards.

 

When Maradona was playing only europeans could win the european player of the year and there was no world player of the year.