After his unstoppable performance against Bayer Leverkusen, culminating in a 7-1 rout and 5 goals added to his repertoire, yet again the question has been asked: will Messi be crowned the greatest player ever?
Whether you like them or not, it’s fair to say Barcelona have revolutionized modern football: even English academies are attempting to emulate Barcelona’s style of football. They have not only been one of Europe’s key driving forces for a considerable amount of time, but the Catalan based club are also hosts to some of arguably the best players in the world.
Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas combine excellently and their passing, accuracy and spatial awareness is second to none, but the player that attracts the most attention is Lionel Messi.
He’s no prima donna – just look at his relaxed, unassuming demeanour. However, when he steps on a football pitch, everything changes: like a man possessed, he’s sharp, quick, skilful and a pleasure to watch. On numerous occasions he takes commentators’ breath away, leaving them literally speechless with his unbelievable ability and technique. He genuinely is ‘something else’.
Although he may not be your favourite player, there’s no denying ‘La Pulga’ – meaning ‘The Flea’ for his pace – is currently the best in the world. But is it going too far to be comparing him to the world’s greatest ever? The elite players club, usually including Pelé, Cruyff, Di Stefano, Van Basten and Maradona among others has been untouchable for many years, so why is Messi knocking at the door?
Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Ronaldo have all been honoured as the world’s greatest at the peak of their game, but not talked about as highly as Messi. It’s surprising, logically – he’s not the quickest, strongest, or most athletic. He certainly doesn’t lack these assets, but many would argue that Cristiano Ronaldo is more capable in all of these areas. Maybe it’s the subtler things that define the 24 year old Argentinean: finding space, perfect through balls, prolific goal scoring and successful dribbles are all elements associated with Messi.
Being such a brilliant player and earning prestigious accolades is usually a cocktail for disaster for a modern player: they slack, don’t work so hard and therefore don’t continue to develop as a footballer. Not Messi. The great thing about him is his down-to-earth nature – he takes everything in his stride, without being arrogant, but above all, he works hard. He has the desire, plus motivation to maintain his success levels: however, it looks as if Barcelona have let their form slip in La Liga, as Real Madrid sit supreme at the top. Jose Mourinho’s revolution may be in full swing, but nothing will stop Lionel Messi’s excellence.
Admittedly, it is hard to judge who the best player ever was (or is) across different eras. Would Pele deal with the demands of the Spanish game? Or would Messi excel if he were to play in a league with lesser quality than La Liga? It all comes down to opinion, with the media much more present nowadays – they can therefore influence on a global scale what current society makes of players. (E.g. positive or negative). Pele made a name for himself before the ‘social generation’, plus his achievements are still unrivalled. 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances puts his incredible career into perspective – even Messi isn’t close to such a staggering statistic.
To conclude, I’d firstly like to state that he’s only 24 and already only 8 goals from being Barcelona’s most prolific goal scorer ever. Should he continue his devastating form, I think he has the potential to break into the all-time top 3 players list. To truly cement himself as one of the best, a World Cup winner’s medal would be fitting, and hugely deserved, before his career ends. From what we know about him, he seems loyal to Barcelona and I don’t think he could continue in the manner and standard he has set at a different club. Drawing comparisons already seems slightly premature, but we have reason to celebrate: we’re talking about the world’s best player and one of the worlds’ most gifted footballers ever. Who knows where he’ll be in five years…
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