10 - Lionel Messi - v1

[xaviniesta]

 

[Bilal Khan]

I accept that Messi is the best passer in FCB after Xavi ... Cesc comes close but Messi's passing in tight situations is wonderful, his vision is perfect !

 

[lessthanjake]

Messi is definitely a phenomenal passer. I have been really impressed in the last year with the improved weighting of his through balls (not that they were bad before!). It seems like I have seen a lot of Messi through balls in the past year where the striker (generally Pedro or Villa) do not even need to take a touch on the ball beyond the shot itself. This is insane. The ball really needs to have the perfect weight to do that.

He is very good at the killer ball now. And given that he is a Barca's tiki-taka player, I think it's safe to say he is quite a good short, possession passer too.

Still, though, I think some people here are being a bit silly insisting he is as good or better than Maradona at passing. I think Maradona would generally be considered in the top 5 EVER in passing (my top 5 in no particular order would probably be Maradona, Zico, Laudrup, Platini, and Zidane) and certainly in the top 10. The man averaged an assist every other match in both his club and international career! Messi is a great passer; he is one of the best in the world right now. He is not, however, one of the top 5-10 in passing EVER.

He is still quite young, though, and passing generally improves with age. Given how much he improved upon this last year, I don't think it's unreasonable to think he could reach Maradona-like heights in passing in the coming years. Consider: at Messi's current age, Maradona was just beginning his first year with Napoli. I dont think people would have said he warranted a top 5-10 in passing ever spot at that age either.

 

[MacBoss]

Argentina has 3 friendlies in September...Does that mean Messi wont be available for Barca?? Or will Argentina probably play without Messi?

 

[Barcafan 2304]

Argentina has 3 friendlies in September...Does that mean Messi wont be available for Barca?? Or will Argentina probably play without Messi?

Surely they will be told sod off. 3 friendlies in one month? Get to feck Argentina

 

[oggmar]

Messi's overall ability helps him make better use of his passing skills. For example, I don't think Iniesta could ever make a pass like Messi did to assist Iniesta in the 2nd leg of Supercopa, picking out a pass after skinning several players all in half a second. Having said that, purely in terms of passing, Iniesta is marginally better imo, I don't think Messi can make an assist like Iniesta did in the Gamper match, for Keita.

Except that he does that, somewhat regularly aswell.

 

[AleAzevedo]

hi, I'm new here and do not speak English so forgive any errors ... I really wanted the video of this match but only found one piece in a YouTube video in Portuguese called "cinco motivos para ver Barcelona e Real Madrid" the part where Messi faces the camera and says something. Can you watch the video and tell me the date of this match? thanks!
I tried to post the image here but could not

 

[AleAzevedo]

Oh there's the photo!!!

 

[e28makaveli]

While I agree that Messi doesn't have the range of Iniesta and Cesc, but his passing accuracy is just as good, however that's not what makes him standout.

The reason I rate him above them as a passer is his ability to play the killer ball. Passing is not just range or accuracy, its also choosing picking the right pass. Messi is a beast at playing the decisive ball. He may have the option of playing the easy pass, but he'll go for the more direct, riskier pass, the killer ball. That's one of the reasons why some people often underrate his ability because naturally when you take more risks you're bound to fail more often. His ability to consistently successfully execute the tougher passes is what makes him standout IMO

As far as him not having the range, I won't be so quick to attribute that to him not having the ability for it. Don't forget where he plays on the field, he's hardly in the position to play long-range passes frequently. Does that mean he wouldn't be able to execute them at a high level if he actually has to use them more frequently? Certainly not. Its not like we seem him playing bad long-range passes, its more of us not seeing him play them at all.

+1.

 

[e28makaveli]

holy fuck some of those passes are borderline insane

Maradona was something special on the ball. I think what Maradona has over Messi right now is the range and variety of passes he was able to pull off. Messi is a litle more predictable than Maradon was. But, Messi is already one of the greats.

 

[e28makaveli]

Messi is definitely a phenomenal passer. I have been really impressed in the last year with the improved weighting of his through balls (not that they were bad before!). It seems like I have seen a lot of Messi through balls in the past year where the striker (generally Pedro or Villa) do not even need to take a touch on the ball beyond the shot itself. This is insane. The ball really needs to have the perfect weight to do that.

He is very good at the killer ball now. And given that he is a Barca's tiki-taka player, I think it's safe to say he is quite a good short, possession passer too.

Still, though, I think some people here are being a bit silly insisting he is as good or better than Maradona at passing. I think Maradona would generally be considered in the top 5 EVER in passing (my top 5 in no particular order would probably be Maradona, Zico, Laudrup, Platini, and Zidane) and certainly in the top 10. The man averaged an assist every other match in both his club and international career! Messi is a great passer; he is one of the best in the world right now. He is not, however, one of the top 5-10 in passing EVER.

He is still quite young, though, and passing generally improves with age. Given how much he improved upon this last year, I don't think it's unreasonable to think he could reach Maradona-like heights in passing in the coming years. Consider: at Messi's current age, Maradona was just beginning his first year with Napoli. I dont think people would have said he warranted a top 5-10 in passing ever spot at that age either.

+5.

 

[Barcafan 2304]

hi, I'm new here and do not speak English so forgive any errors ... I really wanted the video of this match but only found one piece in a YouTube video in Portuguese called "cinco motivos para ver Barcelona e Real Madrid" the part where Messi faces the camera and says something. Can you watch the video and tell me the date of this match? thanks!
I tried to post the image here but could not

It was in Guardiola's first season. That occasion was when we beat Sevilla 3-0 away. Just can't recall the date

 

[Caramel]

barcastuff
Sabella (coach ARG): "I've decided who'll be the captain. Did he score on Friday? Possibly, I have a bad memory but I think so." [via telam]

Leo,captain

 

[La Furia]

He better hire plenty of security for his family's house in Argentina.

 

[zanela]

But I also blame him for not pulling something out of his ass like he does for Barcelona. I argued a lot and still of the opinion that Xavi activates him and has had a huuuuuuuge influence on his career. BUT, he is magical, what he does is surreal, so he is above world class. In Europe he is THE Galactico and while I don't expect the same thing in Argentina, if he had pulled off/attempted ONE ball-exploding-insane run he would have made that team his, under his control and he would have separated himself above and beyond anyone else.

Do Friendlies count?

While I agree with the Xavi factor being highly contributory to his club career, I also believe the 'Xavi dependence' is becoming less influential with each season, atleast in his case. It can be seen during the maestro's absence or when the team as a whole is struggling, he takes it upon himself to deliver. In that sense he's becoming more of a leader. Can he translate the same on the International stage?..No doubt, whatsover. The willingness is very much there. Apart from the tactical elements, lady luck hasn't been favourable. There are innumerable instances that 'll attest to this. It's more a case of all things coming together. That i believe is only a matter of time..

If he was already replicating his club success with country and at 24..His all-perfect football being would 've made for a mundane subject to discuss, as there really would 've been nothing to discuss.