LordLichtenstein
New member
Do you guys think he is better than Pelé? If so, please explain why. 
10 - Lionel Messi - v4
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ceefoo
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Very difficult to compare players that played in such different eras. Today every touch of Messi is captured on camera and scrutinised. Whereas much of Pelé's games were not televised and a large portion of his play has been confined to the memory and testimony of those that were lucky enough to see him play live.Do you guys think he is better than Pelé? If so, please explain why.
Plus most of us on this forum are not old enough to have seen much of Pelé, and can only really go by World Cup footage and YouTube clips. So being able to give an accurate assessment is problematic.
There will always be the argument in some quarters that until Leo wins a WC, he cannot be considered the "Greatest Footballer of All-Time". I personally don't agree with this sentiment, because the modern CL in terms of quality, is as much of a test, if not a greater one.
Vlom
Previously known as Mehssi
Do you guys think he is better than Pelé? If so, please explain why.
If you're talking about legacy may be not (WC yada yada), but footballistically definitely, he has proved it at top flight level by dominating the spain league and being key in Barcelona dominating European Football.
bismp
Well-known member
I think it is unfair to compare players from different eras.For example,back then defences were less organised and generally football was much slower,so a great plater like Pele had a big advantage.Also,i really doubt that winnig the WC with that team back then was an astonishing thriumph.
On the other hand,footballers today,like Messi,train hard from a really early age and are benefited by the presence of far better physiologists,doctors,trainers,nutritionists,even better drugs(well everyone is aware of it,so there is no point lying to ourselves).
So,yeah,Messi is the best player of the last decades,Pele is the best of his era etc,there is no point comparing each other
On the other hand,footballers today,like Messi,train hard from a really early age and are benefited by the presence of far better physiologists,doctors,trainers,nutritionists,even better drugs(well everyone is aware of it,so there is no point lying to ourselves).
So,yeah,Messi is the best player of the last decades,Pele is the best of his era etc,there is no point comparing each other
Best middfielder of next era too
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Isco, really? Isco isnt all that decisive and accurate in the final third. Well, Bale is in toty la liga on whoscored, so i tend to ignore that site fairly often, stats can be misleading.
Vlom
Previously known as Mehssi
I don't know about Isco or Bale, but I think we all saw Messi's through balls, especially this season, so stats or not, future best middfielder anyway
I don't know about Isco or Bale, but I think we all saw Messi's through balls, especially this season, so stats or not, future best middfielder anyway
Might be true, or maybe not. But i would be sceptical of that site if i were you, alot of misleading facts there.
Sumlit
San Claudio Bravo
They're not misleading, just incomplete. Like every stat is when just taken alone without also watching footage.
If whoscored says Isco has 24 through balls in last 2 season, then chances are he does, obviously allowing for human error. That doesn't tell the whole story because again stats only tell half of it, yet it doesn't mean they're wrong.
Edit:
Actually, that tweet is wrong lel. In last 2 season of La Liga, Isco has 14 through balls, not 24. I just looked at Whoscored. Nolito this season alone has 18. Going to look at Messi's numbers last 2 seasons now.
Edit 2:
Again the tweet is wrong
. Messi has 25 through balls the last 2 season. He leads the league in through balls this season with 19, but only had 5 last season.I don't know what Barcastuff is looking at.
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Kerrybai
New member
Do you guys think he is better than Pelé? If so, please explain why.
This is a pointless comparison, I don't know why people even go there.
lessthanjake
New member
Those numbers included penalties in penalty shootouts. Perhaps Ronaldo chokes a little on penalties in big moments, since a disproportionate number of his misses seem to have been in important moments. Meanwhile, tons of Messi's missed penalties are in CdR matches. But it's not like Ronaldo hasn't made plenty of important ones or that Messi hasn't missed some important ones too.
Remember, Messi missed one in a very tight CdR quarterfinal tie in 2008. Barcelona still won by one goal, but it was an big moment. He missed one in a 0-0 La Liga match against Sevilla in the 2011-2012 season. He had the Chelsea miss, which obviously lost the tie for us (and I think Ronaldo's teams still won all the CL matches/ties where he missed penalties). He missed in the 2013 Spanish Super Cup, which we would have won if he had made the penalty. His miss in the CdR first leg this year against Atletico was big, even though we ultimately ended up winning somewhat comfortably. Taking only a 1-0 lead to the Calderon was not exactly safe. The miss in the first leg against Man City was perhaps less dire, since we were taking a lead to the Camp Nou regardless, but it was still relatively important.
I'm not saying all that to disparage Messi. He takes lots of important penalties. Of course he has missed some of those. But the same is true of Ronaldo.
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