He's just 6 goals behind Maradona now. Messi has 28 goals with the national team and is the 4th best scorer of the history. Maradona is 3rd with 34, Crespo has 35 and Batistuta 56.
^^^ He will beat both Crespo and Diego, I mean, he just turned 25 and already close to 30 Diego, Batistuta and Crespo played till around 34 years old... give Messi another 8-10 years (2 world cups, 2 copa america, friendlies, qualifier)... clearly Batistuta record is the one to beat as Messi still only halfway through. He already becoming first Argentina to scores in 6 consecutive matches, beating Batistuta who scored in 5 straight matches. oh, and something to chew for Ronaldo fans http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/rooney-messi-is-better-than-ronaldo "I just think the way he plays the game and the goals he scores - he just looks spectacular," Rooney said when asked why Messi is better than Ronaldo. "In my eyes anyway, Messi is the best ever." Even Ronaldo former teammates knows it
Carlos Bianchi on Messi and Argentina: "Every time one of the midfielders starts towards the front it looks like Argentina will create an opportunity, and most of the times they end well. And this feeling is even more clear when the one starting the play is Messi. Fortunately, he is being recognized more and those that claimed stupidly that he didn't bring anything to the national team have been shut up. "To clarify, you just need to watch the rivals of Argentina and Barcelona. They try to stop Messi, through every way possible, from being who he is, and he finds a way, every three days, a solution to that game-plan and frustrates them. As if he was missing something, now he's scoring great goals from free kicks. "More people are now daring to call him the best in history. We have never seen a player with so much explosive power and so much offensive efficacy."
Hugo Sotil (Copa America 1975): "Messi deserves to win the Ballon d'Or for several more years. Barça's game is fantastic, wonderful." Hugo Sotil (ex-Barcelona): "I've played with geniuses like Maradona, Pele,... but for me Leo Messi is the best player ever."
"Messi is a little above Cristiano Ronaldo in my opinion," the former Brazil star was quoted as saying by CNN. "I give preference to Messi, because he's a player who fascinates us more, who shows more creativity - even though he's from Argentina, which has a big rivalry with Brazil. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ronaldo-messi-fascinates-more-cristiano-081500406--sow.html
Maradona also my fav player of all time but I'd say Messi is just as effective as Maradona, although the way he play seems to be more straight forward towards the goal compare to typical no.10 like Diego. People should ask themselves which is more justified, rating a player based on 6-7 matches tournament that happen once in 4 years... or rate a player based on 10-15 years consistency. Based on international achievement, Torres > Cryuff + Stefano
Thanks man I appreciate it also Messi should break César Rodríguez Álvarez record this year and that will be a great feat as well
For me Messi is 1 level below Maradona. If he wins a World Cup in a convincing way,we can discuss if he is greater than Diego and the best of all time. It`s always hard to compare players from different times and I won`t hold it against Messi that he is playing at Barcelona and not a midlevel club and elevating them like Maradona did with Napoli. If Messi fails at the World Cup he stays on the level or slight above Cruyff/Beckenbauer, but beneath Maradona and Pele.
IMO you're overemphasizing one man's effect in a team sport. It's not up to Messi whether he gets a WC gold medal, it's up to Argentina's NT and he can only do so much. Also: don't get why it is meritorious to play for a midlevel club when we talk about the highest caliber football legends.
Yes generally football is a team sport. And that`s is why I am saying Maradona is above Messi. He won the World Cup in 86 on his own. He was basically a one man show and the rest of Argentinia was there for the ride. He alone made Argentina to World Champions. He did that. That`s why he is considered the greatest ( with or without Pele,but that`s another discussion). I used the example of Napoli,because it shows what kind of impact Maradona had,but I also said it doesn`t impact Messis rating. Messi is great with Barcelona,but will he succeed with Argentina and elevate them when it counts ??? We shall see.
If Messi had chosen to play for Spain this wouldn't even be an issue. I don't see why playing for Argentina should be held against him. Also, I don't think one player can single-handedly win any tournament.
Wait! What? Torres was probably Spain's worst player in both the WC 2010 and Euro 2012. Between those 2 dreadful tournaments he also struggled just getting playing time even though Villa was injured. Meanwhile Cruyff was superb for Holland during his career! I get what you're saying but Torres is a bad example. In fact it was international football which basically taught the English [] that David Villa is a better striker than Torres and Iniesta was better than Cesc. On a related note, if Messi tore up Copa America and WC qualifying I think most people would blow off WC 2010 as a fluke result. The thing though is that Messi wasn't the same impact player he is for Barca during most of 2010 WC qualifying and is also 0-for-2 in Copa Americas. So its more than just 6-7 games every 4 years.
Maradona did not win that World Cup all on his own. And for the record even if he did, it'd be almost impossible to pull off the same today. Football has evolved a lot since the 80s and managers have a variety of ways to stop key players from opposing teams. Maradona would find himself getting hacked down to the ground or double marked at international level, he just wouldn't be able to do what he did then. And I don't get what Maradona elevating Napoli into one of the better teams in Italy during his time there means anything. Messi, already, has had a far better club career than Diego ever did and just because he isn't at a Sevilla or Betis doesn't take away anything. There were many issues at Barca back in 2008 and Messi has been the main man since then, dominating club football for four years now and it's bound to continue. Maradona was never at any point like that. He wasn't even the best player in the Serie A in the 80s, Platini was. Messi being a level below Maradona is laughable, in my opinion. He's already had a career Diego could only dream of having and winning a World Cup would be an icing on the cake, but not something he has to accomplish. He's the best player ever, already, for me.
Then you didn`t see Maradona play or were too young. Nothing wrong with that. I didn`t see Pele play either,but I know what he has accomplished in his time and can respect it. Some might say the world cup isn`t as important as the champions league and I will always disagree because for a country a World Cup is the ultimate prize and achievement. A champions league team is comprized of players from all over the world and from the best that money can buy. Does it fill a whole nation with pride and unifies it like a world championship ? I don`t think so. "If" is not the reality and when Messi decided to play for Argentina, Spain was nowhere at the level it is now.
Well Messi can win 3 more Champions Leagues,as long as he doesn`t win that World Cup and brings Argentina a third star, he is a level below Maradona. And why do you hate Maradona so much? Put Messi on Sevilla and let`s see what happens and saying Maradona wouldn`t do now what he did then. C`mon now...back then players weren`t protected like nowadays. Maradona would have even more fun now.
No, you think me disagreeing with you about Messi not being as good as Maradona means that I hate Diego. That's no logic. Maradona is one of my biggest football idols and one of the first people I have to thank for getting me interested in this sport so why would I hate him? It's not a crime to say Messi is much better than him, because I (key word: "I", not everyone) believe he already is. And I don't see what being protected would make him even better now. I don't think it would, actually, but then again it's only my opinion.
Well you sure have a strange way of showing your love for Diego,when you say Messi has already had a career Diego could only dream of. Sounds like you`re disrespecting Maradona. Heck, I`m not even a Maradona fanboy, my team likes to to be Maradonas party pooper,but I recognize his greatness, because he was just so great. What he did in 86 wasn`t done before and hasn`t been done again.
And never will be done because players don't win trophies by themselves. It didn't happen in 86 either. Just rewatch games of Maradona's, he is human and looks like Messi except slower.
I recognize his greatness as well, but you also need to recognize Messi's. Just look at his career already at age 25. How many players, Maradona included, could imagine of having 3 Champions League winners' medals, 5 Liga winners' medals, 2 Pichichi awards, 3 consecutive Ballon d'Ors, and so many more titles and accolades to their name as well as dominating world club football at such an early stage in their career? Messi isn't even finished with the first half of his professional career and he is still another two or three years away from his peak level. For Argentina to win the World Cup, as mentioned, it will take a lot more than just Messi elevating his level for his country at the tournament. Their defense is still very weak and the midfield is average and wouldn't stand a chance against the Germans, Spaniards, or Italians for example at the moment. Attacking players like Messi, Di Maria, and Higuain are in fine form for their country right now, along with Aguero, Lavezzi, Lamela, and others not even mentioned there. They're fine up front and have a pretty decent keeper, but the rest of that side is in construction right now and it remains to be seen whether or not they will become a potential WC winning side in the next 21 months.
I don't want to turn this into a club versus country thing, but rather one about changing perceptions with regards to footy in general. I think nowadays with the internet, much better tv coverage the club game has become more popular and produces a higher standard of football than any international tournament, anywhere. I think that may influence a lot of the younger fans these days into putting more weight on a player's club performances rather than international performances. For older fans, the opposite may hold true. Now these are not exclusive statements, but I know for myself, I love club football, and I don't really care too much about international football as I used to. For some of us, we heard that Diego won a world cup all by himself, and we know he is one of the all-time greats. From highlights, I can see why people would think that. I'm not Argentinian nor was I old enough to recall World Cup 1986, and the latter part alone would lead me to be influenced more by what Messi has done. Not only that, Messi's successes are reported on daily basis. All in all, its fruitless to debate greats, because everyone has their preconceived notion heading in, and I have yet to see someone start out saying Pele is better, and then get convinced by someone else to say Maradona, Best, Cryuff or Eusebio is better by the end of the dialogue.