Barca...........

[Exiled_red]

i had an arguement with my boss - bitter blue nose, so he wouldn't know decent football if hit him in the face,

He called barca boring and too overhyped, not that good, blah blah blah - i went mental and shot him down!

how can they be overhyped....they achieve about 70% possession in every game - whether it's a against some no marks in the league or Man Utd in the champions league final, they just destroy all. And they do it so simply it's beautiful -

There lies the problem - they probably regard Joe Royle's "Dog's of war" style as total football

[RichC]

Incredible. Words fail me really. I laugh in the face of anybody who tries to denigrate him.

It's almost become cool now to go against the grain, be bored of Barcelona, bored of Messi etc. **** off you try-hards

People out there actually question his talent?

I love watching them, the football they play is quite simply the best I've ever seen, ****ing joy to watch!

[Lee]

He's just incredible.

24 FFS! Achieved more in five years than 99% of footballers achieve in a lifetime. It's amazing.

[The_weatherman]

Before his successive hattricks against Mallorca and Plzen he was criticised for not coring in three games

[Gingawaria]

Yeah but I'd like to see how he'd do on a cold winter's night against Stoke.

[Fernandinho]

Wasnt he the one who came up with the inhuman bull**** about mascherano.

I am not a fan of a few Barca players, I don't like the **** that they came out with in regards to Masch and Fabregas.

That said, amazing team who truely play the beautiful game, although I still prefer a close game rather than a 5-0 thrashing. For me part of the beautiful nature of football is the edge of the seat nail biters as much as it is the way it is played.

With Barca as good as they are sometimes its just too easy.

[IN_RAFA_WE_TRUST]

Love the wee man ,but he did piss me off ,when he was banging on about mascherano.

And he will never beat romarios goal scoring record

[saj]

Wasnt he the one who came up with the inhuman bull**** about mascherano.

I am not a fan of a few Barca players, I don't like the **** that they came out with in regards to Masch and Fabregas.

That said, amazing team who truely play the beautiful game, although I still prefer a close game rather than a 5-0 thrashing. For me part of the beautiful nature of football is the edge of the seat nail biters as much as it is the way it is played.

With Barca as good as they are sometimes its just too easy.

What **** do they say about them?

[doogle]

Club Barcelona
La Liga: 5
2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

Copa del Rey: 1
2008–09

Supercopa de España: 5
2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011

UEFA Champions League: 3
2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11

UEFA Super Cup: 2
2009, 2011

FIFA Club World Cup: 1
2009

Argentina
FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1
2005

Olympic Gold Medal: 1
2008

Individual
FIFA Ballon d'Or: 1
2010

Ballon d'Or: 1
2009

FIFA World Player of the Year: 1
2009

FIFA Team of the Year: 3
2008, 2009, 2010

U-21 European Footballer of the Year: 1
2007

La Liga Player of the Year: 3
2009, 2010, 2011

La Liga top goalscorer: 1
2010

Copa del Rey top goalscorer: 1
2011

La Liga Foreign Player of the Year: 3
2007, 2009, 2010

La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year: 4
2007, 2009, 2010, 2011

European Golden Shoe: 1
2010

UEFA Champions League top goalscorer: 3
2009, 2010, 2011

UEFA Best Player in Europe Award: 1
2011

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 1
2009

UEFA Champions League Forward of the Year: 1
2009

UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match: 1
2011

UEFA Champions League Final Fans' Man of the Match: 2
2009, 2011

UEFA Team of the Year: 3
2008, 2009, 2010

Footballer of the Year of Argentina: 5
2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2
2009, 2010

FIFPro World Young Player of the Year: 3
2006, 2007, 2008

FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year: 2
2007, 2008

FIFPro World XI: 4
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

FIFA U-20 World Cup Player of the Tournament: 1
2005

FIFA U-20 World Cup top goalscorer: 1
2005

Copa América Young Player of the Tournament: 1
2007

World Soccer Player of the Year: 1
2009

World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 3
2006, 2007, 2008

FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 1
2009

ESM Team of the Year: 5
2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

Onze d'Or: 2
2009, 2010

Bravo Award: 1
2007

Tuttosport Golden Boy: 1
2005

Marca Leyenda: 1
2009

UEFA best goal of the year: 1
2007

Meh

[Fernandinho]

What **** do they say about them?

Well if I recall Messi was moaning about Mascherano saying it was "inhumane" for us to not sell them Mascherano.

Xavi was behind a lot of the crap in the media about "letting Cesc come home" and was he not also involved in putting the barca jersey on Cesc when they were celebrating the World Cup win with a few other players (including Reina).

In my point of view it has nothing to do with them and if asked they should keep their mouths shut or maybe something along the lines of "yes he is a good player and I would love him here". Not "Let him go you evil *******s"

[Liverpool]

hes on course for his best season if he continues this way, hes due a nasty injury by now though surely

[McDermotX]

hes on course for his best season if he continues this way, hes due a nasty injury by now though surely

That'll be a sad day for anyone who loves football.


Best there's ever been.*





* subjective view of course, but for my timeframe, there is no doubt.

[BillobShaisley]

He's in that top bracket along with Pele, Maradona and Best.

The only mitigation for him not being the best ever is that he gets a lot more protection than the others did and he does play in the worlds best club side.

[Baracus]

Has Messi ever been out with a lady?

[McDermotX]

I guess that's why it's such a divisive argument, and very much a personal opinion for most people.
Pele and Maradona have been, almost by default, considered the best players ever by nearly all, though (certainly in Pele's case), they hail from an era where the media was next to non-existent in comparison to today's game, and next to nothing remains of their impact to the sport beyond the usual collection of World Cup highlights, Napoli's surge to the top of Serie A, early international appearances, anecdotes etc.
No small feat of course, and I grew up during Maradona's heyday, but compared to the career 'analysis' that goes on on a weekly basis on Messi's, it was only a sample of his overall career, as strange as that sounds.

Arguments can almost be balanced out between the eras in many ways...........Messi is playing with probably the best club side in the modern game, yet Pele's greatest exploits were with another genuine collection of superstars far and away above other nations at the time. His club career, is symbolic of an era of FWIW, inferior football, with a goals tally bulked up against sub-standard opposition and exhibition tours around the world.
Not meant to disparage Pele's record, as it speaks for itself, but modern football historians have nowhere near the database of knowledge/information/media required to subject his club career to comparable analysis.
Pele and Maradona played in a far rougher time, with far less protection, yet Messi is playing in a time when the game is so stop-start at times, and, for the most part, is under watchful protection of the refs. Yet, Maradona and Pele were more than capable of fighting their corner and dish out rough play of their own, whereas Messi is subject to the rules of the game today.
The game today is much, much faster to a degree, that 80's (never mind 50-70's) football is almost pedestrian in comparison, requiring Messi's skills to be competitive at a level far beyond the older legends. But, then again, Messi is a product of an era of professionalism beyond what the other two could have enjoyed (training, conditioning, equipment, pitches etc), and the idea of Pele or Maradona in today's game is beyond salivating.
Pele and Maradona never competed (and dominated) at a club level such as the Champion's League, but Messi hasn't won a World Cup.......etc etc etc etc etc

Guess there is no easy answer, which is why I would never discount anyone else's view of Pele being the better player, or Maradona being the more gifted, but you can only judge if for yourself, weighing up the tos and fros, but I find it hard to believe there has been a better player in the game than the young Argentine, and he still has a number of years left.