Lionel Messi

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

It's 5 times 09, 10, 11, 12 & 15

My mistake

4 seemed like to few. The voting is ridiculous isn't it?

Ronaldo had

1. Benzema
2. James Rodriguez
3. Bale

[Maxiedge]

Messi gave Suarez his top vote

Messi's good but R9 changed the face of modern football. It's controversial, but I believe he is the greatest player ever.

[danperkins]

Ronaldo should have won it, although watching him shouting WOOOHH whilst winning would have been cringey. But IMO he was a shoo in to win that.

[dww]

Messi gave Suarez his top vote

Messi's good but R9 changed the face of modern football. It's controversial, but I believe he is the greatest player ever.

In what way are you claiming Ronaldo changed modern football?

[Lee]

Ronaldo should have won it, although watching him shouting WOOOHH whilst winning would have been cringey. But IMO he was a shoe in to win that.

Shoe in.

[gratziani]

How can them two not be in anyone's top three ?

Their form year after year is unreal, if either one was not about the other would have won for 8 years in a row.

just seems to be whether their team wins something gives them the edge in the voting system.

[CJ]

DiegoM doesnt just have a world cup winners medal. He virtually single handedly won it food Argentina. His achievements at Napoli where his presence inspired them to be a force they were not before and not since.

The issue is he doesn't have the longevity of Messi. But he didn't just play in the best team of his era. Plus diegoM was kiocled all over the place and played on less slate like pitches.

It's difficult to compare really

[Tee]

Love Leo but Maradona for me all day every day.

[Fivex]

Messi gave Suarez his top vote



Messi's good but R9 changed the face of modern football. It's controversial, but I believe he is the greatest player ever.

In what way are you claiming Ronaldo changed modern football?

I would like to echo dww's curiosity.

[Maxiedge]

In what way are you claiming Ronaldo changed modern football?

He was the first real phenom in the modern era. A sort of entity of his own on the pitch. Just too strong, quick and skillful.

For me, he did things on the pitch I had never seen before, more than Maradona, Pele and Messi (respectively).

I think this goal probably sums up what I'm trying to say better than words. In real time, it looks like he just takes it past the keeper to score in the empty net but the slow motion shows how he jinxed the keeper without touching the ball. The balance to do that is just incredible...insane. And in the UEFA Cup final too:

[ame="https://youtu.be/75nVyDweEUE"]https://youtu.be/75nVyDweEUE[/ame]

Messi's goalscoring record is incredible but this guy is the best 'footballer' ever.

[Gray]

Collymore like.

[Fosterbloke]

He was the first real phenom in the modern era. A sort of entity of his own on the pitch. Just too strong, quick and skillful.

For me, he did things on the pitch I had never seen before, more than Maradona, Pele and Messi (respectively).

I think this goal probably sums up what I'm trying to say better than words. In real time, it looks like he just takes it past the keeper to score in the empty net but the slow motion shows how he jinxed the keeper without touching the ball. The balance to do that is just incredible...insane. And in the UEFA Cup final too:

https://youtu.be/75nVyDweEUE

Messi's goalscoring record is incredible but this guy is the best 'footballer' ever.

You could say the same about Barnes or Beardsley. They did very similar things, didn't score as many goals mind..

[The_weatherman]

Messi for me, the guy's 28 and has achieved this:

Club
La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15
Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15
Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
UEFA Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015
FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015

International
FIFA World Youth Championship: 2005
Olympic Gold Medal: 2008
Runner-up Copa América: 2007, 2015
Runner-up FIFA World Cup: 2014

Five times Ballon'dor etc. etc. and he has set all kinds of scoring records as well.

Messi has scored 295 goals in 328 games in his senior club career and 49 in 105 with Argentina. In his best season he scored 91 goals over a calendar year, not counting his assists.

Maradona's had 22 goals in 36 apps for Barca and 81 in 188 for Napoli, total 259 in 491 games and 34 in 91 games for Argentina.

[Buzzo]

For me to i would have Maradona and Pele a whisker ahead of Messi.

You can't underestimate Maradona, and it was ability not image. He was playing in an era where defenders could and would destroy you.and the 86 World Cup was his. He pretty much win it on his own.

I'd say that his life post football has if anything tarnished the memory of the player he was.

These guys were pre Internet, pre global news so they didn't have the exposure Messi does, and every goal and game was not broadcast globally.

Pele changed football, he transcended the sport for a while - I think his playing days are so long ago it is difficult to have a genuine feel for how good he was.

Messi is some player though - no question.

[Daniel 7]

Sorry Bootso, I don't see how anyone under the age of 60 can possibly say that Pele was better than Messi. All people our age have ever seen of him are clips from World Cups, NASL or the odd re-run of the 1970 World Cup final - the rest of the evidence is stats and anecdotal.

As you say, Messi is on the TV all the time, his stats are better than anyone in the non stop coverage of football era, he plays two or three games a week and pretty much scores every time anyone turns on the TV and happens upon a Barcelona game.

Sure the game has changed and rules protect forwards more, but his record and honours are phenomenal. The only thing he doesn't have is the World Cup, but even that's not what it was. The Champions League is a higher standard than World Cup nowadays anyway.

Messi for me (head) but the heart is with Maradona, because of nostalgia and him being the anti-hero of the first world cup I remember. The evidence for Messi is overwhelming though.