How many seasons till Messi recognised as best ever?

4th balon is coming, and he is 24 I can see him pulling at least few more.

1-2 seasons like his 2008-2012 and he is best ever? Even without continental trophy? I think so

Max 3 seasons being top 3 player in the world and he will go down as untouchable

Grande_Milano wrote:4th balon is coming, and he is 24 I can see him pulling at least few more.

1-2 seasons like his 2008-2012 and he is best ever? Even without continental trophy? I think so

Max 3 seasons being top 3 player in the world and he will go down as untouchable

No such thing as best ever. he is already recognised as the best of this generation. So...

He already is. Only thing that now he lacks is nostalgia from people

There will always be people who dont admit it

When he retires and a new GOAT emerges

2, which is when he'll win a world cup in Brazil

He needs to help Argentina win the World Cup imo.

There is not best ever. Different eras, different conditions, different balls and different interpretation of the rules. Messi is the best of this geneartion. That is enough

Definitely won't be another like him for a few decades, if ever

billionmillion wrote:He already is. Only thing that now he lacks is nostalgia from people

nailed it

Grande_Milano wrote:4th balon is coming, and he is 24 I can see him pulling at least few more.

1-2 seasons like his 2008-2012 and he is best ever? Even without continental trophy? I think so

Max 3 seasons being top 3 player in the world and he will go down as untouchable

At least not until he wins the World Cup. Anyway even if Ronaldo beasts up and get Portugal to the final (and then fails) the journalists will again give it to Messi. It's kinda like the norm nowadays. Not that he doesn't deserve it (2010 at least), but a couple more years of winning that Ballon plus a World Cup will surely get him up there.

Jibers hit the nail right on the head. Best of his generation is all he can be, it's impossible to compare different era's.

billionmillion wrote:He already is. Only thing that now he lacks is nostalgia from people

And a World Cup

In my mind, he will be the best ever. Not because he is clearly the best but because as time goes on it becomes harder and harder to remember the older stars. They will fade away and Messi will be remembered as a better player because more people have seen him.

Also, someone will eventually overtake him, just a matter of time.

If all of that makes sense.

Barca will only go downhill from now. Messi's later years will not be as good as the early ones, unless he changes club.

International football also matters alot, and there's a low chance of Messi ever winning the WC. Arentina couldnt even win the Copa America which is at an all time low of quality. Brazil has never been so weak.

I'm interested in seeing how messi will cope with adversities, since he has had so little of them up till now. We all know in modern football a player can't win trophies alone, and Messi proved that this season.

People will continue to discredit him just as i'm sure all of the greats were not unanimously considered "greats" in their times. But to me individually he is the best player currently and by a considerable margin. He'll be remembered as one of the greatest ever, just give it 20 years.

Needs to win a World Cup.

billionmillion wrote:He already is. Only thing that now he lacks is nostalgia from people

Although I'd refine that statement a bit, what you said is pretty true. He's already a top 10 player of all time IMO. After a couple of generations he'll be nostalgically remembered as the greatest player in history, ESPECIALLY if he leads Argentina to WC success.

He will be recognized as one of the GOATs as soon as he retires. You aprecciate what you had until you don't have it anymore.

So Messi's 25 today. He has scored 281 goals, played for Argentina 70 times,has won 21 trophies and holds 19 world records.

Best player i have seen live..

The World Cup is the biggest prize in football. If you do not win the best prize available in your sport then you cannot be the best ever. So until Messi wins a World Cup he cannot be considered the best ever imo.

aford92 wrote:The World Cup is the biggest prize in football. If you do not win the best prize available in your sport then you cannot be the best ever. So until Messi wins a World Cup he cannot be considered the best ever imo.

This is just flat out non sense that one tournament can stain your career forever and make people forget every other trophy and record you have set.

Look at a player like Ibra, I'm part Swedish and respect our team alot but I'm also a realist and know we will never win the world cup anytime in his career no matter how well he ever would play in one.

Yes Messi comes from a nation that is better then Sweden and frankly will probably win a world cup again but who knows when. It's not his fault they have one of the worst defensive units and goalie selections of any "major" country in world football.

Look at Holland in the Euros, there defense was a lot weaker two years removed from being in the finals of the world cup and they got there ass kicked out of the Euro's with a terrible display even with the some of the best attacking talent in the world and a play maker in Sneijder that some would argue was the best player in the world two years ago.

Nobody on here had anything to say about RVP, Hunter, Robben, Sneijder, VDV etc but when Messi takes the field with an awful coach and a defense / Keeper that wouldn't be fit for a charity tournament somehow it's all Messi's fault.

Defense is key to National teams in tournaments as they don't get to practice a lot and most of them rely on there defense because it's a lot easier to park the bus or play defensivley then play free flowing offensive football with a bunch of guys who practice with each other a couple times a year. Look at this years Euro's if you need any proof. Portugal, England, Italy, Spain, Greece, Czech's, etc etc all take a defensive approach to the games.

Even SAF has said the CL is now bigger then the world cup and is the biggest tournament in the world and most difficult to win. The only reason the WC is Harder to win is it comes around every 4 years not every year. I mean if they had the World cup every year Spain would win every year for the last 4-5 years, hands down, it doesn't matter what Messi would do.

I'm just tired of people hanging it over the head of a 25 year old that since he has won everything but the WC he can't be considered this or that.

Odds are him and Ronaldo wont win the WC in there career's. They are both still incredible and are tearing apart the records of these so called players that are better then them because they won a world cup.

aford92 wrote:The World Cup is the biggest prize in football. If you do not win the best prize available in your sport then you cannot be the best ever. So until Messi wins a World Cup he cannot be considered the best ever imo.

Oddly enough Cruyff and Di Stefano never won these trophies, and yet everyone regards them as the best of their eras. Weird, huh?

dnmac4 wrote:

aford92 wrote:The World Cup is the biggest prize in football. If you do not win the best prize available in your sport then you cannot be the best ever. So until Messi wins a World Cup he cannot be considered the best ever imo.

This is just flat out non sense that one tournament can stain your career forever and make people forget every other trophy and record you have set.

Look at a player like Ibra, I'm part Swedish and respect our team alot but I'm also a realist and know we will never win the world cup anytime in his career no matter how well he ever would play in one.

Yes Messi comes from a nation that is better then Sweden and frankly will probably win a world cup again but who knows when. It's not his fault they have one of the worst defensive units and goalie selections of any "major" country in world football.

Look at Holland in the Euros, there defense was a lot weaker two years removed from being in the finals of the world cup and they got there ass kicked out of the Euro's with a terrible display even with the some of the best attacking talent in the world and a play maker in Sneijder that some would argue was the best player in the world two years ago.

Nobody on here had anything to say about RVP, Hunter, Robben, Sneijder, VDV etc but when Messi takes the field with an awful coach and a defense / Keeper that wouldn't be fit for a charity tournament somehow it's all Messi's fault.

Defense is key to National teams in tournaments as they don't get to practice a lot and most of them rely on there defense because it's a lot easier to park the bus or play defensivley then play free flowing offensive football with a bunch of guys who practice with each other a couple times a year. Look at this years Euro's if you need any proof. Portugal, England, Italy, Spain, Greece, Czech's, etc etc all take a defensive approach to the games.

Even SAF has said the CL is now bigger then the world cup and is the biggest tournament in the world and most difficult to win. The only reason the WC is Harder to win is it comes around every 4 years not every year. I mean if they had the World cup every year Spain would win every year for the last 4-5 years, hands down, it doesn't matter what Messi would do.

I'm just tired of people hanging it over the head of a 25 year old that since he has won everything but the WC he can't be considered this or that.

Odds are him and Ronaldo wont win the WC in there career's. They are both still incredible and are tearing apart the records of these so called players that are better then them because they won a world cup.

I am in no way saying that he isn't a brilliant player. But people are talking about him being the best ever, I'm not sure you realise how big of a statement that is, and for me you cannot be the best ever if you don't win the biggest, most prestigious and most difficult to win tournament. Regardless of what SAF says, anyone who use simple logic can see that the WC is more difficult to win that the CL for the very reason you stated.

Look at all the other players that are considered as candidates for the best ever, R9, Pele, Maradona. They all won at least 1 WC. It's like if a basketball player never won the NBA championship but win 10 MVP awards and Conference finals. Yes he's a fantastic player, but he cannot be the best unless he wins the ultimate prize. In football the ultimate prize is the WC.