Sacchi: Ibrahimovic has superior skills to Messi

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English has to be most people's second or third language here since they don't understand the word "complete" and how it differs from the word "better"

Just to illustrate... do you consider Matic or Hazard the more complete player at Chelsea?

People who use "complete" always misuse the word for "physically complete" for whatever reason. Messi is more complete. He is a better goalscorer, a better passer, a better creator, a better dribbler, he's more mobile, he's more agile, he's more versatile, he's more consistent. He wouldn't win a fist fight against Ibra so he's obviously not stronger in that sense but on the football pitch he is stronger because he can shrugg off defenders whereas other "stronger" players (I won't mention names) would just hit the deck from the same challenges. Being tall, muscular and strong in a fist fight is not the same as being strong on the football pitch. No one else leaves defenders on the floor like this:



No, Ibra is not more complete. He is just taller and heavier.

Some have physical limitations while others have physical advantages...  i don't see what's so mysterious about that.  You're never going to see a 1,7 meter guy be a target or air presence, a slim guy be able to physically impose himself etc.

So when you get a big and tall guy who does everything you would expect a player of his physical attributes to do AND he adds the skill level that make him very good or elite there too...  this guy brings more dimensions to the table.  It doesn't make him the best player in the world.  That's not even the debate here.  The fact is that the combination of size and skill by Ibra is the most complete and unique in a player i have ever seen.  Van Basten is the only true comparable, but he was nowhere near as strong.  Klose is another but a level down (still great).

Is he the best in my book?  Of course not, i rate plenty of guys higher than him including Messi.  But on the attack, there isn't more complete than him.

puyol 1.78 great header.
better than pique and ibra, that's forsure.