'The Messiah' - Lionel Messi

3rd goal must be the best goal he scored so far in terms the strike technique, can remember some other nice ones but this must be his best



even though the defense was bad in this game it was great goal, even better it was a last minute winner. I know i dont praise messi that often but i do think he is amazing

Pele still claims Neymar is a more complete player than Messi

messi is so good that even his own team mates are asking for his hirt at the end of the game. Aguero waso happy 2 get messi's shirt yeserday, he put it on his tweeter page

gondov wrote:messi is so good that even his own team mates are asking for his hirt at the end of the game. Aguero waso happy 2 get messi's shirt yeserday, he put it on his tweeter page

shirt***

That's a very vintage Messi goal. He doesn't do it now as much as before, but there was a time when a lot of his goals came from him dribbling to the middle of just outside the box and then hitting it with his left foot to the top corner of the goal.

Argentina top scorers

1. Batistuta 56
2. Crespo 35
3. Maradona 34
4. Messi 26

All 26 goals

Can easily become the top scorer for Argentina and shouldn't take more than the World Cup to pass Maradona

Best player in the world bar none

Pele is a fool

Jonathan28 wrote:Pele is a fool

Really I wonder if Pele has lost his mental soundness to some extent. Yes he is jealous of Messi and yes he doesn't like an Argentine being elevated in this manner but there is a smarter and classier way of expressing a disagreement. I mean if he has to put Messi down he can try saying things like the original Ronaldo was better and give some points as to why he was better. That would make us at least think about what he is saying and discuss and debate. Right now he is using a comparative rookie like Neymar in the debate which actually hurts Neymar more than he does anyone. Neymar is at that stage of his career where he could become a great but he could also end up as the new Robinho. Also the usual point that Pele makes is that Messi is not two footed which means that Maradona wasn't a great player because he relied so heavily on his left foot. Overall Pele has no inkling how stupid he is sounding each day and how in the last few months he has become the biggest joker in the football world even ahead of Maradona.

He is making himself look bad as a person. His competition with Maradona has gone too far to the point he is comapring two players today. Neymar is still developing as a player and he wants to become a great and having these arguments between greats of the past is not going help him in the future.

Can anyone explain to me what has led to Lionel Messi delivering his most consistently brilliant performances in an Argentina shirt during the last few months? All I read are criticisms of Alessandro Sabella regarding his team selections etc. Yet surely this man must be doing something right because he has managed to get the best out of Messi and that's something the previous few coaches failed at. Now what is needed is to use the next two years to pick the right player and replacement for each position in what I assume is a 4-2-3-1. It's a long way to go but we have at least started the journey and are led by none other than the one and only Messiah.

He has done well though he needs to keep Messi what he is doing. He needs to also have Masch in defense

Personally JD I think it has a lot more to do with Messi maturing than Sabella having a masterstroke. There is a system in place, which is important, and the team is more disciplined and balanced now (even taking into account the awful defense). But I don't think such a juimp in quality can be due to tactics but due to Messi, Aguero, Di Maria and Higuain maturing and knowing each other much more.

jd
Its nice that you are optimistic but I am afraid its a false dawn.No team has won a major championship with such an average defense and no team will.
So I am not all that optimistic.So when Argentina do falter,even with Messi's best efforts expect the knives to be out for him again.

I feel sorry for Marcelo the most, how many times has he been raped by Messi lol?

Meh, people's reactions to Argentina's recent performances are over the top in my opinion. We still have plenty of defensive problems that haven't been sorted out. It is worrying that Argentina don't have a single world class defender while every other contender has two or three. I don't see any young centre backs from Primera División who can have a solid role in the next World Cup and those playing in Europe are not any better. Not to mention Argentina have been lacking a leader in the backline for many years.

Sabella? Despite his limited head coach experience and being an assistant for the majority of his career, is definitely a better coach than Maradona who wanted to field 11 strikers in South Africa and Batista who thought playing Barça-style is achievable overnight. However despite him being a good coach, I still think Argentina have too many unresolved question marks in the defensive department to be a favourite any time soon.

Argetina's defensive woes get fixed not by bringing better defenders (because we don't have any, other than Coloccini) but by leaving less spaces. Someone mentioned that Argentina attack much faster than they track back, leaving important spaces that get taken advantage of, and I think that's an accurate statement. If we can manage to reach a better equilibrium in controlling those spaces our mediocre defense may become decent enough. Sabella knows it's a priority, and he's the right coach for that kind of thinking, so I'm willing to give him more time. He has 2 years.

I believe you're saying the solution to the 'attacking faster than tracking back' would be to play a more possession-based style to leave fewer gaps between defenders and forwards, no? Batista tried this and most will agree that he failed, although Sabella will have more time than him to implement this style. I still believe given the talents Argentina have we can't be playing possession football against most top teams, simply because we don't have midfielders who are good at keeping possession. Also one main problem with Argentina's defence has been the lack of a leader. This is crucial to our success and while I think Mascherano is a good candidate for the job as a converted centre back, losing him in midfield may be more costly than the benefits we may get from him in defence.

And while we are at it, I wish we had a decent left back too.

u gay?

As he was exiting the Argentina-Brazil game, Lionel Messi spotted a disabled fan and offered to take a picture with him.

Video can be found here:
http://canchallena.lanacion.com.ar/1481386-messi-y-un-lindo-gesto-despues-de-sus-increibles-goles-ante-brasil

Thats great work. Messi truly a great on and off the pitch. The guy is so silent in the media and when he does speak, he speaks positive and respects both his team and his opposition. So silent that I didn't even know he had a girlfriend..

BarrileteCosmico wrote:Personally JD I think it has a lot more to do with Messi maturing than Sabella having a masterstroke. There is a system in place, which is important, and the team is more disciplined and balanced now (even taking into account the awful defense). But I don't think such a juimp in quality can be due to tactics but due to Messi, Aguero, Di Maria and Higuain maturing and knowing each other much more.

Nice reply alfred.

alexjanosik wrote:jd
Its nice that you are optimistic but I am afraid its a false dawn.No team has won a major championship with such an average defense and no team will.
So I am not all that optimistic.So when Argentina do falter,even with Messi's best efforts expect the knives to be out for him again.

No alex I am not optimistic. We just need to wait and watch. It's just that no matter how much we may dislike it WC 2014 is Lionel Messi's date with destiny that will decide his place in football history. Reaching the semi finals is the very minimum that is needed so as not to be labeled an international flop for life. No one will care about what he did in these qualifiers and friendlies at the end of it all.

Gave yesterday autograph for a pitch invader after his second goal.

Rofl that is GOAT