Lionel Messi-Goated

[Bally]

Messi the best player ever it's not even a debate anymore

[Mountain]

Maradona's entire International legacy relies on 1 exceptional tournament performance.

2.

He dragged an awful Argentina team to the final in 1990. There was only one other half decent player, Caniggia. They were beaten by Cameroon in the opening game, one of the biggest shocks ever. But he drove them to a final on a run that included beating Brazil and the host nation.

[Cjay]

2.

He dragged an awful Argentina team to the final in 1990. There was only one other half decent player, Caniggia. They were beaten by Cameroon in the opening game, one of the biggest shocks ever. But he drove them to a final on a run that included beating Brazil and the host nation.

Exceptional seems very generous for 1 goal and 1 assist.

A report I've just read says.
Cameroon he did nothing of note.
Russia he kept the ball out with his hand and had no input in there 2 goals.
Brazil was his best game and got an assist vs Romania
Missed his spot kick vs Yugoslavia but was saved by his teammates and won pens.
Caniggia scored vs Italy and it went to pens

Then they lost the final.

Doesn't sound Exceptional? Played a part maybe but again can only go on what I read and nowhere is it mentioned he was good or Exceptional.

[The Subhuman]

Pele

Santos

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968[198]
Copa Libertadores: 1962, 1963[29][199]
Intercontinental Cup: 1962, 1963[200]
Intercontinental Supercup: 1968[200]
Campeonato Paulista: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973[note 4][202]
Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1959, 1963, 1964, 1966[note 5][179]
New York Cosmos

North American Soccer League, Soccer Bowl: 1977[204]
North American Soccer League, Atlantic Conference Championship: 1977[204]
Brazil

FIFA World Cup: 1958, 1962, 1970[205]
Taça do Atlântico: 1960[206]
Roca Cup: 1957, 1963[207][208]
Taça Oswaldo Cruz: 1958, 1962, 1968[78][209]
Copa Bernardo O'Higgins: 1959[210]
Individual

In December 2000, Pelé and Maradona shared the prize of FIFA Player of the Century by FIFA.[211] The award was originally intended to be based upon votes in a web poll, but after it became apparent that it favoured Diego Maradona, many observers complained that the Internet nature of the poll would have meant a skewed demographic of younger fans who would have seen Maradona play, but not Pelé. FIFA then appointed a "Family of Football" committee of FIFA members to decide the winner of the award together with the votes of the readers of the FIFA magazine. The committee chose Pelé. Since Maradona was winning the Internet poll, however, it was decided he and Pelé should share the award.[212]

Campeonato Paulista Top Scorer: 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1973[179]
FIFA World Cup Best Young Player: 1958[66]
FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1958
France Football's Ballon d'Or: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970 – Le nouveau palmarès (the new winners)[127][213]
South American Championship Best Player: 1959[68]
South American Championship Top Scorer: 1959[69]
Gol de Placa: 1961[214][215]
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Top Scorer: 1961, 1963, 1964[216]
Intercontinental Cup Top Scorer: 1962, 1963[217][218][219]
Torneio Rio-São Paulo Top Scorer: 1963[220]
Copa Libertadores Top Scorer: 1965[221]
BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year: 1970[222]
Bola de Prata: 1970[223]
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (Best Player): 1970[64]
South American Footballer of the Year: 1973[224]
Included in the North American Soccer League (NASL) All-Star team: 1975, 1976, 1977[225]
NASL Most Valuable Player: 1976[226]
Number 10 retired by the New York Cosmos as a recognition to his contribution to the club: 1977[227][228]
Elected Citizen of the World, by the United Nations: 1977[229]
International Peace Award: 1978[230]
FIFA Order of Merit: 1984[231]
Inducted into the American National Soccer Hall of Fame: 1992[232]
Elected Goodwill Ambassador, by UNESCO: 1993[229]
Winner of France Football's World Cup Top-100 1930–1990: 1994[233]
Marca Leyenda: 1997[234]
World Team of the 20th Century: 1998[235]
Football Player of the Century, elected by France Football's Ballon d'Or Winners: 1999[236]
TIME: One of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th century: 1999[237]
Greatest Player of the 20th Century, by World Soccer: 1999[238]
Athlete of the Century, by Reuters News Agency: 1999[239]
Athlete of the Century, elected by International Olympic Committee: 1999[240]
World Player of the Century, by the IFFHS: 2000[241][242]
South American player of the century, by the IFFHS: 2000[241][242]
FIFA Player of the Century: 2000[64]
Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: 2000[243]
FIFA Centennial Award: 2004[232]
FIFA 100 Greatest Living Footballers: 2004[244]
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award: 2005[245]
Elected best Brazilian player of the century, by the IFFHS: 2006[246]
Greatest football player to have ever played the game, by Golden Foot: 2012[247]
FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur: 2013[248]
World Soccer Greatest XI of All Time: 2013[249]
Legends of Football Award: 2013[250][251]
South America's Best Player in History, by L’Équipe: 2015[252]
Inspiration Award, by GQ: 2017[253]
Global Citizen Award, by the World Economic Forum: 2018[254]
FWA Tribute Award: 2018[255]
Ballon d'Or Dream Team: 2020[128]
IFFHS All-time Men's Dream Team: 2021[256]
IFFHS South America Men's Team of All Time: 2021[257]
Orders

Knight of the Order of Rio Branco: 1967[258]
Elected Commander of the Order of Rio Branco after scoring the thousandth goal: 1969[229]
Awarded with the Order of Champions, by the Organization of Catholic Youth in the USA: 1978[229]
Awarded the FIFA Order as a tribute to his 80 years as a sports institution: 1984[229]
Awarded with the Order of Merit of South America, by CONMEBOL: 1984[229]
He was awarded the National Order of Merit, by the government of Brazil: 1991[229]
Awarded with the Cross of the Order of the Republic of Hungary: 1994[229]
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (honorary knighthood): 1997[259]
Olympic Order, by the International Olympic Committee: 2016[260]
Records

Joint-most goals for Brazil national football team: 77 (95 including unofficial friendlies) (tied with Neymar)[261]
Highest goals-per-game ratio (0.84) for Brazil national football team[262]
Highest goals-per-game ratio (0.84) of any South American top international scorer[263]
Highest goals-per-game ratio (2.33) of any leading scorer in the Intercontinental Cup
Most goals in the Intercontinental Cup: 7[264]
Most goals for Santos: 643 (in 659 competitive games)[3]
Most goals scored in a single Campeonato Paulista season: 58 (1958)[265]
Most goals in a calendar year (recognised by FIFA): 127 (1959)[263]
Most hat-tricks in world football: 92[266]
Most career goals in world football (including friendlies): 1,283 (in 1,363 games)[267]
Most FIFA World Cup winners' medals: 3 (1958, 1962, 1970)[267][268]
Youngest winner of a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 249 days (1958)[269]
Youngest goalscorer in a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 239 days (for Brazil vs Wales, 1958)[64][270]
Youngest player to score twice in a FIFA World Cup semi-final: aged 17 years and 244 days (for Brazil vs France, 1958)[271]
Youngest player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 244 days (for Brazil vs France, 1958)[270]
Youngest player to play in a FIFA World Cup Final: aged 17 years and 249 days (1958)[272]
Youngest goalscorer in a FIFA World Cup Final: aged 17 years and 249 days (for Brazil vs Sweden, 1958)[272]
Youngest player to start a knockout match at a FIFA World Cup[273]
Youngest player to reach five FIFA World Cup knockout stage goals[274][275]
Youngest goalscorer for Brazil national football team: aged 16 years and nine months (Brazil vs Argentina,1957)[276]
First player to score in three successive FIFA World Cups[277]
One of only five players to have scored in four different FIFA World Cup tournaments[278][279]
One of only five players to have scored in two different FIFA World Cup Finals[280]
Scored in two FIFA World Cup Finals for winning teams (shared with Vavá)
Most assists provided in FIFA World Cup history: 10 (1958–1970)[281]
Most assists provided in a single FIFA World Cup tournament: 6 (1970)[263]
Most assists provided in FIFA World Cup Final matches: 3 (1 in 1958 and 2 in 1970)[263]
Most assists provided in FIFA World Cup knockout phase: 6 (shared with Messi)[282]
Most goals from open play in FIFA World Cup Final matches: 3 (2 in 1958 and 1 in 1970) (shared with Vavá, Geoff Hurst and Zinedine Zidane)[283]
Only player to reach 25 international goals as a teenager[284]
Only player to score in a FIFA World Cup before turning 18[284]
Only player to have scored a hat-trick in the Intercontinental Cup[28

[Cjay]

Quite a Diddy list that.

Messi on the other hand has 42 team trophies to his name (joint most).

Most goals for 1 club (took the record off Pele).

Most goal contributions in history (took off Pele)

Most assists in history.

Most goals scored in 1 season (73).

Most goal contributions in 1 season ever (103)

Most calender year goals (91).

Holds the record for seasons with most goal contributions (7 seasons).

Most Ballon d'Or (7)

Only player to be named best player at 2 World Cups.

Only player to be named best player at more than 2 International tournaments (4).

Most goals scored for Argentina

Most goals scored for Argentina in 1 season.

And well over 100 more records as well.

Thats another record actually.

Holds the record for the holder of the most official football records.

[SG90]

Messi is an all timer no doubt, but I think the standard has been really poor the last 5-10 years or so, hence why him and CR have dominated so much. Put either of them in the 90s, and they wouldn't have all these records.

[Kennyb41]

If that was the vote last century, then i hope i'm alive if anyone is gonna come along this century to topple Messi.

Does anyone frequent Twitter ?
I don't, but would love to see that Pele thing again, it might've been something from Facebook but i think it was lifted from twitter, even if i found it i don't think i have to know how to put it on here.

[Cjay]

If that was the vote last century, then i hope i'm alive if anyone is gonna come along this century to topple Messi.

Does anyone frequent Twitter ?
I don't, but would love to see that Pele thing again, it might've been something from Facebook but i think it was lifted from twitter, even if i found it i don't think i have to know how to put it on here.

[Cjay]

Messi is an all timer no doubt, but I think the standard has been really poor the last 5-10 years or so, hence why him and CR have dominated so much. Put either of them in the 90s, and they wouldn't have all these records.

Here he is destroying legends like Zidane, Makelele, Roberto Carlos, Lucio.

He is 17,18,19 in many of these clips, can tell from shirt number

[Kennyb41]

Thanks Cjay yeah that's the one.

You see that's what got me thinking 'i haven't been privilege to all that stuff like i have with Messi' and there's some stuff in there which shows how genius he was himself, so it's very hard to make a call on the 'goat' and it's a hairs breadth with some like have been mentioned...'Maradona etc....but all i know is...you wouldn't go wrong with Messi in your side, to me he just has the absolute lot.

[Kennyb41]

That youtube clip is also mesmerising as well, and that's not just highlights, coz we've just witnessed it every single time he takes to the pitch, there's always something that's jaw dropping.

And when you have something so special like that, i hate the ba***rd managers that say to a ,...'get out there and break his legs'

Just imagine someone ending his career aged 22 or something like that with snapping his knee or summert

[Cjay]

Nice that.

[mentalcase]

Nice that.

If you like corned beef

[Cjay]

Another accolade for The Goat

Only player in history to win this award in 3 separate decades.

Longevity and consistency is unmatched

[weasel]

Not for me , far too one footed.

[Kennyb41]

He never ceases to amaze me how he seems to do the very best thing available to him in every second of a game.

I can watch highlights of him over and over and over again, i don't think there'll ever be another in this modern era, but i hope i'm alive if there is, an absolute pleasure of a man.

[Cjay]

Goal number 20 of the season to go with his 18 assists (for club) in just 3097 minutes so goal or assist every 81 minutes.

People will dismiss it because of the league Ligue 1.

Well prime Kylian Mbappe, widely regarded as the best player now

Same competitions

Goal or assist every 71 minutes.

Messi is 36 in 2 months.

Oh and he has officially surpassed Pele as the player with the most goal contributions in club football ever

The GOAT

[The Subhuman]

Yet this god like PSG team didn't get past the round of 16 in the CL ...

Pele will be the GOAT for a while yet

[John in Louisiana]

Yet this god like PSG team didn't get past the round of 16 in the CL ...

Pele will be the GOAT for a while yet

I agree. Messi may have perfected an art form, but Pele invented the art form.

Football after Pele is like music after Beethoven; never to be the same again.

[Cjay]

Time to prove you can do it on a cold Tuesday in Stoke . . . . Under Big Sam