Hormones aren't steroids. I think it's fairly common to inject steroids that act as hormones in the body to encourage physical growth though.

I'm fairly certain that synthetic growth hormones (or peptides), are not steroids.

Anyway, it'd definitely 100% not an ANABOLIC steroid (which is the only kind of steroid with any relevance to this discussion). The effects of growth hormone on athletes is still pretty debatable, most use it for injury recovery. It has no measurable effect on performance as far as I am aware. And Messi's treatment was to get his levels of growth hormone back to normal so he could grow properly, it's not like he has an excess in his system.

The point is his growth and development was not natural and he has become a ridiculously good footballer. Some may be suspicious that it has had an effect.

Also http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/lionel-messi-accused-of-using-racist-825200

if that had happened here im pretty sure this would be suarez all over again.

GH is not AAS. Still think they may have had to have given Messi AAS in conjunction with GH to make it effective, though.

Klaus wrote:

I'm so stealing that. I've needed a new tagline for a while.

Acute, obtuse, right ... you've always got a fresh angle Klaus.

Do friendlies count now?

Nice article by Michael Cox on Barcelona's dependence on Messi, and the problems it creates for Fabregas and Sanchez:

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1165?cc=5739

[contribution]Fabregas is a cunt [/contribution]

Puts Messi's achievements ever so slightly in perspective when you're reminded there are several more or less world class players on the field at all times pressed into service to "multiply" his gift.

Bloody Messi. I'd like to see him do these things for Stoke. Take him away from a Barca set-up of the highest paid players in the world all serving him and things change somewhat. He should play for Manchester Citeh or PSG. Great player, but I'm not buying into him being a god due to the set-up he enjoys and the fact that he plays in a league with no more than 3 or 4 teams that can stretch him and his teammates, leaving him fresh to exploit all before him.

after coasting through La Liga games, he has the spare energy to do whatever he wants. lol

As Messi continues to score with supreme regularity -- registering against every other league opponent, even doing it in 19 successive league games, is an absurd record – this isn't a problem for Barcelona.

I don't agree with this analysis. It was a very real problem for them last season, nicely illustrated by the fact that Barcelona had their worst season in eight years while Messi had his best one ever. They become too predictable and too dependent on one player. That's never a good thing for the team. Doesn't matter if he scores 40, like Gomez, or 60 like Messi.

It is a minor problem though. What Cox rightly points out is that players like Fabregas, Villa and Sanchez have struggled when having to adapt from being the top dog with licence to roam as they see fit, to a more tactical, bit part role. Best thing for Barcelona I reckon is to look for players who are more used to that type of role rather than players like Fabregas and Sanchez. Having said that, once Xavi slows down Fabregas will have an important role to play for them. He will never have the freedom he had at Arsenal, but he will still be a very important player.

It's not a minor problem when you have the best team in the world - possibly in history - and fail to win anything. The rest of the piece is sound enough.

Rex wrote:

Best thing for Barcelona I reckon is to look for players who are more used to that type of role rather than players like Fabregas and Sanchez.

Aye, they wrecked their system by signing those two. Anyone who had seen Sanchez would tell you that he's not a wide man for their system. He's all about dribbling, pace and movement. He struggled at Udinese until Guidolin gave him a free role through the middle and turned him into one of the best players in Europe. Cesc excelled in the same space for us, albeit with the final pass as his main weapon. The problem is that Messi occupies that space in Barcelona and no one else is allowed to go anywhere near it.