Messi's definitely the best I've seen in my lifetime. His ball control is out of this world.

Never been a fan of trying to decide who is the best of all time though, the game and players have changed so much over the years. It's hard to compare Messi and Pele, etc.

Maradona.

Maradona for me too. I'd say what Messi does on the ball is comparable to what Maradona used to do, but football now is a lot less physical compared to when Maradona was doing his outrageous shit. Top players today get a LOT more protection IMO.

I think it's hands down Messi. There are debates now, but when Messi wins the world cup for Argentina it would be dead and buried.

Alfonso wrote:

Maradona.

Too young for Maradona, but I struggle to comprehend the possibility that there was once someone anywhere near as good as Messi.

Maradona.

Maradona and Messi have lots of similarities, but also lots of differences. The main one, of course, being that Messi is a striker and Maradona was a midfielder. Maradona dominated games by about the same margin Messi does, but he did it mostly playing with lesser team mates, and in a climate where he got a whole lot less protection than Messi gets. He was literally kicked up and down the pitch as a general rule.

They both led their club teams to victory, but Maradona also has that WC win in his cabinet. That year, -86, the WC was dominated by Maradona in a way I have never seen neither before nor after.

For me, I also weigh in that Maradona led a not more than decent Napoli team to the Scudetto too, and in a time where Serie A was arguably the best league in the world. Messi has 'just' played for a Barcelona team jam packed with world class footballers, and I am not at all certain he can/could lead a team in the same way Maradona did.

Messi makes Barcelona as special as they are though. He is quite literally involved in every single great attacking move they ever put together. Take him out and Barcelona categorically do not win what they have in the last ten years.

Take Messi out of Barcelona and they just have Suarez, Neymar, Pedro, Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic, Alves, Alba, Mascherano... I think they would have to alter their way of playing, but that is a pretty decent bunch of footballers... Before this batch they had other great players to complement Messi too.

I agree with you to some degree though! Messi certainly is the X factor for them, and a massively contributing factor to Barcelona winning so much. Generally though, he has always had better team mates to play with than Maradona had.

Messi is certainly the best player I have seen in my lifetime.

Rex wrote:

Take Messi out of Barcelona and they just have Suarez, Neymar, Pedro, Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic, Alves, Alba, Mascherano... I think they would have to alter their way of playing, but that is a pretty decent bunch of footballers... Before this batch they had other great players to complement Messi too.  

I agree with you to some degree though! Messi certainly is the X factor for them, and a massively contributing factor to Barcelona winning so much. Generally though, he has always had better team mates to play with than Maradona had.

I see the point you are making, but whenever I see Barca play, it's Messi that's carving out chances for his teammates, as much as they are for him.

Unlike Ronaldo, for example, who seems to rely on his teammates much more. He rarely seems to score individualistic goals anymore.

I think the fact that Messi stands out so much in a team stacked with superstars works for Messi rather than against him.

I've always enjoyed watching C. Ronaldo more but will readily admit that Messi is superior. This quote stood out to me:

Stoichkov, 1994 Ballon d'Or winner: "Messi is at the level of Pelé, Maradona and Cruijff - what annoys Cristiano is that he is only compared to Messi [and not the rest]".

I can't comment on those players as I'm too young, but the descriptions of Maradona do seem to have him on a slightly higher level.

Ricky1985 wrote:

Too young for Maradona, but I struggle to comprehend the possibility that there was once someone anywhere near as good as Messi.

Same here, and it's not like everyone who's old enough to have seen Maradona has him above Messi.

And stats like these don't even take things into account how he's essentially playing as a RM/CM hybrid this season and still is on 40 goals and 30 assists in 40 games. I'll give it a couple years after he retires tops, by then nobody will even discuss whether he's the GOAT or not.

Messi for me.

You say football is less physical but I'd argue it isn't - players are supreme athletes now. Guys like Terry Butcher would never cut it in this day

Haven't lived long enough but surely no one has dominated club football and European football like Messi has?

Messi for me too.

Messi is the greatest club football ever but not the outright greatest.

Old debate but he really does need to perform properly in a WC for him to be considered against El Diego.

Until that happens I don't care if he scores 200 goals per season, Maradona will still be número uno.