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Whose career would you rather have had? Messi or Zidane

WR10

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Let’s put it this way. Zidane wishes he was Messi and that he had Messi’s career
 

He'sRaldo

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Even if Messi is currently regarded as the GOAT, someone might soon surpass him in that category. So with that in mind, I'd rather have won everything possible than have a GOAT title which will probably be relinquished to someone else in my lifetime.

Zidane it is.
 
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here are younger posters obviously 'cause they say messi is one of the greatest of all time, but who is zidane? zidane is one of the greatest of all time also, he is officially best european player of all time, voted in 2004. before messi and ronaldo in debates who is the best of all time pele, maradona, zidane brazilian ronaldo alwayes mentioned.

at the time of the galacticos the best players in the world carlos, figo, bechkam, zidane, ronaldo trainings in madrid were full and all of them came to watch zidane, carlos talking about that, he played with ronaldinho, ronaldo, rivaldo and by him no one was even close to zidane and what kind of magic zidane produced and what tricks ne had in hand, especially in trainings. the aura around him and the respect from everyone in the game was incredible. beckham said he was honored he be able to watch him at the pitch every day. everyone admired him, he is god in france.

zidane is maybe the greatest football worker in history of the game, when we know what he has done as a player and manager. he and the cruyff
 

predator

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The world cup is a big deal to be fair but it shouldn't be used to belittle a players legacy. Argentina, as of late, simply haven't been good enough to win it, with or without messi.

So I would say Messi. The champions leagues, the individual awards, the respect he commands.

For me it's clear as day that he is the most talented footballer the world has seen thus far. I reckon if I hadn't played football from a young age then I'd sway towards the stats / variation of achievements which favour Ronaldo.
 

Bennz McCarthey17

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Easily Zidane, you can ask Iniesta what the biggest moment of his career is, and scoring that goal at Soccer City in 2010 wins hands down over any other award or title he has won.
 

Andy Parker

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Messi for me. His individual greatness is beyond doubt. The skills, goals and raw stats! And stunning a player as Zidane was, Messi is better. Not winning major international honours can’t swing it for me.
 

RoyH1

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Zidane and it's not even close. Winning the World Championship is the highlight in every player's career (ask Messi about it). He was European champion as well. And won both the CL, Liga and Calcio.

That said, Messi is the better player, but the OP is asking about career. I think Zidane will be able to reflect on his career with much greater sense of accomplishment. Messi will always be reminded of his lack of silverware with Argentina.
 

The holy trinity 68

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Messi:
10 league titles, 3 CL’s.
5 Ballon D’or.
Apps: 823
Goals: 671
Assists: 272

He could add to these for a few more years. Most likely another league title or 2.

Zidane:
3 league titles, 1 CL, 1 WC, 1 EC.
1 Ballon D’or.
Apps: 605
Goals: 117
Assists: 112.


People saying Zidane just because of 2 International tournaments, where France had far better teams than any Argentina team Messi has been in.

Zidane may have the WC and EC to his name, but 7 more league titles, 2 more CL’s, 200 more apps, 500 more goals, 150 more assists and 4 more Ballon D’ors far out weighs that.

It’s ludicrous to argue otherwise.

If Zidane has had the better career than Messi, then Xabi Alonso has had a better playing career than Zidane.

2 CL’s with different clubs, 4 league titles in 2 different countries. WC and 2 EC’s.
 

JPRouve

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It's amazing how those saying Messi are taking it almost as an insult that there is a different view on this
It's because for the most part they are simply looking at it from an "accounting" point of view, it's a bit too emotionless.
 

JPRouve

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Probably the same posters who voted Ronaldo in that other thread on here...
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with that view, it makes a lot of sense but it's obviously not everyone's cup of tea. Also I would take Ronaldo's career over Messi's because what he has been able to achieve with Portugal would make me proud and he also experienced different clubs and cultures which is something that I find enticing.
 

kouroux

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To be clear, there is nothing wrong with that view, it makes a lot of sense but it's obviously not everyone's cup of tea. Also I would take Ronaldo's career over Messi's because what he has been able to achieve with Portugal would make me proud and he also experienced different clubs and cultures which is something that I find enticing.
Specially when considering that Portugal is a small country. What they did is remarkable and what he's been doing is ridiculous.
 

#00F

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Zidane is known more for headbutt than winning the world cup.
Just searched in youtube, his headbutt video has the 3rd highest views after 2 'normal' videos.
 

Jimmy_Bond

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To be clear, there is nothing wrong with that view, it makes a lot of sense but it's obviously not everyone's cup of tea. Also I would take Ronaldo's career over Messi's because what he has been able to achieve with Portugal would make me proud and he also experienced different clubs and cultures which is something that I find enticing.
Ronaldo got to one final when his country were favourites and lost and then got to another when they won and he didn't play. People seem to erase the "he didn't play" bit from history.

Had Messi gone off after 15 minutes after the Germany game and Argentina had won after extra time I have no doubt the Ronaldo fanboys (who seem a lot more extreme than the Messi ones) would never let you forget it. In fact, they would probably claim it was his absence that led to the victory. Ronaldo's conduct on the side of the pitch was nothing short of embarrassing that day. A man who couldn't bare not being centre of attention.
 

Jimmy_Bond

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Specially when considering that Portugal is a small country. What they did is remarkable and what he's been doing is ridiculous.
They have historically been a strong footballing nation and have a legacy of producing world class players. They had/ have gone into plenty of tournaments amongst the favourites to win plenty of times both pre and during the Ronaldo era. There have also been plenty of times in the last couple of decades when they have had a stronger team than Argentina. Let's not try and rewrite history by suggesting Ronaldo has dragged a group of minnows to greatness.
 

JPRouve

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Ronaldo got to one final when his country were favourites and lost and then got to another when they won and he didn't play. People seem to erase the "he didn't play" bit from history.

Had Messi gone off after 15 minutes after the Germany game and Argentina had won after extra time I have no doubt the Ronaldo fanboys (who seem a lot more extreme than the Messi ones) would never let you forget it. In fact, they would probably claim it was his absence that led to the victory. Ronaldo's conduct on the side of the pitch was nothing short of embarrassing that day. A man who couldn't bare not being centre of attention.
You can pick Messi's career if you want, no one will mind.
 

kouroux

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They have historically been a strong footballing nation and have a legacy of producing world class players. They had/ have gone into plenty of tournaments amongst the favourites to win plenty of times both pre and during the Ronaldo era. There have also been plenty of times in the last couple of decades when they have had a stronger team than Argentina. Let's not try and rewrite history by suggesting Ronaldo has dragged a group of minnows to greatness.
The only rewriting going on is you with my post. I suggested nothing of the sort.
Just saying it is remarkable that a country so small like that can be so good and produce good to great players
 

Jimmy_Bond

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You can pick Messi's career if you want, no one will mind.
Let me ask you this. Would this be a question if Zidane had gone off injured after 15 minutes against Brazil and France had still gone on to win?
 

JPRouve

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Let me ask you this. Would this be a question if Zidane had gone off injured after 15 minutes against Brazil and France had still gone on to win?
It would be a question if you swapped Zidane for Forlan, the question is about what type of career you would like for yourself.
 

JPRouve

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And that's the thing, it all comes down to personal preference. There is no one wrong in a discussion like this
That's what I told him but I'm a condescending little man, so... :lol:
 

Jimmy_Bond

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The only rewriting going on is you with my post. I suggested nothing of the sort.
Just saying it is remarkable that a country so small like that can be so good and produce good to great players
Think Portugal has about 11 million people, but as far as I know they don't really have any other sports that are seriously popular so if there are any talented young sportsmen it's very likely they're going to turn their attention towards football as it's the only one that will guarantee you a good living.

Compare it to a country like England, who have 55 million but a choice of Football, Cricket and Rugby, all of which can provide with a salary that allows you to be professional, and then the main Olympic sports which are ridiculously well funded in England and thus means you can dedicate your life to a lot of them. Whilst the population in Portugal may be small, so is the choice of which sport you play. Whilst not trying to belittle their achievements, a little context can certainly help to explain it.
 

He'sRaldo

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Winning titles in Barcelona gives joy to only those in Barcelona. Winning a World Cup for France gives joy to the whole nation. So IMO a World Cup win trumps every other feeling.

Just take a look at Iniesta's reception to every football stadium in Spain after his World Cup goal, even those of his rivals. That's something special that a league title cannot achieve.
 

kouroux

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Winning titles in Barcelona gives joy to only those in Barcelona. Winning a World Cup for France gives joy to the whole nation. So IMO a World Cup win trumps every other feeling.

Just take a look at Iniesta's reception to every football stadium in Spain after his World Cup goal, even those of his rivals. That's something special that a league title cannot achieve.
Besides it happens every 4 years which makes it even more special. A league title or a CL cannot replicate that
 

Jimmy_Bond

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Winning titles in Barcelona gives joy to only those in Barcelona. Winning a World Cup for France gives joy to the whole nation. So IMO a World Cup win trumps every other feeling.
I can guarantee Barcelona's worldwide support is larger than the population of France and Argentina combined.
 

Wonder Pigeon

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Past a certain point the number of league titles Messi has over Zidane is pretty meaningless. Zidane played at a time when being at the highest level meant being in a league where you couldn't rack up league wins in the same way. Rangers could win league after league by beating dross, that wasn't possible in Serie A in the 90s where so many teams were stacked with talent. As Zidane's era transitioned and overlapped with Messi's, Champions League money stretched the gap between the super clubs and the chasing pack. Lazio, Roma, Deportivo and Valencia could win leagues, then within a few years the superclubs were cherry picking their best players, now the Napolis and Sevillas have those players poached before they can put a full team together to be a threat.
 

Steve Bruce

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Zidanes career as a whole. Winning the world Cup is the absolute pinnacle of football.

No doubt Messi is the better player though
 

Jimmy_Bond

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Absolute nonsense.

Your opinion is clearly going to be biased on both Ronaldo and Zidane, but Ronaldo contributed as much to Portugal's Euro win than Messi did to Argentina finishing runners up. He pretty much missed the final, and that reduces the achievement big time.
 

JPRouve

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That's not the reason I said that, and you know it. Don't try and take things I've said to you out of context.
The reason why you said it is because I told you that you failed to understand the OP, which is still the case and why you are still complaining about people being biased when they answer a question that wants to know what their biased opinion is.