Lionel Messi - Performances

Migo

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Dec 13, 2017
Messages
76
Simply incredible. 25 goals against Real Madrid is nuts.


He rests during games. He's a very clever player when it comes to managing his efforts. This is why he can play so much
Yes, he doesn't track back and usually the lowest outfield player in distance covered each game, that's why managers don't rest him alot. But the thing is almost every game opponents are targeting his legs with the tackles intentionally, in Atletico game Tomas parety didn't even target the ball in the tackle which led to the freekick goal.
 

kouroux

45k posts to finally achieve this tagline
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
96,804
Location
Djibouti (La terre des braves)
Yes, he doesn't track back and usually the lowest outfield player in distance covered each game, that's why managers don't rest him alot. But the thing is almost every game opponents are targeting his legs with the tackles intentionally, in Atletico game Tomas parety didn't even target the ball in the tackle which led to the freekick goal.
You're right but that's the risk with Messi if you wanna force to sub him. He needs to be gradually understood that this could benefit him, like Zidane has shown at times with Ronaldo. There needs a strong manager for that to happen.
 

Vialli_92

Full Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
2,683
Location
Ireland
Supports
Juventus
Saw this in Twitter: After 27 rounds, Messi leads La Liga in goals, assists, passes before the assist, shots on goal, completed dribbles, and chances created.
They forgot to add 'shots off post' as well.

Decent player!
No player can compare to him, He's on a different level to any player I have ever seen
 

RedStarUnited

Full Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
8,196
Saw this in Twitter: After 27 rounds, Messi leads La Liga in goals, assists, passes before the assist, shots on goal, completed dribbles, and chances created.
They forgot to add 'shots off post' as well.

Decent player!
Without starting a debate, these kind of stats are what make me chuckle when I see the Ronaldo thread posts that go on about Ronaldos 'hunger'. Must be Messis body language or something that makes people think he doesnt work hard at his craft.
 

Semiarty

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Mar 24, 2015
Messages
144
Supports
FC Barcelona
Was invisible last match. Age must be catching up with him. Didn't do anything against bottom of the barrel Malaga.
 

El Pasillo

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Oct 8, 2017
Messages
272
Messi has just been toying with Chelsea, utterly dominant.

Cristiano is an amazing goalscorer, but his performances over the course of 90 minutess & impact on a match isn't 1% of Messi's.
 

Bobski

Full Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2017
Messages
10,181
He is remarkable, not only the best footballer in the world, but the best walking footballer as well.
 

soap

Directionless weirdo who like booze and ganja
Joined
Jan 19, 2013
Messages
2,980
Location
Wetherspoons
A goal, a great goal, and a great assist. So thankful to have been alive at the right age to see him play
 

The holy trinity 68

The disparager
Joined
Apr 10, 2016
Messages
5,988
Location
Manchester
He's on another level to any player to have ever played football. Genuinely.
Not another level to any player, but better than most in the same bracket.

Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, C.Ron, Di Stefano, Puskas, Muller, Beckenbauer, Best, Charlton.

Probably a couple others on the same/similar level.
 

Luke1995

Full Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2016
Messages
3,472
It's amazing how Messi always plays well against Chelsea. I remember him doing everything in the 2008-09 and in the 2011-12 games against them. The February game and today was just more of the same, the difference being this time Chelsea couldn't get away with their overly defensive tactics.
 

duffer

Sensible and not a complete jerk like most oppo's
Scout
Joined
Jun 24, 2004
Messages
50,925
Location
Chelsea (the saviours of football) fan.
It's amazing how Messi always plays well against Chelsea. I remember him doing everything in the 2008-09 and in the 2011-12 games against them. The February game and today was just more of the same, the difference being this time Chelsea couldn't get away with their overly defensive tactics.
He's the best player ever. He typically plays well against everyone. He'd never scored against us before this year.

As for overly defensive, you can certainly say that about many Chelsea games recently but not the ones against Barca.
 

bosnian_red

Worst scout to ever exist
Joined
Aug 13, 2011
Messages
58,413
Location
Canada
Not another level to any player, but better than most in the same bracket.

Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, C.Ron, Di Stefano, Puskas, Muller, Beckenbauer, Best, Charlton.

Probably a couple others on the same/similar level.
Maradona and Pele probably the same bracket, but neither as good as Messi. But he's a different level to Ronaldo and everyone else. Ronaldo has done fantastically well, and has gotten every last drop out of himself that he was capable of. Messi has (to use the phrase) a gift from the gods essentially. You can train as much as you want, devote every minute of your life towards it, but nobody can get to the ability that Messi has. He's as perfect as you can get when talking about a playmaker or a scorer or a dribbler. Just the best pure footballer of all time, and I don't think there's anyone who can come close when you combine his peak level with his longevity.
 

Peyroteo

Professional Ronaldo PR Guy
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
10,884
Location
Porto, Portugal
Supports
Sporting CP
That was very similar to the 2015 Bayern semifinal. Brilliant tonight, he was due a great performance in the knockouts and this was the perfect time to do it.

Needs to keep this up now and keep himself fresh physically because the next few months are the biggest months of his career.
 

totaalvoetbal

Full Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2015
Messages
865
Location
Netherlands
Supports
Ajax
I have run out of superlatives for him. Each year he adds more strings to his already loaded bow.

He sits on the table with the 5 kings of football.
 

VBI

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2017
Messages
681
Supports
Celtic, Barca
Didn't get to see the game, but glad to see the King has done his thing again, and put all this Chelsea stuff to bed.
 

El Pasillo

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Oct 8, 2017
Messages
272
It's amazing how Messi always plays well against Chelsea. I remember him doing everything in the 2008-09 and in the 2011-12 games against them. The February game and today was just more of the same, the difference being this time Chelsea couldn't get away with their overly defensive tactics.
Messi was also MOTM against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as a 18-year-old lad.
 

2mufc0

Everything is fair game in capitalism!
Joined
Jan 8, 2014
Messages
17,112
Supports
Dragon of Dojima
That burst of pace reminded me of his younger days.
 

The holy trinity 68

The disparager
Joined
Apr 10, 2016
Messages
5,988
Location
Manchester
Maradona and Pele probably the same bracket, but neither as good as Messi. But he's a different level to Ronaldo and everyone else. Ronaldo has done fantastically well, and has gotten every last drop out of himself that he was capable of. Messi has (to use the phrase) a gift from the gods essentially. You can train as much as you want, devote every minute of your life towards it, but nobody can get to the ability that Messi has. He's as perfect as you can get when talking about a playmaker or a scorer or a dribbler. Just the best pure footballer of all time, and I don't think there's anyone who can come close when you combine his peak level with his longevity.
Messi may be better than most of the greats I named, that doesn’t mean he is way better and a level above.

Pele is the only player to win 3 World Cups, Charlton the main reason England won in 66, Maradona the main reason Argentina won the World Cup. Di Stefano the main reason Real won the first 5 European Cups. To say Messi is a level above these players is debatable. Better maybe, another level arguably not.

Also you say players can train all they want and would never be as good as Messi. Yet no one is born to be able to play football or any sport for that matter. Natural talent is a myth. Messi has had to train and practice just as much as any professional, some people are just more intelligent and faster learners than others in some areas.
 

Deleted member 101472

Guest
Messi may be better than most of the greats I named, that doesn’t mean he is way better and a level above.

Pele is the only player to win 3 World Cups, Charlton the main reason England won in 66, Maradona the main reason Argentina won the World Cup. Di Stefano the main reason Real won the first 5 European Cups. To say Messi is a level above these players is debatable. Better maybe, another level arguably not.

Also you say players can train all they want and would never be as good as Messi. Yet no one is born to be able to play football or any sport for that matter. Natural talent is a myth. Messi has had to train and practice just as much as any professional, some people are just more intelligent and faster learners than others in some areas.
The only level that matters is “professional footballer” and Messi for me is the best to ever do it.
 

The holy trinity 68

The disparager
Joined
Apr 10, 2016
Messages
5,988
Location
Manchester
The only level that matters is “professional footballer” and Messi for me is the best to ever do it.
I wasn’t disputing whether he is the best ever, I was saying that he isn’t a level above every other player ever. He may be better but just because a player is better doesn’t mean they are a level above.

In comparing the best ever, you have to look at how good they were compared to every other player in the same era. Pele was probably better than everyone else in his era just as Messi is now. Same with Best, Maradona, Cruyff, Beckenbauer etc.

Messi is head and shoulders above every player of present, but he is not a great distance ahead of C.Ronaldo. Better imo yes, a lot better no. That is one player in the same era that he is marginally better than. Then take all the greats of other era’s and the likelihood that he is more than marginally better than them is very slim, especially as there is already another player in his era of close ability never mind other era’s.