Lionel Messi

[IFC 1905]

I saw this live, in the flesh. I'll never forget that moment.




I'm gonna go to every Argentina game I can for the next Copa America. They play 3 matches in Buenos Aires and one in Cordoba, 700 kms away. The Cordoba one's tough but I'll see if I can get to go.

 

[BusbyMalone]

Why is this lunatic talking about retirement. You can't leave us this early, Leo.

 

[MalcolmTucker]

Here's a video I watched as I ate my lunch - it's just match highlights from his 1st, 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th, 500th, 600th & 700th games. Ultimately, it's an arbitary selection of games, not a curated compilation of his best moments yet for any other player you'd think it was their top 7 perfomances. There are so many outstanding moments of skill and genius that it only highlights just how consistent he has been over his career.

 

[VanKenny]

Here's a video I watched as I ate my lunch - it's just match highlights from his 1st, 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th, 500th, 600th & 700th games. Ultimately, it's an arbitary selection of games, not a curated compilation of his best moments yet for any other player you'd think it was their top 7 perfomances. There are so many outstanding moments of skill and genius that it only highlights just how consistent he has been over his career.

Considering that he has been MOTM on over 50% of his games, that isnt surprising.

 

[DaGOAT]

Continues to show that he is the best football player on the planet.

Carrying this Barca team with the idiotic and inept Valverde as coach. Imagine if he had a proper coach like back in the Pep days.
The Barca TEAM would actually function too.

 

[VanKenny]

That first goal was an absolute bullet, jesuschrist... the perfect long shot, insane power and insane curve at the same time. Hattrick for the GOAT

 

[Hoof the ball]

You know it's something special when he bangs in a hattrick of great goals and the Messi thread doesn't budge an inch.

 

[Ban]

So good.

 

[izec]

Just confirming his ballon d'or

 

[Hoof the ball]

Just confirming his ballon d'or

I fancy him to win his 7th next year.

 

[RedStarUnited]

I fancy him to win his 7th next year.

Someone from the Euros will nick it.

 

[fergosaurus]

35th La Liga hat trick for Messi, a new record

 

[van Hooijdonk]

Another superb performance from the genius. The first goal is phenomenal. The other two also are magical. If it was another footballer would be praised to death. But for Messi is something kind of expected.

 

[Mr Smith]

I've never seen anyone able to score a hattrick as casually as that. Each strike looked completely effortless for him.

GOAT.

 

[Gehrman]

Continues to show that he is the best football player on the planet.

Carrying this Barca team with the idiotic and inept Valverde as coach. Imagine if he had a proper coach like back in the Pep days.
The Barca TEAM would actually function too.

Imagine Klopp managing Barcalona with Messi in his prime years. It's going to be too late for that now.

 

[Gehrman]

I've never seen anyone able to score a hattrick as casually as that. Each strike looked completely effortless for him.

GOAT.

That's why it in some sort of way seems so unimpressive. He just makes it look so easy.

 

[Hoof the ball]

I'm gonna hate it when Messi retires. Time absolutely flies. I recall his league debut. I even recall his 1st team debut in the friendly versus Porto, aged 16. One moment he's in his early 20's and you're thankful you've got so many more years to enjoy him, and then in the blink of an eye it's almost 2020 and he's nearly 33 years old.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Crazy to hear him mentioning retirement, in any capacity, right now.

I see a lot of comments in here about what he does on a football pitch being taken for granted, but the reality is that for any true great in any sport, their base level is processed and assimilated, and their measure of greatness taken from what they do against those deemed to be their peers in the biggest, most important games on the grandest stages available to them.

Whether fair or not, the yardstick for players like Messi is more in performance in maybe 20 elite games in an international season, and perhaps 12 or so in a normal one. That's not to say the rest of the season, against opposition Barcelona/Messi are supposed to trounce don't count, but rather it's nothing that will earn plaudits in isolation without big performances in the aforementioned elite games.

All truly great sports people are measured by a different set of metrics to those outside the tier they reside in. It's definitely not Messi alone who is a victim of his own ability as we see it - obviously not to the same extent - with someone like Neymar, who, let's face it, has been solely reduced to what he does or does not do in the K.O. stages of the C.L. and any latterly stage for his country, since moving to P.S.G.

Being better than players you will always be better than does not capture the imagination in anything like the same manner as being the top dog against opponents who are being hailed as the next big thing or usurpers to the established order. The general public want to see gods collide in battles for the ages; I don't think it's a particularly bad thing, either.

Messi is accepted as peerless in La Liga - I think that's about the greatest acknowledgement that can be bestowed upon any great in any league. By proxy, and as a consequence, however, said player has to do extraordinary things (even for him) for acclaim on top of acclaim, rather than an accepted level of standardisation that renders their normal another players great, and their good another players performance of a season or even career.

Such is life. Heavy the head that wears the crown, and all that.

Much of that is possibly fair. But I believe it also highlights a largely myopic view that's prevalent amongst what I'd consider the general masses. And I'd expect any critical mind to delve slightly deeper. Of course that people become accustomed to a player's greatness is not only true but basic human nature. Messi doing Messi things is par for course - for Messi. However at the same time, his contemporaries (greats or otherwise) don't do Messi things as if it's par for course. Forget that, in my time following I haven't seen anyone do what he does and to the level that he does do it. I haven't seen anybody be the best (or arguably the best) passer, playmaker, dribbler and goalscorer around, or influence football matches the way he does. So while it's all well and good to expect Messi to do something 'significant' to worthy of praised, it's also important to not forget that the rest of pack isn't even matching the week in week out displays (or what you'd the base level), even those or the fact that he does that is itself a complete anomaly in the game (in the time that I've watched football).

Also, the 'performances in 20 odd big matches' sounds like a reasonable measure except it often turns into a focus on specifically how many trophies you won, really. All of which at the end of the day, is a misguided attempt to pretend that the sport you're watching is, in fact, an individual sport. Which it obviously isn't. Success, trophies, winning football matches, has, as people often forget, much to do with the 22 players on the pitch and how they play individually / collectively and how they are manager, as opposed to just one of them on whose fingertips (toes?) everything rests. So yeah, I do believe the focus on sportsman rising above as some sort of Goliath's (or failing to do so) particularly in team sports is somewhat of a myth. A player can be a 7/10 or a 9/10 on the same night depending on his actions of course so individual agency isn't absent. However a player can also be 'seen' as a 7/10 or a 9/10 these days due to result/performances of team or team mates/opposition. Thats why a simplistic measure of 20 games or rising above can often sink the quality of the analysis to that of what you'd expect from a casual observer.

 

[Mettaur]

Someone from the Euros will nick it.

There's a Copa America hosted by Colombia and Argentina next year. If he wins that with his national team, the 7th Balon will be in the bag. Otherwise, it will go to the CL winner or Euro winner.

 

[Tom Cato]

I'm gonna hate it when Messi retires. Time absolutely flies. I recall his league debut. I even recall his 1st team debut in the friendly versus Porto, aged 16. One moment he's in his early 20's and you're thankful you've got so many more years to enjoy him, and then in the blink of an eye it's almost 2020 and he's nearly 33 years old.

33 and still the boss of football. The true maestro.

 

[KirkDuyt]

Memphis will win the next balon after shooting us to the Euros title

 

[RoyH1]

There's a Copa America hosted by Colombia and Argentina next year. If he wins that with his national team, the 7th Balon will be in the bag. Otherwise, it will go to the CL winner or Euro winner.

Now that Ronaldo's finally declining (still think Serie A was not the right move for him though), Messi has a clear run at it unless someone really has a phenomenal season. Sadio Mané maybe?
.

 

[VanKenny]

Now that Ronaldo's finally declining (still think Serie A was not the right move for him though), Messi has a clear run at it unless someone really has a phenomenal season. Sadio Mané maybe?
.

He is going to have to do something really outstanding to win his 7th. Journalist dont have enough with just record breaking goal scoring seasons anymore and the title here and there.

He need either the CL or the Copa America. Of course he should win it no matter what the way he has been playing lately but that doesnt matter, he needs to make the papers and a hattrick here and there wont do that since its basically the standard for Messi

 

[Gehrman]

Young Messi makes you understand what is meant by the eye test

 

[Daysleeper]

Memphis will win the next balon after shooting us to the Euros title

Doesn’t he have an ACL injury? I’ll be shocked if he plays.

 

[KirkDuyt]

Doesn’t he have an ACL injury? I’ll be shocked if he plays.

He does now, didn't when I posted that

 

[Daysleeper]

He does now, didn't when I posted that

I’m an idiot, completely missed the date of your post, sorry. They’re saying 5 month recovery and he’s aiming to be ready for euros so fingers crossed!

 

[KirkDuyt]

I’m an idiot, completely missed the date of your post, sorry. They’re saying 5 month recovery and he’s aiming to be ready for euros so fingers crossed!

Hehe, no worries, happens to me alot

Yeah, I hope he makes it, he's our most important player in the last 1.5 year. Really amazing for us.

 

[Ishdalar]

He's still the best, but sometimes I'm "scared" of the way he's been playing.

Hope he's just saving himself for the important games of the season, but sometimes he starts to remind me of the last seasons with Ronaldinho here, when he was disconnected from the games and you could see him start to struggle to get back into them until he finally got swallowed by those constant disconnections.

So far, Messi is drifting away from the game in some matches, but he seems able to reconnect with the ball and assist 2 goals or score a banger here and there, I'm happy that we got De Jong or Griezmann because they're players that like to run the 90 minutes and are always offering alternatives, making it harder for Suarez or Messi to fall into apathy, but if our inept manager fields a midfield with Busquets and Rakitic, plus Dembele and Alba on the left wing on a key match we're doomed.

If we are to capitalize on his last years here we're going to need rock & roll players like Vidal, Griez and De Jong. The more stale our 11 gets the faster we're going to lose him.

 

[Los Pollos Hermanos]

Lionel Messi is a robot or predator?

 

[VanKenny]

He's still the best, but sometimes I'm "scared" of the way he's been playing.

Hope he's just saving himself for the important games of the season, but sometimes he starts to remind me of the last seasons with Ronaldinho here, when he was disconnected from the games and you could see him start to struggle to get back into them until he finally got swallowed by those constant disconnections.

So far, Messi is drifting away from the game in some matches, but he seems able to reconnect with the ball and assist 2 goals or score a banger here and there, I'm happy that we got De Jong or Griezmann because they're players that like to run the 90 minutes and are always offering alternatives, making it harder for Suarez or Messi to fall into apathy, but if our inept manager fields a midfield with Busquets and Rakitic, plus Dembele and Alba on the left wing on a key match we're doomed.

If we are to capitalize on his last years here we're going to need rock & roll players like Vidal, Griez and De Jong. The more stale our 11 gets the faster we're going to lose him.

Yeah, i disagree completely. Hes having his usual ridiculous season and pretty much the only reason why Barcelona is at the top of the table, is thanks to him and to a MUCH lesser degree, Ter Stegen.

He keeps bringing new things every year, is mindblowing, let me explain:

When he first started playing, he was known for his speed and dribbling. That was his thing, he was just GOAT contender for dribbling and speed.
Then in like 2008/2009, on top of being a GOAT contender for pace and dribbling, he added scoring to his set of weapons. He was a prolific winger.
Then after that, he turned into a false 9 and added GOAT goal scorer to his resume.
Then later, he added vision and playmaking to hs resume, he became GOAT contender for passing
After that, he added the free kicks, became GOAT contender for free kicks.
And this season, he added long range shooting to his resume, its ridiculous, he has become a cheatcode from long range shooting.


It seems like every year he loses a bit of pace and acceleration, but he somehow finds a way to keep being just as threatening as he was and keep winning games almost by himself.

 

[JPRouve]

He's still the best, but sometimes I'm "scared" of the way he's been playing.

Hope he's just saving himself for the important games of the season, but sometimes he starts to remind me of the last seasons with Ronaldinho here, when he was disconnected from the games and you could see him start to struggle to get back into them until he finally got swallowed by those constant disconnections.

So far, Messi is drifting away from the game in some matches, but he seems able to reconnect with the ball and assist 2 goals or score a banger here and there, I'm happy that we got De Jong or Griezmann because they're players that like to run the 90 minutes and are always offering alternatives, making it harder for Suarez or Messi to fall into apathy, but if our inept manager fields a midfield with Busquets and Rakitic, plus Dembele and Alba on the left wing on a key match we're doomed.

If we are to capitalize on his last years here we're going to need rock & roll players like Vidal, Griez and De Jong. The more stale our 11 gets the faster we're going to lose him.

I have been thinking about it for a week now, the games against Sociedad and Madrid made it even more obvious. Suarez has scored goals but the attack seems more dynamic with Griezmann centrally and closer to Messi, the issue being that you don't have a reliable alternative on the left, Suarez seems to be doing the job well enough on the rare occasions where he drifts wide but is that viable?
As for your midfield, I would love to see De Jong, Arthur and Vidal.

 

[Daysleeper]

Incredible goal against Atletico:


Weak foot too

 

[Ish]

Good finish with the weaker foot. Don’t really think it’s incredible. Not by his standards anyway

 

[Daysleeper]

Good finish with the weaker foot. Don’t really think it’s incredible. Not by his standards anyway

More that he's crowded by so many players and still got a good shot off with his weak foot.

 

[Eriku]

Key pass ahead of another goal, wonderful.

Edit: aah, offside. Still an insane pass.

 

[Ish]

More that he's crowded by so many players and still got a good shot off with his weak foot.

Yeah he got his shot away so quick and with a lot of power.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Interesting statistics here. Whenever Messi scores on his weaker foot, it's usually pointed out because it's assumed that it's a sporadic occurrence. Now, this is not a Ronaldo vs Messi argument. I'm putting Ronaldo's stats up here only because It's a good way to determine how much Messi is producing with his weaker foot in comparison to someone who is reputed to be prolific with their weaker foot.

Messi's right foot in comparison to Ronaldo's left foot - Stats taken from 2009/2010 onwards. All teams, all competitions.

Messi - 70 goals on 255 shots (3.64 shots per goal, 28% scoring efficiency)
Ronaldo - 79 goals on 651 shots (8.24 shots per goal, 12% scoring efficiency)

Messi has taken only 16% of his open play shots on his weak foot, compared to Ronaldo's 33%, but still he is 2+ times more efficient with it and the gross product is similar. The best weak foot performance of Messi was in 2014/15 when he scored 17 with his right. Ronaldo's best was in 2012/13 when he scored 12.

Addendum - All stats were up-to-date as of one month ago.

 

[Gio]

@Hoof The Ball That’s more to do with Messi getting into better positions before using his weaker foot, such as when he’s skipped into the box or rounded the keeper. Whereas Ronaldo is more likely to crack one from 25+ yards or from a tighter angle with his weaker foot because he can generate a lot of power on it.

 

[Hoof the ball]

@Hoof The Ball That’s more to do with Messi getting into better positions before using his weaker foot, such as when he’s skipped into the box or rounded the keeper. Whereas Ronaldo is more likely to crack one from 25+ yards or from a tighter angle with his weaker foot because he can generate a lot of power on it.

Granted, that much is true, and I didn't mean it as a point to say one is better than the other. I only wanted to demonstrate that it's not as unusual for Messi to use his right as is often thought.