Lionel Messi set a record of 86 goals

[giulio2010]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20661031

[steven1976]

Best ive ever watched. Never saw Pele but cant believe he was as good as this boy.

[pdupre1961]

Best ive ever watched. Never saw Pele but cant believe he was as good as this boy.

What you talking about, Pelé's goal record was set when he was a 17/18 year old unknown, not 24/25 like Messi. You do actually know that the Barcelona players all help him to score the goals. Records are there to be broken, but it's hardly an important record.

Messi is not even the best Argentinian player. Let alone best of all. Pelé and Maradonna won the FIFA World Cup, I don't suppose he's even won an egg cup playing for his country.

Messi is a bit like Ronaldo, in that he doesn't score many goals against good teams. And at the World Cups they are both nothing compared to the greats...

[pdupre1961]

If it's goals you want look no further than Mia Hamm.
She scored 258 for USA Women - 227 more than Messi so far has scored for Argentina.

[pdupre1961]

Not only is he a one footed wonder, but scores a high percentage of his goals (22/86) when the other team are tired out (minutes 75-90)...probably after the match is already won...

[pdupre1961]

74/86 in the goal box.

In my day he would be called a goal hanger....

I also suspect some of them would not have been allowed when Gerd Mueller was playing as they have since relaxed the offside rule to favour goal hangers, oops, sorry goal scorers.

[Iron]

74/86 in the goal box.

In my day he would be called a goal hanger....

I think the modern day term is 'poacher'...

A player who is adept at popping goals into the back of the net from short range can be an extremely valuable asset to any team, as we saw with Michael Owen in his early years at Liverpool and with Ruud Van Nistlerooy (although Messi's goal/game ratio makes those guys look like rank amateurs!).

Having a great defence and a fantastic midfield is only any use if you have an end product, and that's where a skilled marksman who's cool as a cucumber in front of goal can make all the difference...

Jeff

[giulio2010]

I don't if you can watch in your region...Here Messi 86 goals in 10.08 minutes
http://video.gazzetta.it/prodezze-recor ... de87534e99

[Iron]

The interesting thing about Messi's goals is that, by the standards of top flight football, most of them are very ordinary - you see similar goals every week on Match of the Day. Perhaps what sets him apart is his consistency rather than his ability to do anything that other top pros can't do.

Jeff

[CaerMyrddin]

I'm always impressed on how the big champions can get so critizised. A goal hanger? Have you ever watched him play at all?

So, had Messi adopted the spanish nationality when he was younger he could be the best player ever, because he would be playing at a competitive national team?

He is to be praised, as is Ronaldo and so many others football has never been so hard as it is now.

[giulio2010]

It 's obvious that pdupre1961 hates Barcelona and find difficult being objective about Lionel Messi ...

So, had Messi adopted the spanish nationality

He has distant Italian ancestry, being his great-grandfather, Angelo Messi, emigrated from Recanati in Rosario in 1883. He could have asked an italian passport when he was little.. To be a Spaniard was to be adopted as balotelli in Italy ... I think we live in a time of impressive football stars and be the best of all, gonna well mean something ... how can people minimize a Champions of this level is a mistery .. he has never won the World Cup, but he won numerous champions league thing ever succeeded to its predecessors and he is just 25 years old. Do not forget that when the great Maradona or the great Pele won the world cup, there were no many competitive nationals..as good as Spain, Germany, Holland, Italy, France etc etc, of this days....What I am trying to say that winning the world cup now is much harder then 1986 or 40 years ago..However he can play 3 more world cup...

[Online Trader]

I just wish that he played for Villa

[Iron]

There is a school of thought that says that players like Messi are great in the CL final, but can't be bothered making an effort in a scrappy away game in Hull on a cold and wet January Wednesday evening.

Personally, I reckon that's just patronising drivel (although there may be some players who think that such matches are beneath them). I suspect part of the reason that many great players are great is because they've shown dogged determination in the face of adversity. If you were to put Messi in any team in the Premiership, my money would be on his scoring for fun...

Jeff

I just wish that he played for Villa

[hgodden]

[quote="pdupre1961"]74/86 in the goal box.
quote]

This still means that he scored 12 in a calendar year from outside the box!

He might have scored a high percentage in the last quater of games but there are statistically more goals by the end of matches anyway and in Barcelona's case a great deal of their first goals are scored by Messi, as well as the winners.

It's not just about goals anyway. Last year he had 27 assists too. Let alone his link up play, dribbling ability and the belief that he gives to his team mates.

I've had the fortune (or misfortune) of seeing him live as an opposition fan and quite honestly the way that he (and Barca in general) plays is so mesmerising that at times you forget which team you're supporting and just stand there in awe (which I think can happen at times to opposition players too when Barca are in full flow.)

At the end of the day we can compare different players in different eras till the cow comes home but for any football fan I would just recommend taking any chance you may get to go and see him live in the flesh and just enjoy it. I'd give anything to have the chance to see Maradona or Pele in their primes and however you want to compare the players, what Messi is doing right now is astonishing - we're lucky to be in his time.

[giulio2010]

we're lucky to be in his time.

Millions times I agree with that...