Messi @ Foxborough

[patsbrasilpatriotas]

Messi is the GOAT. International football doesn't matter to that. It's not anywhere near as big as it was back in the day. The best and most competitive football is the CL which Messi has done well in regularly.

Also I've watched him, Ronaldo, Mascherano, Ronaldinho, Henry etc play live. Messi is the best

No WC...

You can argue that CR7 was successful in all teams and schemes that played. Just watch CR7 numbers you will notice that The Spanish league is able to inflate the numbers of ANY player:

3 UCL

Real Madrid 294 apps 351 goals
Man Utd 209 apps 100 goals

( 0.89 per game)

Messi titles: 4 UCL

531 app 453 goals (0.85 per game)

Pelé ( 0.92 goals per game)
3 WC
7 Ballon D or

 

[SilverSeven]

No WC...

You can argue that CR7 was successful in all teams and schemes that played. Just watch CR7 numbers you will notice that The Spanish league is able to inflate the numbers of ANY player:

3 UCL

Real Madrid 294 apps 351 goals
Man Utd 209 apps 100 goals

( 0.89 per game)

Messi titles: 4 UCL

531 app 453 goals (0.85 per game)

Pelé ( 0.92 goals per game)
3 WC
7 Ballon D or

I've heard those cold rainy nights in Stoke are absolutely dreadful...full of white walkers and the like...

 

[AzorianPats]

5 best players ive watched in my lifetime, no order (im 31)

Zidane
Cristiano Ronaldo
Messi
Ronaldo
Maldini

 

[SilverSeven]

5 best players ive watched in my lifetime, no order (im 31)

Zidane
Cristiano Ronaldo
Messi
Ronaldo
Maldini

For me after much thought it would be
Dylan
Dylan
Dylan
Dylan
and...Dylan

 

[AzorianPats]

For me after much thought it would be
Dylan
Dylan
Dylan
Dylan
and...Dylan

Cuz u spit hot fire?

 

[patsbrasilpatriotas]

5 best players ive watched in my lifetime, no order (im 31)

Zidane
Cristiano Ronaldo
Messi
Ronaldo
Maldini

i am 28

Ronaldo
Messi
Zidane
Romário
Cr7

 

[SilverSeven]

i am 28

Ronaldo
Messi
Zidane
Romário
Cr7

I've been watching many highlights of the dream team in the past year, they were an absolute joy to watch until that fateful night in Athens. Romario was just one of those guys who was clinical yet extremely entertaining to watch, which isn't as common as one would think.

 

[patsbrasilpatriotas]

I've been watching many highlights of the dream team in the past year, they were an absolute joy to watch until that fateful night in Athens. Romario was just one of those guys who was clinical yet extremely entertaining to watch, which isn't as common as one would think.

Romario is a unique person..

He could be greater than Ibra but he decided to come back really young just after win ALONE the WC in 94 and the FIFA award.

That why he is not on so many lists but people who like Ibra, Romario was like a premium version.

 

[AzorianPats]

i am 28

Ronaldo
Messi
Zidane
Romário
Cr7

Romario is a unique person..

He could be greater than Ibra but he decided to come back really young just after win ALONE the WC in 94 and the FIFA award.

That why he is not on so many lists but people who like Ibra, Romario was like a premium version.

Nice call on Romario. I forgot about him myself.

Whos more loved in Brazil between Romario and Ronaldo?

I remember Ronaldo's one season in Barca. I never seen a player so dominant like that.

 

[patsbrasilpatriotas]

Nice call on Romario. I forgot about him myself.

Whos more loved in Brazil between Romario and Ronaldo?

I remember Ronaldo's one season in Barca. I never seen a player so dominant like that.

Romario for sure... Ronaldo is charismatic but Romario is more. He is a senator and incredible as it may seem is a good politician , a very rare thing aound here.

 

[ausbacker]

i am 28

Ronaldo
Messi
Zidane
Romário
Cr7

Super player. One of my favourites and despite his record, severely underrated worldwide.

 

[Ivan]

Messi is the greatest player of his generation because he makes everyone around him better. I can't do generationally because the sport is to disparate, it is not like judging players over the lifetime of one league, which in and of itself is really difficult, it's a worldwide sport with league's everywhere, there is simply no way to compare achievements, and WCs require to much to put all on one player. And unfortunately for Messi he got stuck with the worst WC coach in history, Maradona.

 

[upstater1]

Uh, Messi was Messi tonight. And that was not a good thing for the team I was rooting for.

 

[long distance]

... and just to round up the thread on topic with a nice take on the subject ...

WATCH: Messi's Tom Brady-like pass sets up Argentina goal in Foxborough

i was thinking that Pats and NFL could use this opportunity better to promote themselves outside of US
but I guess they are self sufficient. Still nice to have someone from the team there to greet Messi.

Lionel Messi, Patrick Chung meet during COPA América Centenario at Gillette Stadium

 

[Ivan]

Great game by Messi, right now I rank them:

Adu

Messi

Pele

Beckenbauer

 

[MUFC7]

Ronaldo 9 is the best player I've ever seen. Honestly at Barca and Inter Mailand he was at a level that even peak Messi couldn't achieve. The absolute perfect counter striker. As much as I like C. Ronaldo, Messi is better. He is such a complete player, while Ronaldo is simply a complete striker.

Btw the player I enjoyed by far the most was Ronaldinho. A magician on the ball.

 

[FCB02062]

I'm 42
Top 5 (no order, not limited to offensive players)
Zidane
Ronaldinho/Ronaldo
Maradona
Neuer/Buffon
Baresi/Lahm

Need a defender and keeper and couldn't make up me mind! I'm German and really too young to remember der Kaiser, so I list Lahm (likely best right back of his time) and Neuer simply cuz he's a crazy beast and incredible.

Couldn't decide between the two Brazilians who got fat so I list em both - both insane talents who loved the buffet and the booze....

WC winner is a must to qualify and I have to have seen em play

 

[Observer]

I would have to rank Paolo Maldini/Allesa dro Nesta as the best defenders I have seen play. They made a huge difference to the whole team.

 

[drewskie]

Speaks volumes about Brazil with 4 world class players all winning at least one FIFA world player of the year award...Ronaldo/Romario/Ronaldinho/Rivaldo

The 5 best players Ive ever seen (29 years old):

Messi
Ronaldo
Zidane
Ronaldinho
Cristiano Ronaldo

 

[long distance]

comparing players through history is always a futile task
maybe we can have a better understanding going by decades (approx.)

50' Di Stefano
60' Pele
70' Cruyff
80' Maradona
90' *Zidane
00' **Ronaldo
10' Messi

*most people would probably pick Zidane here but there are other options better in my opinion:
90s were Italian decade and an era with dominant defensive soccer so guys like Baresi, Maldini would probably be the right choice (and personally I enjoyed Baggio much more than Zidane)

** the decades are approximations of course Zidane and Ronaldo played together at the end and they both marked the transition from 90s to 00s though Zizou is 5 years older

if we argue that football/soccer is much more competitive now then decades ago (the big money today brings virtually everybody to the game and from every possible country) then you could argue
Messi tops the crop

my guy is the best playmaker of all time who actually reinvented the game - Xavi
(and the guy that brought pure joy of soccer - Ronaldinho)