Messi vs. Ronaldo

[Garrincha]

Both have the chance now to truly end the debate by winning the World Cup.

Sure it shouldn't be the sole deciding factor but it would be. A truly iconic moment.

SHAUN BOTTERILL/GETTY IMAGES

 

[Jury]

Think you either mean first or third. His second was his 'worst' full season here statistically.

First 'full' season, you geek.

 

[Jury]

Exactly.

Let's also not forget Messi is younger and has played fewer games. In 3 years, he'll be well ahead of what Ronaldo is now.

Can see him becoming the greatest midfielder of all time once he drops back. He'll still be killing teams aged 40.

 

[Trilly]

First 'full' season, you geek.

But you said his second season you ****.

 

[Lidl_Reed]

Both have the chance now to truly end the debate by winning the World Cup.

Sure it shouldn't be the sole deciding factor but it would be. A truly iconic moment.

SHAUN BOTTERILL/GETTY IMAGES

Scenes when Iniesta wins it and screams, "YOU'RE IN MY SHADOW I CARRIED YOU LIONEEEEEEEEL."

Balon D'or Speech 2018.

 

[Jury]

But you said his second season you ****.

It was his 3rd season, you big swaying turd.

 

[carter777]

 

[Trilly]

It was his 3rd season, you big swaying turd.

Think this has been a massive misunderstanding. We’ve went through each of Alexis’ seasons here.

 

[Dokaka]

Never understood why people put so much importance on international success when judging a player's career.

Young prospect from Finland pops up and surpasses Messi, scoring 70 goals every season for fifteen years in a row playing for Arsenal, yet he cannot be the GOAT because he didn't win the WC with Finland?

It's a completely illogical expectation. At that point you're basically arguing that the GOAT can only possibly be born in countries with strong national teams. Players don't pick their country of birth. They have zero control over the strength of the players around them.

Don't like this trend of putting up additional arbitrary barriers as soon as someone starts knocking on the greatest of all time door.

 

[Jury]

Don't like this trend of putting up additional arbitrary barriers as soon as someone starts knocking on the greatest of all time door.

It's one of the things that winds me up the most in football. Fans and pundits are always setting them. When we won our first trophy in 9 years you had oppo fans, pundits and people that watched 3 games a year laying down what now needs to be done in order to be validated as a football team again, because we last won the league in 2004.

"Yeah , but, but, you have to do this now.... and win the league or the CL now... yeah... then we'll acknowledge you as a football team again, even though we just want to see you to burn forever".

**** off.

 

[Dokaka]

It's one of the things that winds me up the most in football. Fans and pundits are always setting them. When we won our first trophy in 9 years you had oppo fans, pundits and people that watched 3 games a year laying down what now needs to be done in order to be validated as a football team again, because we last won the league in 2004.

"Yeah , but, but, you have to do this now.... and win the league or the CL now... yeah... then we'll acknowledge you as a football team again, even though we just want to see you to burn forever".

**** off.

The "Cold and rainy night in Stoke" meme literally spawned out of English pundits unironically questioning Messi's toughness and ability to do it in the Prem ffs

 

[Mo Britain]

A great day for football which puts the debate to bed once and for all. The answer is "neither".

 

[Batman]

A great day for football which puts the debate to bed once and for all. The answer is "neither".

The answer was, is and will probably always be Pele.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Tiring debate but the answer is obviously C. Ronaldo.

 

[Batman]

Never understood why people put so much importance on international success when judging a player's career.

Young prospect from Finland pops up and surpasses Messi, scoring 70 goals every season for fifteen years in a row playing for Arsenal, yet he cannot be the GOAT because he didn't win the WC with Finland?

It's a completely illogical expectation. At that point you're basically arguing that the GOAT can only possibly be born in countries with strong national teams. Players don't pick their country of birth. They have zero control over the strength of the players around them.

Don't like this trend of putting up additional arbitrary barriers as soon as someone starts knocking on the greatest of all time door.

Oh please. Every other player who was ever seriously in the GOAT discussion prior to these 2 had some level of international success. You can't have half a career and unseat Pele or even the drug addict. Here's what happened with Messi:
The guy loses his mind and scores 70 goals in a season. People rightly are amazed because we'd never seen something like that. A group of fanboys start anointing him the GOAT back then assuming that BECAUSE he plays for Argentina and not some small country with no hope that he was going to deliver the international success that every other player in the discussion did. Years later and he's achieved absolutely nothing for country and now people are trying to back track and move the goal posts because their assumptions haven't come to fruition. What's more, CR7 (who is not the GOAT either ) closed the gap on him in terms of club success and won an international trophy which the Messi fanboys didn't see coming either, That's what this is. A bunch of people who counted their chickens before they hatched and can't just admit they were wrong.

And you can blame whoever you want. His GREAT teammates who win scoring titles in their respective leagues and underperform in part because they're set out to cater to him rather than their owns strengths. Or maybe Sampaoli who is awful but apparently not awful enough for Messi to beat his Chile team in a final. Or maybe it's the alignment of the planets. The guy has underachieved for his country. Period. And as impressive as his trophy haul for Barca is, you take him out of that side and you've still got nearly a decade of the core of Spain's golden generation. He's a wonderful player who has shown quite clearly that he benefits greatly from having all the advantages and does not have the mental fortitude to make up for the absence of even some of those advantages. You can't be the GOAT with those characteristics.

 

[Jury]

What crud. If he gets a penalty and scores it in the last WC final, all that changes in your book. Something as simple as that. Which renders your argument pathetic.

 

[Garrincha]

They could both be in trouble if Brazil win the World Cup.

History is a cruel mistress.

 

[avalonhse]

Young prospect from Finland pops up and surpasses Messi, scoring 70 goals every season for fifteen years in a row playing for Arsenal, yet he cannot be the GOAT because he didn't win the WC with Finland?

Yes, we are talking about the GOAT, the Greatest of All Times. That name holds massive scale because that person must hold higher status than all other greats of other times.

Messi might be the best talent in the world, he is not the Greatest. Because WC is the greatest monument of the football world, no argument for that.

Otherwise, how can you say Messi is greater than Pele/Di Stefano/Maradona? Without WC achievement, he can be the same great as them as best.

 

[Mark Tobias]

Tiring debate but the answer is obviously C. Ronaldo.

There wouldn't be a debate at all if it was obvious. What an ignoramus comment

 

[Mark Tobias]

Yes, we are talking about the GOAT, the Greatest of All Times. That name holds massive scale because that person must hold higher status than all other greats of other times.

Messi might be the best talent in the world, he is not the Greatest. Because WC is the greatest monument of the football world, no argument for that.

Otherwise, how can you say Messi is greater than Pele/Di Stefano/Maradona? Without WC achievement, he can be the same great as them as best.

But the lad from Finland who will never even get the chance to prove that can;t be simply because of the rest of his nation's talent?

Bogus logic.