Messi, age
24, has broken last 21st March, the score record in FC Barcelona that was
in possession of the mythic Cesar, who played for Barcelona in 40s and
50s, scoring 235 goals after leaving Barcelona at the age of 35.
It is always difficult to compare different generations of sports people. However I have seen the best of what these great players have done and compared to Messi it seems rather ordinary. Maradona is remembered most for his wonder goal against England but Messi has scored a number of goals like it. Pelé has won three World Cups which is unbelievable but I question the standard of opposition he came up against. He never played in top European leagues, and while I don't rule out South American leagues completely, his goal scoring exploits in Brazil have to be questioned. Messi is playing in an era where every team is organized and very professional. In the Champions League he plays against the strongest, fastest and smartest defenders around, and he destroys them. That coupled with the fact that sport evolves and naturally players become better and better suggests that Messi is the best player who has ever lived.
But the numbers appoint Pelé was the best at age 24.
Frannk Rijkaard gave him his league debut against RCD Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years
and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player
ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga.
In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only
16, Messi made his first team debut
in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium
But let analyze, are we in front of the best football
player ever?
Messi is the
fourth football player to win three
Ballons d'Or, after Johan Cruyff, Michel
Platini and Van Basten and the second player to win three consecutive
Ballons d'Or, after Platini.It is always difficult to compare different generations of sports people. However I have seen the best of what these great players have done and compared to Messi it seems rather ordinary. Maradona is remembered most for his wonder goal against England but Messi has scored a number of goals like it. Pelé has won three World Cups which is unbelievable but I question the standard of opposition he came up against. He never played in top European leagues, and while I don't rule out South American leagues completely, his goal scoring exploits in Brazil have to be questioned. Messi is playing in an era where every team is organized and very professional. In the Champions League he plays against the strongest, fastest and smartest defenders around, and he destroys them. That coupled with the fact that sport evolves and naturally players become better and better suggests that Messi is the best player who has ever lived.
But the numbers appoint Pelé was the best at age 24.
Status at age
24
|
Messi
|
Pelé
|
Maradona
|
Official club goals
|
235(0,75)
|
361(1,19)
|
182 (0,68)
|
Libertadores/Champions League
|
3
|
2
|
-
|
Intercontinental Clubs Cup
|
2
|
2
|
-
|
National Team
|
|||
Goals
|
24 (0,32)
|
34 ( 0,89)
|
25 (0,43)
|
American
Cup
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Fifa
World Cup
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Olympic
Games
|
Gold
|
-
|
-
|
No comments:
Post a Comment