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Sizzle
Messi is still behind Jimmy Greaves for league goals, and at age 28, has 291. Greaves had way over 300 by that age, and finished with 357, which no doubt Messi will beat, because Greaves more or less packed up at 29 his last season at Spurs, before the drink took over.
Maradona was the best player in every team he played for at every level (schoolboy thru to professional). From his professional debut at fifteen years of age he was always the main man, teams were built around him with him being the driving force in all those teams. No being signed for the best team in the world, eased into a mega-superstar role by other mega-superstars. Maradona was a force of nature and he pulled lessor footballing mortals in the teams he played for in his slipstream so that many achieved successes that they would never have dared dream. He was the supreme orchestrator on the pitch and everybody who stepped onto his pitch had to dance to his tune and play by his rules. His work rate was incredible. He was quite simply irresistible.
Messi while it could be argued (as I am doing) has had an easier route to mega-stardom but is in terms of pure footballing ability arguably superior. He has raised the bar. Real Ronaldo, ZZ and any one else who can be added to the list of who may have raised the bar may have done so but no one can deny that Messi has. Messi has produced so many insanely brilliant moments that only when he has long hung up his boots will it truly be acknowledged how magnificent he was. Allied to his mind blowing scoring achievements he is the only true successor to Maradonas crown as the greatest there has ever been. No others are in the running.
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I agree itch Sandy, Pele was a phenomenon that ruled the stage at both club & international level.
Won a World Cup medal at 17 years of age, tormented defences with his skill & speed & unlike Maradona was not a cheat or a substance abuser. Although he does advertise a certain thing for Pfizer
Messi is without doubt a great player and I think overall better than Maradona, but his one weak area has been on the international stage, where he has probably not quite done it for Argentina.
As for Greaves, sadly Sandy is quite correct. Had it not been for the demon drink his goalscoring feats could have included possibly another 100 goals on top of his already fantastic achievements
comment by Eatmygoal (U15786)
posted 28 minutes ago
Maradona still ahead. Incredible achievement to take average Napoli and Argentine national teams to the scudetto and world cup glory. He was head & shoulders above any of his peers (and there were some great players around - Laudrup, Platini etc).
Messi is a virtuoso, but playing in a very supportive environment (better pitches, referees much more ready to 'protect' players and penalise fouls with red/yellow cards, and brilliant teammates at Barcelona).
Watching Maradona, the feeling of anticipation every time he got the ball was unmatched for me and I have seen a lot of both players.
Maradona could inspire any team he played for and had those leadership qualities that maybe messi lacks.
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This.
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#4zA
and is Greaves a 'substance abuser' becuse he had a drinking problem?
No just the booze and ciggies, and 357 league goals.
Greaves’s legacy is enduring. He remains the all-time leading league goalscorer in Europe’s top five leagues, with 366 goals putting him one ahead of Germany legend Gerd Muller.
It is however more than likely that either Ronaldo and/or Messi will eclipse his record in the next two or three years.
had a drinking problem?
Alcoholism is not illegal is it?
Maradona's handball in the World Cup was the most blatant display of cheating that it was amazing that the only people who failed to see it (allegedly) was the referee and linesman..................................
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being addicted to coke aint illegal either if u wanna be being pedantic
Taking cocaine is illegal as is possession of it, which rather negates your naive attitude
So what is your excuse for the 1990 WC finals handball by Maradona then? Or the mass riot he caused that ended his Napoli career?? Or being kicked out of WC Finals in USA for drug use???
He was also rumoured to have connections with the Napoli mafia as well.
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being addicted isnt
1990 was inadvertant handball
the riot was at end of a Barcelona-Athletic Bilbao game and was not of his instigation anyways
he failed drugs test at wc94 becuse he was taking weight loss and anti-allergy pills given to him by team doctor
there is no "Mafia" in Naples
He instigated the riot by head butting the Atletico chairman!!
As for inadvertent handball, he was on the goal line & punched it away!!
No mafioso in Naples, so the Camorra do not exist then?
And his "excuses" after he was caught in 1994 were ridiculous in the extreme. He was as guilty as hell and everyone knows it!
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By the way nobody has said addiction was illegal, purchasing, being in possession of drugs is, which is the point I was making and you are ignoring!
Probably biased because Messi is my generation, but imo the greatest player of all time without a doubt. Imo-Ronaldo is just not at his level. I can't really comment on Maradona/Pele, but from what I know Maradona was mercurial but didn't have Messi's consistency, whilst Pele scored so many goals at a low level.
Messi has been an absolute joy to watch. Imo international football holds very little relevance. You can't claim James is amazing because of a good world cup or Gotze is great because he is scored the winner. Club level is the real determinant of how good a player is these days.
By the way I do know the difference between the mafia and the Camorra, I was using "mafia" as a general term for an illegal criminal enterprise!!
The term "flawed genius" is apt.
George Best, Gazza, Zidane, Suaraz to name a few have all done crazy things on and off the pitch but does not diminish their undoubted talent.
Also the hate Maradona attracts from some quarters is obvious but I can't help wondering what the consensus would be if he had been born in England.
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posted on 30/12/15
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 30/12/15
Sizzle
Messi is still behind Jimmy Greaves for league goals, and at age 28, has 291. Greaves had way over 300 by that age, and finished with 357, which no doubt Messi will beat, because Greaves more or less packed up at 29 his last season at Spurs, before the drink took over.
posted on 30/12/15
Maradona was the best player in every team he played for at every level (schoolboy thru to professional). From his professional debut at fifteen years of age he was always the main man, teams were built around him with him being the driving force in all those teams. No being signed for the best team in the world, eased into a mega-superstar role by other mega-superstars. Maradona was a force of nature and he pulled lessor footballing mortals in the teams he played for in his slipstream so that many achieved successes that they would never have dared dream. He was the supreme orchestrator on the pitch and everybody who stepped onto his pitch had to dance to his tune and play by his rules. His work rate was incredible. He was quite simply irresistible.
Messi while it could be argued (as I am doing) has had an easier route to mega-stardom but is in terms of pure footballing ability arguably superior. He has raised the bar. Real Ronaldo, ZZ and any one else who can be added to the list of who may have raised the bar may have done so but no one can deny that Messi has. Messi has produced so many insanely brilliant moments that only when he has long hung up his boots will it truly be acknowledged how magnificent he was. Allied to his mind blowing scoring achievements he is the only true successor to Maradonas crown as the greatest there has ever been. No others are in the running.
posted on 30/12/15
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 30/12/15
I agree itch Sandy, Pele was a phenomenon that ruled the stage at both club & international level.
Won a World Cup medal at 17 years of age, tormented defences with his skill & speed & unlike Maradona was not a cheat or a substance abuser. Although he does advertise a certain thing for Pfizer
Messi is without doubt a great player and I think overall better than Maradona, but his one weak area has been on the international stage, where he has probably not quite done it for Argentina.
As for Greaves, sadly Sandy is quite correct. Had it not been for the demon drink his goalscoring feats could have included possibly another 100 goals on top of his already fantastic achievements
posted on 30/12/15
comment by Eatmygoal (U15786)
posted 28 minutes ago
Maradona still ahead. Incredible achievement to take average Napoli and Argentine national teams to the scudetto and world cup glory. He was head & shoulders above any of his peers (and there were some great players around - Laudrup, Platini etc).
Messi is a virtuoso, but playing in a very supportive environment (better pitches, referees much more ready to 'protect' players and penalise fouls with red/yellow cards, and brilliant teammates at Barcelona).
Watching Maradona, the feeling of anticipation every time he got the ball was unmatched for me and I have seen a lot of both players.
Maradona could inspire any team he played for and had those leadership qualities that maybe messi lacks.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This.
posted on 30/12/15
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 30/12/15
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 30/12/15
#4zA
and is Greaves a 'substance abuser' becuse he had a drinking problem?
No just the booze and ciggies, and 357 league goals.
posted on 30/12/15
Greaves’s legacy is enduring. He remains the all-time leading league goalscorer in Europe’s top five leagues, with 366 goals putting him one ahead of Germany legend Gerd Muller.
It is however more than likely that either Ronaldo and/or Messi will eclipse his record in the next two or three years.
posted on 30/12/15
I'd rather have Vardy.
posted on 30/12/15
had a drinking problem?
Alcoholism is not illegal is it?
Maradona's handball in the World Cup was the most blatant display of cheating that it was amazing that the only people who failed to see it (allegedly) was the referee and linesman..................................
posted on 30/12/15
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 30/12/15
-----------------------------------------
being addicted to coke aint illegal either if u wanna be being pedantic
Taking cocaine is illegal as is possession of it, which rather negates your naive attitude
So what is your excuse for the 1990 WC finals handball by Maradona then? Or the mass riot he caused that ended his Napoli career?? Or being kicked out of WC Finals in USA for drug use???
He was also rumoured to have connections with the Napoli mafia as well.
posted on 30/12/15
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 30/12/15
----------------------------------
being addicted isnt
1990 was inadvertant handball
the riot was at end of a Barcelona-Athletic Bilbao game and was not of his instigation anyways
he failed drugs test at wc94 becuse he was taking weight loss and anti-allergy pills given to him by team doctor
there is no "Mafia" in Naples
He instigated the riot by head butting the Atletico chairman!!
As for inadvertent handball, he was on the goal line & punched it away!!
No mafioso in Naples, so the Camorra do not exist then?
And his "excuses" after he was caught in 1994 were ridiculous in the extreme. He was as guilty as hell and everyone knows it!
posted on 30/12/15
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 30/12/15
By the way nobody has said addiction was illegal, purchasing, being in possession of drugs is, which is the point I was making and you are ignoring!
posted on 30/12/15
Probably biased because Messi is my generation, but imo the greatest player of all time without a doubt. Imo-Ronaldo is just not at his level. I can't really comment on Maradona/Pele, but from what I know Maradona was mercurial but didn't have Messi's consistency, whilst Pele scored so many goals at a low level.
Messi has been an absolute joy to watch. Imo international football holds very little relevance. You can't claim James is amazing because of a good world cup or Gotze is great because he is scored the winner. Club level is the real determinant of how good a player is these days.
posted on 30/12/15
By the way I do know the difference between the mafia and the Camorra, I was using "mafia" as a general term for an illegal criminal enterprise!!
posted on 30/12/15
The term "flawed genius" is apt.
George Best, Gazza, Zidane, Suaraz to name a few have all done crazy things on and off the pitch but does not diminish their undoubted talent.
Also the hate Maradona attracts from some quarters is obvious but I can't help wondering what the consensus would be if he had been born in England.
posted on 30/12/15
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posted on 30/12/15
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posted on 30/12/15
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posted on 30/12/15
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