Messi will turn 30 next year. Injures could happen. Neymar is right there to bounce on winning instead. I dont see Messi last till 35 winning another 4-5. Probably will get a sympathy win at 33-34 last time.

 

what is more impressive: Don Bradman's 100 batting average in test matches or Messi's goal per game for Barca over 7 year period?

 

MESSI, no doubt.
Bradman pulled this off in Bollywood, it doesn't count!

 

Bradman = Pele.

There were like two or three countries worthy of good cricket back then.

He was way ahead of his contemporaries, ahead of his time, but the scoring records have to be seen in context.

It's not like no-one else in Pele's time scored heaps of goals.

But one thing about Bradman that can't be denied, he was the most dominant player of any given era in any given sport. He was the original and greatest phenomenon.

 

Gretzky maybe can be compared to him at sheer domination...

 

I don't know hockey but obviously heard of Gretzky's dominance. I'll take your word for it but just to put it into context, as I'm sure you know:

Bradman's career test average: 99.94

The next best,

Graham Pollock and Dean Headley: ~60 but both played around half the number of tests as Bradman.

Sutcliffe who was Bradman's contemporary and played around the same number of test matches had average of ~60 as well.

Thus Bradman record was at least 50% better than anyone of his times or any other era.

And let's not forget the longevity. Bradman's test career spanned two decades, from the late 20's to the late 40's.

 

Messi in football is no Wayne Gretzky in Hockey

Gretzky left 25 unbreakable records in Hockey since he quit! Pele is the one comparable

 

Well, football is not hockey either. What's next? compare it to baseball?

 

This is Messi's last year. He's going to do an Owen or more recently Fabregas. What Rooney's been going through lately.

These kids are burning out far too early. Leo has maybe 2 seasons at the top then he will flop like Sol Campbell.

Ronnie on the other hand is such a defined athlete that he has at least another 6 or 7 seasons in him.

It's not over.

 

They've been saying this about Messi for the past two years and the opposite is happening. The guy is adapting, redefining himself and putting more strings on his bow.

He should be entering his peak as a footballer in terms of experience and intelligence, if not absolute physical condition. Still plenty of scope for him to continue as the best player.

 

 

Argument killer numbers!!!

Where's 'O Phenomeno'?

Oh yeah, i forgot, he had to play against Nesta!

 

Messi faces a tough defender every four years.

 

:howler:roud::heart::heart::heart:

 

As much as I like Messi, and I do, these awards are basically utter useless if he doesn't win the WC in Russia. He will be known as the man who won 4-5 UCLs and a ton of Ballon D'Ors but not one single solitary WC. Yes, it is unfair but not win the WC is basically what puts Pele and Maradona ahead of Di Stefano and Cruyff.

 

Wayne fcukin Gretsky?

 

I didn't.

 

In terms of dominance? Let's not get carried away with solely MVP numbers.
Jordan won 6 in 6 full-season in his day. And he made some most impressive both individual and team records. Also he was considered more famous than Bill Clinton. (and even Jesus as a joke)

 

Messi would already won his 7th without injuries, and his records far surpass Jordan's already. But it's different sport so who cares, I mean Paavo Nurmi is easily the most dominant athlete of all-time, and I don't see fanboys mentioning him.

 

Il Wrongo!
He didn't deserve the 2010 edition, the entire press agrees with yours truly!

 

why hasn't he ever done ziltch in copa america or world cup?

 

Messi is the only player to win World Cup Golden Ball and Copa America MVP besides Nasazzi, Pele and Ronaldo.

 

he is not the "only" player then:thumbsup:

 

what about Federer?

Has Messi eclipsed him already?

I say he's close...

 

Roger Federer - "I really look up to Messi. He's one of the greatest ever - and he's still not even 30." [cnn]

 

The game has changed for the better, eh? How old are you, 17?

 

Add another 20+

And yes it has. I grew up in an age of catenaccio, rough house defending, harder offside rules, back passes, etc. so it has definitely changed for the better and the game favours attacking football a lot more than it did in the 80's.

Italian defenders with chilli paste on their fingers are no more.

 

It's a stupid world that we have to count ballon d'ors or world cups to know how good Messi is, how about just watching him every time he touches the ball?

If you watched him in his early competitive games for Barcelona and Argentina in 2005-06 and didn't know he is going to be the best in the world, maybe you won't really know anything about the game.

 

How true.

I remember the very first time I saw Messi play, the commentators were talking up this kid on the bench, and he came on for Barca and chipped the keeper for a goal for his very first touch. He looked superb and special then and then he played in the Youth WC that off season and the rest is history of course. That was 05, I think.

Only jelly nationalists and fanboys have a problem with Messi's greatness, not true knowledgeable football lovers.

 

But did Messi ever got invited to join the Nazi army as a field marshall?? I think not!!!

You better understand :shades:

 

Well Messi never had Rambo in goalie either. roud:

 

He's displayed a level of consistency that has been since the days of Pele.

Pele and Messi are the two best players in football history.

If Ronaldo9 was a Basketball player he would be Allen Iverson, amazing at his peak but faded soon after.

 

Where does this man rank alongside the likes of Gretzky, Pele, Bradman etc.?

 

Definitely way below her.

Let's just cut the crap, seriously.

 

Comparing Messi to an ice hockey player should be grounds for an instant ban imo.

 

:howler::howler::howler:

 

No nothing all below one or another.

Comparing among different sports makes no sense at all.

 

As some have pointed out, we have to put numbers and greatness in context. Not just in terms of era, but in terms of population.

Record number of goals or batting average, etc. 80 years ago when only a handful countries/teams took that particular sport seriously helps to boost the perception of great players back then.

Plus, the way each game was played back in that great player's time. Gretz played when NHL didn't have all that clutching and grabbing and play was wide open. Nowadays, D is so tight that it's hard to score half of the 92 goals Gretz scored that one year.

Anyway, perhaps even more important is the number of people in the world that play the game and play on a competitive level.

Footy is by far the most popular sport in the world in participation at casual and serious levels. By the logic of numbers only, the best player in the world at this sport is by definition the best athlete/sportsman in the world. That guy has like a billion other people in the world who dreamed of being the best footballer in the world. That is Messi's competition.

Also you could maybe say the same thing about running to an extent. Everyone in the world has run as fast as they could. However, very few actually take it to the next level and become serious sprinters. Marathon running has way more participation than sprinting but due to the lack of millions associated with pro marathoners, not that many elite athletes will concentrate their efforts on this sport like elite athletes concentrate on team sports like footy where you can get glory and make some serious coin.

The best modern pentathlete has competition of a few thousand (maybe hundred?) pentathletes in the world I would guess. Pentathlon is that olympic sport that includes horse riding, running, swimming, shooting and fencing.

For hockey, the number of players in the world is under 20 million maybe? Baseball under 100 million? Basketball due to ease of access could be a few hundred million. Cricket participation could be greater than hockey, baseball, American football due to India's population alone but the total number of countries taking it seriously is basically 8 to 10.

Anyway, back to the OP's question. I would guess no, Messi won't win the best player of the year award as many times as Gretz. But Messi could be the greater athlete due to his worldwide competition.

BUT... at the same time, Messi is doing this in La Liga with two dominant teams and the rest are "have nots" though Atleti is making a case.

He is scoring boat loads of goals against much weaker competition while being assisted by other world class talents. If he were in the EPL or instance, or Serie A in the 90s, there were far more top level teams closer to his own team to compete against and the talent within that league spread out more.

And we see in the WC and CA that he has to play against teams that are closer in level to his own team and so his goal scoring exploits are more tame. Just like what CR7 has to go through.