Lionel Messi/Barcelona

[runcible]

I hope others were able to watch the Barca Leverkusen match tonight. Endless fantastic goals and more evidence that Messi is the best player for a good couple of decades. Not only did he score 5 goals but his stamp was all over the game - he is the engine room of that team and he ran the match tonight. His ability for pretty much everything - vision, first touch, passing, finishing... the word genius is almost an understatement. The cheeky lobs he produced for 2 of the goals were just outrageous, but his game is so much more than class goals as he dictates the play with such confidence and natural awareness. Having said that Barca are on another level to any other team on the planet right now from tonight's viewing. It's such a treat to watch football played like.

Respect!

[bunnyben]

need to youtube...

[runcible]

53 goals for club and country in 49 games this season, 12 in the Champiopns League alone. What's more he has scored over 10% of all the Champions League goals Barca have scored since the competition began.

And he's 24.

If in doubt check this rather special goal, scored when he was just 19.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRckf9-aSP0

[bunnyben]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kqJf634AzY

it's almost as if he is a pro evo character and pep is twidling his thumbs. just awesome and hre is one of the things i love best about him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S7hlL4sJek

if he is caught of fouled he'll just get up n keep on running with the ball. messi never dives, he's just too good for that

[BVCP206]

In my opinion the best player ever to kick a ball.

[James T]

I watch Barcelona nearly every week... they've been pretty terrible in a few La Liga games this season, Real Madrid really have been something else in their league form though. Barcelona play the best football in the world at the moment (maybe ever), but they have been unable to dig deep and look at a plan b this season in the league and it has cost them. I think a few of their players are a bit lacking when it gets tough, Pedro and Busquets in particular. They never should have got rid of Yaya Toure, if Busquets wasn't Catalan, Yaya would still be in that squad. As a city fan, I'm glad we got him.

[jack white]

sorry have to take umbrage w/the idea he's the best player for a couple of decades.

Zidane was the best footballer ever.
Messi probably is now.
only Maradona comes close to either of them. he was prob #1 now he's prob #2 r #3.


but yea it was a privilege to watch his display against leverkusen. as it is p much any game he plays. but 5 goals in a champions league game is beyond. there are a few great players who'd scored 4 great goals in champions league matches before, of which messi was one of. but he has underlined his difference in brilliance in that new record.

[runcible]

sorry have to take umbrage w/the idea he's the best player for a couple of decades.

Zidane was the best footballer ever.
Messi probably is now.
only Maradona comes close to either of them. he was prob #1 now he's prob #2 r #3.


but yea it was a privilege to watch his display against leverkusen. as it is p much any game he plays. but 5 goals in a champions league game is beyond. there are a few great players who'd scored 4 great goals in champions league matches before, of which messi was one of. but he has underlined his difference in brilliance in that new record.

Zidane was a true great no question but I think the maturity Messi shows at such a young age - and the maturity he has shown for some considerable time - is exceptional and eclipses Zidane. Also Zidane was hot-headed and could be very cynical - I just don't see that in Messi's game. Zidane's behaviour in that World Cup Final - no matter what Materazzi said to him - was appalling. It really made my respect for him dwindle despite his obvious talent.

Maradona was an incredible player but one of the bigest shits to ever play the game - what a horrible man. And a blatant cheat too of course - even if I wasn't English I'd say the same.

[spacemanrich]

Zidane was very good, Lional Messi could be better, given his age ? I, also like the fact that he really seems humble and modest in this ego driven sports world. No, I probably wouldn't have done the headbutt on the pitch in the WC Finals, but probably would have given it to that wog in the tunnel ! I don't know anyone who would tolerate a statement like that from Mozzarrella.

It's probably a fact or given that the English are no fans of Maradona ala - ' the hand of God '

[runcible]

No, I probably wouldn't have done the headbutt on the pitch in the WC Finals, but probably would have given it to that wog in the tunnel ! I don't know anyone who would tolerate a statement like that from Mozzarrella.

I must admit I find your choice of words very odd. I am trying to put some trans-Atlantic perspective on this but if you went out into the streets of the UK and called someone a 'wog' you'd be decked in an instant, and rightly so.

This comes on top of you throwing the word 'negroes' about in a previous post which also read very clumsily.

I suspect that other UK readers might have raised an eyebrow or two at your word selection. I know they make me feel a little uncomfortable.

Maradona? A revolting man, a blatant cheat and a liar - you don't have to be English to know that. But one of the 2 greatest footballers ever - I think Pele shades it as the ultimate greatest of all time but Maradona is close. At his peak he was incredible. I think Messi is set to overtake them both though.

[redcloud]

I must admit I find your choice of words very odd. I am trying to put some trans-Atlantic perspective on this but if you went out into the streets of the UK and called someone a 'wog' you'd be decked in an instant, and rightly so.

"Wog" used in this manner is derogatory in the US too. I too must admit spaceman, that your choice of words here and in the "Linsanity" thread caught me by surprise too. I commented as such afterwards asking if people still talked like this.

I suspect that if you openly use this word in Hunter's Point or Oakland you too would quickly find yourself in trouble.

[James T]

I'm gonna have to third that, pretty awful term to be thrown into general conversation as if it's normal.

[runcible]

After tonight Messi is on 58 goals for the season. Unbelievable.

[The Dr]

barce vs chelsea- boring. terry shows that he's a thug and chelsea show a lack of footballing quality. good for torres but all in all zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[runcible]

Quite a result for Chelsea. I loathe Mourinho so just as long as he doesn't win it I'll be happy. Plus if Chelsea win will Abramovich have the balls to replace Di Matteo? That will create an interesting puzzle.

[spacemanrich]

Bayern Munich should close it out with Real Madrid. A Final in your own backyard, how fantastic that would be ?
I'd take Bayern Munich if that is the case ...

[spacemanrich]

Bayern Munich will beat Chelsea for the Champions League Title. Period.

[Laz69]

The english tv commentators will have a field day with all the England Vs Germany crap now... i hope Bayern pump them 6-0... just to piss them off!

Chelsea are everything i hate about football now... excessive amounts of money thrown about, cheating, arrogance and a team primarily made up of people who are as far from role models as you could possible ever have...

I am pleased for Di Matteo though...

[runcible]

The english tv commentators will have a field day with all the England Vs Germany crap now... i hope Bayern pump them 6-0... just to piss them off!

Chelsea are everything i hate about football now... excessive amounts of money thrown about, cheating, arrogance and a team primarily made up of people who are as far from role models as you could possible ever have...

I am pleased for Di Matteo though...

Spot on. So many Chelsea players to dislike as well as the money angle. On the other hand I'd like to see Abramovich having to appoint an inexperienced manager - a caretaker manager to boot - who has come out of the blue to win the biggest prize of all.

[sunray]

Great that Terry misses the final. What a twat!!!

Just a shame that David Alaba will also miss it because of a ridiculous refereeing decision. How he could give a penalty and a booking for handball i've no idea.

[The Dr]

i'm kinda hoping robben dives in the 90th min and gets a pen and bayern win 2-1 after being 1-0 for 89 mins...

[runcible]

Well the man himself did it again last night. Messi's first goal was just fantastic - the way the ball just popped into the back of the net with the keeper barely moving was the work of genius.

It was an excellent game throughout and I thought Milan looked very good too although ultimately they couldn't cope. They started to worry Barca in the last quarter and all it would have taken was an away goal for things to have taken a very different turn. The key moment of the game was when Milan's M'Baye Niang hit the post at 1-0 and then just over a minute later Barca went 2-0 up. How different it might have been had that shot gone in.

Whatever, it was a treat to see football played so superbly and the best team won. Milan, great though they may be, were second best for the majority of the game. A fine spectacle and a great advert for how good football can be.