Lionel Messi – Is he the Greatest of All Time?
It’s a question asked by everyone is Messi the greatest to ever play the game. If you go by the numbers he would have to be up there on everybody’s list. To right all of his achievements in a paragraph would make it very heavy reading not to mention not highlighting the sheer greatness of his achievements. Instead I will list them below to try and give some context into just how impressive his accomplishments are while still achieving more as the seasons go roll on. At 32 he could still have 3 or 4 top quality years in him. Imagine the records then!
o 6 Ballon d’Or Awards
o 6 European Golden Shoes
o 34 Trophies for Barcelona
o Most goals in La Liga (437)
o Most Hat-Tricks in La Liga (36)
o Most Assists in La Liga (181)
o Over 700 senior Career Goals
o Most goals in European Season (50)
o 8 La Liga best player Awards
o 11 Argentine best player awards
o 13 Years in the Fifa World 11
o Laurens Sportsman Of the Year 2020
The greatest of all time is such a difficult discussion to have, there have been so many players over countless era’s that the topic of greatest of all time is close to impossible. With that being said im not going to try and compare him to some of the greats or even against his closest rival Ronaldo. What I am going to do is talk about Messi the player and leave the discussion for you to have.
The achievements above stand alone as one of the many reasons why he is considered the greatest to ever grace the field, the Laurens Sportsman of the year 2020 was the first time a footballer has been awarded it.
The way he has played within the Barcelona team has showed ability, maturity and intelligence, with a winning mentality that is second to none. He has played in multiple position for them whether that be any of the front 3, a centre forward slightly behind the striker or dropping right back as an attacking midfielder.
He has shown that he can do it all, long range finishes, free-kicks, mazy dribbling runs and unselfish passes across the goal. He has done it all time and time again influencing the team to be one of the most successful club sides of a generation.
A game against Real Madrid in 2009 was dubbed the day the false 9 was created (please find it on YouTube). This game Eto’o and Messi switched positions allowing Messi to drop deeper into space and leave the Real Madrid centre backs in no mans land. They didn’t know whether to hold there position or go with him, in the end they did neither and Messi once again dominated the proceedings with the game eventually finishing 6-2 to Barcelona.
The beauty of a player like Messi isn’t is immense physical size or his blistering pace, he seems to possess something a little more unique, the way he plays football is more like an art form than a sport. The way he dribbles past the worlds best defenders with ease but with simple movements. He isn’t like Neymar or Ronaldinho with flash Brazilian flair. It’s a simplistic approach with body movements and faints. Most of the time he doesn’t touch the ball and sends defenders the wrong way.
Some may say he was lucky to play with the team he did or under the managers he has however all these things have changed over the years but the one remaining constant has been Lionel Messi scoring goals, winning games and capturing the attention football fans around the globe.
Its no wonder he was voted as one of the Time’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and 2012.
The greatest ever we will never know, but a wonder to watch, a player that has captivated a generation of football fans and a unique talent we certainly cant deny. Its been a pleasure to watch him play. Do you agree?
HalfTime Oranges 