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Greatest ever soccer player?
- Thread starter Henrik Larsson
- Start date
For me it has to be Zidane, won major tropheys in France, Italy and Spain. World player of the year more than once. And unlike so many other players on that list he has delivered time and again in a major final. He scored two goals in the 1998 World Cup, was instrumental in France winning the Euros in 2000, scored the greatest Champions League final goal in history and then when everyone thought he was past his best, almost single handedly dragged a very poor France team to the final in world cup 2006, where he scored the cheekiest penalty under immense pressure and had just been announced as the player of the tournament when a single moment of madness prevented one of sports all time great fairytales when he headbutted Mattazzi and getting a red card. That moment seems to have overshaddowed what for me was the career of the greatest player to ever play the game.
Pelé was called O Rei de Futbol (= The King of Soccer)
Messi needs some performances with the National Argentinian Team, hhe never did better than World Cup quarter-final...
Diego or Pele.
too many people bring out the fact that Messi hasnt produced on the international stage when comparing him to people like Pele.
theres no doubting that Pele was a phenomenal player, and who has had a lasting impact on world football, but in context to Messi, Maradonna, Zidane, Cruyff etc. his achievements are mostly limited to playing his club football in Brasil. Pele never played in the european leagues where his talents would have been tested to a greater extent. He never had to contend with playing football in a different country, with the change in culture, attitudes and language like those mentioned above have. Yes he won three world cups but the way world football is these days i dont think we will ever see another national team dominate world football like Brazil did between 1958 - 1970 and unfortunately these days club football is often placed above internationals and more and more players 'retire' from representing their country. If you are basing who is the greatest player purely on international success then the debate starts and ends with Pele and i dont think that will ever change.
However in my opinion the critiera for chosing the greatest player needs to be much wider, as well as how they performed internationally you need to look at their club career, if they have played to the same high levels in different countries, their performace in 'big games', as well as their legacy on the game after they have retired. Players like Maradona proved their class by plying their trades in different countries, Madadona almost won the italian league with Napoli which was unheard of in those days, and carried a poor Argenina to the final in 1986. Zidane won trophies in three countries, the world cup, euro championships and the champions league, Cruyff revolutionised the way football was played and was a driing force for Barcelona in the 1970's. Messi is doing the same for Barcelona right now, he is the talisman of the team who are playing the best football i have ever seen and scoring a phenomenal amount of goals in a league considered by many to be the best in the world. He is still young enough to smash all goalscoring records in front of him as well as having success internationally. For me he is the greatest player today, and if he carries on will be the greatest of all time, but for now i still claim Zidane is the greatest we have seen.
theres no doubting that Pele was a phenomenal player, and who has had a lasting impact on world football, but in context to Messi, Maradonna, Zidane, Cruyff etc. his achievements are mostly limited to playing his club football in Brasil. Pele never played in the european leagues where his talents would have been tested to a greater extent. He never had to contend with playing football in a different country, with the change in culture, attitudes and language like those mentioned above have. Yes he won three world cups but the way world football is these days i dont think we will ever see another national team dominate world football like Brazil did between 1958 - 1970 and unfortunately these days club football is often placed above internationals and more and more players 'retire' from representing their country. If you are basing who is the greatest player purely on international success then the debate starts and ends with Pele and i dont think that will ever change.
However in my opinion the critiera for chosing the greatest player needs to be much wider, as well as how they performed internationally you need to look at their club career, if they have played to the same high levels in different countries, their performace in 'big games', as well as their legacy on the game after they have retired. Players like Maradona proved their class by plying their trades in different countries, Madadona almost won the italian league with Napoli which was unheard of in those days, and carried a poor Argenina to the final in 1986. Zidane won trophies in three countries, the world cup, euro championships and the champions league, Cruyff revolutionised the way football was played and was a driing force for Barcelona in the 1970's. Messi is doing the same for Barcelona right now, he is the talisman of the team who are playing the best football i have ever seen and scoring a phenomenal amount of goals in a league considered by many to be the best in the world. He is still young enough to smash all goalscoring records in front of him as well as having success internationally. For me he is the greatest player today, and if he carries on will be the greatest of all time, but for now i still claim Zidane is the greatest we have seen.
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