Messi

[Bestie]

e. g. Heading, and defensive headers. Robin van Persie at the Etihad showed how important a striker/forward who can help out when defending set-pieces is. Drogba was like a third centre-back at times for Chelsea from set-pieces.

And Messi will never be able to score a goal like Ronaldo's in Rome.

[tommyred]

So now you're saying Ronaldo is better than Messi because he's bigger and taller and can head away a few corners?

Are you a Stoke fan in disguise?

[Bestie]

Yep. Because that video I posted was of Ronaldo heading away a series of corners.

[karthy]

Dec 10, 2012 22:11:55 GMT Bestie said:

In my view the Premier League is a better overall league than La Liga. I think it's more competitive top to bottom, and I think there are more teams that can really test the top, top teams every week.
That's why I think the high levels that Ronaldo got to in our league and the huge stats etc. he put up here are so impressive.

So you take that into account, and then he not only matched those stats in (my view) a slightly lesser league, but did what he should have done and raised his level. Purely impact-wise I'm not sure you can really say Messi's other gear is higher either.

And he did it straight-away. Messi has gotten continually better in La Liga over the course of what, 7 years? Who's to say that had Ronaldo been at Madrid and playing in La Liga week-in, week-out he wouldn't be posting the exact same figures as Messi?

You can't say he definitely would or wouldn't have. Which is why it so annoys me when people try to claim Messi as the outright better player, because (again, in my view), Ronaldo's achievements in the Premier League are under-rated or forgotten about.

^^ This. I get it that Messi is this "loveable" guy and Ronaldo isn't simply because he always wants to excel and goes about it more publicly purely cos , and this is IMO, he is unfairly treated.

Ronaldo has all the skills that make him a complete footballer. Fast, Dribbler , Acrobatic , Heading , Dead ball Specialist . You don't need to be a stoke fan or a player in disguise to say that to be a complete footballer you need to have all of that including headers
And before someone says that Messi heads in goals too , most of his goals needs a 30 pass and a short lob into the box with enough space not the jostling and harrying in during corners and FK's.

Messi is a fast dribbler due to the low center of gravity and Ronldo is pacy. I will always hold it against Messi that he has played in only one system and that CR7 has had to adapt and that for me will always tilt to Ronaldo. That and the fact the he has to do it week in week out facing hostile reception and has the Villain while Messi goes about his business like an adorable cute kid. ( wonder how he will do when almost everyone hates him).

[Dan United]

I think that Messi edges it, but I agree that the case for Messi is slightly undermined by the fact he's played for one team, who just happen to have some of the best players in the world.

Would Barca have won those league trophies or even those CL trophies without Messi. I reckon they would have.

Would Real have won the league last season without Ronaldo? Possibly, but I doubt it.

[tommyred]

Dec 12, 2012 18:14:58 GMT Dan United said:

I think that Messi edges it, but I agree that the case for Messi is slightly undermined by the fact he's played for one team, who just happen to have some of the best players in the world.

Would Barca have won those league trophies or even those CL trophies without Messi. I reckon they would have.

Would Real have won the league last season without Ronaldo? Possibly, but I doubt it.

Conjecture.

[Dan United]

We're debating who the best player is, Ronaldo or Messi.



It's all conjecture you muppet

[tommyred]

87

[ericactor1]

Amazing achievement.

Still don't think he's the best.

[Bestie]

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20711038


Zambia FA seeks Fifa recognition for 107-goal Chitalu


The Football Association of Zambia (Faz) says it will approach Fifa about getting recognition for striker Godfrey Chitalu's feat of scoring 107 goals in 1972.

The move comes after Lionel Messi broke German Gerd Mueller's record of 85 goals scored in a calendar year, the Argentine now has 88 to his name in 2012.

Faz spokesman Eric Mwanza told BBC Sport it has the records to prove Chitalu should be acknowledged for his goals.

"We want to make it very clear that it is not a question of authenticating, or trying to verify or see if he actually scored the goals - that is not in question," he insisted.

"What is in question now is why has he not been recognised, and that is what we are looking at now.

"We are sending communication to the Secretary General of Fifa, Mr Jerome Valcke, to look again into the matter of Godfrey Chitalu."

However Fifa have told BBC Sport that the only statistics they maintain relate to the competitions they themselves run, for example the various age group World Cups.

Therefore football's world governing body say it is not possible to ratify or authenticate any record linked to club football, including the goals scored by Messi and Mueller.

After his playing career Chitalu went on to be a coach eventually leading the Zambian national team.

He died along with 29 other people, of which 18 were Zambian internationals, in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon as the team travelled to Senegal for a World Cup qualifier.

Mwanza also added that 1972 was not the first time that Chitalu had been so prolific.

"In the season preceding 1972 he'd scored about 89 goals," he explained.

"In 1972 he scored 107 goals - that includes the league, African club championship matches, national team matches, and international friendly games."

The president of Faz, Kalusha Bwalya, says he clearly remembers Chitalu's prolific season.

"There's no doubt, my father was in the FA and I've seen a lot of games in my time," he stressed.

"Kabwe Warriors, for whom Godfrey Chitalu played, is a legendary team in our country.

"Their front line had Godfrey Chitalu scoring all the goals - and even for the national team, this man did a lot.

"So I think it would be important for people to recognise his feats."

Bwalya, played under Chitalu when he coached the national team in 1993, says he does not want the talk of Chitalu to detract from Messi's goals in 2012.

"I think it's phenomenal to do what Messi has done," he said.

"Some of us have seen players like Pele, Platini, Maradona and Van Basten, as a former footballer, in the modern-day it is so difficult to score even 20 goals - so don't take anything away from Messi.

"He is out of this world."

One unofficial Zambian football website claims that Chitalu in fact scored 116 goals in 1972 but has discounted the first nine he scored in the African Cup of Champion Clubs.

He reportedly scored the goals over two legs against Majantja of Lesotho in the first round of the tournament but the site does not count the goals for unknown reasons.

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86 vs. 107 (or 116?)

Pfft, Messi's shite.

[Deleted]

Adding to this - how many of Messi's goals where Pens compared to Mullers?

[Dan United]

Why do people have to look to knock his achievement? Can't we just enjoy having a player like Messi for our time.

And that Zambian story is bollocks. I once played in an under-14 team where our striker scored 50-odd goals, I don't think he got the golden boot that year. My point is, I could probably scored 107 goals in Zambia.

[Bestie]

[JamBritRed]

Dec 14, 2012 18:46:25 GMT Dan United said:

And that Zambian story is bollocks. I once played in an under-14 team where our striker scored 50-odd goals, I don't think he got the golden boot that year. My point is, I could probably scored 107 goals in Zambia.

this

[Deleted]

Dec 14, 2012 18:46:25 GMT Dan United said:

Why do people have to look to knock his achievement? Can't we just enjoy having a player like Messi for our time.

And that Zambian story is bollocks. I once played in an under-14 team where our striker scored 50-odd goals, I don't think he got the golden boot that year. My point is, I could probably scored 107 goals in Zambia.

I'm not knocking the achievement but what i am trying to do is put some perspective on it.

For example, Muller did it in less time, with fewer penalties and in a time when getting the shit kicked out of you was par for the course.
however, it is a great achievement to even score one goal in a top league imho and Messi is a great player who is surrounded by arguably the best supporting pair the world has ever seen (Xavi / Iniesta)