The Greatest Player of all time

[MOZZER2]

some say wins the BallonDor award again . what an achievement

Messi Has won The Ballondor For the 8th Time
🐐Goat Messi 🔥#BallonDorpic.twitter.com/8EWWvWoArF

— VINEETH𓃵🦖 (@sololoveee) October 31, 2023

[the other bob wilson]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

Was always a Maradona fan and I used to say Messi could not be the best ever while he didn't have a World Cup winner's medal, I'm not going to think up another reason now not to rate him as the best. I'm just old enough to have seen Pele at his best, but, even so, that still leaves not far short of a centuries worth of best players in the world I've never seen play. That's what makes best ever judgments virtually impossible, there are so many greats that we don't even have video of, but Messi is the best I've seen as I almost reach my three score years and ten.

[lardy]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

Was always a Maradona fan and I used to say Messi could not be the best ever while he didn't have a World Cup winner's medal, I'm not going to think up another reason now not to rate him as the best. I'm just old enough to have seen Pele at his best, but, even so, that still leaves not far short of a centuries worth of best players in the world I've never seen play. That's what makes best ever judgments virtually impossible, there are so many greats that we don't even have video of, but Messi is the best I've seen as I almost reach my three score years and ten.

I always thought that winning/not winning the world cup was not the right reason to judge a player.

Had burrachaga missed in 1986 and higuain scored in 2014, those world cup trophies would be the other way round. How can Messi and Maradona be separated on that basis?

[The Bloop]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

I always thought that winning/not winning the world cup was not the right reason to judge a player.

Had burrachaga missed in 1986 and higuain scored in 2014, those world cup trophies would be the other way round. How can Messi and Maradona be separated on that basis?

Going off on a tangent, I get equally perplexed by man of the match awards. Think it was the end of the Kilmarnock game on Sky, and the analysts gave the award to one of the goalscorers. When awarding it he said that he wasn't the best player on the pitch, but had the most decisive intervention.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

I always thought that winning/not winning the world cup was not the right reason to judge a player.

Had burrachaga missed in 1986 and higuain scored in 2014, those world cup trophies would be the other way round. How can Messi and Maradona be separated on that basis?

So we disagree then. Fair enough.

[MacAdder]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

Haaland must be wondering what he's got to do to win it.

If the way to win the thing is to win the world cup then I doubt he will no matter what he does.

Few doubt how good Messi is but did he really have a better season than EH?

They have made it all about Messi and Ronaldo lately and the tag GOAT.

[neilw65]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

So we disagree then. Fair enough.

To be honest, I agree with Lardy. Some people, including Bobby Robson and Jimmy Greaves, rated John Charles as the greatest they had ever seen, and he never won a World Cup. If the criteria is that to be the best player in the world you have to have won the World Cup, that would restrict it top players from around 8 countries only

[lardy]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

To be honest, I agree with Lardy. Some people, including Bobby Robson and Jimmy Greaves, rated John Charles as the greatest they had ever seen, and he never won a World Cup. If the criteria is that to be the best player in the world you have to have won the World Cup, that would restrict it top players from around 8 countries only

And only certain generations of those countries.

Maradonas performance in 1986 undoubtedly puts him right at the very best who have ever played, no doubt there. It's entirely justified. But if Argentina had lost the final, Maradona would still be exactly as good a player.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

To be honest, I agree with Lardy. Some people, including Bobby Robson and Jimmy Greaves, rated John Charles as the greatest they had ever seen, and he never won a World Cup. If the criteria is that to be the best player in the world you have to have won the World Cup, that would restrict it top players from around 8 countries only

The thread is titled best player of all time though and, until last year, that was Maradona for me,so, we’re talking about two players from the same country. Therefore, I thought the fact that one of them won a World Cup (no side that wins a World Cup can be called a one man team, but Argentina 1986 was the closest I’ve seen to one).That used to put Maradona over Messi for me, but I’ve changed my mind now because of Messi’s better club career.

[Rjk]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

Messi is clear in my opinion. Pele second.

I don't think Messi should have had the Ballon d'Or this year though, Haaland or Mbappe have a much better shout in my opinion.

[splott parker]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

Should be best player of ‘my lifetime’ not all time.So many great players from every era, players that, because of lack of footage, have no way of their case being put forward. This messageboard is a ‘best player of the last 50 years or so’ situation.

[lardy]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

Should be best player of ‘my lifetime’ not all time.So many great players from every era, players that, because of lack of footage, have no way of their case being put forward. This messageboard is a ‘best player of the last 50 years or so’ situation.

Here we go, Dixie Dean again...

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

To be honest, I agree with Lardy. Some people, including Bobby Robson and Jimmy Greaves, rated John Charles as the greatest they had ever seen, and he never won a World Cup. If the criteria is that to be the best player in the world you have to have won the World Cup, that would restrict it top players from around 8 countries only

Agreed the World Cup is won by the best Countries not the best players, if you're the best player in the World and from Pakistan you can't sign for Argentina or Brazil.

I'd say the best player is Messi followed by Maradona.

[splott parker]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

Here we go, Dixie Dean again...

Good shout, have a look at his goal scoring feats. In the British game there’s Billy Meredith, Alex James, Tommy Lawton etc etc. That’s aside from players from World Cup winners Uruguay, Italy, the great Magyars of the 50s. I’m blowing a trumpet for the oldies

[NYCBlue]

Re: The Greatest Player of all time

The World Cup thing is nonsense. George Best was close to being one of the best players in the world in his heyday. Even if he was head and shoulders above everyone else there was no way he was ever winning a World Cup.