World's Greatest - Messi or Ronaldo?

Had this dicussion (very heated in the end) in the common room today who is the better player
Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

Also the discussion included who is the greatest player of all time? I say Zidane, but many said Messi, saying he is already better than Pele which is far from true IMO

Discuss.

 

Messi has a long way to go until he is the best player of all time.

For me, probably Maradona or Cruyff.

 

Of the two it's Messi, simply because he isn't a tw*t.

 

Messi. It's a team game and he's a team player.

It is impossible to judge who is the greatest ever because football has changed so much throughout time.

 

Although Pele's strike rate is ridiculous.

 

Someone tried to tell me today that if Pelé was playing today he wouldn't be anywhere near as good as Messi.
Imagine if he had all these physios, nutritionists telling him what to eat. With a perfectly round football on a pitch like a snooker table...

 

Messi IS better than Pele. So is Ronaldo. BUT. It's down to how finessed on focus football is now. If Pele was alive now it would be impossible to judge. But based on performance Messi, Robaldo, Maradona, Pele. Difference between Messi and Ronaldo? One plays for a team, one has a team playing forhin.

 

Did he die suddenly?

 

I decided to look up Pelé's goals to game ratio. It's ridiculous!

 

My bad. Obviously I meant still playing.

 

of the two its Messi, alround better player not just a striker.

Maradona and Pele both insipred fairly average teams to winning the world cup. Both Messi and Ronaldo have yet to do it on the big stage

 

But then the big stage was a bigger thing back then (devils advocate).

I don't agree with Pele's goal record, it's in a ***** league, and most of his '1000 goals' were in friendlies and ****ing military games, what a farce.

Cruijff was the best player in the world, followed by Maradona and then perhaps Beckenbauer?

Messi is by far the better of these two and if he carries on as he is will be up there with Cruijff, Maradona etc.

 

I wouldn't say the Brazilian league is a ***** league. But you are right with the friendlies and military sports teams

 

Even if you get rid of the friendlies, he still got 643 goals in 656 games. Unbelievable.

I still think Zidane was better than Messi though.

 

I'd agree with that.

Out of the two I'd say Messi is better right now, however you can't call them the greatest players in the world. They'd both be rubbish at CB, so does that make Rio Ferdinand better than both of them? I'd love to see Messi play in goal, he'd concede any shot above 5ft! So really its who is the world's greatest creative midfielder, and even then I don't know enough about non-european football to actually judge that.

So in short Messi is the greatest creative midlfielder currently playing in the top European leagues...

 

Tbh, I think Iniesta is just as good if not a better creative midfielder. But everyone just looks at the goals they score

 

Last season I thought Iniesta's passing was a lot better than Messi's, this season from what I've seen Messi has been more impressive.

 

If pele was playing against the likes of barca or madrid i doubt he would have got as many goals as he did playing in what is probably like the scottish league

 

I'll get slated.... BUT...... for Georgie Best when he was "on song" would take a lot of beating.

 

Messi is the best player of all time. I am privileged enough to see him live and he's even better than he appears on the TV. The awareness and runs he makes and never gets injured, even though they try to hack him continuously. He just seems to bounce and just get on with the game. He scores all types of goals, but is such a team player. Very unselfish, but to be like that and still score as many goals as he does, defies logic. The guy is a football genius.

 

I think that Pele has nothing on Messi.

The game is much tougher today than it was back then. It is faster, the players are faster, fitter, tougher and more skilful. Like someone else said, if Pele jumped in a time machine, I really don't think that he would have as big an impact today as he did back then.

It's an old argument I know, but Pele never played in europe. That is where the best and most competitive football is played.

 

Pele strikes me as a t**t.

He said Messi isn't the greatest until he wins world cups.

It's about the team to win cups not the individual player.

 

Pele can say what he wants, but he never tested himself at the highest level, so I find it ludicrous when people label him the best player ever.

 

I cant believe nobody has mentioned Tommy Mooney.

 

Messi isnt the greatest of all time until he wins a World Cup

Maradona won a world cup and a league title singlehandedly

Messi wins titles and CLs with one of the best teams in history built around him

 

Excuse the name drop, but I was talking with Gerry Armstrong a few weeks ago and he was of the same opinion. Remembering this is a chap who has played with Best and is paid to watch Spanish football every week and so his opinion is very valid.

 

4 world cup finals and 3 world cup winners medals.. how much more 'highest level' do you want?


and the premise that players from the past couldnt keep up in the modern game is flawed. In 50 years time people will say the same of players we see now.. you can only judge them in the era in which they played.

 

Best player ever - John Barnes.
Best player still playing - Tommy Mooney (veterans small sided football etc.)

End of discussion.

 

Much as I hate Maradonna, what he turned Napoli into was a miracle.

 

Billy Jennings - end of!

 

So it's not Nicklas Bendtner then?

Someone ought to tell him