Five Quotes on the Great Messi Debate

Published: 8^th Mar 12 11:37 pm

by Eric Imhof
Soccer Blogger

RANT It!

Valeria Witters/Witters Sport - US PRESSWIRE

One of my favorite Milton poems, When I Consider How My Light Is Spent, ends with the author asking if reward only befalls those who actively and ostentatiously use their talents. The reply to that question extols quiet cautiousness:

“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”

I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent

That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need

Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best

Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state

Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed

And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:

They also serve who only stand and wait.”

***

In the debate over Lionel Messi being the best player ever, I believe that the jury, if there is one, is still out, and so I will stand and wait, as it were, for history to unfold (call me fastidious, but scoring five goals at the Nou against a mediocre side is not as impressive as the sheer goal tally might first indicate). In the meantime, below are five recent quotes from around the chatter-sphere that hopefully will help contextualize the arguments emerging on both sides.

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1. “The argument usually put forward to undermine Messi’s claim to the throne is that he’s never won the World Cup. And in many ways, those who point to this are correct – La Pulga isn’t fit to clean Stephane Guivarc’h's boots.”
- Matthew Stanger, Who Cares if Messi Is the Greatest Ever?

2. “There is no World Cup yet, sure, but there was no World Cup at this stage of Maradona’s career either – he was 26 when Argentina won it – and, uncomfortable though it may feel, it could be argued that the pinnacle of world football is the Champions League now. It is a pinnacle Messi climbs over and over.”
- Sid Lowe, Lionel Messi now bears comparison with Diego Maradona

3. “No necesita llevar el brazalete de capitán, ni ser un caudillo, ni tener carisma, ni salir en los anuncios. Tampoco fue nunca un populista. Incluso se niega a ser sustituido antes de que acabe el partido para saludar a la afición después de un partido solemne. No hay un niño más niño que Messi.”
He doesn’t need to wear the captain’s armband, nor be a boss, nor have charisma or hog the headlines. Neither has he ever been a populist. He even refused to be substituted before the end of the game so that he could salute the fans after the game in a more humble way. There is no boy more boyish than Messi.
- Ramon Besa, El Mejor Trofeo es la Pelota

4. “To call Messi the all-time greatest now might be premature by around two years, but I’m certain he’s heading that way. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil could satisfy the traditionalists who insist that Fifa’s circus is still the pinnacle.”
- Paul Hayward, Is Barcelona’s Lionel Messi the Greatest Player Ever?

5. “When Messi has scored 1,283 goals like me, when he’s won three World Cups, we’ll talk about it.”
- Pele