Journalist Meltdown

As I posted in the other Messi thread, grown men greeting about who wins the Ballon d'Or is the most embarrassing thing about modern football.

It's utterly tragic.

Almost as embarrassing as grown men not recognising that the standard of football is MUCH better now and whilst Maradona, Pele, etc. stood out more for their time, Messi is better than the lot.

'Aye but he didn't win a world cup' does not hold up.
 
It is a shame the Ballon d’Or has joined the ranks of inconsequence. Maybe it will be salvaged in a post-Messi and Ronaldo return to normality, where two players are no longer rewriting goal records every season.

Messi and Ronaldo’s list of achievements is so extraordinary, it is a shame that one of their joint legacies is the removal of credibility from a once cherished trophy.

In the meantime, let’s all offer Messi further congratulations for his Ballon d’Or success in 2020, 2021 and 2022. There can be no more fitting winner.


I think the “journalist” is a little confused. Acknowledging that Messi and Ronaldo are record breaking year after year, and then bleating that they are getting rewarded for it.

Absurd article.
 
Almost as embarrassing as grown men not recognising that the standard of football is MUCH better now and whilst Maradona, Pele, etc. stood out more for their time, Messi is better than the lot.

'Aye but he didn't win a world cup' does not hold up.

It is true that Messi is the greatest modern footballer in an era when the game is almost a non-contact sport. I'm not sure he would have been, however, even a generation ago. He would have been marked out for horrific challenges.
 
It might be boring that Messi/Ronaldo have won virtually every award for the past 10 years, but what's the answer? Arbitrarily reward less deserving players?

Van Dijk had a phenomenal year and deserved his 2nd place, but Messi was the deserving winner.

Messi and Ronaldo's achievements have been normalised to the extent they are held to a higher standard than others
 
It might be boring that Messi/Ronaldo have won virtually every award for the past 10 years, but what's the answer? Arbitrarily reward less deserving players?

Van Dijk had a phenomenal year and deserved his 2nd place, but Messi was the deserving winner.

Messi and Ronaldo's achievements have been normalised to the extent they are held to a higher standard than others
I would be interested to know why you feel Messi deserved it over Van Dijk to be honest. He had a tremendous year, including a CL win.
 
As I posted in the other Messi thread, grown men greeting about who wins the Ballon d'Or is the most embarrassing thing about modern football.

It's utterly tragic.

Spot on, folk getting their knickers in a twist over who wins an individual award. It'll be the same when the Player of the Year awards are dished out at the end of the season.
 
I would be interested to know why you feel Messi deserved it over Van Dijk to be honest. He had a tremendous year, including a CL win.
Not denying Van Dijk's phenomenal year, but Messi won La Liga, won the European Golden boot, top scorer in La Liga and the CL, scoring over 40 goals in the process.

We're used to it by now so it's easy for his achievements to be downplayed (same goes for Ronaldo), but I think he was clearly the best player in the world over the past 12 months
 
Not denying Van Dijk's phenomenal year, but Messi won La Liga, won the European Golden boot, top scorer in La Liga and the CL, scoring over 40 goals in the process.

We're used to it by now so it's easy for his achievements to be downplayed (same goes for Ronaldo), but I think he was clearly the best player in the world over the past 12 months
They are all correct, but they are all also things a defender in England can never do. He was great and there can be no serious complaint, but I think what Van Dijk achieved, as well as his performances in the CL and EPL shaded it.
 
Saw this somewhere

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Without going all 'Johnny Foreigner', English clubs don't go all in for this. There is no doubt that Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern, Juve, etc. do a lot of lobbying for this award and set a lot of prestige by it. I think the English clubs assume it's done solely on merit.

Liverpool have won this award as often as Blackpool.
 
They are all correct, but they are all also things a defender in England can never do. He was great and there can be no serious complaint, but I think what Van Dijk achieved, as well as his performances in the CL and EPL shaded it.
I get they are different positions and the award is weighted against defenders, but it is an individual award and Messi was the best individual last year (IMO).
 
Almost as embarrassing as grown men not recognising that the standard of football is MUCH better now and whilst Maradona, Pele, etc. stood out more for their time, Messi is better than the lot.

'Aye but he didn't win a world cup' does not hold up.

Nonsense.
 
I would be interested to know why you feel Messi deserved it over Van Dijk to be honest. He had a tremendous year, including a CL win.

Champions League = team effort.

Van Dijk was outstanding...but so were Allison, Robertson, TAA, Salah, Firmino and Mane.

Van Dijk as the main man in defence has struggled to keep a clean sheet for 20-25 games.

Van Dijk's Liverpool threw away a 10 point lead or something like that in the league.

It's an individual award and Messi was head and shoulders above anyone else.

BTW for those saying Pele is the best...look at the absolute state of this.

The standard is pathetic.
 
Almost as embarrassing as grown men not recognising that the standard of football is MUCH better now and whilst Maradona, Pele, etc. stood out more for their time, Messi is better than the lot.

'Aye but he didn't win a world cup' does not hold up.
Nor did slim Jim or Davy cooper
 
Almost as embarrassing as grown men not recognising that the standard of football is MUCH better now and whilst Maradona, Pele, etc. stood out more for their time, Messi is better than the lot.

'Aye but he didn't win a world cup' does not hold up.

Its been done to death and it’s only your opinion.

Messi wouldn’t have stood out in the ultra tough, ultra defensive Serie A for example, playing with good players but not some of the greatest of all time, like Messi featured alongside with Barca.

Flip scenarios and put Maradona playing alongside Iniesta, Xavi, Ronaldinho etc.

Maradona wins hands down.
 
I’m looking forward to your reasons why it’s nonsense. Happy to wait whilst you explain them!

Totally dismissing Maradona who played in not only thee hardest league in the World at the time but also the toughest and Best with a team who struggled previously to even get in the top half of the table.

He was never in his time there surrounded by so called superstars either unlike Messi who throughout his Barca career has been in teams full of them.

He didn't need growth hormones either. Only drugs he took were Colombia's finest.

Pitches resembled cow fields compared to the carpets they play on nowadays.

Defenders in Serie A back then were absolutely Brutal and hatchetmen. Compared to what you can't do nowadays.

Thats just to begin with.

To dismiss him like that is frankly wrong and pretty sad really.

Different age groups will have their own opinion on it no matter what.

It's like a broken record this topic on here and always ends up with the same crap flung back and forth. Threads like this end up in a total clusterfuck.

No one is denying Messi his place as one of Greatest but dismissing others like that isnt right.
 
Its been done to death and it’s only your opinion.

Messi wouldn’t have stood out in the ultra tough, ultra defensive Serie A for example, playing with good players but not some of the greatest of all time, like Messi featured alongside with Barca.

Flip scenarios and put Maradona playing alongside Iniesta, Xavi, Ronaldinho etc.

Maradona wins hands down.

Hope you've a crash helmet bud prepare for pelters lol.

I agree totally.
 
I personally don’t think you could have argued too much had either of them won it.

well actually, in reality there would have also been a thread greetin about it had it went the other way to! You can’t please everyone.
 
Totally dismissing Maradona who played in not only thee hardest league in the World at the time but also the toughest and Best with a team who struggled previously to even get in the top half of the table.

Hardest, toughest, best? Based on what? The fact that Italian football was on TV at the time? Leicester struggled without Mahrez, does that make him better than Messi? No.

He was never in his time there surrounded by so called superstars either unlike Messi who throughout his Barca career has been in teams full of them.

That’s just wrong. His Napoli and Argentina teams were filled with excellent players. It goes back to my original point though. The standard of football is all round better now, hence Messi being surrounded with ‘superstars’ and STILL outshining all of them.

He didn't need growth hormones either. Only drugs he took were Colombia's finest.

So cocaine, which is proven to enhance sporting performance and is a banned PED, as well as illegal and immoral is okay? But not some prescription drugs to treat stunted growth? Okay.

Pitches resembled cow fields compared to the carpets they play on nowadays.
Defenders in Serie A back then were absolutely Brutal and hatchetmen. Compared to what you can't do nowadays.

Is Morelos only a good player when he plays on a shite pitch in Scotland then? No he is not he’s a good player no matter what surface he plays on.

Thats just to begin with.

To dismiss him like that is frankly wrong and pretty sad really.

Even when Maradona would agree with me and not you?

Different age groups will have their own opinion on it no matter what.

It's like a broken record this topic on here and always ends up with the same crap flung back and forth. Threads like this end up in a total clusterfuck.

Threads like this do indeed end up a cluster %^*&. Particularly when someone pedals the ‘oh but growth hormones’ rubbish.

No one is denying Messi his place as one of Greatest but dismissing others like that isnt right.

No one is dismissing anyone else. They’re all up there with Messi.

My responses above mate.
 
My responses above mate.

Suggest you research the Napoli team before Maradona arrived. They had hardly anyone well known. Utter Guff suggesting otherwise.

As for the tv comment. Utter garbage too.

Serie A wasn't live on tv in the UK then and too suggest it's the only reason why people said it was by far the Toughest, Hardest and Best league in Europe at that time is total tripe.

All the best players in Europe and the world possibly played there at that time.

I can't be arsed going through every single daft point you've made whilst I'm at work.

You keep believing all that then mate.
 
Suggest you research the Napoli team before Maradona arrived. They had hardly anyone well known. Utter Guff suggesting otherwise.

As for the tv comment. Utter garbage too.

Serie A wasn't live on tv in the UK then and too suggest it's the only reason why people said it was by far the Toughest, Hardest and Best league in Europe at that time is total tripe.

All the best players in Europe and the world possibly played there at that time.

I can't be arsed going through every single daft point you've made whilst I'm at work.

You keep believing all that then mate.

‘Daft point’. Ironic.

Enjoy your shift.
 
Messi had similar stats to Salah's record breaking PL season and Salah got nowhere near the award. Personally thought Van Dijk should have won it, if he cant win it after the season he had then there's no hope a defender will win it anytime soon
 
It is true that Messi is the greatest modern footballer in an era when the game is almost a non-contact sport. I'm not sure he would have been, however, even a generation ago. He would have been marked out for horrific challenges.

And for that we should be truly thankful.

Watching players with skill grace, speed and agility (and a little bit of steel) beats the hammer throwers every day
 
It is true that Messi is the greatest modern footballer in an era when the game is almost a non-contact sport. I'm not sure he would have been, however, even a generation ago. He would have been marked out for horrific challenges.
On the same theme, relaxation of the offside law, the back pass law, improved pitches and the fact that the modern defender is a hybrid attacker/defender rather than a specialist defender mean that comparing eras becomes less meaningful. Suffice to say that each era produces sublime footballers and Messi is the master of his.
 
He didn't need growth hormones either. Only drugs he took were Colombia's finest.

I'll be fc_ucked if I know what that has to do with anything.

Its called Sarcasm ffs try it sometimes.

It's as ridiculous as some of the pish posted regarding Maradona too.

"Serie A in the 80/90's was the best league because it was on tv." I mean c'mon too fck. That's laughable. It's not even true anyway.
 

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