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World Player of the Year 2011
Topic Started: Jan 9 2012, 11:26 AM (197 Views)
Don Balon
Advanced Member
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As expected Lionel Messi won his 3rd straight Ballon d'Or as the World Player of the year. Only Michel Platini matched that when the award was only given out to European players (which is why neither Pele nor Maradona ever won the Ballon d'Or)

Messi is only 24 and will win plenty more of these awards. Is it fair to say he is already one of the world's 3 best players of all time, behind Pele and Maradona?

I think he is on his way there but at 24 he is still in my mind behind players like Cruyff, DiStefano and Beckenbauer.
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Simon
Advanced Member
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A deserved award.

There's no need for Messi to go anywhere he has everything he needs at Barcelona, plus it's admirable in this day and age when a player stays all his career at one club.

However, the neutral in me would be fascinated to see how Messi would do at a different club and in a different league. I'm sure he'd still do brilliantly but from the 'greatest players of all time' perspective I'd be interested simply as a football fan in seeing how Messi would do in a different style and culture of football.

Who knows, perhaps it will happen in a few years time? No-one knows what's around the corner in this sport!
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Manzanares
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I imagine only a few here were able to see Pele in his prime, others were fortunate to see Maradona play but in that era of limited TV coverage you were only able to see him play occasionally. I consider it a privilege that I am now able to watch Lionel Messi play almost weekly. I am not sure where Messi currently ranks compared to other greats but I do know I am so thankful I can see him play so frequently.

He is unquestionably the best player currently and so young in age, the sky is still the limit for him.
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rosarino
Advanced Member
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Simon, Messi who started playing in his native Rosario, Argentina with Newell's Old Boys youth teams has hinted in the past he would like to one day end his career playing for the club. He also has donated money to the club to help them buildup their infrastructure so it is not out of the question that one day he will return to play in Rosario.

It becomes very subjective I think trying to compare players from different eras, but here is an interesting article for those who read Spanish from the Argentine newspaper Clarin, comparing Messi's accomplishments at 24 years of age with what Maradona had done at the same age. While both achieved a lot, Messi has achieved more so far and at 24 Maradona was just getting started with Napoli and had yet to make his biggest impact at the 1986 World Cup when he was 26. And guess how old Lionel Messi will be for the 2014 World Cup? Yes, 26! :D
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Dr. Z
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Fascinating to read of Messi's exploits at a similar age as maradona. Shows how incredibly well Messi has done at only 24. The sky is the limit for this guy. Yes, everyone says he now needs to show it for Argentina, and that is probably true but remember what the article shows, Maradona's greatest success did not occur ntil he was 26 and won the 1986 Mundial. Messi still has time to star in multiple World Cups. Meanwhile what he is doing at his club in both league and European play is extraordinary.
Poniendo el pecho a las balas!
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