Messi vs Best


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Well it wasn't like. I get what you're saying but his football talent is natural ability not due to use of drugs...
True but he may well have been ordinary without the drugs, remember that goal against England when he went on that so called fantastic run, I'm convinced that goal would never have happened without drugs. A total cheat who i don't recognise as a superstar and never will. Just like Lance Armstrong if you like.
 
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True but he may well have been ordinary without the drugs, remember that goal against England when he went on that so called fantastic run, I'm convinced that goal would never have happened without drugs. A total cheat who i don't recognise as a superstar.

What would you call it? A drug-addled stagger?
 
I'm 62 and even I can't remember too much about some of the players being mentioned but I will always remember Best.

If I live to be 80 I doubt I will be saying "did you ever see Messi play"
 
What would you call it? A drug-addled stagger?
if you like mate :p

I'm 62 and even I can't remember too much about some of the players being mentioned but I will always remember Best.

If I live to be 80 I doubt I will be saying "did you ever see Messi play"
Im in your camp marra, a fantastic player, hard to compare with any other era but imo the Best (pardon the pun) the British Isles have ever produced.
 
Best was no where near the all round player messi is , touch of genius but a head full of magic too and hitty missy .
Also i believe he would be physically unable to play against today's science built athletic defenders week in week out . People cite players like , hunter , harris, Mckie , kicking him , f***ing hell most turned like oil tankers and would be lucky to play league 1 today. They wouldn't last 20 minutes at Premier pace either, today's defenders don't tire and become exploitable.

Honestly if they were both unknowns on trial today not a manager in the word would take best over messi.
 
Best was no where near the all round player messi is , touch of genius but a head full of magic too and hitty missy .
Also i believe he would be physically unable to play against today's science built athletic defenders week in week out . People cite players like , hunter , harris, Mckie , kicking him , f***ing hell most turned like oil tankers and would be lucky to play league 1 today. They wouldn't last 20 minutes at Premier pace either, today's defenders don't tire and become exploitable.

Honestly if they were both unknowns on trial today not a manager in the word would take best over messi.

Great point. Kompany would be untouchable if he'd played at their time.
 
Best was no where near the all round player messi is , touch of genius but a head full of magic too and hitty missy .
Also i believe he would be physically unable to play against today's science built athletic defenders week in week out . People cite players like , hunter , harris, Mckie , kicking him , f***ing hell most turned like oil tankers and would be lucky to play league 1 today. They wouldn't last 20 minutes at Premier pace either, today's defenders don't tire and become exploitable.

Honestly if they were both unknowns on trial today not a manager in the word would take best over messi.

But Best would also have benefited from the training. Turning it on its head, how would Messi have coped with the likes of Tommy Smith and Norman Hunter kicking him every week? Watch the footage of Pele being literally kicked out of the 1966 World Cup (the Hungary match was particularly bad) to understand how good (and brave) these players were to produce the level of skills they did under that amount of punishment. I reckon Best would have revelled in being able to show his skill in the modern era.
 
I'm having a discussion with a lad at work about who is better he is pro messi and think he's the best player ever I strongly disagree as I think George best was doing what messi does now and more while having people trying to
Kick him up a height and I think there have been probably
10 players in the history of the game better than messi what do you lads reckon?

Tbf Messi does get kicked to fuck a lot (not as much as Best got like, I'll give you that :))
 
But Best would also have benefited from the training. Turning it on its head, how would Messi have coped with the likes of Tommy Smith and Norman Hunter kicking him every week? Watch the footage of Pele being literally kicked out of the 1966 World Cup (the Hungary match was particularly bad) to understand how good (and brave) these players were to produce the level of skills they did under that amount of punishment. I reckon Best would have revelled in being able to show his skill in the modern era.

But Best was a pisshead. He would have been like Gazza or Rooney in the modern age or possibly a Ronaldinho. Glimpses of genius but ultimately a wasted talent.
 
drop a motivated messi back in 1966 in his current physical shape and he would get you 2-3 a game week in week out.

Fuckin hell he would have laughed a the tactics and had it sorted in 15 mins.
 
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I'm 62 and even I can't remember too much about some of the players being mentioned but I will always remember Best.

If I live to be 80 I doubt I will be saying "did you ever see Messi play"

Well ya should! f***ing nostalgia man. Messi is a great player. Enjoy him and he won't retire and fuck off to a half league at 26/27.

Why look back with rosey specs, Messi is better than Best FFS.
 
Let's be honest, outwith the fans of the teams he played with, how often did anyone actually watch George Best? Games were rarely televised in those days, and live games were even rarer. Added to that, Northern Ireland never reached the finals of any major tournaments during Best's, er, best days.

Today, you can watch every minute of every game Messi plays. It's easier to make an overall judgement. Like Pele, the legend of George Best sometimes outweighs the reality.


These players were clearly great players, but it's very difficult to make a direct comparison to players nowadays given the difference in how often you were able to watch them.

Superb points mate
 
Well ya should! f***ing nostalgia man. Messi is a great player. Enjoy him and he won't retire and fuck off to a half league at 26/27.

Why look back with rosey specs, Messi is better than Best FFS.

There may be some of that on this thread but not in Bests case.
 
Best was no where near the all round player messi is , touch of genius but a head full of magic too and hitty missy .
Also i believe he would be physically unable to play against today's science built athletic defenders week in week out . People cite players like , hunter , harris, Mckie , kicking him , f***ing hell most turned like oil tankers and would be lucky to play league 1 today. They wouldn't last 20 minutes at Premier pace either, today's defenders don't tire and become exploitable.

Honestly if they were both unknowns on trial today not a manager in the word would take best over messi.



Totally disagree especially with the first sentence. Messi is a fantastic player and although it's obviously difficult to truly compare players from different eras Best had the lot. He could turn defenders inside out, he was equally good with both feet, a great header of the ball and he was tough. He got stuck in to defenders as well as taking a kicking.

You make a good point with regard to defenders but you have to remember the pitches were like sandpits, boots weren't the slippers they wear now and they played with a ball not a balloon specifically designed to swerve and give advantage to the kicker.

The last point is another interesting one. If they both came for a trial in England nowadays the chances are they would both have been turned down for being too small. The coaches here seem to want athletes they can make into footballers rather than natural talents.

Oh and Messi couldn't put an extra few thousand bits of crumpet on the crowd which was great to watch if the game was shite
 
Messi is already in the top 5 alongside Zidane, Pele, Maradona and Cruijff IMO. From that 5, Cruijff is the only debatable one.

Best would be extremely hard pushed to be in the top 10 at all.

how old are you fella?

Well ya should! f***ing nostalgia man. Messi is a great player. Enjoy him and he won't retire and fuck off to a half league at 26/27.

Why look back with rosey specs, Messi is better than Best FFS.

cannot compare really.....but messi would find it harder in 1967 to play his game whereas best would be in his element today!

Tbf Messi does get kicked to fuck a lot (not as much as Best got like, I'll give you that :))

are you for real?

drop a motivated messi back in 1966 in his current physical shape and he would get you 2-3 a game week in week out.

Fuckin hell he would have laughed a the tactics and had it sorted in 15 mins.

dont be strupid!
 
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