Re: The Lionel Messi Appreciation Thread & Fan Club IV

[Vibe]

If anything, this pretty much proves CR is better.

[Warrior]

Better haircut with more gel and that's about it

[Myesyats]

Better coordination for slapping phones out of kid's  hands too

Another angle has emerged of the incident between Cristiano Ronaldo and a fan, the forward is currently under review by the Merseyside Police and has since apologised.

(via @dominothement) pic.twitter.com/lkT5hfxL2Q

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) April 10, 2022

[BarrileteCosmico]

@EG missed more pens than he should have in his later seasons

[Thimmy]

Better coordination for slapping phones out of kid's  hands too

Another angle has emerged of the incident between Cristiano Ronaldo and a fan, the forward is currently under review by the Merseyside Police and has since apologised.

(via @dominothement) pic.twitter.com/lkT5hfxL2Q

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) April 10, 2022

And you’re posting this in the Messi thread because… Messi is that kid?

[Myesyats]

And you’re posting this in the Messi thread because… Messi is that kid?

Messi was the camera operator

[Harmonica]

@EG missed more pens than he should have in his later seasons

Career SO Pressure Penalties

100% 5/5 Neymar
100% 4/4 Zidane
100% 2/2 Ronaldinho
100% 1/1 Ronaldo
100% 1/1 Cruyff
100% 1/1 Zico
92% 12/13 Messi (always the first taker)
78% 7/9 Cronaldo
75% 3/4 Ibrahimovic
67% 2/3 Platini
67% 2/3 Mbappe
50% 3/6 Maradona

[El Gunner]

@EG missed more pens than he should have in his later seasons

hasn't that always been a problem for him... not efficient on penalties as he really should be.

if anything 31 penalties since 2018 for one player sounds like a lot, but 31 free kicks since then is even more insane

[Harmonica]

Top scorer of Conmebol WCQ after double vs. Peru.

31 Messi
29 Suarez
22 Marcelo Martins
20 Alexis Sanchez
19 Crespo







Gvardiol special.

[BarcaLearning]

So good he still has it and continues to play motivated... the way he looks he will be like CR, they love the game too much n will play until their body cant anymore it seems... who knows might be able to see him even at the next WC?

[Harmonica]

Fairly sure Messi wil play at WC26 as it's in US, like the next Copa.

[Harmonica]

#8

[BarcaLearning]

8th fking Ballon D'or baby Love it 8-5 CR... as it should be finally

Wont be ever beaten I think? Unless Mbappe moves straight to Real next season be wins the next decades La Liga n some number of CLs?

[Thimmy]

I can only speak for myself, but this has to be the most boring Ballon D'or winner in my lifetime. Yes, 8th time. Congrats, moving on.

[Harmonica]

At 36 the second oldest winner after inaugural Stanley Matthews who won it at 41. Also 14 years is by far the longest time of winning the first and last (Cronaldo 9, Ronaldo 5).

[El Gunner]

Number 8, it's nice and whatever, we need him to get that Super Ballon D'or though!!!

[BarcaLearning]

Cant find a stream or info as for the Gerd Muller Trophy? I guess its too lame for anyone to care? But Im just wondering which of Haaland goals it is? Anyone got a clip?

[Harmonica]

Cant find a stream or info as for the Gerd Muller Trophy? I guess its too lame for anyone to care? But Im just wondering which of Haaland goals it is? Anyone got a clip?

It's the best striker award, not a goal.

[BarcaLearning]

Thx Harmonica, think I got it mixed up with the FIFA Puskas award

[Casciavit]

Well Messi has won his 8th, and what looks to be his last one. To think he won his first at 22 years old, and now his eighth at 36 years old. He’s truly the GOAT.

Gotta feel for Haaland a bit, as in most other years he probably would’ve won. I think if he didn’t go 0 G/A in the 8 Semi Finals/Finals he played in, then it could’ve crossed him over the line. Especially since PSG got knocked out in R16 in the CL, and Messi went to Inter Miami in the summer. Recency bias should’ve kicked in for Haaland.

That said, it didn’t and I can understand why. Ballon d’or is a narrative award, and the biggest narrative in football in the last 15 years was whether Messi could fulfill his destiny as Maradona’s successor and win Argentina the WC. The critics and public held it over his head all these years and used it as a tool to question his GOAT status. So it’s only natural that he won the Ballon d’or after winning the World Cup the way he did.

At 35 years old, in his last tournament ever, and pulling off the best individual WC campaign since Maradona in 1986.

He also dispelled a lot of the common criticisms levied at him during his career. He was accused of lacking fire while wearing the Argentina jersey, but we saw him dispel that against Netherlands. He was accused of not being clutch and choking his penalties, but he scored the most important ones. When his team collapsed against Netherlands and France, he showed that leadership to help prop them up.

He’s been the main character of football for the last 15 years, and he was the protagonist in the most entertaining and probably famous football match ever.

So when you look at it from that perspective it's not a surprise that most coaches, players, journalists, and pundits opined that Messi should/would win. I didn't get the impression that Man City players were even backing Haaland all that much either. It felt like those who thought Messi shouldn't win were either Ronaldo fans who will back any candidate against Messi so he doesn't increase his Ballon d'or lead (they backed Jorginho in 2021 as an example), and Man City/Norway fans. Truthfully though, Messi had this award locked the moment he won the World Cup.

Honestly, I’m glad I got to witness his career, and this Ballon d’or is the perfect way to cap off his career at the highest level. Watching him next to Mbappe and Haaland felt like the end of an era, and the start of a new one. Now it's time for the next generation to lead the way...

[Thimmy]

I should probably clarify that it's not so much about Haaland not winning it for me, but Messi winning it for the 8th time is nothing to look forward to unless you're a hardcore Messi fan.

And I don't mean to say that he doesn't deserve it, at all, but literally any other player winning it would be more exciting to me. Alvarez would've been a really interesting winner, for example. I don't know why I've retained a shred of respect for this award ceremony despite it being the popularity contest that it is.

[Vibe]

It's a legacy thing tbh. Messi did not deserve this by any means for winning a 4 week cup, but it is a nice sendoff I guess.

It was always a subjective award anyway, many people have been robbed in the last 15 years. Haaland should be angry.

[Harmonica]

End of an era, as Messi probably wont be included next year because he doesn't play in European club. Not even if he win quadruple with Miami and the next Copa. But lets not pretend Messi didn't deserve this by also performing the best.


Also WC(golden ball)+League+Supercup > CL(Rodri won best player)+League+Cup.

And as Casciavit put it, this was the time to pay up the narrative they've built.

Anyway you slice it, Messi was the correct choice.

[Vibe]

Messi played in France, which is a tier 2 league and he got booed out of PSG.

Haaland and Rodri led their team to a treble, and winning the Premier League and the Champions League is probably about 10 times harder than winning a cup, be it a World Cup or not.

Completely undeserved. If any other player who is not named Messi did the exact same thing, he wouldn't even be nominated.

This was a legacy award, nothing else.

Should probably scrap it alltogether, what use is an award not based on merit.

Football is ultimately a bussines and it was good business for Messi to win the WC and the award, and he got a push from FIFA for both.

[BarcaLearning]

Its not like Messi didnt perform for PSG though, sure he wasnt Barca peak level obviously, but he wasnt as bad as some made him out to be (most of whom prolly dont even watch Ligue 1), he did good. The WC was just too good for not for him to win his 8th. Funny thing is he doesnt care anymore about these awards, he only wanted to fulfill the life long dream to win the WC with Argentina, n I have to say again, it was just INCREDIBLE to win it at his last chance considering everything that happened b4 during his career all leading up to it Dream came true, n it was beautiful the world enjoyed it.

For this coming era though I can already see the same thing with haters or ppl who support others with the Mbappe v Haaland for example So many ppl criticise Mbappe for various ridiculous reasons, but the only real one is hes at a relatively lower level league club compared with Haaland's with Pep leading it n have very well built team. So naturally if he stays there ppl wont appreciate him as much. For NT though its the reverse, Haaland doesnt have a chance So with that, we might likely see when WC/Euro yrs Mbappe may have the edge n other yrs Haaland might? Of cos all will depend on if Mbappe finally leaves PSG which would change the framework...

So this is gonna be just the same as last era, the inevitable debate forever with many funny reasons for n against

[Myesyats]

If balon dor was based on merit Messi woulda had won at least 10. And if it was truly on merit Messi would have his own separate category altogether because nobody ever came close to his individual brilliance because he exists in a completely detached and far-removed star system.

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