To become a true great

[Bianchi on Ice]

The kid is fried physically and emotionally. You could see it in both his performances aND his body language. A better manager would have selected Tevez and given Messi a day off before the knockout rounds or in one of those matches.

He tried to do too much and was burnt. He believes everything people have written in this thread I'm sure and probably agrees with the blown chance.

Too many matches those legs. Nothing more imho.

I'd agree with that. And if Messi did vomit, hopefully it was squeegeed and won at auction by the FA and naturalised because Messi's vomit would get in the England side right now...and even then it would probably be played out of position...

Come on...Messi is a modern great, and he is young enough to mature and maybe have another crack in four years time.
People are unduly critical...ok, so maybe a peak Maradona, parachuted into this team would have won the cup for Argentina...but to somehow disqualify Messi from being a Great player because he didnt roy of the rovers every minute is complete tosh....

Maybe Messi is an egotistical cunt but when he has been receiving BJs off all and sundry for 8-9 years now it takes a strong person not to be one of those

[dazby]

He's no Gareth Bale that's for sure.


;-)

[Ted Hughes]

The kid is fried physically and emotionally. You could see it in both his performances aND his body language. A better manager would have selected Tevez and given Messi a day off before the knockout rounds or in one of those matches.

He tried to do too much and was burnt. He believes everything people have written in this thread I'm sure and probably agrees with the blown chance.

Too many matches those legs. Nothing more imho.

I'd agree with that. And if Messi did vomit, hopefully it was squeegeed and won at auction by the FA and naturalised because Messi's vomit would get in the England side right now...and even then it would probably be played out of position...

Come on...Messi is a modern great, and he is young enough to mature and maybe have another crack in four years time.
People are unduly critical...ok, so maybe a peak Maradona, parachuted into this team would have won the cup for Argentina...but to somehow disqualify Messi from being a Great player because he didnt roy of the rovers every minute is complete tosh....

Maybe Messi is an egotistical cunt but when he has been receiving BJs off all and sundry for 8-9 years now it takes a strong person not to be one of those

Has anyone actually said that Messi is not a great player, I can't remember ? But if they have, I haven't anyhow. This though, in a tournament full of average teams, regularly wasting possession , absolutely pathetic standard defending, the worst I've ever seen, was his best chance to show he is up there with Maradona in the absolute 'true greats' catagory. Even if he plays at the next World Cup, there is no guarantee Argentina will get anywhere near it & don't forget, this was one of Messi's best international tournaments.

He missed that top level by some distance.

I can take on board that he's fucked but it won't count as an excuse on the cvs of Silva, Aguero, Yaya, even Gerrard for that matter.

Incidentally I've been saying for some time that if I was Messi I would have left Barca & come to City. Not as a blue eyed opinion but as the right career move at this time. He is unlikely to play in a Barca team as good as Pep's & the Prem would give him a different challenge , as it has Silva.

Funny thing is, on that performance v Germany, he would fuck our team right up.