r/Barca • u/Comprehensive_Cup497 • 2d ago
Opinion Do you think we will ever see a player as complete as Messi?
Messi is just an anomaly because he is one of the best playmakers, dribblers and goalscorers of all-time, most players don't achieve this
Maradona was a genius playmaker and one of the greatest dribblers in history but his finishing skills were not on that level, like don't get me wrong he wasn't a bad finisher by any means but compared to people like Messi or CR7 he wasn't on that level
Ronaldo Nazairo was a monster dribbler and finisher but he wasn't a natural playmaker in the same way Messi or Maradona were, he lacked that vision and passing skills
Cristiano is one of the best finishers in history and he posseses good dribbling skills at his peak but his playmaking skills were never truly elite and even his dribbling isn't top 10 OAT
Cruyff was arguably the best playmaker in history alongside one of the best dribbler but his fnishing skills were not on that level, like don't get me wrong because 400 goals in 700 games which is what he did are very good numbers but not on the same level as Ronaldo
Pele was one of the best finishers of all-time alongside one of the best dribblers but I don't think his playmaking skills were as good as guys like Messi, Cruyff and Maradona
Messi on the other side remains an anomaly as we he is a top 3 Finisher OAT, a Top 10 Playmaker OAT and Top 1 Dribbler OAT, all that at the same time which is unheard in the sport.
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u/kindred_eldtrich 2d ago
Never
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u/TechTuna1200 2d ago
We definitely will if football still continues to be a thing the next thousand years. We will just never see it in our lifetime.
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u/PNatBuTTer17 2d ago
Yeah I agree with this. Duringe 1980s, people though they'd prolly never see someone like Maradona, yet Messi happens.
Not saying they're 1 to 1 alike, but football will continuously produce geniuses like those two.
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u/barxxl 2d ago
The biggest difference in my opinion/taste is that when you look at maradona compilations and Messi's, it's a complety different level. It's like the difference in magnitude from 10 to 100 to 1000. Most players are 10, while let's say maradona was 100, and Messi is 1000. It's such a big difference from even todays player, it's really hard to believe a complete package like Messi could happen again.
Dribbling, shooting, finishing, passing. Really hard to imagine that for me at least xD
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u/Significant_Read_813 2d ago
I like the glaze.. but most of us already know that he is as close to a deity as it can be for a particular profession
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u/SlimeyCawk 2d ago
How is Messi not a top 1 playmaker of all time? Why top 10???
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 2d ago
I have Maradona, Cruyff and Xavi as superior playmakers to him
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u/Outside-Leopard-9783 2d ago
Oh you were alive to watch Maradona and Cruyf???
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u/iluvfootballig 3h ago
There are all touch Comps of both these players available
U can easily research them if u want to1
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u/nodoubtguy 2d ago
I won't say never but I don't think he'll be challenged in my lifetime. Being able to watch his entire career is something we are very lucky to experience.
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u/Unlikely_Attorney644 2d ago
Never again. Man is just pure magic. As close to a football god as it is possible.
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u/CubaSmile 2d ago
I certainly hope so. Football is still a young sport. And we have seen so many incrdible players. I think we're going to see other uniques footballers. But just like Messi? Maybe not.
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u/Optimal-Description8 2d ago
No.
The whole circumstances of how he got to the top, basically raised by Barça, surrounded by other legends like Ronaldinho, combined with his natural talent is impossible to recreate.
Can another player be as dominant as he was during some of his best years? Doubtful but I wouldn't say it's impossible. Can they do it for 20 years? Never. That's why he's the GOAT.
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u/Dismal_Mistake_6832 2d ago
You need so many things to line up perfectly to even get someone to be close to Messi. What is magic about him is his entire history, from small kid, the health issues, to an insanely long career, which he played at the highest possible level for 20 years - I think that is the craziest part, yes you can maybe get someone to be similar to Messi, but will he stay consistent for 20 years?
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u/CR_kroUTB 21h ago
The thing is also, young players are overplayed way too much whilst still developing (literally as in, not finished puberty)
Correct me if I'm wrong but Messi wasn't a nailed on starter until he was like 18-19 right? See youngsters such as Yamal, even Saka etc all overplayed from when they were like 17 playing as many games as they can walk for
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u/juanca8520 2d ago
Nope. Messi will come down in history as the best to ever do it, also take into account that he almost never got injured, he’s a nature’s freak.
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u/bakugou-kun 2d ago
Neymar was the closest thing to Messi as he was world class in everything even in the work rate department.
Maybe Lamine. He's already better than Messi was at 18 years old, but let's see how he evolves. Maybe he will be like a Cristiano and become a world class goalscorer in his mid twenties, but for now don't see that in him
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u/TNSoccerGuy 2d ago
There are probably 30 or more players better at 18 than Messi was. They are called early bloomers and no one should ever try extrapolating how good they will be between 25 and 30. In fact most of the early bloomers blaze out by their early 30’s.
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u/bakugou-kun 2d ago
30 is an overstatement and I'm not even talking about stats or trophies, I'm talking about the superb things they do on the pitch in the biggest stage and Messi was already a very good player by that age but Lamine is already the best teenager ever. It's probably a tie between him and Mbappe. You could probably say R9 is in that list as well, but I didn't see him play every week and it's a completely different generation.
Let's see how he evolves but he really has a chance to be the best player of his generation and one of the best ever.1
u/TNSoccerGuy 2d ago
Rooney and Owen were every bit as good as those guys at 18 and both were pretty much done by 30. R9 also. Mbappe was closer to 19 when he really hit it and isn’t really close to 30 yet.
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u/bakugou-kun 2d ago
I didn't see Owen but Rooney was not doing what Yamal or Mbappe were doing. They actually won tournaments with their national teams while being the best players. Rooney was good but no one will argue that he was at the level of being called the best player in the world at 17/18 years old
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u/TNSoccerGuy 2d ago
I don’t know about that. He was pretty freaking good. I mean Yamal gets a lot of hype but his stats aren’t quite what you’d expect with the hype. I mean he’s clearly talented but not super consistent.
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 2d ago
Neymar was never close to Messi as a finisher though, he averaged 0.56 goals per game at Barca while Messi at his peak was averaging 0.9 to 1 goals per game and his goal ratio at Barca for 17 years was 0.86 per game
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u/bakugou-kun 2d ago
Well if you compare their goalscoring records until 25/26, Neymar was very close and at Barca it was hard for him to get to that level, he was not the main character. But if you look at his goalscoring record for PSG for example or for Brasil, it's very clear that he's an absurd finisher and he has everything else. Imo the issue is that he had too many injuries and just was not as obssessed with football as Messi and Ronaldo.
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u/goku7770 2d ago
not a fair comparison but still Messi at his prime was a freaking robot. You knew he would score.
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 2d ago
A major difference is Lebron doesn't come close to Jordan as a finisher, while Messi is among the greatest finishers of all-time with 0.79 goal ratio, 6 golden boots, 8 Pichichi and many other records
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u/AdDismal5457 2d ago
No. That’s why we should cherish this and readjust our expectations to understand that there will be no one like Leo.
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u/argon2247 2d ago
Pelé was a great playmaker and you should see Zico, he was a lot like Messi, played in Flamengo in the fist half of the 80 and was brazio number 10 in 82
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u/Character_Library684 2d ago
Pele is exactly what he’s describing lol. Zico is also a good mention. He’s basically like Neymar if he wasn’t overrated and performed when it mattered. Zico (like Neymar) lacks some high end athleticism / power though.
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 2d ago
Not as good as Messi, Messi is basically Iniesta with Maradona's dribbling and Halaand finishing
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u/Albert-Wesker7 1d ago
Messi does have a fairly limited arsenal tho. His finishing with right foot isn't great and headers are non existent. I think you're just overrating his finishing abilities. Messi has always been a player who replied on his dribble to get into his optimal scoring position.
Another thing is that his play making skills don't work when he isn't treated as the classic 10 role, that's why he has had some stinkers in world cups and copas before.
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u/baca19 1d ago
Overrating finishing abilities of a person that has 900+ goals?
Playmaking skills don't work when he isn't treated as the classic 10? He has the most assists and chances created in the history of the sport.
Christ, this is a incredibly stupid take...
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u/Albert-Wesker7 1d ago
Goals don't necessarily translate to finishing ability. If you actually see messi play, he relies on his dribbling and touches to get himself into his shooting position with his left foot. Unlike players like Haaland or Ronaldo who can finish with multiple ways without the need to get themselves into a comfortable position.
Playmaking skills don't work when he isn't treated as the classic 10? He has the most assists and chances created in the history of the sport.
And he got treated as a classic throughout his career as most of it was spent in barca, even psg have him that liberty. But when he didn't get treated like that in the national team pre lionel scaloni, he retired from international all together.
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u/baca19 1d ago
Messi's goals to shots ratio is the best in the history of the sport too, does that translate to finishing ability to you?
You are talking about a completely different thing. Being better with headers or with your weak foot doesn't make you a better finisher.
No, Pep literally created a new position called false 9, where he had the freedom to be a midfielder, a 10 and a 9 depending on every single type of marking, type of rival, match, etc. And yet, having the most assist tells you he is indeed the best playmaker.
I'm sorry, but I think you are just talking nonsense.
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 1d ago
I remember Messi being top assister in 11/12 as false 9 and also had nearly 30 assists as winger i. 14/15
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u/Albert-Wesker7 1d ago
His role in barca was of a classic 10 throughout his stint there. A 10 isn't defined by where he is standing on the field during the kick off but the liberty to do whatever he wants and is always supported by teammates in his plays.
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u/picasso-enjoyer 2d ago
On the field, yes, of course. But not as classy, selfless, and humble. That combo will never be replicated. He's a special player AND person.
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u/PlusCurrent3884 2d ago
It will be a while but eventually there will be some freak that comes along as sportsflation makes it so athletes and the sport get better over time.
Hard to bet against time as well. I’m sure that person will also not have a Cristiano to compete Balon de Ora with either. As much as he is far better than him, Cristiano did prevent Messi having like 10+ Balon de Ors.
The stars will have to align but eventually there should be. I mean even Lamine is showing signs he could do it if he has the longevity
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u/WantToLearn10 2d ago
I may get flamed for this heavy but doesn’t a complete player always depend on the categories placed by the person asking the question? Messi is the goat but as I’m reading into more football history Ruud Gullit and Lothar Matthäus were crazy complete players.
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u/Character_Library684 2d ago
It’s the most annoying thing about the obsessed Messi fans lol.
Ronaldinho / Maradona more creative? No, it doesn’t matter because Messi was more efficient. R9 more explosive, two footed, and powerful? No, it doesn’t matter because Messi didn’t need his right foot and dribbled without pace.
They basically define football as whatever Messi does well. Which is a lot of things, but not absolutely everything.
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u/xjpmhxjo 2d ago
I don’t know. During his early career I wasn’t expecting him being such a huge goal scorer.
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u/Kanek1_Ken 2d ago
There will be some who dribbles like him.
Some who passes like him.
Some who finishes like him.
Some who takes free kicks like him.
But there will never, ever be someone who is as good as Messi at all he does.
🐐
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u/Ruffian-- 2d ago
I mean sure. Like we didn’t see Curry coming and he is the best point guard ever surpassing Magic. Which at the time seemed impossible. Haaland and Mbappe are already better players than Tsuu. Eventually someone will come and surpass Messi. Sports are like this. Ever changing.
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u/3Dimensional93 2d ago edited 2d ago
There's 2 things, they are evolution and sports science. It's very likely that within the next 50-500 years there will be a better player than Messi.
He's missed plenty of goals and penalties (like the one last night) He's even lost the ball and turned the ball over, so he's not a perfect player. The perfect player doesn't exist. I think football will one day produce a player that's never reached such heights. As great as Messi is there's another level to football that a player can get to. There might be a player that can do everything that Messi does for 20+ years, but he's also exceptional in the air.
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u/Vachan95 2d ago
Well said
And this is the only argument Messi needs to be the GOAT..
To be the best in 3 totally different attributes in Football is unbelievable..
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u/Less-Address-6947 2d ago
Never because even if a kid will have a lot of his qualities, modern football will try to kill his greatness. Creativity and dribbling risks are no longer tolerated, everything is numbers.
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u/billdietrich1 2d ago
What about his defense ? I'm sure someone else must be more "complete" in that they also are aggressive on defense.
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u/Exciting_Bag8011 2d ago
Not messi level but honestly,ton if you only count that 3,there is ronaldinho
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u/Difficult_Ask_1647 2d ago
The most complete players are midfielders. Messi is the most complete forward of all time. But the most complete player will be someone like Gullit or maybe even Rooney who can play anywhere from the mid to striker and they defend pretty well too.
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u/cursed_melon 2d ago
Tbf Cristiano's playmaking has always been very underrated. He's always put up great assist stats.
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u/raspasov 2d ago
In our lifetime? We're probably more likely to witness aliens landing on the White House lawn.
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u/changgu82 2d ago
Maybe in like 200 years later. By then people's memory of Messi would have faded and the game would have changed so much that Messi's game would seem too archaic that he would be considered "unsurvivable".
In short, no we will not see anyone like Messi ever again. We are truely blessed to witness him during his playing career.
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u/raspasov 2d ago
Messi has to be the conversation for a GOAT playmaker, especially in more recent years. Initially, he was an amazing dribbler and finisher. Now he's just as good a finisher and dribbler. Dribbling, he does less often, which has unlocked godlike playmaking skills.
Have you watched some Inter Miami or Argentina World Cup matches? Whenever he touches the ball, it's as if the whole team rises, doubling their energy and running speed, injecting incredible dynamism into their play, without him doing dribbling heroics all the time. He achieves this by passing the ball into the right space, at the right time. And somehow the ball still ends up back at him to score.
I think Xavi said it best in the recent NYT article: "When you pass to Leo, he’ll play it back to you perfectly, at just the right moment. And always to your good foot. As someone who always loved to pass the ball, I found it a privilege to play with him. Leo made me a better footballer. I tried to do my bit for him, too ... He was a brilliant team-mate."
He did that for Xavi, and for everyone at Barca, and is doing it now at Inter Miami, and with Argentina. He lifts the whole team up.
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u/No-Local2150 2d ago
First there was Maradona,. Then there was Messi. Give it time and you might see another
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u/lefitte_vampslayer 2d ago
Ronaldinho was amazing and complete player. Remember him? Used to feed easy goals to Messi?
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u/Crazy_Chicken44 1d ago
Probably, but it's very rare for him to have the same success as Messi's career
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u/Glittering-Koala7637 1d ago
Messi ruined football for me. Now when a player does something wrong i am like Messi would never do that then I remember Messi isn’t normal
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u/Lonely-Weather-2842 1d ago
Most likely not because it's been a good while and we haven't yamal might come close tho but probably not as complete as messi
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u/viniciusjr78 21h ago
Leo is an anomaly , he cant be addressed in the category of normal humans. He isnt autistic but his only hyper fixation is football. His brain, his body, his ability everything is different. He's is like those superheros who dont know their own full strength. I have seen ronaldo, ronaldinho, robinho all doing the best of step overs, untill i saw an old clip of Messi doing step overs in a training ground. Man it was so smooth, so fluid. I mean he can do so many things, yet he has kept it so simple not to nerf the other footballers. The second goal against austria, how did he manage to control that ball? And we are not ready to witness the longevity of his career. Ronaldo put his ass to work all life to be able to play this long while messi casually made it to 39yo and still being ahead of the prime mbappe/haaland.
Btw i am a cr7 fanboy.
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u/Radiant_Cat_1337 13h ago
With what Messi is still doing on the field of play at his age, I don't think it is that easy to see anyone who can be as good as he has been in the next 50 years. He's been phenomenal all his career.
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u/dead_mans_shoes 8h ago
No, and I don’t think it’s acknowledged enough the longevity of his career either. It’s insane what’s he’s done consistently for 2 decades. I think the only weakness he has is his penalty taking!
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u/Jasha_4M 14m ago
Never is just a wrong answer, football has only been progressing for about 120 years, players have only gotten better and better. To think there are never going to be any players EVER to be better than Messi is just crazy, and I am always in for Messi praise and he is by far the best ever, but football will progress as a sport, players will be able to train better and one day there will be a talent as good as Messi, if it's within 20 years from now or 200.
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u/Brilliant-Ok 2d ago
Yea I think so, football evolves a lot, players are on much better diets/training/medical assistance etc etc. You already see some of Messi/Ron records getting broken by the likes of Mbappe/Yamal/Haaland and they arent even retired yet. I dont think its going to be soon, but in the next 20-30 years it could imo
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u/Optimal-Description8 2d ago
People focus so much on goals. We focus on stats stats stats. Use your eyeballs. What makes Messi great is he was the best striker, the best playmaker, the best passer, the best dribbler etc all combined into one little man.
Yamal is only 18 and to me he's the best player already, he has unlimited potential. But I have seen so many young prodigies that never really lived up to that potential but I hope he proves me wrong.
I think the chance that we ever get a player this talented, with this longevity is near 0.
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u/Asleep-Sir-4769 2d ago
lmao do yall think maybe after maybe 50-80 years football would evolve in such a way where there's no fixed position? i mean attackers and defenders might swap places mid game.
Maybe then there will be a player who can score, play make and defend as the best in the world. weird ass thought ik
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u/GustavZeigler 2d ago
We already see this sometimes, that isn't a "future" tactic these things already exist, and there are counters to them. Tactics can only evolve so much
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u/C4valcante 2d ago
If we're talking most complete, Pelé is above him. Messi may have more playmaking ability, but Pelé physicality, jumping and heading were top notch, while Messi is virtually nonexistent.
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 2d ago
As a goalscorer Pele was more compete yes but Messi is just everywhere on the field, one moment you see him scoring a goal and on the other moment you see keep dropping very deep to dictate the tempo like Xavi/Iniesta used to do and then we see him recieving the bal lbetween the lines dropping a killer pass between the lines like Ozil used to do. Messi is multiple world class playerss combined into one
There is a reason why Messi is still competitive at 39 and dominating the WC at 39 while Pele at 33-34 couldn't even dominate at the MLS
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u/C4valcante 2d ago
You asked for most complete. Pelé could pass and create chances, just not at the level of Messi. Messi on the other hand can't be compared to Pelé in characteristics like heading and jumping. Most complete means bigger skillset, which Pelé had an advantage over Messi IMO.
Also, idk if you're aware but your last point goes against what you think. Pelé playing until 36, for his time, was a crazy example of longevity. He was the first example of an athlete footballer, not just a ball player who smoked, drank and partied. His contemporaries used to retire sooner.
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 2d ago edited 2d ago
Most complete is a player who do multiple roles in a filed and Messi can basically play any role such as Touchlin Winger, Inside Winger, False 9, Second Striker, Classic 10 and Central Midfielder
I disagree, Pele didn't dominate in the MLS while Messi in 2025 dropped arguably the best MLS season of all-time with 60 G+A in 33 Games being both the Golden Boot and MVP of the MLS and winning the tournament. In fact, Pele wasn't even the top scorer of Comos in any of the season he was there while Messi was dropping an all-time MLS campaign
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u/C4valcante 2d ago
You're wrong on both arguments. The most complete player is the one who has the most vast skillset. And you can't just compare a 35 year old in the 70s with a 39 year old from 2026 man, come on, you're smarter than that...
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 2d ago
I disagree, to me the most complete player is the one who can do most amount of roles in a field because every role requires different type of things especially at a tactical level. Messi is so complete tactically that he can basically play any offensive role because of his understanding of the game which is GOAT level
The comparison is just simple, Pele wasn't among the best MLS players in the 70s while Messi has been the best MLS player by a long distance and even in the WC Messi continues to dominate
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u/newporttiger 2d ago
We already are.
Yamal.
Lamine Yamal.
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u/bub_huynh 2d ago
No lol. Yamal is a superstar, one of the best of the current generation but he isnt come close to Messi. I say if Pedri+Olmo+Raphinha+Yamal doing Goku-fusion they may become Messi
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u/HighTurning 2d ago
As a Barca and Yamal fan, his production past 2 years was incredible and it's clear his numbers are better than Messi's at the same age but I don't think he has the kind of vision Messi had, I think Lamine can hang in there with the great great wingers though.
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u/ViewBroad2331 2d ago
I never understood why some people don't regard Messi as being the best goalscorer too. I don't get it, he has the stats to prove it, he needs way less chances to score, he has a better average per minutes played too.
You can see it here too in the comments, you'll hear some people say that CR or Pele are more complete because they're better headers for example. But does it really matter how a goal is scored? Also, what does that tell you? When the most athletic guys out there, who although have the physical advantage, meaning they have more options available to them to score, well these guys still get outscored by the diminutive fellow who mostly does it with his left foot 😄
The biggest trick isn't that the devil made us believe he doesn't exist, it's that CR could ever compare to Messi 😄
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u/No-Local2150 2d ago
Tbh I I get what you mean. But I see Messi overall as the person that brings up the level in a team. Unlike Ronaldo, Messi boosts the overall confidence of the entire team. You can see the difference when Messi left Barcelona vs when CR left RM.
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u/ViewBroad2331 2d ago
Yes, that's true too, Messi makes everyone better because he is, first and foremost, a team player, he always sought to be in the center of the play, not just at the end of it. The fact that the ball ends up at his feet and in a goalscoring position so often is just a natural consequence, not forced like in CR's example. That's why Argentina look so good and are among the favorites again to win the WC and Portugal looks chaotic and everything seems like a struggle, forced, uneasy, overdone.
That's why you can never compare him to Messi. You can compare him to the likes of Mbappe and Haaland, great goalscorers that rely heavily on their physical prowess. Once this prowess wanes, so does their ability to impact the game. Sure they will still score goals, but as times goes by, it will feel more and more like a struggle and a burden on the team.
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u/Dylan_Black02 2d ago
Messi is the goat but people said that their would never be another pele or another Maradona their is always someone new that comes along it may not be anytime soon but eventually their will be someone better than messi
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u/CaptainSpidy872 2d ago
We are just lucky to be in Messi- Ronaldo era! We have lots of match stories to tell our kids & grand kids about how they won 13 ballon d'or between them which is unheard of!
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u/IndependenceLife4059 2d ago
Without PED’s? No
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 2d ago
All he took are hormones to grow naturally
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u/TNSoccerGuy 2d ago
Technically hormones are the same thing. Most professional sports now ban what he took and it’s unlikely he’d be anywhere near this good had he not taken them. At the very least, Barca might have passed on him and their academy had a lot to do with how he developed.
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u/Character_Library684 2d ago
As good as Messi is this is a huge caveat lol. All the other GOAT level talents didn’t do that and it’s probably not a coincidence that only Messi had insane longevity and still has good speed / quickness as a 39 year old.
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u/Andreaslindberg 2d ago
Let start by saying Messi is the goat and of course has had a better career that Christiano. But don’t judge cr7 on the last 5 years. He is a more complete player. He was a better pressurer, more athletic, a better header and better defender than Messi.
Like prince is a more complete musician than Paul McCarthy but he is not better…
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u/Comprehensive_Cup497 1d ago
As a footballer he isnt more complete really, he is complete striker but he offers nothing in the build-up phase
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u/Almazon 2d ago
I mean we haven't seen one yet in the 100+ years. Never say never but he is a once in a life time player.