[Football] Messi GOAT?

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Some of the geniuses of the past wouldn't make it today though... which is frankly a loss. There is very, very little room to have any type of eccentric personality in todays football. Good luck getting George Best or Paul Gascoigne or Maradona to wake up at 7 every morning, do some dull but efficient training sessions, rest all afternoon and get in bed by 21 seven days a week.

Or Robin Friday. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Friday

It will be interesting to see how Potter handles Aubameyang, another one with likely neurodivergence issues, probably undiagnosed.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Another irrational view is that great players past “wouldn’t have been able to live with the far superior modern athletes”.

Playing in their 20’s in this era, they would get the same conditioning, sports science, dietary information and sports psychology. Augmenting their footballing genius.

It isn't irrational. It is simply untestable.

Just as there are old school Brighton supporters who no longer go to the games because they can't smoke, drink and 'have bantz' (make racist comments) there are plenty of old era footballers who would simply not take to all the 'politically correct nonsense' that current players seem to embrace.

And .....we shall never know.

It is what it is.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Never rated Pele, he looks immense in the videos but his opponents look Sunday League standard.

Cruyff is not even in the conversation.

Maradona had the ability but the Peruvian Marching powder and various other afflictions meant he never achieved what he should have done.

Messi’s goal scoring record at Barca in the age of modern tactics, modern fitness levels and much, much better organised teams, tactics and defenders compared with the old fashioned game of last century is good enough for most to declare him the GOAT.

His recent exploits make it almost unarguable (unless you are going to argue for the GOAT of your era, just because you are a sentimentalist).