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Messi for me. Incredible player, not just the number of goals he's scored and trophies he's won but his ability to pick a pass nobody else even sees or glide past players with ease.
Pretty much everyone forgets that for a few years in the 1990s the original Brazilian 'fat' Ronaldo was simply brilliant and his highlights reel, IMHO, eclipses them all. I understand, of course, longevity is a factor and this is not on his side.
bluescouser
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GOAT discussion - I say Maradona on 09:23 - Dec 31 with 549 views
GOAT discussion - I say Maradona on 08:27 - Dec 31 by cbower
Pretty much everyone forgets that for a few years in the 1990s the original Brazilian 'fat' Ronaldo was simply brilliant and his highlights reel, IMHO, eclipses them all. I understand, of course, longevity is a factor and this is not on his side.
It's like everyone conveniently forgets how Pele behaved off the pitch (and occasionally on it) - there are 2 main differences between Maradona and Pele.
1 - Pele never cheated directly against England 2 - Pele played in a different period of main stream TV coverage, so his indiscretions were not as public.
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GOAT discussion - I say Maradona on 09:33 - Dec 31 with 539 views
Pele was undoubtedly a truly great player but his goalscoring record was presumably boosted by playing all his domestic football in Brazil and the US.
I also get tend to think he had less overall impact on games than Maradona and Messi who played a little deeper.
I would therefore rank Maradona and Messi above him, both of whom played exhilaratingly. And for longevity and perhaps a little more consistent play of a breath-taking nature, I would rank Messi at the top of the tree. He was probably also more of a team player than Maradona.
[Post edited 31 Dec 2025 9:46]
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GOAT discussion - I say Maradona on 09:45 - Dec 31 with 528 views
Hard to compare across generations as today's players are better than ever. I would say Messi for pure ability in the past 30 years. Cristiano is probably a more rounded player in terms of physicality, aerial ability etc but Lionel pips him for pure brilliance.
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GOAT discussion - I say Maradona on 09:48 - Dec 31 with 520 views
Marodona. His footballing grace, balance and skill were unmatched. He was also brave and incredibly strong for a smaller player. And don’t forget, he played in an era when football pitches were often in a poor state and the game was allowed to be much more physical, with opposition players constantly trying to snap him in two with horrible tackles. Those are two of the reasons why he beats messi for me. Messi played in an era of bowling green pitches and players being (quite rightly) properly protected from over the top tackles.
GOAT discussion - I say Maradona on 23:01 - Dec 30 by bsw72
I’d loved to have seen Duncan Edwards play, if he hadn’t died at Munich there’s every chance he would have been England captain for 1962 and 1966 and football history would have been quite different.
Cruyff for me. Contribution on and off the pitch was immense. Also some of Maradona’s off pitch antics left a lot to be desired. One cannot forget the ‘hand of god’ incident in 1986 - ask Terry Butcher!!
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GOAT discussion - I say Maradona on 11:00 - Dec 31 with 444 views
I can only say Messi as I have been a fan since seeing his debut as a sub in 2004. As for the rest, there was never enough footage shown on tv at the time during their careers to make a valid personal evaluation of them. And some I was either too young to appreciate them or not even born ! They are legends because of their achievements and because we are told they are GOAT status and that is enough for me. Even when Cruyff played at P.R he was pretty anonymous and left absolutely no imprint on my brain from that day. Pele's exploits in 1970 World Cup and Maradonna in 86 were very impressive but represents a tiny part of their careers. But the way Messi dragged Argentina to the world cup win in 2022 and his consistent match by match genius seals it for me. So it has to be Messi for me.
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GOAT discussion - I say Maradona on 20:24 - Dec 31 with 215 views
Take in consideration the state of that pitch at the Aztec stadium, yet the ball still stayed tightly under Maradona’s spell as he ghosted past the England players and tucked it past Shilton. He was so good in ‘86, he single-handedly took Argentina to the title. He scored some great goals in that tournament, the one against Italy in the Group Stages often gets overlooked.
All of these players were wonderful. They are why we fall in love with the game. Seeing players that can do things with a football that defy the laws of physics. As a 8 yo I watched Pele at the 1970 world cup, and was in awe. Then 4 years later, Cruyff did things I'd never seen before. Then 4 years later again, Maradona. Ronaldhino was just ridiculously talented. Players I never saw at their prime include Duncan Edwards, Puskas, Eusebio, Stanley Matthews, Lev Yashin. What a privilege to have seen some of these greats in their prime. I bl00dy love football.
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