Lionel Messi | Joins Inter Miami (pg4111)

[Phil1]

They aren't 33 and on a long term gradual decline. I maintain there are better attacking players in the modern game now. A big deal?

Its a big fucking deal when you include Salah!! Haha!

 

[Impeccable One]

For those questioning his age, is there any reason Messi couldnt be a great PL player in to his late 30"s ? I mean we've seen it before with the likes of Sheringham. Messi looks after himself both privately and in terms of game management.

 

[Marvin]

Because of what's happening around him?

In any job there's times when you feel that if your performance drops it's time for change, he probably feels it's exactly what he needs to get his mojo back

I think people are just bored and want to argue. I have not said anything outrageous. I would like City to sign Messi. I think he's a wonderful player. Some of gradual dip maybe down to the age of the players around him.

 

[dronefromsector7G]

They aren't 33 and on a long term gradual decline. I maintain there are better attacking players in the modern game now. A big deal?

Messi would outscore either of those two in the French league even at 33.

 

[Paulmcfc2703]

They aren't 33 and on a long term gradual decline. I maintain there are better attacking players in the modern game now. A big deal?

Hang on a second let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
Neymar goals last few seasons

39 - 31 - 20 - 28 - 23 -19

Could you explain what trend you see in these stats?

 

[DontLookBackInAnger]

For those questioning his age, is there any reason Messi couldnt be a great PL player in to his late 30"s ? I mean we've seen it before with the likes of Sheringham. Messi looks after himself both privately and in terms of game management.

Law of probability, for every good player that is able to extend his career into his late 30s while maintaining a high level of performance there are twenty that don't

 

[Marvin]

For those questioning his age, is there any reason Messi couldnt be a great PL player in to his late 30"s ? I mean we've seen it before with the likes of Sheringham. Messi looks after himself both privately and in terms of game management.

No there isn't. But Messi when he wont be as good as the Messi who scored 50 goals in a league season.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I agree. Still better than almost everyone on the planet but if money's no object, I'd take a few players ahead of Messi. I think most people would do so. Who will win Ballon D'Or 2020/21? I would be amazed if Messi or Ronaldo are in the running any more. I suspect it would be Mbappe, Neymar, Lewandowski, or even Van Dijk.

I think you're getting two things mixed up Marv. There is simply no better player than Messi and he'll still be remembered as the best player in 10, 15, 20 years time.

But £200m for Mbappe might be better value if we got 10 years out of him. But he's not a better player than Messi.

 

[The1nvisibleMan]

 

[Centurions]

Are you you really trolling the board @Marvin ? Kudos, I didn't know you had it in you.

 

[Andresmessi]

Why would he do this? What benefit is it to Pep if he is to stay at Barca?

Surely he'd want Messi to be happy and help increase his chances of managerial success in the near futures.

Cos he's Pep and he's weird haha. He's said repeatedly in the press that he think Messi should never leave Barcelona. Wouldn't be surprised if he told him that too. Of course it may not happen, but it'd be classi

 

[domalino]

Because he is an absolutely fantastic player. His game has dipped and it will dip further and therefore I commit the crime of rating Mbappe and Neymar ahead of him.

But it hasn't dipped.

I think the problem is you just don't watch him play. If you watched him and Barca regularly this season you'd have seen that he was as good as ever just in a deeper position. He can score 35-40 league goals a season if he was up in the front 3 with a good midfield but Barca surrounded him with Vidal, Rakitic, Sergio Roberto.

So instead he moved deeper, became more of a creator and broke all assist records in spain whilst also scoring 26 in 32. And thats despite Suarez being genuinely past it and Griezmann playing like a fan who won a competition. Messi this season with Suarez from 2015 would have got 40 assists, that's not an exaggeration.

This is why he's leaving. He knows the team around him is holding him back and no matter how good he is, he cant make them CL contenders. If he was on the way out, he'd just sit back in Barcelona and collect his €100m next season, then the €70m loyalty fee, and in a few months he'd negotiate another 400m contract with Barcelona to see him out.

 

[Centurions]

That fence must be really uncomfortable Nev...

 

[Marvin]

Hang on a second let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
Neymar goals last few seasons

39 - 31 - 20 - 28 - 23 -19

Could you explain what trend you see in these stats?

That's a downward trend - in no small part due to injury.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Is that the rag shithouse wanker who was sports editor at the MUEN ?

If it is, he was already on our case when we were shit. I remember he always used to pick out one of our few quality players, as going to the swamp about 2 weeks before we played them or a big game. Knikladze was going there several times.

Out of all the subversive fucks trying to do City down, he is one of the originals.

This will be like having his balls chewed off by Piranha fish, but every week, for years.

Have it you ****.

 

[Centurions]

That's a downward trend - in no small part due to injury.

So a downward trend with mitigating factors then?

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

One of these threads wouldn’t be complete without a pile-in on @Marvin for declaring that our putative target is too old.

 

[The1nvisibleMan]

 

[toffee balls]

At the time of the transfers Neymar and Mbappe were better players. Messi is the best player ever but not now. He is regarded with awe but those who argued that his decline was imminent were right. We have seen that decline, however he's still a great player and the players transfer request makes a deal feasible.

The deal is also attractive for the economic and feel good factor associated with it. It would be a mission for every City player and fan for City to win trophies for Messi. It would entirely change the perception of our club across the world. The media, Klopp etc emphasise the cost but they forget that it works for barcelona in terms of revenue generation, and they don't have international clubs like the City Football Group.

Sort of agree with Mbappe but Messi will be still better than Neymar when he is 50.

 

[Silva'sGold]

Good god a caption I can't read and that picture, don't do that to me!