Brazil legend Pele recently stated that if Messi is to be considered the "best player ever", he would need to score at least 1283 goals, if not more. Currently, the 23 year old Messi's haul stands at 180.
First of all, I don't even know why Pele took time to lay out this "challenge" to the reigning 2-time "World Player of the Year". There is no doubt that Messi is arguably the top player in this generation. I don't know if I have enough compliments for this young man. It also doesn't help that Barcelona teammate Xavi hailed Messi as "the best player EVER; even better than Pele"; a comparison I find laughable at this point, considering that Xavi's trophy cabinet boasts a World Cup winner's medal, something that Messi would kill for.
Pele did however make a statement that rings true; Messi plays a lot better for club than he does for country. That is not a secret and if it was, it hasn't been hidden well. Messi has won just about everything that there is to win at the club football level, but has yet to taste success with the senior national team. He helped Argentina win the Youth World Cup in 2005, and was part of the Gold Medal team at the Beijing Olympics.
So far, he's appeared in 3 senior tournaments (2006 World Cup, 2007 Copa America & 2010 World Cup). In his first two tournaments, he was a little lower in the pecking order behind Hernan Crespo, Javier Saviola and Juan Roman Riquelme. Messi had a bigger role in the 2007 Copa America, but Riquelme was the lynchpin.
The 2010 World Cup was supposed to be Messi's masterpiece, as he was the creative mind behind an Argentina squad that despite almost missing the World Cup entirely, was playing like a juggernaut once the games began. It didn't hurt that he was the reigning "World Player of the Year" either. Not only did Argentina get stopped cold by a German team hell-bent on "world domination" (I know what you're thinking), but Messi failed to registered a goal.
Seeing that Messi's best work is done when playing for the club, I don't know that I would have much of an argument if Xavi hailed him as the best Barcelona player ever. Unlike most of his peers, he is surrounded by talent when playing for both club and country. So we can't really use "lack of talent" as an excuse.
To say that Messi is better than Maradona is a little bit of a stretch. In my lifetime, I have always known that walking in the streets of Buenos Aires, holding up a sandwich board (ala John Mclane) that says "MARADONA IS NOT THE BEST PLAYER" - simply put - will get you killed. Argentines love their football and national team, but above all else, THEY LOVE DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA!! Not only do the Argentines love him, but the Neapolitans love him too; even more than Fabio Cannavaro.
I'm not suggesting that Messi should leave Barcelona and try to prove himself at another team. He's got enough talent and would be able to succeed anywhere, but he also knows how good he's got it at Barcelona. I don't know that many people – besides Cristiano Ronaldo, who would want to give up a good thing. Plus there's only a handful of teams that would be able to pony up the cash to cover the transfer fees should Messi decide he wants to move on (I can only imagine the "buyout" clause in his contract).
Maradona on the other hand never really settled at Barcelona. Despite being acquired for £5 million (a world record fee at the time), injuries and disputes with management led to his exit after only 2 seasons. He moved to Napoli (who coughed up £6.9 million, yet another world record), and elevated the club to the most successful era in its history.
The game has changed a lot since that time. Thanks to television contracts and the money that comes with it, big clubs have gotten bigger, while smaller clubs have just faded away. We've seen highlights of Messi duplicating just about all of Maradona's famous goals, even the "Hand of God" (I'm thinking the ref just let that one slide). If there's a few clubs that could offer Messi the same type success that he currently enjoys, Napoli is not one of them (even though they had their best season in years).
Messi will once again get a starring role for Argentina as they prepare for the Copa America. Besides Brazil, Argentina's stiffest challenge could come from Uruguay and Paraguay; teams that are coming off impressive world cup campaigns. Still, you'd expect Argentina to be among the last 4 teams.
I agree that Pele has the right to speak his mind, but this is one debate he should have passed up. His record speaks for itself and there's not too many players that will come even close to touching it; not even Messi, who only needs 1 world cup to propel himself into the stratosphere.
Messi has proven his worth and deserves all the praise sent his way, but the World Cup is where legends are made and legacies are cemented. So until he can elevate himself to that next level, I'll save this discussion for another day.
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