Lionel Messi Thread

[Edi]

Well all I know is that until couple of years ago tests could not discover any trace of injected HGH(and it is detectable by blood sample and not urine now)

As for Messi the issue is debatable because they were prolly injecting him when he was a kid and the rules are kinda more relaxed before you turn into a pro...

After that tests showed he is clean or the treatment was finished. I guess Barca found some hole in the system and used it in their benefit.

Still this doesn't changes my opinion about Messi that he is an awsome footballer...

[Az.]

Uefa are just a bunch of hypocrites and we all know it.They turn a blind eye every time something goes wrong at team that they care about.(i.e teams that get them a shit load of cash )

Anyway Messi is a good player and nuff said .Btw wasn't the law that ban growth hormones introduced right after Messi turned pro ?

[Madridista]

Messi runs around one of the worst defences in the world and people make it the 8th world wonder. Madrid has beaten those headless chickens 6-0. Jeez.

Messi is a one trick pony (among all the horses lol). Alright two, if you add the diving.

[Az.]

Originally Posted by Madridista

Messi runs around one of the worst defences in the world and people make it the 8th world wonder. Madrid has beaten those headless chickens 6-0. Jeez.

Messi is a one trick pony (among all the horses lol). Alright two, if you add the diving.

Messi has raped MAdrid a lot of times ,and Madrid play against the same defenses Barca play in La Liga.Your post is ******ed ,but then again you do support Madrid so no surprises there.

P.S: I dont give a flying fuck about either teams in case that`s not clear.

[akewander]

Originally Posted by madtherchot

I wonder what he would've been without all those drugs + growth hormones injected into him. Barca's lab hamster seems to be doing well right now ... but IMO its a bit of a hypocrisy having Mutu banned for taking anti-obese medication, while Barca went the whole nine yards with their Lil Prick and get praised for it.

growth hormones doesnt affect a persons sporting performance all it does is increase muscle size,so saying that messi became unstoppable because of growth hormones is wrong.all it does is up you in physical strength.

i dont know if it is illegal or not and the fifa governing body decides that but its a hormone made naturally in the body.
so saying that his performance was made unstoppable because of hime being administred GH is wrong only his physical strength ahd height could have changed.

[Wild]

Originally Posted by Milano84

I bet I could mark messi out of a game. But I couldn't to say....cronaldo. Overrated


Edit: just so its clear. By mark out I mean take out/injury horribly.

I imagine u doing like -- > ManU's sig ROFL
I dont dare to say who is better between CR7 & Messi , it might go both way with #1 & #2 of best players.
And dont know about drugs but maybe CR7 used some
Barca > Madrid.

[dev1L]

Spanish Inquisition: Lionel Messi - Are We Watching The Greatest Player In History?

Goal.com's Cyrus C. Malek asks whether we are bearing witness to unequaled greatness in Barcelona's Lionel Messi...

Yes. But for those few doubters, I herein present my case:

Throughout the pages of time we have been treated to some of the greatest players to grace a football pitch. These players are widely regarded as heroes, the closest we have come to realising our childhood dreams of Superman, Spiderman, or Batman.

So exceptional are their exhibitions of extraordinary talent and skill that they have been elevated to legendary status as fathers nostalgically tell their sons where they were in 1958 when a 17-year-old Pele deftly flicked and then volleyed home against Sweden or in 1986 when Diego Maradona wove through the England national team. They make seasoned defenders who have devoted their lives to becoming lauded professionals at their respective positions look like nothing more than panicked children - and not just once or twice, but with stunning regularity.

Maradona, Pele, Di Stefano, Beckenbauer, Platini, Baggio, Cruyff, and many more players whose last names alone are sufficient in jogging fond memories were, without a doubt, legends of their time. But fuelled by the power and riches of global commercialisation, the modern age of football now boasts defenders that are bigger, faster, stronger, more skilled, and more tactically intelligent than those that faced players of even 10 or 15 years ago. Today, players are developed from every end of the earth and the football talent pool has become an ocean of players who have become much more specialised in their trade. One wonders if such last names would have been so easily recognised in today’s game.

Today we have our own legends - contemporary idols the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Wayne Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo who have climbed to the height of footballing glory. But while there is no denying what these players have contributed in their careers in making football look like a beautiful dance, there is one player who, despite only being 22 years old, is beginning to tower above them all.

Ironically, that towering figure was originally thought to be too small for competitive football because of a growth hormone deficiency. Standing at just 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in), Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has become the face of footballing legend. Where Zeus was the god of the sky, Poseidon the god of the sea, Hades the god of the Underworld, and Apollo the god of the sun, the ancient Greeks, given the choice of players in history until today, would have chosen Messi as their God of football.

You and I are witnessing history. With a style that initially elicited a likeness to Maradona but has now become all his own, Messi is unstoppable. In dribbling, the ball seems tethered to his boot as he manages to zig-zag through defences and cut past players with his patented stop-start bursts of acceleration, creating and exploiting space that no one else on the pitch or in front of the television can see or could have imagined. His low centre of gravity, long thought to be his biggest flaw among defenders far stronger than he, has become his biggest asset, as despite his stature, he is nearly impossible to catch off balance and acquit of possession.

Once he gets going, the little Argentine leaves opposing defenders, and for that matter opposing fans, with their hearts in their throats and little more than their prayers that he not score. Bamboozling defenders left and right and wrong-footing keepers, it is a wonder Messi has not broken an ankle of those who try to keep pace with his trickery.

There are a number of players who demand the marking of at least two defenders and the attention of an entire defence. Cristiano Ronaldo consistently elicits panic in a backline when the ball is at his feet. In the Premier League, just two years after the record was set, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney is on pace to break Ronaldo’s mark of 42 goals in a season. But anyone who has seen Messi play, regardless of team partiality, cannot help but admit that 'La Pulga' is operating on a plane all his own.

Winning third, second, and then finally first last year in the Ballon d’Or voting, Messi’s ascension to the very top of the world stage has been well documented. Few can forget his reproduction of Maradona’s 1986 Goal of the Century in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe three years ago when he was just 19 years old at the time. Dispelling any doubt of his ability to perform in big matches, Messi iced the Champions League final last season with a goal against Rooney and Ronaldo’s Manchester United... on a header no less.

This season, the number one player in the Castrol Rankings has continued to score decisive goals, giving Barca their sixth consecutive title at the Club World Cup with his goal in extra time. In La Primera, he is the Pichichi (leading scorer) and in the past seven days, he has scored eight goals. If he continues at the same pace in the remaining 11 La Liga fixtures that remain in the season, he will shatter Hugo Sanchez/Telmo Zarra’s Primera record of 38 goals in a season.

But what makes Messi definitively better than all his contemporaries and all that came before him is not just what he does offensively, but what he does in defence. When coach Pep Guardiola arrived at Barca, he told his Argentinean star, “You are already the best player in the world with the ball – now you must be the best without it”.

The extra work has yielded exponentially great returns. Aside from scoring goals and ravaging defensive schemes, Messi can be seen sprinting all over the pitch in defence, the first to blaze forward to pressure opposing goalkeepers, defenders, and midfielders, and even backtracking deep into his own half to harass forwards in an effort recover possession for his team. All around, there is no player on the planet like Lionel Messi and his teammates seem to agree.

Just one week ago, after Messi scored a hat trick to crush Valencia’s hopes of taking away points from a well-fought match, Blaugrana goalkeeper Victor Valdes voiced his admiration for his small-in-stature teammate. "Messi is already the best player in the world, but he could become the greatest footballer in history”, said Valdes. Yesterday after Messi scored his second consecutive La Liga hat trick against Zaragoza, Barca president Joan Laporta declared that Messi was the best of all time. “He is the best player in the world and in history. Along with Cruyff and Maradona, he is the best Barca has ever had”, said the supremo.

While one does not become the best in history in the course of a single week of hat tricks, Valdes and Laporta’s declarations are no less credible. The simple objective truth is that given his age, skill, personal accolades, and team trophies, Messi is very much near or at the top of footballing history.

However, there is one element that keeps Messi’s unchallenged claim as the best footballer in history in question: World Cup glory. Some attribute his inability to perform with the Argentina national team to a lack of supporting players that he has at Barcelona, some attribute it to a change in position, and some chalk it up to Diego Maradona’s ineptitude as a coach.

Whatever the case may be, Messi has been unable to make the same impact for his country as he has very firmly stamped with his club. In what is rumoured to be an attempt to expose him to a variety of positions so that he can adapt to different roles with the Albiceleste, Guardiola has given Messi more responsibility at Barca than his customary right-wing role, playing him as a centre striker, on the left, and even as a midfielder.

To cement his place as the best footballer to have graced the face of planet Earth, Messi must lead Argentina team to a World Cup title. Whether he does that this summer in South Africa, when he is 26, or when he is 30 remains to be seen. But for a player of such immeasurable talent, it can only be a matter of time before he puts the final piece in place and achieves unparalleled glory - and all of it with a boyish grin and humble praise for his teammates.

With the vast sums of money spent on scouting new talents, more and more often are reports coming to light that tout a youngster to become the next Maradona, the next Pele, the next Zidane, the next Ronaldo (both the Brazilian and the Portuguese). But at just 22 years old, we haven’t even begun to see the next Messi. The ‘Messishow’ is just getting started and when it is done, it will go down as the greatest in footballing history (if it has not done so already).

Prepare your television recorders; players like Messi come once in a lifetime and your children will want to see that which we have the luxury of enjoying firsthand today.

[ladro]

Awsome player no doubt. Overrated trough the edge of the galaxy but awsome. Shame he sucks in Argentina.

Watched the zaragoza game. Send Oddo there. Hell become the maicon of Laliga in no time.

[Senatore_M84]

Originally Posted by Wet Ones

The footballing world, like the rest of the sports world, is corrupt. This is fact. Be it Barca or be it Milan.

Having said that, I'm with Mad (sort of) on this one.

Diego gets his first ever ban for having a 'recreational' drug. Something that has ZERO effect on his physicality (in terms of speed, strenght etc.). Then in 1994 he gets banned once again. I'm not sure how many of you know what exactly he got banned for.

kind of wrong, on diego. Cocaine can enhance performance easily... It could also give you a heart attack. Like all uppers it gave him much increased energy and concentration... Thats assuming he took it before during games which was report. If he was just partying night before and playing hungover... different story.

Howeverthere is no denying it ultimately will ruin ur body and shut u down earlier...

They found traces of 'Ephdera' in his body. FUCKING EPHEDRA which, up until a few years ago, was available over the counter in the US and was taken by almost every pro athelete in the world! So it's illegal when Diego takes it (although he said it was in an energy drink that was given to him - very possible), then it gets legalized because it benefits pro atheletes (and regular ppl as it became the NUMBER ONE weight loss supplement - stacked with Caffeine & Asprin), then banned again because some stupid American Football fuckhead dies after taking more than he should have.

It was known banned substance when diego got caught though in 1994....And like cocaine, has similar effects. Do i needa find the youtube clip of his eyes?

Back to Messi. From what I understand, he took HGH. Human Growth Hormone which occurs in the body naturally. His body wasn't producing enough, so he was supposedly injecting himself with it. He couldn't afford to keep doing it and somehow a Barcelona scout noticed him, went gaga, and promised to keep paying for his 'treatment' as long as he signed up for them. Not sure how true/accurate all this is.

yeah, i actually have a friend who had similar thing. I need to ask him, but basically he had issue w/ his pituitary gland and couldnt naturally grow during puberty. Had to get shots atleast once a week. But he's not a small guy he's almost 6ft tall. Whats interesting to e is messi is still a midget.

For me the HGH argument would hold a little more ground IF messi was a physical specimen like CR7 or drogba.

Now here's the bullshit part. I'm not sure how many of you have noticed the sudden changes in ppl like Timbaland, Dr. Dre and of course Sly still looking fit as ever. All HGH. It's illegal. Unless prescribed. And it's prescribed in VERY RARE cases. Was Messi prescribed it?

Yeah but they aren't professional athletes. 50 cent getting jacked on HGH doesn't make him a better rapper (to me anyway)

And some people say it's part of the human body so it shouldn't really be illegal. Well so is Nandralone (what Davidz got banned for). And that is illegal.


Unfortunately this is a bazillion dollar industry. When someone gets signed up to an 80+ Million dollar contract before even playing his first professional game (Lebron James) you wonder what the world has come to

HEY leave Lebron out of it. He is the best in the world (unquestionablE) and MAY (loosely) go on to be better than jordan. He is actually a case of meeting his hype.

[Wet Ones]

Originally Posted by Milano84

kind of wrong, on diego. Cocaine can enhance performance easily... It could also give you a heart attack. Like all uppers it gave him much increased energy and concentration... Thats assuming he took it before during games which was report. If he was just partying night before and playing hungover... different story.

I doubt he took any right before the game. I seriously doubt it.

Originally Posted by Milano84

It was known banned substance when diego got caught though in 1994....And like cocaine, has similar effects. Do i needa find the youtube clip of his eyes?

That's my point. How idiotic and hypocritical is it for him to be banned for a substance in a country where that same substance became one of the biggest selling 'legal' supplements????

And what are you on about with the eyes? Have you ever taken Ephedra? If you are referring to dilated pupils, Ephedra has no such effect on you. I used to take it regularly.

Originally Posted by Milano84

Yeah but they aren't professional athletes. 50 cent getting jacked on HGH doesn't make him a better rapper (to me anyway)

My point was that their sudden changes (extreme fat loss, increased muscle mass) in physicality was a direct result of HGH. which brings me to this:

Originally Posted by akewander

growth hormones doesnt affect a persons sporting performance all it does is increase muscle size,so saying that messi became unstoppable because of growth hormones is wrong.all it does is up you in physical strength.

And THAT doesn't affect sporting performance?

Originally Posted by Milano84

HEY leave Lebron out of it. He is the best in the world (unquestionablE) and MAY (loosely) go on to be better than jordan. He is actually a case of meeting his hype.

Yes he's met his hype, but that amount for ANYONE before even playing their first professional game is ridiculous.

[Senatore_M84]

Originally Posted by Wet Ones

I doubt he took any right before the game. I seriously doubt it.

could be wrong. Thought he admitted it. He was addicted, wouldn't surprise me one bit.....

Originally Posted by Wet Ones

That's my point. How idiotic and hypocritical is it for him to be banned for a substance in a country where that same substance became one of the biggest selling 'legal' supplements????

Right but if it was banned by fifa, thats all that matters..... MArijuana is not illegal in british colombia but if u tested positive for it @ winter olympics you would lose ur medal...

Originally Posted by Wet Ones

And what are you on about with the eyes? Have you ever taken Ephedra? If you are referring to dilated pupils, Ephedra has no such effect on you. I used to take it regularly.

look at his eyes:


(great goal btw)



His eyes r popping out of his head

My point was that their sudden changes (extreme fat loss, increased muscle mass) in physicality was a direct result of HGH. which brings me to this:



And THAT doesn't affect sporting performance?

I see your point. I didn't disagree, just saying messi is not the hulk.

Yes he's met his hype, but that amount for ANYONE before even playing their first professional game is ridiculous.

Different discussion, you and i both know those contracts r given for MARKETING. At 18 he was 1 of biggest deals in usa. Look at tiger woods; he is same golfer he was (best) but lost all his endorsements, cause he's less marketable...

Although those nike contracts r indirectly correlated to performance, it's all based on marketability which (to a different but football related point) is why ronaldinho and beckham r still 2 of highest paid athletes in world based on endorsement

[crazy4milan]

I remember reading that back in Napoli, Moggi told them (Maradona and co.) they could do all the shit they wanted from Monday till Wednesday (or Thursday), but they had to behave the rest of the days, supposly that way for game time, their urine was going to be clean.

[Senatore_M84]

Originally Posted by crazy4milan

I remember reading that back in Napoli, Moggi told them (Maradona and co.) they could do all the shit they wanted from Monday till Wednesday (or Thursday), but they had to behave the rest of the days, supposly that way for game time, their urine was going to be clean.

I don't buy he ever had control of Maradonna. And I also don't think he cared as long as they were winning. He had a serious addiction issue, people like that can't just go clean thurs- sun. He's never been a guy to demonstrate 'personal discipline'

[akewander]

Originally Posted by Wet Ones

And THAT doesn't affect sporting performance?
.

that are alot more factors involved physical strength is just one of them. so saying that messi became unstoppable because of him being administered GH is just stupid, i could take GH for the rest of my life still wouldn't make me the footballer messi is.
and it wasn't as if messi was administered it for the fun, he needed it, his pituitary gland wasn't making enough.
also if u read recent studies they cast doubts on GH Having an affect on an athletes performance.

[dev1L]

[akewander]

Originally Posted by dev1L

did messi steal ronaldinhos shin pads or were they just signed by ronaldinho r what exactly where they talking about?????

[adriancg]

As good as Messi is, calling him the best of all time is pushing it.

[dev1L]

it's crazy..week ago against valencia 'he could become one of the greatest players' and now scores 3 goals against zaragoza, did some dribbling and he's the greatest..lol

[crazy4milan]

The first goal against Zaragoza was quite ridiculous (as in horrible defense and kepper) from the start to the end.

[Sasha]

Originally Posted by Milano84

I bet I could mark messi out of a game.

Nah you're too fat. I think I could though. I have NO skills but I am fast. No way will he get past me.