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RedTez wrote:
I accept that as your opinion fella, I really do. But I don't think you can bring his play at international into it. If we're doing that Messi should not be mentioned in the same breath as Maradonna or Pele. He has been "meh" for Argentina. I think his international form was massively underated as it happens. .
TBF, mate, Messi is still a youngster. He has plenty of years to light-up the international scene. He looked very good at the World Cup IMO. He did everything but score a goal. He was not as dominant as he is for Barca, but still prominent.
My personal opinion is that in his peak, Scholes is as good as I've seen in a United shirt at reading the game. He did what Xavi does now (a very good comparison). A mis-conception was that Scholes was an attacking midfielder because of his shot (which for me turned out to be the one part of his game that he could've done better at - goal scoring). He never gave the ball away and always made space for himself to receive the ball. You hear a lot about a "footballers footballer" which I hate, but I can sort of understand it with Scholes. He always seemed to be available and always had a load of space. He was outstanding at that. You listed players there such as Ronaldinho who did it for 2 or 3 years at Barca then fell off a cliff. Scholes did it for a prolonged period of time. .
He read the game well, without a doubt. He also had a number of skills that he was not credited for, including his heading. I know heading wasn't his strength but was certainly a more than competent header of the ball. The point being that he was an allrounder.
As for Ronaldihno, it doesn’t matter if he did it for only a year IMO. He played at a level that could not be matched by any player at the time. We all know that Ronaldihno’s form dipped because of his lifestyle, not because he was a flash in the pan. That for me doesn’t mean you can question his ability.
I love the argument (which other people have made) of a good player in a good team. In that case, Xavi and Iniesta aren't as good as people make out as they play with each other (ooh errr) and Messi. .
It does put question marks over a players ability. Of course, it does. How often does a player look much better when they move from an average team to a big club? From my experience, United fans were not singing the praises of the likes of Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister when they played for Norwich and Boro, respectively. Yet within a few months of joining United, my mates, and the press, were telling me they are among the best defenders in the world..
I am convinced of Xavi’s ability as he basically controls the top club side and best international side in the world. Without him, the players around him, and the team, are not as effective. He’s the brains behind both teams.
I am biased when it comes to the Ginger Prince and I do not hide that, I think he is a special talent who we as a nation should be proud of. However, I don't think we will because of club allegiances, which is a shame. If he played in Spain I think he would be in your list along with Xavi and the likes.
Nothing wrong with being biased. It’s what being a supporter is about.
I would have to disagree with the claim that if he played in Spain he would be on my list. If anything, it is English players who are overrated.
