i agree rhodejim but how many people have used the arguement about not tracking back to describe ronaldo, berbatov, ronaldhino etc as bad? messi v ronaldo is in my opinion the only debate for worlds best and messi is winning these days but dont forget messis been at the same club for 6 years and ronaldos only settling in a new league. BUT im not saying that makes a difference right now because messi will be world player of the yr again and he deserves it

speedy12 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 592 - 07/04/2010 15:29:25    610834

and messi has been the better player for 6 years. different class. always has been. its just disgraceful that some primmadonna nobody was actually compared to this genius. ronaldo was built up by the media as a celebrity like beckham. messi kept his head down. all the exposure ronaldo got does have an influence on people opinions of who's better. some 14 year old kid is gonna be inclined to say he thinks ronaldo is better because of the celebirty image, shiny boots, "useless uneffective pointless) stepovers etc. messi always had a superior ratio to ronaldo while being 3 years younger. it still baffles me how ronaldo was ever compared to messi. players like kaka, ronaldinho yes.......but ronaldo? your having a laugh. good goalscorer (inferior goal rate to messi), but so is forlan.

a champions league tie is 180 minutes master. messi took the game by the scruff of the neck (something ronaldos never done) and won it for his team.

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4165 - 07/04/2010 17:56:04    611061

and juan, its fc barcelona

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4165 - 07/04/2010 17:56:44    611064

Lads, wake up. Rooney has a history of kicking people, diving into rash challenges, stamping, tackling with his studs up, berating officials, etc. Luckily for him referees in England largely turn a blind eye and let him away with it. He is of course the darling of the English media who can never say a bad word about him and put it down to "committment".

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 07/04/2010 18:31:06    611114

i disagree rhodejim, couldnt you also apply that logic to messi last night? With him being a winger what was he doing in around the goals? He was in there because he can offer something in there, its part of his game, just as part of rooney's game is his ability to win ball off opposing players.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 07/04/2010 18:34:31    611116

nocky
County: Wexford
Posts: 1852

611114
Lads, wake up. Rooney has a history of kicking people, diving into rash challenges, stamping, tackling with his studs up, berating officials, etc. Luckily for him referees in England largely turn a blind eye and let him away with it. He is of course the darling of the English media who can never say a bad word about him and put it down to "committment".

Fair enough, not sure what question that is the answer to though?

he's starting tonight btw

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12408 - 07/04/2010 19:03:29    611147

Breffni39
County: Cavan
Posts: 2554

nocky
County: Wexford
Posts: 1852

Lads, wake up. Rooney has a history of kicking people, diving into rash challenges, stamping, tackling with his studs up, berating officials, etc. Luckily for him referees in England largely turn a blind eye and let him away with it. He is of course the darling of the English media who can never say a bad word about him and put it down to "committment".

Fair enough, not sure what question that is the answer to though?...........Not sure why this sentence requires a question mark at the end, as it isn't a question. My post was in response to the biased Man Utd fanboys who don't accept that Rooney has a disciplinary problem.

he's starting tonight btw.........Great news for United fans, but it just reinforces what a one-man team they really are. I'm going to wait and see how his ankle holds up before I go and buy him back for my fantasyfootball team.

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 07/04/2010 19:13:41    611161

Who are these Utd fanboys? The question is who is the better footballer Rooney or Messi, if you cant see past his discipline, then perhaps you are not best placed to make a balanced suggestion.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12408 - 07/04/2010 19:18:50    611166

Messi has dived on several occasions to cheat the referee, the supporters and the game. Therefore Rooney has to be the best player.

Is this how its done? I think I'm finally getting the hang of this discussion game. I think Rooney is the best player in the world personally, but I'll go for Rooney seeing as the standards have been laid out

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12408 - 07/04/2010 19:22:26    611169

Ur right nocky, a one man team, i mean imagine he scored four goals tonight in a 4-1 win, the anti-utd boys would have a field day...

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 07/04/2010 19:23:27    611171

Freudian slip there wha?

Meant to say: "I think Messi is the best player in the world personally, but I'll go for Rooney seeing as the standards have been laid out"

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12408 - 07/04/2010 19:28:52    611174

master, was it no only 3 days ago your were implying xavi and iniest were better.

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4165 - 07/04/2010 19:29:12    611175

Can't believe Rooney starts. This will backfire I am sure of it. BTW this is the team he should have started with in the first leg, maybe changing Gibson for Park.

P.S. As big a United fan as I am, Messi is the best in the world by whatever size of a country mile you want

omaghredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 3656 - 07/04/2010 19:44:04    611188

Sure Rooney doesn't dive either Breffni, not according to the English media anyway. He's just being clever when he falls over to win penalties.

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 07/04/2010 19:49:51    611195

07/04/2010 19:23:27
TheMaster
County: Mayo
Posts: 1961

611171
Ur right nocky, a one man team, i mean imagine he scored four goals tonight in a 4-1 win, the anti-utd boys would have a field day...
______________

I do think Messi is the best player in the world, but feel you are going overboard in your praise of him Master when you describe Barcelona as a one man team.

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 07/04/2010 19:52:59    611197

Im implying neither are a one man team, but merely pointing out how people calling utd a one man team because rooney plays out of his skin can also be applied in other scenarios, it just depends on the bias you have while watching a game...

And 32, yes xavi is barcelona's best player, without him they wouldnt be the team they are, he is their heartbeat. He controlled the game last night and gave messi the platform he needed.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 07/04/2010 21:13:09    611261

so then obviously ronaldo wasnt the best player in the world while at unitd then master in 08 when you argued he was? are you about to go back on months and months of argueing that he was the best player in the world or be a hypocrite again?. when ronaldo gets the goals he's the best, but when messi does it he's not. its the playmaker. so why not apply that logic to uniteds playmakers like scholes etc. HYPOCRITE

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4165 - 07/04/2010 21:53:48    611298

I dont see how xavi being barcelona's best player automatically means that all creative central midfield players are also the best player for every club. So no that's not what i am saying.

More to the point, I thought you told us that messi was barca's playmaker? Wears number 10, has to be the playmaker? So how is xavi now doing it?

But the best of the lot, messi is now doing exactly what ronaldo did when he won the player of the year, i.e. drifing onto the last man, moving beyond the strikers, scoring more goals etc., in fact you could argue he has copied him. So do the 2500 odd posts you wrote stating that ronaldo was useless and only scored goals now also apply to messi?

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 08/04/2010 13:49:46    611696

again twisting everything. you used to come on here and post about how goals were everything and the guy who gets the most is then the most important etc. you would go on rants about how ronaldo was so brilliant because of all this and how he could score from anywhere. when messi scores more from deeper positions the rules change.

messi is one of the playmakers. his passing, vision and creativity is brilliant. look at barcas second goal v arsenal for a recent example. he gave the killer ball again. messis never even on the right anymore. john giles was also point this out last wednesday an how hsi vision and creativity go unnoticed. he's now an attacking mid/playmaker. he helped dictate the game with xavi through the centre in the last game. although he'll drift everywhere from left back to of the last defenders shoulder. ronaldo was always a right winger and never drifted. he's now an out and out striker and still doesnt drift. messis a playmaker. deal with it

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4165 - 08/04/2010 15:00:20    611818

Messi scored one goal from just outside the box , and that one was right on the edge. He was repeatedly running off the last man getting balls played through to him. Isnt that what strikers do? I have no problem with messi doing this at all, fair play to him, I am however, trying to point out that by ur very own reasoning, if ronaldo is a striker then so is messi.

Im not twisting anything, i am just pointing out the gaps in ur argument. For instance, you went to great lengths to inform us that the playmaker wears number 10. Now u are saying there are multiple playmakers. So what happens with the number 10? And this time could you actually answer the question?

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 08/04/2010 19:44:35    612302