best soccer player

Originally posted by hopscotch
Can we really compare players from the 1970s to players from today?

The game has changed so much.

I think it would have been fine to do so , when adjusting to changes in the game. Still, I admit the original post called for the best in the world, not the best in world history.
For now, Messi (again, soon to be replaced by Chicharito, we will see).

Originally posted by eljefejesus
I think it would have been fine to do so , when adjusting to changes in the game. Still, I admit the original post called for the best in the world, not the best in world history.
For now, Messi (again, soon to be replaced by Chicharito, we will see).

Looks like Manchester United agrees with me.

George Best.

Originally posted by eljefejesus
I think it would have been fine to do so , when adjusting to changes in the game. Still, I admit the original post called for the best in the world, not the best in world history.
For now, Messi (again, soon to be replaced by Chicharito, we will see).

The thread originator simply asked "who is the best soccer player in the world" which would obviously mean the current best player and not the all time best player because he used the word "is" and not the word "was". I am well aware of that.

NEVERTHELESS, I am wondering if you can compare players from the olden days to players from today. There has been quite a lot of debate about Messi being the best player of all time, and a lot of footballing and news sites have put polls up asking who the best player of all time is, including Messi in the list, and Messi usually wins those polls.

There are better pitches now, much stricter referees, the ball itself is lighter, formations have changed from having five forwards to having four defenders.

If you could take Maradona or Pele at the top of their form and put them in big league game today, I don't think they'd be as successful as Messi.

Originally posted by hopscotch
The thread originator simply asked "who is the best soccer player in the world" which would obviously mean the current best player and not the all time best player because he used the word "is" and not the word "was". I am well aware of that.

NEVERTHELESS, I am wondering if you can compare players from the olden days to players from today. ...[text shortened]... m and put them in big league game today, I don't think they'd be as successful as Messi.

Although I agree with much of what you write here, as mentioned in the last post, about the nature of the question and that a player from back then couldn't compete in today's leage, you can still compare and adjust for each time. I know that is a different question, such as "who is the best player of their time" but you can compare if you adjust for the differences during the different eras.

I maintain Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is going to shock the world.

Originally posted by hopscotch
There are better pitches now, much stricter referees, the ball itself is lighter, formations have changed from having five forwards to having four defenders.

All those points except the last actually benefit Messi. There were also no yellow cards when Pele was around. You could kick him all day (and many teams did) and he had to take it in stride. I wonder how modern footballers would feel about that.

Originally posted by Palynka
All those points except the last actually benefit Messi. There were also no yellow cards when Pele was around. You could kick him all day (and many teams did) and he had to take it in stride. I wonder how modern footballers would feel about that.

That's a very good point Palynka about the yellow and red cards.
Georgie Best used to get clobbered every week too.

For my money, it's extremely difficult to compare past and present - there are too many opinions involved, and today's football is on tv a hell of a lot more than the 60's, 70's and 80's...

For what it's worth, I'd say Bestie 'was' the greatest (but such a shame he never played on a world stage), and currently it's the flip of a coin between Messi and Christiano Ronaldo...

i really don't think you can compare the players of different eras. there are too many differences to take into account. if you're talking about attacking players how good was he defenders of that time? what were the pitches like? the referring of the game... the list goes on and on, it's impossible.

cantona was good, romario better, george best 😛

lame puns aside, messi.