Lionel Messi is being hyped as the greatest sportsman to have played anything on this planet. But he might not even be the greatest soccer player currently playing, let alone the greatest athlete ever.
Ok, so I’m an American and we Americans are passionate about Baseball, Basketball, and Football. But our passion doesn't compare to how the rest of the world feels about Futbol. I've been to World Cup Games and Qualifiers, International Friendlies, Champions League, MLS, and Premier League games and have to say that diehard non-American-football fans decimate even the most passionate of us. Even being a man who breathes Ravens Purple, who's still affected by what happened in the AFC championship game (The Ravens were the better team), I admit my obsession doesn't begin to compare to that of the true futbol hooligans. I want to add that Green Street Hooligans is a watered down version and if you want a closer view of a true soccer fanatic watch The Football Factory.
Because of this passion, arguments can get heated pretty damn quickly. Lionel Messi, the midget magician, is currently the focal point of world sports with a Q rating higher than Lucky Leo DiCaprio. So why all the fucking attention? On March 7th, he scored 5 goals in a match, becoming the first player ever to do this in a Champions League game. Of course the hobbit followed up this monumental achievement a few weeks later by becoming the leading scorer in FC Barcelona History, one of the most prestigious soccer clubs in the world. He surpassed the previous record of 232 goals held by Cesar Rodriguez. By the way, Cesar achieved this in 13 years while Messi achieved it in a meager 8. Finally, last week Messi became the first player since Gerd Muller in the 1973 campaign to score 60 goals in a single European season. This man is like iron and could be truly the best player to ever play the game. This is why he is finally in the same discussion as the elite.
So Messi has been compared to Pele who is believed to be the best player to grace a beautifully manicured football pitch. Following him would be Maradona. Then everybody else. After Messi retires, as long as he works to lift his game on the international level he should be in the same discussion as these two, no doubt. There are starting to be rumblings over whether he is the greatest athlete of all time in any sport and while it depends on how he finishes his career, he's on the right track. Right now the best athletes in the history of professional athletics are listed below by their sports.
Futbol: Pele
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Hockey: Wayne Gretzky
Baseball: Babe Ruth
Football: Jerry Rice
Swimming: Michael Phelps
Golf: Jack Nicklaus
Tennis: Roger Federer
Can you possibly compare any of these athletes to each other? MJ transcended his sport en route to becoming a world icon and currently Messi is doing the same, rare even for the majority of athletes listed above. He's becoming a household name in the US, which is difficult seeing how there's such a negative stigma regarding soccer over here. Does that mean he's a better athlete than Gretzky, Pele, or Jordan? I don’t fucking think so. Is he currently the best soccer player in the world? I think so (sorry Cristiano Ronaldo), but of course there will always be doubters. For example, Pele doesn't think Messi is even the greatest futbol player today, let alone best ever. He believes that the best player in the world is a 20-year-old Brazilian who many are already saying is the second coming of, well him. After watching his highlight reel, I can understand where Pele's coming from. Honestly, I’ll probably get stoned for saying this, but Neymar might be a better overall player. Sure Messi is dominating in one of the toughest leagues in the world, but Neymar is dominating not only the Brazilian league, where he plays for Santos, but turning heads in all of South America and the rest of the world. Now, if he played on BCN’s squad, which is the best in the world even without Messi, he could potentially be a once in a lifetime player. As Bayer Leverkusen’s Coach Robin Dutt stated, “Without Messi, Barca is the best team. And with him, they are in another galaxy.” Imagine Neymar being the focal point of this team.
So what exactly has Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior done? He made his pro debut at 16 in a tough Brazilian league. He and his mohawk have set south America on fire. In 2010 he came in third for South American Player of the year at the ripe age of 17 and last year he finally won the award. He made his debut on the senior team at the age of 18 in a friendly against the US and of course he scored. Currently, he has 95 goals for his club and hasn’t even hit his prime. Let me also remind you that he's 20 and while he couldn't order a capirinha in an American bar, he's already causing havoc on other international squads.
There is no denying that Messi can put the ball way better than anyone else in the game. He might also be the toughest player to play the game as he bounces off defenders double his size like off rubber. But Neymar has some of the most amazing foot skills to grace the pitch. He's quicker, faster, taller, and more athletic than Messi and the fluidity that he plays with is one of the most beautiful things you will ever see in any sport. When watching him, my mind instantly envisions Beethoven playing the piano or Michelangelo painting. I can only compare him to such prodigious figures because, like these legends, he was simply born to do what he does. I think of the quote in Good Will Hunting where Matt Damon explains to Minnie Driver that he was just born understanding "how to play". I’m sure at some point Neymar worked at it, sure, but just watching him you can see he was born knowing how to play...futbol. Don’t get me wrong. I think Messi was born this way too, though he's also needed to work way harder than Neymar to get where he is. In fact, the only person I've truly seen play like Neymar is when I watch highlights of, well, Pele. Does this kid have the toughness and drive to go from young prodigy to a worldwide phenom like the perennial all-star Messi, though? God let’s hope so. If you have no clue who this kid is, you need to educate yo'self and watch this video below.
Seriously, get your eyes on Neymar now so someday you can tell your grandkids about watching the rise of the greatest international athlete of the 21st century. Sorry, Messi, you're great. But Neymar has the potential to be the greatest.
- Kyle
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