Weirdo

@kemimoo4 Messi for me was the GOAT even before the 2022 WC win but for casuals who don't understand football I think winning the world cup again will tilt the balance in his favor and make him undoubtedly the greatest. Besides, a player like Messi deserves at least 2 World Cup.

Do messi need second the world cup to establish himself as Tje Greatest of all time yes or no ?

@Encu5Futbol De Paul, Molina and Macallister need replacing

¿A quiénes NO pondrían de arranque frente a Inglaterra? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

@barca_supremacy If Scaloni was coaching the Argentina national team from 2010 onwards Messi would have won 4 World Cup trophies

“What’s the biggest ‘what if’ in football history? 👀

@whyteknight07 Also in an era wherein there are detailed video footage of each player and 100s of analysts finding weaknesses in your game or ways to stop you, it's unbelievable that for 20 years and counting nobody has been able to stop Messi

@whyteknight07 Messi better than Maradona in my book - whilst Maradona of course had to ride tougher tackles, Messi had to deal with faster and more athletic defenders than Maradona. Besides the longevity and consistency of Messi is unparalleled.

Messi is an absolute great, but Maradona will remain the greatest. They kicked him for fun, there was no foul called, but Maradona got up and said- Let me show you Football. He was high on Cocaine half the time and still played like a God

@kemimoo4 Yeah desparately need a hattrick today to secure the golden boot - World Cup Golden boot is the only individual trophy which eludes Messi - need to lock that one down

What if messi scores hattrick today against switzerland 😂

@LaPulgaZone I want Norway to win - I think Argentina are better equipped to handle Norway as they play possesion-based football. Teams like England which can counter with pace are more difficult to deal with.

Messi nation who are we today ?

@TweetinderKaul In cricket Lara, Sachin, Dravid, Ponting never disrespected each other and in tennis Roger, Nadal and Djoker had healthy competition. But in football this manchild @Cristiano could never digest the fact that Messi was twice the player he was and always threw barbs at him.

The derangment that comes with the problem of actually competing with the true GOAT while knowing in your heart that you can't actually compete with true GOAT. Ronaldo would have been venerated as the absolute king of the sport if he were more dignified.

@LoyalSachinFan Theoretically Spain is the only team which can beat France. Not sure they will but only the can.

@whyteknight07 My belief is Argentina can't beat France but they can beat Spain but Spain is the only team which can beat France

France vs Spain is the blockbuster semifinal FIFA would have hoped ki final hota. It pretty much is. Whoever wins that is lifting the World Cup

@whyteknight07 Zidane by some distance

Who is the greatest ever French player - Platini - Zizou - Henry - Mbappe

@Footy_VAR @piersmorgan @IanWright0 @GNev2 tagging all TV guys who spend hours manufacturing a non-existent Messi-Ronaldo debate - Ronaldo not fit to be mentioned in the same sentence with Messi @Cristiano

📊| Messi vs Ronaldo — in major international tournament knockouts: 🇦🇷 Messi — 33 G/A 🇵🇹 Ronaldo — 6 G/A The difference. 😳🐐

@FCBJimmy_ Had he converted his 2 penalties and played for 90 minutes against Jordan, he would have 12 goals by now. But my greatest wish is that he wins the World Cup again. That will mean much more than even a goal record.

Pessi nation, can we do this?

@danilerer Beautifully written and so apt. I see most former footballers pick Maradona ahead of Messi simply because he was a troubled hero. Messi being a simple family man away from controversies doesn't fascinate them enough and they end up underrating him. Messi is by far the greatest.

Messi: El último genio de un fútbol que ya no existe Por Dani Lerer Durante años, Argentina se dedicó a juzgar a Lionel Messi. Le pedimos que fuera Maradona, que gritara más, que mostrara otra personalidad y que cargara sobre sus hombros las frustraciones de un país entero. Nunca entendimos que estábamos viendo algo mucho más excepcional: el final de una era. Messi es el último gran genio nacido en un fútbol que todavía pertenecía a la cancha y no a los algoritmos. El último ídolo que se construyó a través del talento y la constancia, antes de que las redes sociales convirtieran cada partido en un juicio permanente y cada gesto en una batalla cultural. Debutó cuando Twitter todavía no dominaba nuestras vidas, cuando Instagram ni siquiera existía y cuando un mal partido no se transformaba instantáneamente en millones de memes. Creció en una época en la que las leyendas todavía tenían tiempo para equivocarse. Hoy, las nuevas estrellas viven bajo una presión distinta. Son futbolistas, pero también marcas, influencers y productores de contenido. Cada palabra es analizada, cada reacción se convierte en tendencia y cada derrota es amplificada por una maquinaria digital que no conoce la paciencia. Messi atravesó esa transformación sin cambiar su esencia. Mientras el fútbol se volvía cada vez más ruidoso, él siguió siendo el mismo. Nunca necesitó escándalos, frases grandilocuentes ni personajes construidos. Se limitó a hacer algo que parece simple, pero que se volvió extraordinario: jugar al fútbol. Y quizás por eso muchos tardaron tanto en comprenderlo. Porque Argentina siempre tuvo una fascinación por los héroes imperfectos, por las personalidades explosivas, por las historias épicas llenas de excesos. Messi era otra cosa. Su liderazgo era silencioso. Su respuesta a las críticas nunca fue una conferencia de prensa. Siempre fue una asistencia, un gol o una nueva copa. Durante años le exigimos que fuera alguien distinto. El tiempo terminó haciendo lo suyo. No fue Messi quien cambió para satisfacer a los argentinos. Fuimos los argentinos quienes, finalmente, aprendimos a entender a Messi. Y quizás ahí resida su grandeza más profunda. Porque cuando se retire no solamente se irá el mejor futbolista de todos los tiempos. También se retirará el último gran ídolo de una época en la que las leyendas todavía se construían con paciencia, lejos del vértigo permanente y de la dictadura del instante. Después de Messi vendrán otros cracks. Habrá jugadores más virales, más mediáticos y más comerciales. Pero tal vez nunca volvamos a ver a alguien que, durante más de veinte años, haya dejado que hablara únicamente la pelota. Porque Lionel Messi no es solamente un fenómeno irrepetible. Es el último genio de un fútbol que ya no existe.

@WeAreTheOverlap @IanWright0 @GNev2 Also look at the arguments that they make - it's all sentiments and nostalgia - not one singular argument as to why Maradona was better..who makes these guys pundits. @IanWright0 says Maradona was a genius so what Leo Messi is a genius too

@WeAreTheOverlap @IanWright0 Honestly @GNev2 @IanWright0 are all terrified of hurting CR7's sentiment. Otherwise how can anyone with 2 eyes even put Cristiano in the same debate with Messi.

Argentina keep marching on! 🇦🇷 Would another World Cup finally settle the GOAT debate once and for all? 🐐

@WeAreTheOverlap It is almost like @IanWright0 doesn't understand football. Messi was clear of @Cristiano by 2012. And look at @GNev2 - in 2012 he was saying Messi was the greatest ever and now he is putting Maradona and CR7 in the debate when Messi has gone on to achieve so much more since 2012

@whyteknight07 Yes man, making seemingly easier games on paper into absolute thrillers .... emotional rollercoaster

What a stunning comeback, but can Argentina win a match normally? Some of us are heart patients

@TweetinderKaul Scaloni should have called Emi Buendia for this World Cup - of course nowhere close to Di Maria but he is a player who can dribble and create chances as well as provide some width. I reckon against the likes of England/France/Spain, Argentina will miss not having a classic winger

Argentina is such an interesting team. Not since Di Maria (and that was a heckuva long time ago) have we heard of an Argentine winger of note. So they play with 4 midfielders and yet create width because of Messi's discretionary roll and the ability of Enzo and the full backs. It also allows them to create width by going in to put from higher up the field this dragging the defense out wide in unexpected ways. But more than that with the genius of Licha Martinez on the ball, the aforementioned 4 midfielders and Messi, they are able to play short passes with the team closer to each other. Secures the ball more and allows for changes of speed as and when they feel the need. On the flip side, when you're that narrow you can be killed with an overload when you lose the ball. Which is pretty much what happened from the 66th minute onwards in the 2022 WC. Always an interesting team with a coach who plays to their utmost strengths.