rooney or messi?

[qbim3]

tough call but i'd go with messi, once he gets over the bad run of injury's that dogged him so far, should be unstopable. who's ur choice

[AmadeusDC]

tough call but i'd go with messi, once he gets over the bad run of injury's that dogged him so far, should be unstopable. who's ur choice

I'd probably take Messi too. Rooney is further along as a player now and in all liklihood will become one of the games best strikers for the next decade. Messi though could become the World's best player over the next decade. He already outshines Ronaldinho regularly for Barcelona which is saying something. The injuries Messi has are worrying but hopefully won't affect his development down the line. Rooney's attitude, build, toughness and style of play mean that he is almost a sure thing to continue at the top of the game. The more lightweight young players though can struggle as the years go by. See Michael Owen and Javier Saviola for example. It's a tough call but it's Messi for me. Then again if they were both available it would depend on the club and the league as to which I would take. -AmadeusDC-

[qbim3]

tevez may be another similar example but i haven't given up hope on him yet...

alot of hype?, seen him at the olympics looked good but is he the real deal?

[xvis]

http://www.peoplesrepublico fcork.com/~peoplesr/forums/showthread.php?t=662 91&highlight=messi

[ho chi feen]

it may be unfair to say michael owen failed at real but wasn't kept...

That was a pure business move by Real. Get on the cheap, flog him a year later for twice the price.

It's interesting that, despite the mega-bucks lashed out on stars, Perez also made the club very profitable- but then you see the lack of stregth in depth, the paltry contracts for non-Galacticos (Makalele left over this), and the way they managed to sign Beckham, Ronaldo et al on lower wages then they had been getting before.

Anyway, it's a tough call on the question, but I think Messi has the potential to be the best player in the world bar none, and as good as Rooney is, I don't think the same goes for him. The next 2-3 are absolutely crucial for Messi's developement, but the signs are mostly good so far.

[ho chi feen]

alot of hype?, seen him at the olympics looked good but is he the real deal?

He looked great at the World Cup. If José Pekerman had been brave enough to play him and Messi in the first XI, I firmly believe they would have won the competition.

Is it stands at West Ham, something like 4 starts for a club in crisis hardly puts us in a postion to judge. I suspect, though I might be wrong, that if he had been in United or Arsenal's side this season he'd be flying.

[Killyoursons]

He looked great at the World Cup. If José Pekerman had been brave enough to play him and Messi in the first XI, I firmly believe they would have won the competition.

Is it stands at West Ham, something like 4 starts for a club in crisis hardly puts us in a postion to judge. I suspect, though I might be wrong, that if he had been in United or Arsenal's side this season he'd be flying.

You think so? I thought he was inclined to swallow the ball, try to dribble through entire defences on his own. It's understandable, given that he was trying to impress and cement his place in the first XI, but it didn't help Argentina's play in my opinion. I actually can't think of any meaningful impact he had in any of the matches, and in the crunch one against Germany he made increasingly little impact, I thought.

[ho chi feen]

You think so? I thought he was inclined to swallow the ball, try to dribble through entire defences on his own. It's understandable, given that he was trying to impress and cement his place in the first XI, but it didn't help Argentina's play in my opinion. I actually can't think of any meaningful impact he had in any of the matches, and in the crunch one against Germany he made increasingly little impact, I thought.

I thought when himself and Messi were on the field they had more options and unpredictability. That woulod have stood them in good stead later in the game against the Germans. Instead, Pekerman decided to try and hold onto their lead, and once that failed, there could be no plan b.

Okay, I know it hardly counts as it came in a handsome victory, but some of the attacking play they showed against Serbia was mesmerising. This against one of Europe's meanest defences in recent years.

Sure, he's got plenty to learn, but he's definitely got potential.

[Killyoursons]

I thought when himself and Messi were on the field they had more options and unpredictability. That woulod have stood them in good stead later in the game against the Germans. Instead, Pekerman decided to try and hold onto their lead, and once that failed, there could be no plan b.

Okay, I know it hardly counts as it came in a handsome victory, but some of the attacking play they showed against Serbia was mesmerising. This against one of Europe's meanest defences in recent years.

Sure, he's got plenty to learn, but he's definitely got potential.

I can agree with you about unpredictabilty, but don't you think that he was too individualistic? The problem with the QF was that they took Riquelme off, for whatever reason, and didn't bring on Messi. It was noticable how little impression Tevez made after the equiliser, when he was the guy you'd have hoped would have created something for them. The main 'option' he offered then was to run up cul-de-sacs.
As for the Serbia match, fair enough, but the whole team was amazing. I don't think Tevez was any more important in that than several others - Cambiasso springs to mind.

[AmadeusDC]

i cant believe that original poster thinks messi is better than rooney.maybe he should start watching footy.

I agree with him and here's my reasoning
I'd probably take Messi too. Rooney is further along as a player now and in all liklihood will become one of the games best strikers for the next decade. Messi though could become the World's best player over the next decade. He already outshines Ronaldinho regularly for Barcelona which is saying something. The injuries Messi has are worrying but hopefully won't affect his development down the line. Rooney's attitude, build, toughness and style of play mean that he is almost a sure thing to continue at the top of the game. The more lightweight young players though can struggle as the years go by. See Michael Owen and Javier Saviola for example. It's a tough call but it's Messi for me. Then again if they were both available it would depend on the club and the league as to which I would take. -AmadeusDC-
Why do you disagree with us?

-AmadeusDC-

[Philby]

i cant believe that original poster thinks messi is better than rooney.maybe he should start watching footy.

IMHO Messi has more ability but Rooney has the edge on physical stature & defensive responsibility. Both have suspect temperaments (which show signs of levelling out) but will go on to be two of the best players of their generation barring serious injury.

The key thing is that Rooney invariably makes the correct decision in most situations (on the pitch) whereas Messi's true value lies in his tendancy to try to pull off the unlikely & impossible, often to spectacular effect.

[Philby]

Here's a few great examples of Messi's skills...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0ooaGvImK8 - puts Carlos on his ass with a drop of the shoulder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfdNkpd7ZWo - and again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmkJnbDR8fY&mode=related&search= - Great Messi Compilation

[Sound]

I dont like Messi's injuries at this early stage. He's very fragile.

[AmadeusDC]

I dont like Messi's injuries at this early stage. He's very fragile.

Yep, Michael Owen similarities. He's never really recovered. Fingers crossed for Messi though. -AmadeusDC-

[Sound]

rooney has played probably 10 times the amount of competitive games than the new darren anderton, lionel messi.the wimp is never fit.

You're not far off. My anorak-o-meter says that Messi has played just under 50 games and the Roonster nearly 180.

[ho chi feen]

i cant believe that original poster thinks messi is better than rooney.maybe he should start watching footy.


hey dude qbim you are so wrong henry is the best player in the world



hmmmmmmmmm

[Edmund Blackwater]

You're not far off. My anorak-o-meter says that Messi has played just under 50 games and the Roonster nearly 180.
Rooney is 2 years older than Messi, so even if you were comparing like with like, which you're not, that's a stupid thing to say.

[Sound]

Rooney is 2 years older than Messi, so even if you were comparing like with like, which you're not, that's a stupid thing to say.

Hardly stupid when I just confirmed the veracity of someone's else's stats. Even when you compare the last three seasons, Rooney has made twice the appearances. It's just skewed by Messi's injury last season.

For the record, I think Messi is more talented and should become the best player in the world.