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Based Jorge
Croy
Because everyone licks his hole even when he's done nothin'.. or maybe people are just jelous of him. I know I am.
Poe
Been consistently one of the greatest footballers ever to play the game.
Slashman X
There's no 'iconic pictures' in the qualifiers yet he was captain then
Based Jorge
He was captain because Argentina were expected to win the World Cup when you have a good team and a player of his quality. An iconic picture would be him lifting it in the Maracana. I will never have any qualms in saying he's probably the best player I've ever seen. But in no way, shape or form did he deserve to be a contender for the golden ball.
And besides, you can't exactly change the captain after you've qualified, what sense does that make?
Slashman X
Well you said he was captain just for the picture. Yet he was captain the whole way through qualifiers and has been for years (I think). And of course he deserved to be a contender, he just didn't deserve to win it
KEZ_7
True, I'd only see the tactics thing as a problem if they went out after like 2 games...
Maybe Glen Johnson is telling Woy?!
KEZ_7
yeah, Sabella made him captain when appointed
KEZ_7
yeah, Sabella made him captain when appointed
Based Jorge
I'm not sure, the group stages were against poor opposition and he didn't really influence much in the knockout stages. Compared to the likes of James Rodriguez, Mueller, Kroos (although he was dogshit for the final), Neuer, Masch etc.
I'm starting to think Messi has hit his peak already. Not that he'll end up declining in performances, but I don't think he'll ever hit the heights of when he was under Pep. Scary to think that he's probably past his best but will still easily average a goal a game in the next 5 years of his career.
Slashman X
It's obviously not for his leadership qualities, it's more of a symbolic "I'm leading the team, focus on me", I mean no other Argentinian was ever mentioned throughout the whole World Cup basically.
James' group wasn't exactly the most difficult either, and teams were a lot more "open" against Colombia than they were against Argentina. The loss of Di Maria really fucked Messi up in the knockouts, as well as rubbish finishing from the whole of Argentina (could've added 4 more assists to his tally in the knockouts).
It's unfair to say Messi has peaked when he's had a season pretty much plagued by injury, it seems likely that he has peaked but next season will be a better judgment of it.
Poe
K3V0
.verse
There is literally nothing he can do wrong, whenever he does it's brushed under the carpet and looked over. If it was anyone else in the same position they'd be singled out. From the early days when he'd dive around, to spitting at a player, it never mattered. There has always been a double standard whenever it comes to Messi and it will forever remain so.
Poe
So surely it's been brushed under the carpet because he's changed?
He can do very little wrong I agree - because he's the best player of all time. They tend to be quite good at football.
Samirah
I could say that Robin van Persie was incredible during the group stages, scoring and assisting goals as well. He tapered off in the knockout rounds too. The thing to me is this: the German players faced a much harder group with everyone gunning for them, yet their players (especially Müller) kept pounding away. Müller isn't the best player in the world and frankly never would be. But he knows how to perform for his team. In fact, I'd say the Germans typically have a few players that tend to look poor for their club sides and then turn it up a notch for Die Mannschaft.
I'd say that Messi also probably doesn't think he deserved the award based on how he looked accepting it. Sure, some of that is probably because he was upset that they lost the real prize, but he really looked disgusted when he accepted the trophy. I think he was given the award on reputation and not performance. After all, Kroos completed more passes than anyone else in the entire tournament as well as a better pass completion percentage than Messi too.
Slashman X
Argentina's group and a million times more defensive than Germany's (minus Nigeria), so that's why they didn't blow people away. In Germany's group, all 4 teams were attacking and going for it
I don't think anyone believes Messi should've won the Golden Ball
Shola
Poe
Crane
Then your issue is with FIFA and whoever decided the Golden Ball, not with Messi?
Samirah
bmg033
Poe
Ha exactly.
It would take a special kind of human to reject the award because he didn't deserve it.
Ninja
I don't think Argentina were the second best team in the tournament. I think Colombia, Chile, Brazil (who were themselvess little more than ok), and France were better but by virtue of being in by far the more difficult half were knocked out sooner.
I still think Argentina were a very ordinary side, Messi had an ok tournament and Mascherano was imperious but that was about it. I don't think they were great defensively, their attacking players were disappointing, and they seemed rarely to resemble a team.
Slashman X