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My Firend, Long time no post, glad you enjoyed the games!

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is not like it was any different before, messi crap his pants any time he sees a brazilian defender.



We’ve been over this, Maradonna does not utilize Messi the correct way, to put Argentina’s poor performance in WCQ down to just Messi, is being a little naïve. I’m sure he has scored against his fair share of Brazilian defenders over the years.

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the ronaldinho and magico gonzalez days are gone, the magic of street futbol is hard to find now days in the professional game.



I love the way Ronny et al plays but if its street futbol I want, then I will go to the streets, Falcao, commonly regarded as the best street player/futsal player struggled to make the transition to association play, and Robinho, who is the pro most likened to the street futbol culture player couldn’t cut the mustard at Real, Man city and is now at Santos. I respect Messi as much for his mental strength as well as physical skill. He gets kicked from pillar to post but doesn’t complain, gets up and gets on with it.

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cannavaro was the first defense to win fifa player of the year ever.



This is technically true, and thoroughly deserved as well! Although Lothar Matthaus was the first ever winner of the award in 1991, and although was a midfielder by trade, he played as a new free roaming sweeper for Germany, Inter, Bayern Munich and Borussia Monchengladbach. Roberto Carlos was 2nd in 97 and Paulo Maldini also 2nd in 95, some could argue that it was a travesty Maldini never won the award, as he was the inspiration for a generation of flat out great defenders.

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now, cambiasso could do it again.

Cambiasso is a defensive midfielder, not a defender, and there is no way he is in the company or Maldini or Cannavaro. I will wager money with you cambiasso does not win it!

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to me, cambiasso, samuel and lucio should be nominated for fifa players of the year, julio cesar is almost as good as casillas, pique should be in the mix as well.



I agree 100% with Lucio and could see Samuel, Cesar as well yes, GK of the year for sure. Pique? No way, Barcelona’s defense is so good because the other team never has the ball! If your going to give award to player on Barcelona give it to the whole team.

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i always knew barca was overrated, i told my brother a long time ago that inters defense is the real deal.



My word, you don’t half speak some twaddle! They got beat by 1 goal on aggregate in the European Champions league semi final to the best coached team in the world! I wanted Inter to win, but to say Barca is overrated is ridiculous! They are, among football/futbol/soccer aficionados probably the most highly regarded team in the world right now.

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we have albiol, garay and pepe, our defense is a joke even though we have the most fearfull ofense in the world.



Lyon didn’t seem to scared by that fearful offense!

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i used to think puyol and pique were the 2 best cbs in the world but now samuel and lucio are somewhere in there too.



Absolutely agree 100% They have been fantastic all season.

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when you have players like cambiasso and eto on your team, you know you can beat anybody and that includes overrated barca and mickey mouse messi.



Wow, I cant believe you just called Lionel Messi Micky Mouse! That is a classic, I couldn’t take a beach ball of Messi in a phone box let alone on the 120 x 80!!

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i used to hate mourinho bc of how he did beat monaco but hey, at the end, Inter is in the final, barca is not.



You hated him because he beat Monaco? That wasn’t a beating, that was a master class, as usual from the genius. Read his book, it is awesome and details the work ethic, passion and morals of the man.

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great defensive strategy by mourinho.



Of course, rumor is he watched the first leg of Chelsea Vs Inter 8 times to formulate his plan for the second leg. Hes a coaching genius.

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im going to repeat this for the 120303 time, messi is nowhere near ronaldinho, fat ronaldo or maradona, those players were from a different planet.



You do realize that Barcelona let Ronaldinho go, as him and Messi were going out partying too much, they had to choose between them, and decided to let samba man go. I think it was the right decision, not that it matters, but I would think the coaches at Barcelona know more than me and you.

Ronaldinho was the best player in the world, now it is Messi, Fat Ronaldo WAS a brilliant player, and one of, if not the best pure striker to play the game when he was fit. But don’t sell Messi short, he’s the best in the world right now, and at his age if he stays hungry (unlike Ronaldinho) and fit he will be the best player for a long time.


FYI - Lionel Messi (aged 22)

Spanish League (3): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09
Spanish Cup: (1) 2008–09
Spanish Supercup (3): 2005, 2006, 2009
UEFA Champions League (2): 2005–06, 2008–09
UEFA Super Cup (1): 2009
FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2009



International:
FIFA U-20 World Cup (1): 2005
Olympic Gold Medal (1): 2008



Individual:
FIFA U-20 World Cup Top Scorer: 2005
FIFA U-20 World Cup Player of the Tournament: 2005
Copa América Young Player of the Tournament: 2007
U-21 European Footballer of the Year: 2007
FIFA World Player of the Year: 2009
FIFA Team of the Year: 2008, 2009
European Footballer of the Year: 2009
Onze d'Or: 2009
UEFA Champions League Player of the Year: 2008–2009
UEFA Champions League Forward of the Year: 2008–2009
UEFA Team of the Year: 2007–2008, 2008–2009
UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2008–2009
FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2008–09
FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year: 2006–2007, 2007–2008
FIFPro World Young Player of the Year: 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008
FIFPro World XI: 2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2008–2009
Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano: 2008–2009
LFP Best Player: 2008–2009
LFP Best Striker: 2008–2009
World Soccer Player of the Year: 2009
World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2009
Toyota Award: 2009
Player of the Year of Argentina: 2005, 2007, 2009
Premio Don Balón (Best Foreign Player in La Liga): 2006–2007, 2008–2009
EFE Trophy (Best Ibero-American Player in La Liga): 2006–2007, 2008–2009



lets go for parts.

1. Pelligrini isnt a great coach, he is not a magician as well. Madrid moved about 70% of the starting line up this season.

but the big problem, our defense is weak.

2. Messi still needs to prove he can win something by himself, he won everything with Ronaldinho and Eto, by himself he hasnt win anything even though he still has Pique, Puyol and Xavy which should be enought for him to win another champions league. Messi is no there yet, Kaka at Milan and Ronaldo at ManU were a lot more dominant. Kobe already won it withough Shaq, Messi needs to do the same thing.

3. Guardiola helped Mourinho by having Busquet in the middle, Busquet is young and good but Cambiasso is class. Busquet simply was outplayed by the class of Cambiasso, and Xavy dissapeared in the first leg, of course Cambiasso took over and Barca was done.

4. Mourinhos best move was to bring Lucio in, Inters defense is demolishing, Motta, Materazzi, see Inter has it all.

5. I still hate the Monaco win, a team have to be able to attack and propose something instead of putting 11 defenders, but at the end, a win is a win.

6. Barcas worse move was letting Eto go, Ibra is just not as good, fancy but not as good as Eto.

7. Ronaldinho was stronger, faster, and way more creative and dominant than Messi. Maradona was the master of the left foot, Messi would never score free kicks like Maradona did. Fat Ronaldo didnt even have to shoot, he could dribble the whole team not just with his footwork but his speed.

8. Messi didnt just failed with Maradona, he failed under Guardiola too, he is the best right now but not legendary, not yet!

9. Guardiola made too many mistakes, Toure would have been a great battle for Cambiasso, then we wouldve had 2 heavy weights going at each other in the middle, but Pep puts Busquet to battle a dinasour hahaha you give up the middle, you give up the game. It was all cambiasso.

10. Last but not least, Messi will choke again in the world cup, he is just not that good.

I almost forgot, Mourinho is on his way to be a Galactico ; ) Madrid and Mourinho were made for each other haha

Club of the century.