Lionel Messi's Greatest Performance?

[SirBalon]

Messi's greatest ever individual performance

 

Which one for you stands out as Lionel Messi's best ever individual performance.  After what he did at the Santiago Bernabéu last Sunday where some in the media have been saying that this could be his greatest ever moment because in the past he's had the greatest ever side assembled to play around him.  What for you is his greatest ever match?

 

 

 

 

[Stan]

the one where he avoided tax. I wanna know how he did it  

[SirBalon]

hahaha...  

For me his best individual performance in terms of magic was against Arsenal in the 4-1 Champions League encounter.  There have been too many to count and ones that aren't even in the list.

But Sunday's one is very special because of what I said.  Barça didn't play well in many areas of the field and apart from Messi and Busquets (outfield players because Ter Stegen was immense) hardly anybody else shone consistently.  Piqué also had his moments but this side has nothing to do with the side that surrounded him for so many years, a side that was miles ahead of anything else out there.

On Sunday he took the team on his shoulders and beat Real Madrid with his fury, something we don't tend to see too much in him.

For me it's between those two games and haven't decided yet.  In terms of magical play, that game on Sunday wouldn't be the one, but there are other reasons to be taken into account.

The reason I've done this poll and this thread is because it's now an ongoing debate in the Spanish media since Sunday.

[UNORTHODOX]

I'll have to go with Getafe from a personal point of view because I remember watching that game in absolute awe of this 19 year old and thinking he could be the greatest ever.

[Cicero]

Messi vs United in 2011 and Messi vs Real in 2010 (5-0)

Not many goals in both those games, but that is why it separates him from Ronaldo, as his ability trancends his goals. Truly inspiring and in my opinion his greatest performances. 

Edited April 26, 2017 by Cicero

[Vegan Kel]

2011 Champions League Final for me, unfortunately. He was unstoppable. I quite liked him then too

[Carnivore Chris]

5 hours ago, Cicero said:

Messi vs United in 2011 and Messi vs Real in 2010 (5-0)

Not many goals in both those games, but that is why it separates him from Ronaldo, as his ability trancends his goals. Truly inspiring and in my opinion his greatest performances. 

They are the first 2 that come to mind  for me also and I'm surprised neither are on the list.

[Spike]

That fateful night in Brasil where we witnessed him slide the most inch-perfect 30m pass to Higuian; for the later coolly bury past the German goalkeeper. The emotions that followed were astronomical, Messi couldn't believe himself and the image he struck to the untrained eye was a weeping man. But that was not how it was to be; each tear he shed was a weight off his shoulders; sfter a decade of failure for Argentina; La pulga (The nickname the Portuguese had given him, which translates to 'the thumb') was finally the world champion he was destined to be. He has eclipsed Maradona, he transcends the sport; 74,000 people witnessed history in the flesh and a billion more across the globe on their television sets. I masturbated furiously as I sat and watched this triumph, I had no other recourse, though I knew nothing of the country I felt blue and white pump through my veins to my fully erect penis. To which the climax was even greater than the celebration of the reclamation of rightful Argentine clay during the Guerra del Atlántico Sur. Ecstasy washed over me as I saw the thousands of Brazilians in the crowd comitt suicide by the ancient rights of 'o jogo bonito' (which translates from Spanish as: 'shame induced suicide'), Uruguayans choked on their yerba and desperately begged to rejoin the Argentine Empire. It was truly a day beyond life; beyond death; it was the day Lionel 'the Lion' Messi became a god, his statue erected in the pantheon of the Greeks. We were never the same.

[SirBalon]

6 minutes ago, The Rebel CRS said:

They are the first 2 that come to mind  for me also and I'm surprised neither are on the list.

Indeed as Cicero has said, Messi transcends his goals.  Although many are saying on other mediums that the 3-3 where he scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid in a comeback is his greatest performance considering his age and the fact they couldn't do anything with him which actually takes me back to Sunday which was much of the same.

The commentator who done that game for OndaCero (a famous radio commentator and a self-confessed Real Madrid fan) Manolo Lama, said that everytime Messi got on the ball on Sunday, that the Bernabéu went almost silent or you heard the groaning from thousands.

[SirBalon]

3 minutes ago, Spike said:

That fateful night in Brasil where we witnessed him slide the most inch-perfect 30m pass to Higuian; for the later coolly bury past the German goalkeeper. The emotions that followed were astronomical, Messi couldn't believe himself and the image he struck to the untrained eye was a weeping man. But that was not how it was to be; each tear he shed was a weight off his shoulders; sfter a decade of failure for Argentina; La pulga (The nickname the Portuguese had given him, which translates to 'the thumb') was finally the world champion he was destined to be. He has eclipsed Maradona, he transcends the sport; 74,000 people witnessed history in the flesh and a billion more across the globe on their television sets. I masturbated furiously as I sat and watched this triumph, I had no other recourse, though I knew nothing of the country I felt blue and white pump through my veins to my fully erect penis. To which the climax was even greater than the celebration of the reclamation of rightful Argentine clay during the Guerra del Atlántico Sur. Ecstasy washed over me as I saw the thousands of Brazilians in the crowd comitt suicide by the ancient rights of 'o jogo bonito' (which translates from Spanish as: 'shame induced suicide'), Uruguayans choked on their yerba and desperately begged to rejoin the Argentine Empire. It was truly a day beyond life; beyond death; it was the day Lionel 'the Lion' Messi became a god, his statue erected in the pantheon of the Greeks. We were never the same.

Flippin 'eck! 

Did that just come out naturally or did you put your fingers down your throat? 

[Spike]

Just now, SirBalon said:

Flippin 'eck! 

Did that just come out naturally or did you put your fingers down your throat? 

I have a creative literary side that I rarely express.

[Cicero]

My top 3. 

 

No Particular Order

 

 

 

[Spike]

Anyone else think he is going through a midlife crisis? The beard, the dyed hair, the tattoos, he looks like someone photoshoped him into an alternate reality 'hipster Messi'. Almost as if he hired Raul Meireles and Guti as his stylists. 

Regardless my true answer is that game against Real Madrid. I can never remember the exact game but it was a simple pass from Busquets that led to Messi embarassing the entire Real Madrid team by rolling the ball past Casillas' far side. Other mentions are both of his UCL performances against ManUtd.

 

[Guest]

I remember watching the messi 4-1 arsenal game. I wasn't even sad because i had just seen the best player i had ever seen.