Messi is the Best?

Born in Rosario, Argentina, 5'7, and may be considered the best player in the world, Lionel Messi has done it all. He's won so much for his club and individually. He continues to break records and he's only at the age of 24. This is not even his prime. So what are we to expect out of him. Some argue that he still not in the ranks of Pele and Maradona and it's only because of one thing: he still has not won a World Cup.

But does one have to win a World Cup to to be considered the best? There are arguments that say yes, while others say not. To win a World Cup is to say you've conquered the world of football....but is that true anymore? To me honestly, I really don't think you need to win a World Cup to be considered the best in the world. Think about it, when considering club competitions, clubs are trying to build the best possible teams to defeat their league opponents, European opponents, and the world. Meaning you're trying to pick the best for the best from ALL OVER THE WORLD. But World Cup teams (international teams) you only have so many players you can choose from; the people from that country. So you can only choose the best from such a select group. The fact that Messi has won the most prestigious European competition (UEFA Champions League) 3 times (2 technically) already makes him the best. Plus he's already won 2 Club World Cups which I believe maybe a better than the World Cup.

Messi is not a big man, but he is fast and is very known for his incredible dribbling skills. It's almost as if the ball is glued to his feet. Recently he broke the FC Barcelona's goal scoring record, and is now the top scorer of the club with 234 goals in all official matches (which is probably going to continue to grow). He's also broken his own record for most goals scored during a season with 54 goals in all matches, and that number is going to grow too. He already holds team trophies and individual trophies left and right with three consecutive Ballon d'ors, 5 La Liga Titles, 3 UEFA Champions League Trophies, and so on. Lionel Messi is always improving and the scary thing is he's only 24 meaning he hasn't even reached his peak yet. I really want to see what he'll be like when he does. (Freaking superman x10 maybe?). The only thing that is stopping him from being the best in the world is because he has not won a World Cup and until he does there will always be debate on whether he is the best who is to play the beautiful game. But hey it's not me to decide whether he is the best player. Everyone has their opinions and each footballer has their own unique style of playing which make they great. Like I think I might actually like how Xavi and Iniesta play more than Messi (BUT non-the-less I still love watching Messi play). They are both very known for their awareness on the field and their passing ability (especially  Xavi). But who do you think is the best player in the world? Is it Pele, Maradona, Cryuff, Zidane, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, CR7? There are so many to choose, but who is it to you?

Real Madrid vs. Villarreal Draw 1-1

Yesterday (March 22nd, 2012) Real Madrid played Villarreal, and drew them 1-1. This game though had a lot of controversy with Ramos, Ozil and Mourinho all getting sent off leaving Madrid down to 9 players and no manager. Another issue is that Villarreal player Marco Ruben received two yellow cards (which everyone know equals a red card), but he was not sent off. Mourinho refused to give his post-match press conference, while Pepe called referee Paradas Romero a "son of a bitch" in which he was given a red card. So that's 3 essential players out for their next match against Real Sociedad (who are a pretty good team).

Yes, I will admit I am a FC Barcelona fan, BUT I'm not irrational. It was very obvious here Real Madrid did get robbed by the referee. Honestly the referee was handing out cards as if he were handing out free candy. I didn't get to watch the match, but I was able to see the overview of the match, and man did that ref give out cards. Also it is the referee's responsibility to make sure if a player gets two yellow cards, that player should get sent off (like Ramos). BUT that did not happen with Ruben who did get two yellow cards, and was left on the field. Real Madrid was down to 9 men and Villarreal had 11 men while they should of only had 10.

Again, I'm sorry for Real Madrid for getting duped, but then again I'm happy because now the gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid is only 6 points. There is one thing I don't understand though whenever I begin reading the comments of other articles. Everyone begins to blame FCB for the referee wrongs of the games of Real Madrid. Honestly I think people need to realize that refs sometimes just suck.

I grew up with soccer and will end with football

I grew up in the United States, and if you are to say football, well everyone thinks you mean "football"....you know the sport that uses a ball that's olive shaped, also called the pig skin at times (when it's actually made out of leather). I have nothing against saying the word soccer, but after watching so much European football, and football around the world, the word football (meaning soccer) has caught up to me and is stuck in my vocabulary. So excuse me if I ever do use the word soccer, because let's be honest, I grew up with that term and I'm pretty sure it will stick with me for the rest of the life. But I'm going to do my best to use the "correct" term football, but it does get difficult when you're speaking to a crowd who's meaning of football is not yours. They root for the Packers and the Giants, while I root for Manchester United or FC Barcelona. It's just two sport cultures clashing, where one is dominate in only one country, while the other is the most popular sport in the world. I'm pretty sure you can guess which one is which.