As one of the finest and most exciting footballing talents in the world, serving as a forward or attacking midfielder, Lionel Messi is blessed with outstanding ball control and pace, and is one of the finest players the game has seen.

Messi’s ability to constantly dribble past defenses has been spectacular to watch. He has led the top 5 European leagues in overall successful dribbles over the past 12 years. Messi can thread a through ball between 3+ defenders whether with a ground pass or a long pass; he can locate teammates in narrow spaces and attempt a crazy pass so accurately spectators cannot believe when it is successful.

During his time at Barcelona, he needed to sacrifice his role for his fellow teammate, Luis Suarez, dropping back to midfield and becoming a playmaker first, goal-scorer second. He finished his time at Barcelona with 672 goals and 288 assists.

While Messi is clearly the greatest football player of all time, there are those who may argue Cristiano Ronaldo is equally talented. It is true, when comparing both players in competitions like the Champions League, that Ronaldo has 5 trophies to Messi’s 4. However, Ronaldo cannot beat Messi’s all-time record for most assists, most league goals scored in a calendar year: 59, and current market value of $66 million compared to Ronaldo’s measly $38.5 million.

Medium blogger Bassel Souki wrote, “Messi has been on both ends of scoring where he ranks in the top 3 best goal scorers ever, and top 5 best playmakers ever which is not the same as assist providers. He is the greatest player in football history. Lionel Messi can change from striker to winger, to central and attacking midfielder whenever he wants, and that is what separates him from his footballing rivals throughout history.”

Ballon d’Or winner and former 2-time FIFA player of the year Ronaldinho, stated about Messi, “He is the best in the world, and there’s nothing more to be said.”

According to Sporting News, the Ballon d’Or, which translates into “Golden Ball”, is an annual award that is presented by France Football magazine to the male football player who is regarded to be the very best in the world. Messi has won the Ballon d’Or a record 7 times, the most awarded in history.

“I prefer Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo but I acknowledge that the latter is an animal. Football history will remember Messi. Football has given him a lot, as much as he has given the sport and to win a World Cup, in my opinion, wouldn’t bring himself anything else,” said Argentine football legend Diego Maradona.

Messi is one-of-a-kind: the best footballer of all time. His laser-like vision and awareness make him an incredible threat on the field. He sees the field in movement of players nobody else can before they even happen and does it very often. His magical left foot hits curling free-kicks and precise through balls. The Argentine has everything: dribbling, passing, vision, finishing, pace, ball control, balance, speed, acceleration, intelligence, and he is not just good in these qualities, he is a master. And, Messi is the only master to use all of these qualities consistently to score or gather up assists.

“Every person that understands football knows this. It’s absolutely ridiculous to me that some people actually think Messi isn’t the best. This isn’t about Cristiano at all. He’s a fantastic player, one of the best goalscorers ever. This is about how ridiculously good Messi is,” said Dutch football player Johan Cruyff. 

Students at West Chicago Community High School were split on the matter, but Messi still took a slight lead: in a survey of 167 students, 50.3% agreed Messi was the top soccer player.

“Messi [is] the all-time greatest player in the world. Nothing can stop him. Nobody can beat him,” said senior Aldo Flores.

Senior Jose Paramo said, “Messi is better skill-wise, finesse shots, freekicks, bro, master of the freekicks, left foot, best left foot ever.”

Although Messi is turning 35 in June, he should move forward in his career in PSG to continue breaking records and win the team a Champions League title.