Five opinions on Barcelona’s gifted player following his performance against Arsenal

Tom Humphries

I TOOK a friend once to see Michael Jordan in the Chicago Bulls days. Jordan obliged with one of those sublime nights and I remember my friend observing afterwards that he couldn’t believe that the greatest player in basketball could be so much better than the second greatest.

And that is the only question left since Leo Messi dismantled Arsenal and put a massive exclamation mark after the incredible run of form he has enjoyed this season. Who is second best and why are they so far in the rear view mirror?

In a game grown stale with cynicism he makes boyish fans of all us again. On Tuesday, having digested Arsenal, he looked like he would enjoy a game of three-and-in on the way home.

Who gave him permission to make football look like fun again? Possibly the same wise owl at Barcelona who decided not to coach all the natural talent out of the little flea that arrived at the club’s door when he was 13.

He is the game’s pre-eminent genius and an unspoiled one. Not since the young Pele have we been able to say that about a player. How good was that? No. How great?

Brian Kerr

I FIRST saw Messi live at the Nou Camp four years ago against Real Zaragoza and I was surprised to learn he was only 18.

He had so much to his game even then. What we are seeing recently makes the future so exciting. Nigeria, Korea and Greece are in for a torrid time in June. He has become a phenomenon.

The range of the goals he is scoring is simply remarkable. Just look at the bravery he showed to pull right through the ball for the first against Arsenal.

For the second he just had to adjust his feet – but most players cannot do that – and then make room for a chip.

The third one was similar. He runs with the ball faster than others do without it and he can change from right to left with ease as we saw for the fourth goal.

But my favourite thing about Messi is he is an excellent link player. That’s probably the most remarkable aspect of this once-in-a-generation talent.

Mary Hannigan

THERE WAS a bit of the deja vu about Lionel Messi’s performance against Arsenal. True, it was hardly the first time he’d produced such a masterclass, but this particular one rang several bells. Finally, an intensive bout of brain-racking directed us to a rather wondrous two minute video of him on YouTube.

The opposing team kicked off, their two forwards hesitating for one second on the half-way line, sufficient time for Messi to steal the ball from their feet, weave his way up the pitch and score.

And that was only the start of it. Later, from deep inside in his own half, he set off, slaloming past opponents, skipping over a sliding tackle, and curling the ball home from the right. And on it went.

The thing, is though, that he was just five years old in the video (look up “Messi the incredible child”). That he could unto Arsenal, in a Champions League quarter-final, as he did unto his youthful opponents 17 years before – well, it’s still all child’s play for Lionel Messi. And the best thing of all, he’s still playing with the same joy.

Mark Lawrenson

IT WAS brilliant on Tuesday. The morning after people are pointing the finger at Mikael Silvestre but Messi has done that in La Liga all season.

He played through the middle, not on the right where he was positioned in previous seasons, and the boys either side of him, Pedro and Bojan Krcic, are going to be very good players, but Messi is the most experienced of the three and he is still only 22. He is currently the world’s best player, no argument. Can he be as good as Diego Maradona?

The World Cup and a comparison to what Diego did in 1986 will tell us that. Maradona was sensational and, true, the players are fitter now and defences more organised but in the old days the opening half an hour could be dedicated to taking players out. So it all levels out.

Ironically, Messi’s main hindrance in the quest to surpass Maradona is Maradona himself. During the South American qualifying campaign Argentina tactics gave Messi a sore neck as the ball went back to front so quickly. If he doesn’t build the team around Messi then Maradona must be mad.

Tony Cascarino

IT WAS the Champions League quarter-final, so everyone saw it, but Messi has scored three hat-tricks already this season, two of which were in succession against Valencia and Real Zaragoza (these three goals were stunning: one a header, one a powerful run and then a great curling shot) last month.

I don’t think he has recently played against a team as generous as Arsenal – who work so little at stopping the opposition from scoring goals. Arsenal give away possession easily and if they don’t get the ball back guys like Messi will make them pay. Messi was good enough to make them suffer on four occasions.