Is Lionel Messi the Best Player in History?

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Johan Cruyff won his first Cup and League double with Ajax when he was 20-years-old. At this age, Messi had already won two La Liga titles with Barcelona, and had been part of the team that won the 2006 Champions League.

Pele was (arguably) the closest to Messi in terms of achievements at such a young age. He won his first World Cup trophy with Brazil in 1958 and his second in 1962, at the ages of 17 and 21, respectively.

However, Pele spent his career in the Brazilian League, which (everyone will admit) was never as competitive as the leagues in Europe.

Which brings us back to whether Messi is the greatest player in history. Certainly, if we go by his age, no one can deny that Messi has had the best career of any other football legends. 

But, it would still be very early to say that his career would remain as glittering and lustrous throughout. Anything can put an end to a footballer's career—an injury here, a few poor games there, and good players are often forgotten.

However, it is fair to say that if Messi improves or even maintains the level his game is currently at, he would definitely become unquestionably the best player in history in the not-so-distant future. 

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