Top 5 Things Lionel Messi Fans Want You to Forget

Lionel Messi has terrorized oppositions ever since he burst onto the world football stage. Recently, after scoring five goals against Bayer Leverkusen, the Barcelona star was bestowed with numerous plaudits. 

Cesc Fabregas, his Barcelona teamamte, stated, "He is the best player in history, we have never seen anyone like him."

Wayne Rooney tweeted: "Messi is a joke. For me, the best ever"

Such extolling statements have been conferred to Lionel Messi time and time again. 

A countless number of accolades under his name bolstered by three back-to-back World Player of the Year Awards have truly made Messi a household name. 

He is a truly phenomenal player in his own right, and I do have a great level of praise for the Argentine genius. 

But then, there are his fans. 

I will give that there are a reasonable share of fans who follow his games and truly know what a phenomenal player he is. And then there are the glory-hunters: switching from one bandwagon to another as the press switches from SOPA to Kony.

You will see these people pop up unceremoniously and proclaim Messi to be a messiah of some sorts.

I recently wrote an article highlighting why Lionel Messi cannot be claimed to be the greatest ever, and Bleacher Report also came out with an an article stating why “The Greatest of All Time” debate is flawed.

Here are five things Lionel Messi Fans Want you to Forget. 

5. Surrounded by World-Class Teammates

Lionel Messi is surrounded by world-class teammates in every position imaginable.

He has the luxury of playing aside the greatest mid-field duo of this generation—Xavi and Andres Iniesta, another maestro Cesc Fabregas and other players who would make the cut of any other team in the world.

These players open up the game and allow Messi to showcase his skills. Without them, Messi would be more restricted as opposing players would close down on him quickly. However, the opposition cannot afford to do so, as there are other players in Barcelona who are equally capable. 

4. Performances at the International Level

Another thing that Messi fans want you to forget is that he has proven himself at the club level only.

Argentina also has a phenomenal team with the likes of Angel Di Maria, Javier Pastore, Sergio Äguero and Carlos Tevez.

However, he has been unable to replicate his form in the international level despite being given numerous opportunities.

It is true that he plays more as an attacking midfielder, but being unable to being able to guide his team to a respectable finish in an international competition, is also an indicator of his abilities. 

3. Stats in an Inflated League

Let's look at some of the matches of Barcelona and Real Madrid this season:

Barcelona	Real Madrid
Barcelona 5 : 0 Villarreal	Real Madrid 6 : Zaragoza 0
Barcelona 8 : 0 Osasuna	Real Madrid 6 : 2 Roya Vallecano
Barcelona 5 : 0 Atletico Madrid	Real Madrid 4 : 1 Real Betis
Barcelona 5 : 0 Mallorca	Real Madrid 4 : 0 Malaga
Barcelona 4 : 0 Zaragoza	Real Madrid 7 : 1 Osasuna
Barcelona 4 : 0 Rayo Vallecano	Real Madrid 4 : 1 Atletico Madrid
Barcelona 5 : 0 Levante	Real Madrid 6 : 2 Sevilla
Barcelona 4 : 2 Real Betis	Real Madrid 5 : 1 Granada
Barcelona 4 : 1 Malaga	Real Madrid 4 : 0 Santandar
Barcelona 5 : 1 Valencia	Real Madrid 5 : 0 Espanyol

And these are only a handful of games. It’s no wonder that Messi’s (and also Cristiano Ronaldo’s) stats are inflated. With a world class team, Real Madrid and Barcelona destroy opposition easily and hence have the phenomenal “statistics.”

2. Illustrious Greats

It is not only Lionel Messi who has been bestowed with such great accolades.

Recently I highlighted Zinedine Zidane as having accomplished just as much and even more. Like Messi, Zidane has also been in three Champions League finals, twice with Juventus and once with Real Madrid. He actually helped the latter win through a superb volley in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.

Similarly, like Messi, he also won the FIFA World Player of the Year three times.

Zidane led France to the pinnacle of football glory in 1998 by scoring two goals in the final and put the trophy beyond Brazil’s reach.

Two years later, he led France to another major trophy: Euro 2000. For his performances, he was also bestowed with the Best Player of the Tournament title.

Without Zidane, France faltered in the 2002 World Cup.

He announced his retirement in 2004, only to return and prove inspirational to guide France to the finals of the World Cup in 2006. There, again, he won the Best Player of the Tournament.

You also have players like Franz Beckenbauer—three time Champions League Winner, World Cup Winner, UEFA Euro Winner.

Johann Cruyff. Michel Platini. Ronaldo. Alfred Di Stefano.

Diego Maradona dragged an average Argentine team to World Cup glory. He also led Napoli to glorious years in the Serie-A and Europe.

And then there’s Pele! 

1. The Inherent Flaw in the Great Debate Argument

To quote Will Tidey of Bleacher Report: 

"

To some extent, every generation demands ownership on greatness. It's a way of validating our place in history and making our lives feel somehow more relevant, and it applies to practically every field of achievement.

One generation had Elvis, the next had the Beatles. And if you lived through either as a teenager, the likelihood is that your loyalties lie with the one who sound-tracked your coming of age.

The same can be true in sport. And when you consider that the majority of people voting in football's most recent "greatest" polls are of the Messi generation, should it really be a surprise that he comes out so far on top?

Try as we might to apply perspective, there are powerful forces at work in our thinking—not least our generational loyalties.

"

He further adds: 

"

Messi might be the best player of his generation—and if we traveled through time and put him in an 11-a-side match with Pele and Maradona in their pomp, he may well prove to be the most impressive player over 90 minutes, too (another one for debate)—but does that really make him the greatest? Messi has benefited from advancements in every area of the game. He's had better coaching than Maradona, who in turn had better coaching (with more to draw on) than Pele. Each generation has learned from the last, so it goes without the saying that in isolation the latest "greatest" should be best equipped to excel.

"

It goes to show you that certain things should be taken into consideration and pondered upon before casually tossing around the "Greatest of All Time" title based on an emotional high.