Is Comparing Lionel Messi to Yesterday's Greats Fair?

Comparisons in life are inevitable, and when it comes to sports, they are even more prevalent.  Whether it is comparing teams or players, the goal is to figure out who is better. Comparing players who are contemporaries is a relatively easy thing to do. In most cases, the players are playing similar competition in a similar amount of games per season.

The tricky part is making a fair comparison between players from different generations.

Lionel Messi broke Gerd Muller's 39-year-old European scoring record for a season this week. It has added to the question of where Barcelona’s dynamic player fits in the list of all-time greats. The comparisons to fellow countryman Diego Maradona have followed Messi since his days at Newell’s Old Boys.

To his credit, Lionel has blazed his own path and made his own mark on the game, but it begs the question: Are the comparisons fair?

At an initial glance, it would seem fair to compare stars of today to the stars of previous generations. After all, the game has changed very little. Compared to the NFL, where major rule changes limiting contact on receivers helped to usher in the passing era, soccer has been static when it comes to any sweeping changes. The dimensions of the goal and the allowable size of the pitch have remained the same, keeping the game stable.

A closer look reveals there are other factors which cloud the ability to make a fair player-to-player comparison when looking at different eras.

Like all sports, the game has been affected by the improved knowledge in fitness and nutrition. The understanding of how to maximize development of key muscle groups has made athletes stronger, faster and more flexible.

One must also consider the advances in medical procedures allowing players to come back from torn ACLs and other previously career-ending injuries. The advances in fitness and medicine have helped players extend not only their careers, but also the length of the prime of their careers.

Another factor is the improvement in equipment. The advances in boots has allowed for improved ball control through lighter cleats and increased strike areas. Balls have also advanced in the materials used in the panels and the way they are stitched. These factors have helped take ball control to a whole new level in today’s game.

How many more goals would Pele have, or how many other magical moves would Maradona have pulled off with today's equipment?

Comparisons between players of different times will never be avoided. People are always looking for the next player X or the second coming of player Y. This will always lead to the discussions over how many goals each has scored, or how many cups each lifted.

It makes for wonderful debate amongst fans. There are no doubts players like Messi and Christiano Ronaldo are all-time great players. Where they rank among Pele, Maradona and other greats is open for debate, but what a fun debate it is.