Thomas Chen

RIVALS. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are often considered to be the greatest soccer players of all time.

Of the many names that come up when talking about the greats of soccer, one name stands out: Lionel Messi. Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Messi’s impact on the sport comes out in more than just statistics. His mesmerizing skills, unrivaled vision, and unwavering dedication have not only redefined the beautiful game but have also made his name come up in the “greatest athlete of all time” conversation.

Other than his eighth Ballon d’Or (most in history) which he just recently won in October, he also holds the records for: Most LaLiga titles (10), most goals in a calendar year (2012), Laliga all-time top scorer, the youngest player to achieve 200 LaLiga goals, two Laureus World Sports Awards (best athlete of the year), most Laliga hat-tricks (36), most ESM Golden Boots (6), most goals for South American nation (106), Most individual World Cup appearances (26), the only player to score in World Cup group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, the list goes on from UEFA.

Although his stats say more than enough, that’s not all that counts. He creates many goal-scoring opportunities on and off the ball. Despite his height (5’7), he somehow manages to get past defenders and use his speed to create chances. In just his first twelve games in the MLS (Major League Soccer) with Inter Miami, he scored eleven goals and bagged five assists which led to goal contributions during that time period in the MLS.

People who don’t think Messi is the best soccer player would most likely think that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best. They often bring up Ronaldo’s prime season which according to GOAL was the 2014/2015 season with Real Madrid, where he bagged 84 goal contributions for the club that season. Lionel Messi fell short of Ronaldo’s achievement that year, but although he was beaten by Cristiano that year, in Messi’s third best season in 2013, he bagged 90 goal contributions, beating Ronaldo’s best season statistically by 9 contributions.

All this points towards why Lionel Messi deserves to be called the greatest soccer player of all time.