Wishlist Lionel Messi

[The Skipper 20,609]

I do think he is world class. Just not the like 3rd best player in the world like most people on here believe. I can think of half a dozen better forwards or attacking mids: Messi, CR, Robben, Agüero, Bale, Neymar (not necessarily in that order). Disregarding position, I'd put Neuer, Thiago Silva, Philipp Lahm in my top 10 ahead of him. IMO Hazard is in the upper third of the James, Kroos, Modric, David Silva category and hence a bit ahead of the KDB, Ibrahimovic, Lewandowski, Alexis Sanchez, Iniesta etc category . This still makes him world class, a top 5 winger possibly. Keep in mind he is one of the youngest and technically most gifted players of this list but he should still aim to improve to be one of the very very best. He surely has it in his locker but is 24 now and should step it up.

Fair enough. I see where you're coming from. Can't disagree. He had a great season for us last year but yeah, still not really top 3 in the world level.

[Belgiannutt 3,201]

I do think he is world class. Just not the like 3rd best player in the world like most people on here believe. I can think of half a dozen better forwards or attacking mids: Messi, CR, Robben, Agüero, Bale, Neymar (not necessarily in that order). Disregarding position, I'd put Neuer, Thiago Silva, Philipp Lahm in my top 10 ahead of him. IMO Hazard is in the upper third of the James, Kroos, Modric, David Silva category and hence a bit ahead of the KDB, Ibrahimovic, Lewandowski, Alexis Sanchez, Iniesta etc category . This still makes him world class, a top 5 winger possibly. Keep in mind he is one of the youngest and technically most gifted players of this list but he should still aim to improve to be one of the very very best. He surely has it in his locker but is 24 now and should step it up.

Disagree. His performance last season was truly something special. To uphold such a high level for an entire season was an amazing achievement.

Messi and C. Ronaldo are in their own league but Hazard definitely deserves to be named in contention for that third best player spot.

Imo, last season, Hazard had the best season out of the four you mentioned ( excluding Messi and C.Ronaldo ofcourse).

[Clockwork 1,794]

I honestly can not see how anyone would rate Bale over Hazard. Madrid fans would kill to see that brain dead turkey leave their club.

[TheIceMan 596]

You Know Nothing, You Bastard!

[xPetrCechx 13,570]

Oh his way to England?

[Despiadado.Maleante 1,046]

Oh his way to England?

Yep. He confirmed with me. He will be competing with Ivanovic at RB next season.

[Lapo Blues 21]

With 250m euro clause or around 200m quids release clause, I don't think roman would be that crazy to splash that huge amount.

Maybe Citeh with their oily money money money will came close.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

cant wait to see Messi playing for us next season!

[WilsonMay 12]

Messi wont choose to come here I doubt even if he is going to leave barca .

[Pacquiao 1,834]

Messi wont choose to come here I doubt even if he is going to leave barca .

if Messi leaves Barca in the summer, of course he would want to come here, for Messi to come to England he would want his family to be settled that is very important to Messi, here at Chelsea he would have Cesc and Pedro who would no doubt help him and his family settle, if he comes to the PL it would be between us and City no doubt about that

[Beepu 1,714]

Don't we usually sign players that have scored against us??

[johnnythefirst 1,076]

Well, hopefully he'll learn how to defend properly, otherwise it'll be the bench for him.

[Blue_Fox_ 2,086]

Well, hopefully he'll learn how to defend properly, otherwise it'll be the bench for him.

Maybe he should go to Anderlecthhhtttttt glory will be waiting for him

[supporter 3,088]

I do not want to get my hopes again with Messi and the chance to sign him mainly because Messi is a player very close to FC Barcelona and he feels like at home in Barcelona being able to become the best player in history as "one-club man" with Barcelona. IMO his signing is very very difficult.

But it's true that Messi is now in a difficult situation in Spain due to their problems with the Spanish tax services and the Spanish justice. What is happening is this.

1. The Spanish justice has accused Messi for not paying a lot of money in taxes.

2. Messi has accepted that accusation and he has paid a lot of money as a financial sanction.

3. But, despite paying a lot of money to avoid further sanctions, Messi continues to be accused by the Spanish justice for tax evasion. Even the Spanish Justice accuses his father and Messi himself with accusations that ask for less than two years in jail for both (but in Spain with less than two years of imprisonment the accused is not going to jail if he did not have a criminal record, as in the case of Messi). That is, Messi may need to pay more economic sanctions for tax evasion but he will never go to jail.

4. Right now in Spain there is the problem / discussion about the independence of Catalonia and, according to the Catalan nationalists, Messi may be being used as a bait / scapegoat to discredit a hypothetical process of independence of Catalonia.

5. Because of all this, and according to reports from Catalonia, Messi feels persecuted by the Spanish justice and he might be getting tired of what he calls "unjustified persecution" because he believes that his case is being used as a scapegoat by the Spanish nationalists and Catalan nationalists. In fact, some reports from Catalonia and Madrid were saying in recent weeks that Messi might be thinking to leave Barcelona if the situation remains the same. Even last week (when the Spanish justice back to Messi accused of tax evasion) Messi showed his anger at the social networks against this situation.

I do not want to argue about the independence of Catalonia because it is a very complex issue and the English language is not my native language and to me it is very difficult to explain myself in English on an issue (the independence of Catalonia) which is very complex.

But to be honest in in Spain the payment of taxes has been a joke for many years for the millionaires and economic crisis that the Spanish people we are suffering it is because in Spain has been like a "tax haven" for some millionaires who have stolen everything they wanted without the Spanish justice did nothing.

That is why sometimes it seems a bit exaggerated how the Spanish justice is chasing Messi and they did not persecute other tax evaders. And much more when Messi has paid many millions in sanctions to avoid a longer sentence.

I wish that Spain might change in the coming years and Spain begin to persecute the tax evaders strongly, but sometimes it seems that Messi is being used as a "scapegoat" by the Spanish nationalists and the Catalonian nationalists.

In fact, players like Casillas and Xabi Alonso have had problems with Spanish tax services but the noise around them was lower than Messi.

Obviously I'm not defending Messi or saying that he is completely innocent because Messi has admitted that he has made tax evasion and paid a lot of money as his corresponding sanction. Messi is guilty of tax evasion but some things are very rare and much more with the discussion of the independence of Catalonia.

Maybe Messi might feel uncomfortable in Catalonia and he could think of finding a way out to another team to avoid all the media pressure around him. And if he decides to leave Barcelona Messi Chelsea I would be one of the first teams to which he would think because Fabregas (which is one of their best friend and their wives are always very close) and Pedro would help him integrate quickly in our club, we have Jose Mourinho (which is a challenge for any player) and Chelsea is a fully consolidated project.

I think it's very very difficult to sign him, but if Messi we decided to leave Barcelona IMO would be in the "pole position".

Finally, I want to make it absolutely clear that I do not want to do cheap demagoguery or make "cheap philosophy" about Messi - Spanish services tax - the independence of Catalonia because it is a very serious issue. I'm also not saying that Messi is completely innocent, because it is not true. What I am saying is that right now in Spain, with the discussion about the independence of Catalonia, the nationalist politicians (Spanish as well as Catalans) are using anything for their own interests. And the majority of the people in Spain (in Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia, Valencia, Euskadi, Mallorca ...) what we want It's a strong change in our country and those persons who do not pay their taxes begin to be pursued by the law to create a better society in Spain.

[johnnythefirst 1,076]

Maybe he should go to Anderlecthhhtttttt glory will be waiting for him

Messi is never going anywhere else before he reaches Xavi age. It will be either Qatar or the States after that. ;-)