Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time

Who is the greatest player of all time? It’s a question that always hangs in the air, begging for an answer.

Only a handful of guys have ever been legitimate candidates. Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Di Stefano, maybe Zidane. But that’s the lot.

Lionel Messi has been the best of his generation for years now. But, for me, he was always just on the fringes of the real big boys.

Over the last year, however, he has been undeniable.

First he dragged a fairly ordinary Argentina team all the way to the World Cup Final.

Then he became the all-time leading goal scorer in La Liga.

Then he smashed Raul’s Champions League scoring record.

Then he became the player with the most assists in La Liga history.

Then he bagged his 32nd Barcelona hat-trick to become the player with most hat-tricks for a Spanish club in all competitions.

And then, last Wednesday night, he spearheaded Barca’s DESTRUCTION of Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Quite simply, in the past 12 months there has been no stopping Messi.

And despite losing out on FIFA’s Balon d’Or to Cristiano Ronaldo for two years on the trot, I don’t believe there’s room for doubt about Messi’s status any more.

The little Argentine is now indisputably the greatest player of all time.

Yes, Pele, Maradona and Zidane won World Cups. Yes, Di Stefano won five European Cups in a row with Real Madrid. And, yes, Cruyff has had an unprecedented impact on the way football is played and coached.

But I have seen all of them in action and Messi is the best of the lot.

Everyone who watched him against Bayern could see that. He played a key role as Barcelona wore down the German champions, dropping deep to collect possession before driving at their defence. It was panic stations for the Bayern defenders every time he got the ball. And in the end, when Barca had worn them down enough, Messi pounced.

His first goal was an absolute peach. His second was even better. It was vintage stuff a world-class performance. It left me in no doubt. On his game, Messi is absolutely unplayable. A perfect blend of technical ability, fitness and intelligence.

You can’t get better than perfection. And that is what Messi has achieved.