Messi is no big deal when playing outside Nou camp. A disappointment when playing for Argentina simply because their players are goal hungry themselves and will go for personal glory. That is why Argentina failed in their World Cup 2010 and Copa America 2011 campaign.
Kluivert: Barca are "out of this world"
Former Barcelona star Patrick Kluivert has praised the Catalan side's brand of football as "out of this world"Speaking to the club's official website, the Dutchman lauded: "The way they [Barcelona] play is impressive. The football they play is out of this world".
"I've played with Xavi, [Carles] Puyol and [Andres] Iniesta, and now they are the backbone of this team. "When I was there, they were young, it's a real honour and pleasure to see their play bring so much success to the club."
Kluivert also revealed that Guardiola was always destined to be a "great manager", even during his playing days. "He was already a leader when he was a footballer and you had the intuition that when he finished his career he would be a great manager," added Kluivert. "He connects with the players. He knows how he wants the team to play and he communicates that well to his players."
The Dutchman also compared the form that Lionel Messi has had for both club and country, and blamed the selfishness of Argentina's football for the stark difference.
"Barca plays for Messi but on the other hand when we see him play for his national side, he's different," he said. "When Messi plays for Barca he's simply marvellous, but with Argentina there are many players that just play for themselves."
Kluivert played for Barcelona from 1998-2004, scoring 122 goals during his time in Catalunya.
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Pele: Messi, Rooney not great yet
11 November 2011
Brazilian legend Pele says Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney need to perform on the highest stage before they can be considered world class.The 71-year-old said being exceptional for your club and being exceptional for your country are two completely different things, and only the very best can perform at both levels.
"I think a 'great' player is defined by their performances at the World Cup," Pele said."For example, watch Lionel Messi play for Barcelona. He is very good. Exceptional. But for Argentina, he's completely different.""Compare him to Zinedine Zidane. He won the World Cup and was at the top for 15 years.
He was a more complete player than Messi.""Before Zidane there was Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini and Bobby Moore.""Great players who won World Cups or, in Cruyff and Platini's case, starred in them."
When asked about Wayne Rooney, although the three-time World Cup winner said he was a fan of the 26-year-old, he was far from complimentary about his behaviour."I am a very big fan of Rooney. He always fights for the team.
He is not too technical, his strength is his heart," Pele said."He's a good player. But you can't really compare him to me. I scored a lot of goals. I don't know if Rooney has.""His aggression is a big part of his game — you cannot take that away from him.
In my time we didn't have many yellow cards and red cards. Now, the players are very well protected.""But a player does have a responsibility to behave himself. It's hard to change the personality of the player but maybe they can adjust."
11 November 2011
Brazilian legend Pele says Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney need to perform on the highest stage before they can be considered world class.The 71-year-old said being exceptional for your club and being exceptional for your country are two completely different things, and only the very best can perform at both levels.
"I think a 'great' player is defined by their performances at the World Cup," Pele said."For example, watch Lionel Messi play for Barcelona. He is very good. Exceptional. But for Argentina, he's completely different.""Compare him to Zinedine Zidane. He won the World Cup and was at the top for 15 years.
He was a more complete player than Messi.""Before Zidane there was Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini and Bobby Moore.""Great players who won World Cups or, in Cruyff and Platini's case, starred in them."
When asked about Wayne Rooney, although the three-time World Cup winner said he was a fan of the 26-year-old, he was far from complimentary about his behaviour."I am a very big fan of Rooney. He always fights for the team.
He is not too technical, his strength is his heart," Pele said."He's a good player. But you can't really compare him to me. I scored a lot of goals. I don't know if Rooney has.""His aggression is a big part of his game — you cannot take that away from him.
In my time we didn't have many yellow cards and red cards. Now, the players are very well protected.""But a player does have a responsibility to behave himself. It's hard to change the personality of the player but maybe they can adjust."
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