Former Real Madrid and Argentina striker Jorge Valdano says the next footballing genius will be more similar to "superhuman" Cristiano Ronaldo than "miracle" Lionel Messi.
"Messi contradicts everything," Valdano told Tiempo. "Being a genius, he can change anything. He has the power of a hero, of a superstar.
"This week he released a statement on Instagram responding to Eric Abidal, the technical secretary, who had for some reason criticised the players – he left Barcelona shaking.
"Then, on the pitch, he has the power to imbalance any side. He has decided three of the last four results with his devastating influence. He has become more mature and more aware of his power.
"There is only one Messi," he added. "It's hard to know what will come after him. Taking into consideration that a genius is born every 15 or 20 years, the next one will have a more academic background.
"Messi is a formative miracle: he owes his gifts to both the streets and the academy.
"Until the age of 13 he grew up in Argentina, with a more informal education, then moved to Barcelona where he learned to play attractive football - but it was much more formal.
"The streets have disappeared from training schools for football players. In South America there are still areas of poverty where football continues to reign.
"The next Messi will be more similar to Cristiano Ronaldo than Messi, more physically superhuman, more competitive, just as heroic, but cut from a different cloth."
UNF4Z3D
715
Basically he is saying Messi is one of a kind and cannot be replicated
Tataiostz
546
Messi never had to play on the streets one day in his life. The greatest footballer of all time grew up on the streets, teaching himself. Messi can never match the great Pele. He can reach his goals for one team, but he has already played many more games and is still behind. He needs to play seventy five games more than the great Pele. That cannot make him the equal of Pele.
hunmnoru
465
messi was genetically made. It is impossible to have another Messi in the next 20years at least. I know someone who can work hard to be a Ronaldo or close to a Ronaldo. But to be messi, you need to be born messi.
SH221B
382
There is no MESSI without Ronaldo and no Ronaldo without Messi. Each makes another one perfect.This era is a beautiful era of football.
Irfan19
309
actually there will never be any other Messi or Ronaldo. Jewels are born once in a lifetime
Lazbdlmnt
137
There are many good players in the world, but this will never be matched to any of them. They are legends
jibreal24
114
everyone have his natural gift both ronaldo and messi were gifted from Almighty God. if u said superhuman lingard, is training everyday without single injury and he is not making it so that's his nature
Jaruhar009
11
Messi never had to play on the streets one day in his life. The greatest footballer of all time grew up on the streets, teaching himself. Messi can never match the great Pele. He can reach his goals for one team, but he has already played many more games and is still behind. He needs to play seventy five games more than the great Pele. That cannot make him the equal of Pele.
For your information Pele has 600+ goals in friendly matches where he was asked to play to gather crowd.