Messi Makes Same Mistake as Pele

[steve B]

Such a difficult question, one that probably doesn't have any clear answer.

I'll start off saying that I'm biased in favor of Pele. Even watching an old supposedly worn out Pele play for the Cosmos was something that made me pay attention to Soccer. Until then, it was - to me - something played by Highschool kids and a few of the more athletic hippie types. (I was in High school at the time and enjoyed playing it in gym)

And watching Maradona a bit later was pretty amazing. If I remember it correctly he was the guy who was trapped in the corner by a defender and held the ball on a foot that was over the sideline while turning side to side until he had room to get the ball past the defender. Amazing skill.

To me todays game seems a bit overly formulaic, it's probably a more strategically sound game than the 70's and 80's, but it's a bit dull when the players don't show off that sort of talent - Or won't because it doesn't fit the style of play.

My admittedly less than great understanding is that the European and South American styles of play are a bit different. South American to me has always seemed like a more open game with more man on man coverage, while the European game has seemed more compact with a lot more zone like play. I can't really picture how the skills of each style would translate to the other.