Lionel Messi. Arguably the greatest footballer of all time.
The Barcelona maestro has scored 552 goals in a remarkable career for club and country that has yielded five Ballon d’Or awards, four Champions League trophies and numerous goalscoring awards.
Cristiano Ronaldo has millions of fans. As so Pele and Diego Maradona, the stars of yesteryear. But it’s hard to put anyone above Messi.
For an idea of how highly the Argentinian is revered by his peers, just read Eden Hazard’s recent comments on the forward.
“What he does with the ball is something else. I do not see myself at that level,” Hazard told France Football, via Goal.
“It is up to others to make such comments. I am not going to proclaim myself an artist like him.”
Hazard wasn’t being humble. He just knows that Messi is in a league of his own.
What if Messi went in goal?
When we think of Messi, we think of his goals. He’s the only player in history to score 40+ club goals in eight consecutive seasons and only Ronaldo can rival him when it comes to finding the back of the net.
But what if, for a laugh, we imagined Messi goal?
That’s exactly what YouTuber Hitman89 did, with hilariously bad results.
YouTuber decided to find out
Hitman89 put Messi, who is 5ft 7in, in goal in FIFA 17. He never stood a chance really, when you look at the 29-year-old’s goalkeeping stats.
Watch: Messi goes in goal
After making a few early saves, it quickly becomes clear that Messi is useless. He’s especially concerning from crosses and doesn’t even bother diving for one shot.
Watch the video below.
It’s safe to say Messi is best kept as far away from the goal as possible.
Messi's Argentina debacle
The Barca star will be eager for Wednesday to arrive when he can return to domestic action following his recent international debacle.
Messi was hit with a four-match international suspension after verbally insulting the assistant referee during Argentina’s recent World Cup qualifier against Chile.
The ban has put a serious dent in the Albiceleste’s chances of reaching next year’s tournament in Russia. There is speculation that Edgardo Bauza could be fired after a 2-0 defeat to Bolivia left Argentina fifth in South American qualifying.