Football / Soccer / Calcio / Futebol / Fußball

I think contrary to what everyone thinks, Messi isn't winning for his achievements. It's what he does on the field. He scores, he assists, he creates chances, and he produces magic moments.
Let's say, he has Haaland's achievements. Do you really think he would have scored 0 goals in UCL semis and finals? With City's team, it's impossible to stop Messi. Messi with KDB, Gundogan, Grealish, Rodri, Foden, and Alvarez would be a cheatcode. I will even say if Messi had gone to City in 2020, City would have won at least two UCLs by now. Bayern was able to stop Messi this year because PSG had a poor midfield.

Now, let's say Haaland has Messi's achievements. Do you see him scoring that Mexico goal? Or creating those insane assists vs Croatia and Netherlands? Or creating chances for Lautaro to miss? Haaland is a great scorer. But, he doesn't produce what Messi does at the pitch. Go through the highlights of Barcelona's 2009 and 2015 treble wins and compare Messi's performances with Haaland. Although they have the same achievement, you can't put both players in the same bracket. Messi will seem a lot better than Haaland.