Do greats need to win World Cups

[Stuckey]

LIONEL Messi must win a World Cup before he can be considered as one of the greatest, Michel Platini says.

Platini hailed the 24-year-old Barcelona forward as one of the greats after he won his third-straight FIFA World Player of the Year award this week.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/soc ... 6244008671

YES!
I completely agree with this article. First offI want to say Messi is a fantastic player, But!
He has shown bugger all at international level. A 10 man Uruguay kept him quiet in the Copa America last year.
Same can be said about England's ageing 'golden generation' Lampard, Rooney, Gerrard, Beckham, Terry and the rest.
All these players are great at club level but have never really set the world of international football on fire. Hence why England always struggle at international competitions, and why I will never understand why Liverpool fans constantly crap on about Stevie G being the worlds greatest player.

If Messi wants to be included in the world's greatest list of players like Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo and Beckenbauer (among others) he needs to take Argentina somewhere. Personally Brazil 2014 is make or break time for him.
Much like Germany 2006 was IMO make or break time for Ronaldinho. He had just come of an amazing season with Barca and Brazil were favourites for it. Sadly it didn't go his was and his career has been on the downhill slide ever since.

[blahblah]

Disagree. Hagi was never going to win a World Cup with Romania however he simply tore the opposition apart in internationals.

[BC]

Also disagree. Football is a team game, coaching and defense are essential to international campaigns and Lionel has no say in that. Argentina is a shambles but that doesn't make Messi any less of a player.

[Agostinho]

Also strongly disagree. There's no I in team etc

[Stuckey]

But thats the thing great players improve the players around them bring them into the match. Argentina aren't a shambles they just need a decent coach as they have a good chunk of the best player in the world ATM but if they are to be great then they need to show it.
But saying that no one talks about the coach of Brazil 1970 or Argentina 1986 its all about the players