Ninety-one goals in one year, 73 goals in one season, four Ballon d’Or awards (player of the year award) in a row, and five in total, and the list goes on and on, but one thing stays static and that is, Messi has achieved all these accomplishments, and is still achieving more today.

I’ve admired Messi and Barcelona, which is the team he plays for, ever since I was eight years old. Although it started then, my true admiration started in 2013 when I watched Barcelona play in Abu Dhabi, and this match glorified Messi more than any match I have watched on T.V. Ever since then Messi has been my idol and a role model that will shape the way I play soccer.

I have argued the question about who is the best soccer player with many people at West High, in fact it was the first argument I got myself into during my high school career. On the bus, during my first day at West High School i heard an argument about the best player in the world, and i just could not resist getting myself into. My opinion on this topic has not changed since 2012 when I made my decision in fifth grade. While my friends were choosing Ronaldo or Pele, I came to the conclusion that Messi is the greatest in history because of the way he plays, his accomplishments, and honesty while playing the game of soccer.

Let’s start with Messi’s history. He began playing for Barcelona in La Liga when he was 16 years old, and his accomplishments started their. He won the Under 20 World Cup, and was the youngest player to score in the Barcelona franchise. He continued his young years with more accomplishments, in the major european leagues and cups like, the World Cup, La liga, Champions League, and South America’s Copa America.

Even Though Messi has all these great and massive accomplishments, this aspect of him is not what separates him from other players. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or more commonly known as Pele, a retired Brazilian soccer player, has the most goals in the history of football racking up to over 1000, while Messi remains around 600, or another comparison could be Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese soccer player, who has as many Ballon d’ors as Messi. Still I don’t regard these player as better or of equal standing as Messi, because Messi has a personality that no other player has while playing the game. Every Player that’s played with Messi has regarded him as one of the greatest teammates they’ve ever had. Xavier Hernandez, who is an ex-teammate of Messi at Barcelona has stated, “You cannot hate Messi, and love football (soccer), it’s impossible.” This shows that players and fans respect Messi as much as they respect and love the sport itself. Another thing that Messi shows, is his way of playing on the field. It’s special, it’s different than any other player, the way he dribbles, passes, shoots, makes decisions, but most of all, his honesty on the field. “He’s an honest player. He gets kicked, he gets hacked — he gets up. He never dives, he doesn’t cheat,” said Gary Lineker, one of today’s most famous soccer commentators.

Messi is an all-round phenomenal player and has things that other players are missing, and this separates him from everybody else. His accomplishments as an individual, and with his team, are undeniably historical. His personality and character on and off the field are second to none other player. His combined personality and his love and skill to the game of soccer make him a unique player in history, and simply the greatest soccer player of all time.