LIONEL MESSI

Barcelona's attacking midfielder Lionel Messi has just broken Gerd Müller's phenomenal 1972 record of 85 goals for club and country in a calendar year; and with a couple of games left before the new year, there is every chance that he will extend the record beyond the current 86. Three times voted world player of the year, Messi is the odds-on favourite to win again this year.

I well remember Müller. He broke England's hearts in the 1970 World Cup quarter final, scoring the winning goal in extra time when Germany came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. He also scored the winner when Germany beat Holland 2-1 in the 1974 World Cup Final, which was Müller's last international match. He was short, stocky, very powerful and an instinctive poacher. Many of his goals were scored from within the 6-yard area.

Messi is also short, stocky and very powerful, but there the similarities end. He is a tremendous dribbler, with explosive pace and terrific ball control, particularly in confined spaces. He is very similar to his fellow Argentinian Diego Maradona, who was also a left-footed attacking midfielder.

Barcelona are one of the world's great clubs, and Messi has already won more than a dozen titles. But the one forum where he has had little success is in the World Cup for Argentina. In South Africa in 2010, he was marked out of the game and did very little, thereby confirming that football remains a team game. As Pele has said, until Messi has won three World Cups (as the Brazilian did), it's a bit premature to call him the greatest player ever.

Walter Blotscher