I totally agree with your comments on Messi. Of course you know I am a Real Madrid fan and you may think my opinion is somewhat tainted by that fact but I really just plain and simple don't think Messi is the type of player I would want on my team either. He is good but he really needs to have the right players around him (which he does in Barcelona but clearly doesn't on the nat'l team). On the national team it seems like he just doesn't gel...like everyone wonders what are we going to do with Leo? Do we bend over backwards for him or do we just treat him like any other player? IMO he hasn't done enough for the national team to be treated any better than any of the other regulars. He certainly isn't their best player. I'd take both Kun and Gonzo over him as striker for my team. At best Leo would be a sub for my team. He's a great on the bench for an intimidation factor but let the regular players have their due. They earned it.