Lionel Messi's heroics last night ensured El Clasico Part III 2011 will not be remembered as a scrap and has reignited the debate over whether he can now be considered the best player of all time.
Comparisons with fellow Argentine Diego Maradona are arbitrary by definition but the mere regularity with which Messi raises the question on a now annual basis suggests with every mazy dribble or mesmeric moment he takes a step closer.
Footballing immortality is already assured - his goal against Getafe in 2007, for example, was better than the one he scored to make it 2-0 last night - and perhaps the best way to decide his place among the greats is to consider his career were it to end tomorrow. Messi is 24 in June and already Barcelona's third-highest scorer in their history. At his best, he is simply unplayable.
Should Messi continue along his present trajectory, he will surely become the best ever but his potential remains not yet fully realised only because of his age.
The principal argument against Messi's elevation is his international record. He has 16 goals from 55 matches and is yet to dominate a major tournament for his country in the manner Maradona and Pele did.
Pele won three World Cups and scored more than 1,200 goals. Messi does not have that longevity yet but it appears only a matter of time.
