Messi has been described as a "quick, incisive, balanced, a stylish runner with the ball" who "runs from midfield are usually lethal and he is almost impossible to tackle when he gets his head down. His balance when running at speed is incredible." However, Messi has been criticised for "too often he searches for a way to finish moves by himself without looking for team-mates in a better position to shoot at goal." Messi has also been criticised for his performance in the national team. Messi revealed that he is a fan of the former Argentina playmaker Pablo Aimar.
Messi's increasing reputation led both the media and former great players to draw comparisons between Messi and Real Madrid C.F. forward Cristiano Ronaldo, which Messi has commented on saying: "It’s completely different, i play in a style and he plays in a style, im not here to attack him with my words nor compare myself with him. I have my own personality and he has his own, i want to achieve my goals, win titles with Barcelona and Argentina". Former Barcelona teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović stated: "Leo Messi is all talent, while Cristiano Ronaldo is the product of much training", while Xavi said: "Messi is unique. We can't compare him with Cristiano Ronaldo." Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola compared Messi with all time great Basketball legend Michael Jordan, stating: "There have been very few like them in history, who dominated their sport like that."
