Messi Could Be A Legend - Beckenbauer</p> <span class="sommario">Franz Beckenbauer has tipped Lionel Messi to overcome the pressure of the modern era to become one of the all-time great players alongside Diego Maradona and Pelé.</span></p> The German legend has been very impressed by what he has seen of the young FC Barcelona star and believes that if he continues long the same path then he is destined for big things. After seeing Messi score a wonder goal in the pre-season friendly against his beloved Bayern Munich in August, Beckenbauer was present as the Blaugrana beat VfB Stuttgart in midweek. "Messi is a marvellous player who excites you when you see him play," he said. "If he continues like this, working hard and with the same consistency, then he will become one of the greatest, like Maradona or Pelé. "It has to be taken into account that he is only just 20 years of age and his whole future ahead of him." When asked if Messi's progress reminded him of his own early career, Beckenbauer was quick to state what he had achieved by the time that he was 20. "At the same age I had finished as runner-up in the World Cup Final, in England in 1966," he explained. "That is to say that I did not make a very quiet start." The major difference for Beckenbauer between his playing days and the present is the constant spotlight that football players have to live under. "Now the pressure is constant with the press, public opinion, television, many more games," he added. "Our era was another world, much calmer, more relaxed."</p> </p>
