Sentence:  Sadio Mané wasted a glorious chance in the first half and, late on, Mohamed Salah turned his shot against a post after a goal-line clearance had spun his way. That, in a nutshell, perhaps sums up the difference between Messi and the players on the next rung below – the ones who can be described as great footballers without necessarily being football <WSD>greats</WSD>. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A person of major significance, accomplishment or acclaim.