Discuss. Dribblers can use dribbling to either predominantly possess the ball, or to take the ball past players. But without necessarily depending on pace. I name Messi, Ibra, Ronaldo, Riquelme.
50's: Zizinho (or Leonidas?) 60's: Garrincha 70's: Cruijff 80's: Maradona 90's: Ronaldo 00's-06: Ronaldinho then now -... Messi
Ronaldinho [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOK0nUpAdMI"]YouTube- Ronaldinho Tricks[/ame] Cristiano Ronaldo [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V_-HYkUoLQ"]YouTube- Cristiano Ronaldo - King Of Dribbling HD !![/ame] Messi [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS6OKvVa94c"]YouTube- Lionel Messi 2009: The Very Best of Leo Messi[/ame] Ibrahimovic [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yObIYDOv1Qc"]YouTube- Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Magic (best football player)[/ame] Ronaldo [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2NHqSXftzU"]YouTube- Ronaldo[/ame] Aaron Lennon [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAmx0FZElvc"]YouTube- Aaron Lennon - The Technical[/ame] They all have different styles. Some use pure technique, some have more speed/acceleration than others, some use feints/dummies/step-overs, most combine several of them.
Some others not mentioned: Iniesta, Robinho, Benayoun, Diego, Robben, Aguero, Arshavin. Also, although he doesn't use the dribble to beat his marker much, the footwork Xavi uses for shielding the ball or turning to open up his view for a pass is amazing.
I think Denilson needs a mention here. Even if he wasn't the greatest dribbler ever, he's certainly the one player whose success was almost solely due to this ability. EDIT: Just noticed the "current" qualifier later in the thread. Never mind.
Seriously, I know that this is not a historical discussion but why Zizinho ahead of Matthews? He was known as the wizard of the dribble for a reason.
Good question, and I think Zizinho was underated compared to Mathews ... in the point of "media" - maybe it's just me Look, same in the 60's. most Europeans would think Ge0rge Best was a king in dribble, but not me (and many expaerts) Garrincha would be the ONE. Again, this is very vague and always subjective
He can't really do much else, and his refusal to shoot is infuriating, but Alex Hleb is amazing at keeping the ball. The other players mentioned are/were among the best in the world - Hleb's just a really good dribbler who can't do anything else.
Agreed. Denilson was the most elusive dribbler I've seen from the last two decades. Too bad he wasted his talent by being greedy.
D'Alessandro, is a good one. His team finished second in the brazilian championship this year. He is alot like Messi, doesn't use any flashy tricks but just holds the ball and moves through people, great at set pieces.
Zidane is worth mentioning among the best holding players ever, his touch on the ball was amazing when it came to control, and his ability to keep tricks simple but 100% effective! His little stepovers would open up space for on coming forwards, along with his expertise with the roulette, knowing when exactly to use it. [ame="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xleup_zidane-the-epilogue-20_creation"]Dailymotion - Zidane The Epilogue 20 - une vidéo Art et Création@@AMEPARAM@@http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/xleup@@AMEPARAM@@xleup[/ame]
best german dribblers ive seen would be reinhard libuda, juergen grabowski and pierre littbarski....thomas haessler was no slouch either. currently probably marko marin
"Garrincha would be the ONE." of all times yes by some margin.... today i think messi is the best "dribbler" he has remarkable close control and balance and is great in the long and short range with and without space.thats my pick anyway
messi, iniesta, robben, robinho, arshavin, ronaldinho, joe cole, ronaldo, kaka, pato, ribery messi in regards to dribbling ability already ranks as an all time great.
Iniesta can dribble, but isn't "A dribbler", even if he can very good at, he reminds me a lot of Ardiles with a more offensive game or an Aimar in his role but with a different style in him. "A Dribbler", and I'm not talking here about there overall evaluation as a player, is Lavezzi, Zarate, De Federico, even Di Maria...these fellas have a tendency to make more than just one slalom every game their play, while being capable of pulling those in regular basis.
From what I've seen, I think Asian players are fantastic dribblers. South Korean and Japanese. They just never seem to score. Another player that belongs on the list of great dribblers is Edgar Davids. I hated him when he played for Juve and Netherlands! That's how I know he was very good.
There have been some amazing dribblers in the past as well as at present time. They make the games exciting to watch when you see them go with the ball. These are the type of players I've always liked. Without any disrespect to all the legendary dribblers, I would say that for me the best one was Maradona. And I have to admit that the more I watch Messi the more I think he looks like Don Diego from his best moments. It's gonna be amazing watching this summer one coaching and the other one playing at the WC. p.s. I'm amazed no one has mentioned Figo yet! It hurts me to admit it, cause he's a traitor, but he was an amazing small-space dribbler. And do you remember Giggsy?
