not sure at all...how many times in the past i have read in forums van basten had only 1 chance to play a worldcup...ignoring netherlands elimination 1986 in wcq... the first step are qualifers...right ???.yes i think it was a lucky situation for netherland playing the last game against a team where was allready qualfied...and there is the possibilty hungary has not played with his strongest squad..how many times this scenario is happend in championsleaque grouphase games??maybe iam wrong in this case . i dont knows the players names of hungary in both games against netherland...however i think it was a unlucky situation for austria where has won and draw the games against netherland prior.....and finally netherland was eliminated against belgium in the playoffs..van basten has scored only 1 goal in one game against cyprius for a 7:1 win...out of 6 games he has played....... so what do you await?? i have all games of van basten on dvd euro 1988, 3 of 4 games wc 1990,3 of 4 games 1992 and the wcq game against germany 1989.....and iam sorry both penaltys against kohler 1988 and 1990 was referee gifts..1990 a clear dive...
Germans are good in altering history... I see the FIFA highlights has (deliberately) no clear replay of the scene, just as the German highlights and the full-game on youtube - which is again the German version. Luckily, the Dutch version has, sort of, a good replay of the scene. It is vague but it is noticeable. What is that arm of Kohler doing there in a unnatural position? That is not the usual way a player runs isn't it? Again, the German highlights and full-game on youtube has not this close-up, but luckily, the Dutch version had. I'm afraid that your powerful country sort of failed this time in totally washing away scenes. Unfortunately, this awful game is on youtube while the 1992 meeting is taken offline somehow.
Gullit and Basten were a similar case of Ronaldo to a lesser extent (much less serious). Anyhow, The injuries had robbed Gullit's agility in early90's and affected Holland at WC90's - that also affected Basten's performance for the NT side as well ... At times late 80's, Gullit + Van Basten were just like the Ro-Ro partner in late 90's = put fear to any defense
Van Basten played with a damaged cartilage which was gradually shrinking/disappearing since late 1986. How is that 'much less serious'? Gullit was by the way still a great player in the early 90s and even at Chelsea. He is far from a personal favorite but it was a good one for any national team basically. Anyway, Zidane is of a higher caliber and had a better technique IMO
Well is it a debate? Ronaldo got twice broken the same ligament and was in hospital for 2.5years - no practice, almost no hope to be able to run again- not to mention "playability" - in 2001 MOST PEOPLE /MEDIA had written off the chance Ronaldo coming back to football. His name had been in some list of ALL TIMES (since they consider his career DONE). late in 2007 he made his 3rd operation on same injury AGAIN. Anyway, back to Gullit (one of my very favorite AM) he was NO LONGER the same player (like Ronaldo 2004 onward) still very good but maybe 50-60% of his talent. IMAGINE these 3 had the same fitness level of Raul, Nisterooy or Zidane? WOW unthinkable! Zidane was a bit more talent in ball control, short passing and vision than Gullit. But what made Zidane so famous (over Gullit) was his "consistency " (thanks for he had no major injuries and maintained good fitness) and his "SHOW UP" performance in some BIG GAMES!
Ronaldo had not recurring problems with his ankles, he had problems with his knees, which were probably an effect of the doping he took as a kid. Van Basten his ankle injury was also his own fault though; the tackle that started the painful process was his own mistake at least.
I said "broken" ligament ... a JOINs in knee that keeps the thigh and leg together - the most important part of the whole leg. So broken ligament = breaking the leg in to two ... With bad ankles, you can still walk or run. Broken ligament = crippled ============================================== This is how it happened: "THE world of football holds its breath this morning, waiting to hear if Ronaldo will ever play again. The most expensive player on the planet underwent a pioneering, microscopic operation last night as surgeons battled to save his career. The Brazilian striker - who cost his Italian club Inter Milan pounds 60million in transfer fee and wages - was reduced to tears and left "destroyed" on Wednesday night by a second knee injury just six minutes into his comeback from the first. Inter president Massimo Moratti feared the worst, saying: "I went into the changing-room and saw the lad there, crying in front of me. He was in utter despair." Stretchered from the pitch in the Italian Cup Final, the Inter Milan forward was flown first to Milan and then on to Paris for emergency surgery on his crippled knee. "
.. and ... "The Drama of Ronaldo," was the Rome daily La Repubblica's front-page headline, placed over a photograph of the fallen Internazionale striker in Wednesday night's Italian Cup match against Lazio in Rome. As word spread of the latest, and perhaps saddest, chapter in Ronaldo's young career, some began to question whether the two-time FIFA player of the year will ever return to the greatness that made him the heir apparent to Pele and Diego Maradona. "From that scream and his holding the knee between his hands, it was clear right away that this was an awful story," wrote columnist Gianni Mura in La Repubblica. "Who knows if he had really recovered, or if he will ever recover ... if he will give up or continue to fight. He has the most risky fragility, that of the tools of his trade."
James, I think we are both no medical specialists but you can't say that simple about ankle injuries that you can still walk. A permanent ankle injury severely affects your balance, just like a knee injury affects your agility and explosiveness.
now you take it "seriously" huh ? Back to WC90, I put money to Gullit for goldenball and Basten for Goldenboot ... and they DISAPPOINTED me (and the whole world) At least Gullit got some excuses with fitness level aftersome injuries, but no clear sign of Basten's fitness level at time as I remember!
