Who Is The Greatest Dribbler Ever

Back to WC finals:
- WC74: Cruijff did not win the WC but he was key for the team and did many things (PK fouled, dribble runs)
- WC54: Puskas did not win the WC, but his (half fit) performance still there scored 2 goals
... one can not say much of Romario at WC94 final ... but this

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2008/oct/29/1
On Second Thoughts: USA 94

"Romario and Baggio could not redeem a final that passed into infamy even before it ended sadly in a penalty competition. There's no doubt it stunk, and the fact that it was the first to be

a) goalless and b) decided on penalties
means that, even if it went door to door like Jesus Quintana, it would not be forgiven in polite society. But did it stink quite as much as we remember ?"



Baresi Champ In Loss
by Frank Bertucci, Special to the Daily News
POSTED: July 18, 1994

Playing alongside Maldini, Baresi ran stride-for-stride with Brazil's Romario and Bebeto for nearly the full two hours playing time. Positioning
himself perfectly, he consistently beat the speedier Brazilians to balls in the Italian penalty area, or headed cross passes out of danger.

And in the game's 36th minute, he sneaked behind a Brazilian at midfield, stole a pass and raced toward the enemy net with Baggio on a two-on-one break that ultimately was non-fruitful.

=====================================================

Accept the SAD truth like a man ... do not live on denial fan boys

 

Perfectly observed mate

 

Thanks for joining man.

James cherry picks the worse of Romario WC94 for not scoring in final. And give credit to baresi and Baggio for failing to score in the PK. He says that Brazil won that WC thanks to Baggio miss PK.

Now I say that is bullshit. If you go back to the PK scoring chart. By the time Baggio came to take PK turn, Brazil was up with two points. So even if Baggio scored Brazil was still ahead and would have won it in the end.

The way i see it, James has always denied Romario for what he did in WC94 and Rivaldo for he did in WC02.

James will go against all opinion of Brazilians like you and Celito and Lucas Gomes and claims (pretends) to know better then you guys.

Now, I have seen Messi fanboys and I have seen CR7 fanboys making noise. But James as a R9 fanboy is even worse then them.

 

Rating Ronaldo over Romario is a valid opinion. I rate Romario over Ronaldo. And I would like to ask. don´t you think Ronaldo was a bit subpar in continental games in Europe? I can find at least 5 great performances by Romario in UCl/EC, and the guy only played 7 years in Europe. Now, for Ronaldo, I only found his game against Manchester (2003) and Leverkusen (95) in a 15 years career in Europe. Some of romario best games in continental:





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CPrP5-iYHA

 

I did not mean that non-Brazilians don't have anything to say or aren't entitled to do so. Sorry if I came up like that. The post of mine was in the spirit to counter argue James's idiocy on Brazilian football culture. He denied Brazilian members own personal accounts of how the Brazilians felt about WC94 and WC98. He claimed to the contrary of some respected Brazilian members here that they were wrong! That is the most arrogant comment and stand I have seen. It's like having an English man debating with a Chinese man on how to make noodles. Or like an American debating with an Argentine on how to dance tango. Cause that's what James has been doing. So I responded to him. i am no Brazilian either but i will listen to what Celito and Lucas Gomes and Guigs has to say on Brazilian football culture. But James.....

 

For the few of your posts I read today, it seems to me that you really have great knowledge about brazilian football

 

I did not cherry picking, especially it was Romairo's honor that I tried to compared his WC final to Cruijff and Puskas OK?

Look and READ well" those comments are from WORLD wide press , from uk, to USA around the world, NOT MINE OK?

I did not write anything to critisize them , but only put out the NEWS how the rest of the world think about that WC94 - to agianst your narrow mind opinion!
However, You are so welcome to gang up ... but I have the whole world behind LOL

 

This is proof that Ronaldo is overrated or at least let say overhyped.

Romario won 2 times UCL top score and reached the final in 94.

Ronaldo gave only two matches worth praising in UCL. Like you said 2003 vs united and vs leverkussen. All else is plain average for a guy many claim to be the best striker of the 90's. That is utterly fanboyistic.

In fact, the only feat that redeemed Ronaldo's career and saved him from being a total disapointment in terms of performances in his career, was Brazil NT performances which was great. But when it comes to league football (domestic and continental) he was plain averaged. He might have had a great GPG in season 95/96/97 but so have many other striker done it before him and after him. So what makes him stand out? Media got do it!

@Pipiolo @Guigs

 

Well i am fairly new to this place but i am sensing an atmosphere

 

And you forgot Romario's greatest goal ever in Champions League. A goal which went into PSV hall of fame. This goal is seldom mentioned by many here. But it is aesthetically beatiful and superior to anything Ronaldo has done in league football.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZM13AAFBgY

 

Yes he was sub par in many champions league matches but he wasnt as bad as some people suggest.. When i said i rated R9 highly i didnt mean above romario i meant i rate R9 on his ability before his injuries took their toll on him.. He had great ability

 

This beautiful goal is on the first video I posted. The funny thing is how a goal like that is forgotten nowadays. Romario did that in Round 16 of EC 89/90. Now, Ronaldo did a solo run against Compostela (was Compostela better than Corinthians, Palmeiras, São Paulo, etc in the 90´s? I really doubt that) in Copa del rey and we were forced to watch that goal million times on the TV or Internet since 1996.

 

Ok, let me bring you up on things.

Bigsoccer is by far one of the best forums to exchange real knowledge about football. So you are at the right place.

There are many great debaters here who really know there shit.

However, there are a few fanboys as well who are more knowledgeable then the averaged hooligan but still have their moments when they will show their colours. What out for them. Don;t let them fool you.

On the perceived atmosphere thing, well it follows that James will pretend to know it all even in the company of those who have witnessed true legit events about the subject of discussion. Since a year ago, we had a debate on this WC94 vs WC98, 02 in terms of pressure on the shoulders of the respective teams. We also discussed about who Scolari endorsed as being his most valuable player. These points were supported by the Brazilians Celito and Lucas Gomes. For they are real Brazilians. Scolari stated in a a press that his most valuable player in WC02 was Rivaldo. He also stated that Ronaldo was important for the victory in the final match. But James being a R9 fanboy denied this and said implied that his opinion meant more than that of the NT coach Scolari. Can you imagine this? Then the BRazilian members wnet on saying that WC94 meant more for Brazil since they had to wait 24 years of not winning anything in WC. Which is something we all agreed since we all know that Brazil lost every single attempt at the world cup since 1970. But James, again as usual, had to diminish NT94 squad and said that NT98 had bigger pressure on them. Which is odd since NT98 went to WC98 to defend the title not to win it for the first time since 24 years of drought. So these things and among many other things annoyed the shit at me and it ended in a frenzy between me Pipiolo and James. having moderators intervening.

Beware of James cause when it comes to Pele and R9 he will become non receptive to anything you have to say. Do not criticise Ronaldo or Pele cause he will always pop up out of the blew and call you ignorant or hater etc.

And do not believe when he call me and Pipiolo or leadleader R9 haters. Cause that ain't true either. We regard R9 as one of the best strikers in history. But we want to discuss about his ups and downs. While James will not tolerate his downs he only wants to hear the great things about R9. But when it comes to Romario or Baggio or Rivaldo, he will most then often criticise them and will seldom mentioned the good things about them.

So this is roughly what is going on here.

 

Thats very kind of you to say...i have always loved brazilian football although that love affair has began to wane with the decline in truly great brazilian players over the last 8 years.. When i was a boy my mates were all about bryan robson hoddle dalglish etc and i was busy ordering videos of atletico mineiro and flamengo and raving about players they had never heard of like zenon andrade tita etc !! And the influence of brazilian football had a profound effect on the way i played the game myself.. I joined these forums in the hope i can learn even more from brazilians

 

Thanks for filling me in !! I didnt realise

 

Look, for the so called "great players" or legends, the final games or big games are mostly counted ... in their status.

Just take a simple example of last copa del rey (even a small tourney) but Bale was quickly renowned as "justified the mega deal" or "won the battle vs Neymar in liga season" - for he did score a nice goal (winner) there:

Apr 1810:42AM EDT
Thoughts on a final
Posted by Sid Lowe

If Gareth Bale went from zero to 60 in seven seconds, Barcelona went from three to zero in seven days. The treble, gone. And fast.
...
You probably know them by now but here are the stats: 20 goals, 16 assists. It’s been some debut season for Bale, capped by a brilliant winning goal in the cup final. It seems almost bizarre to talk about doubts, but they have been there.

 

That is true. he was very capable of scoring and was a real danger to any opponent.

But do not apologise. It is your right to be a fan of whomever you want. If you rate Ronaldo higher (which is not the case you said) then Romario or Baggio or Rivaldo that is fine too. As long as you offer your reasons to enlighten us. Cause that's why we here. To exchange experience and knowledge not to impose our views on others like some like to do here.

Keep posting mate. The more I read your post the more i want more.

By the way, as a side note. Watch Ronaldo R9 vs Atletico Madrid 96/97. that was a great game in which Ronaldo produced a lot of football. In my opinion, that match is the best match Ronaldo had ever played in. There was no famous maze runs but his overall passes and position and final touches were high above anything he has done in football. Strange that many R9 fans don't give this match as reference. I know why, because he didn't do the maze runs! But technically and in terms of intelligence he was superior vs this Atletico match then any other famous match of him that many hype in that season. By far his best.

I have put the highlights of the match below, but I encourage you to watch the fool match. it;s on youtube.

 

This is why I always held the believe that R9 was a marketing boy. He was a great striker with world class talent. But the media and the sponsors pushed and pushed and pushed!

Romario scores a world class goal in a relevant match. And the media won't do nothing.
Baggio scores a world class goal in a relevant match. And the media won't do nothing.

Ronaldo scores a world class goal in an irrelevant match. The media will go ballistic!

Why is that?

I was a BIG Ronaldo fan in my late teenages. Untill I started to understand and notice the intrigue way the business side of football operates.

Football is a spectacle sport. The more hype the more money a Club makes. The more money a Club makes the more legacy a player gets. Ronaldo (being great) was also marketable. If not the most marketable player ever! Romario wasn't marketable because he was a maverick and opted to control his own career and call the shots. Ronaldo abided to what his managers and agents told him to do. That's why he became a icon he was. While Romario stuck his middle finger out to Bobby Robson in the middle of a match. that won't make the media like you and views you on TV over and over again the way they did with Ronaldo who was a nice guy.

You see? Do media got do it!

 

Seen this?


Pretty depressing, for the overall state of football and competitiveness, that the most supported club is in many countries a foreign one. That are resources draining away, basically.

http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles/Download/Tech/uefaorg/General/02/09/18/26/2091826_DOWNLOAD.pdf
Page 34 and beyond

 

But that doesn't make Bale a better player from a technical point. Neymar is a more complete forward then Bale with the ball at his feet. Bale made a great feat in that final match and deserves to be praised for that. So did Ba for Chelsea in Champions League. Will that make Ba better then Eto?

You are giving too much value to what the media imposes on us. You are gullible James.

Just because the media makes a week long hype on a player that doesn't mean we must believe it. Keep your eyes on the bigger picture. Otherwise you will commit the same mistake to believe at anything the media says.

@leadleader made a great post the other day on what he called "glory hunters". Are you a "glory hunter" or a football pundit? You can't be both!

 

But how does this support the idea that the Dutch league cannot flourish once more into the form it was back in the late 80's/early 90's??

Again, Gullit, Rijkaard, van Basten, Koeman etc all played in the foreing leagues. But when they got together at the Euros they were unbeatable. Why? Because they were united for one cause to win the trophie. The problem with Ducth NT is that we have too many intrigues between player vs managers. "If he goes then count me out!" kind of shit things. Do you remember WC94 we had the same problem with players refusing to collaborate. it's this unprofessional behaviour that jeopardises Holland's opportunity to focus on a common objective. Brazil NT94 were not a united one prior to WC94. Romario didn't get along well with Bebeto and Dunga era squad was notorious for bad stunts. But finally Parreira got everyone getting by on a professional level. This is what Holland faced in the past. Those Dutch players have gotten rich to soon and lost the ambition to represent their nation in a patriotic way. I think this is the problem. There is no incentive to make Dutch players motivated for Glory. Last WC they had a great shot at the trophy. But Spain was better so fair enough.

We've got Robben and a some experience WC10 veterans. We should be able to pull this one off.

I hope we can break this habit. It is time for us the Dutch to claim what's ours!

 

you missed my point = people, football heavily rated big games, especially final WC = ultimate do-or-die competition.

Look, this (like it or not) will last forever in football history and main reason to back Zidane's highly status:



==========================================================

Notes:
I never bother to compare Romario performance to the likes Rossi, Schillaci, Villa, Forlan G Hurst ... at WC level OK?
I compared him with Pele maradona Cruijff Puskas Garrincha, Muller, Ronaldo Zidane Eusebio ...

 

I have a dvd of ronaldos greatest barca matches so i will give it another look.. In my opinion romario was much more intelligent than ronaldo.. Ronaldo in his prime was more of a one man wrecking machine - head down running at full speed with the ball under perfect control- romario was much more subtle than R9 and a better finisher. He could finish from ridiculous angles with a deft flick. He made it look easy.. So out of those 2 i would choose romario because he played with an arrogant swagger and he knew how good he was. he had a supreme confidence about him. .. The problem for ronaldo was that he shared romarios love of partying and off field activities.. Ronaldo couldnt keep himself in condition like romario could. I think the injuries prevented him from being what he could have been..

 

I agree in the context: Romario was 25+ (at Barca and WC) compared to the kid Ronaldo (19-20 Barca )
If you watched R9 at WC02 to Real- Crointhians , he was pretty much like an old Romario = standing still in the box and scoring when he can

 

You and @leadleader have really summed up the difference between these two greats better then anybody.

Your views on both Romario and Ronaldo are very accurate.

There's one more thing I want to add. This is based my observations. Ronaldo's style of game. That is the game of power he showed in his prime is what jeopardised his potential. Even though his maze runs were very attractive and stadium seats, it is those maze power runs that killed him. Unsustainable! After the big injury he never ran like that again. And here comes the irony. To the fans it was a sad blow. To me it was a bless. Because in my opinion Ronaldo got better after the big injuries! Let me explain what I mean here. It's only after the big injury when he stopped running and playing the power game that he started to be more productive. Look here, WC02, La Liga, Corinthians. Does ring a bell right? He won his first league title beyond his prime when he was less explosive but more intelligent. With other words Ronaldo post injury was a better overall player and more intelligent then pre-injury. Less explosive but more productive and more of a team player which he wasn't during his earlier peak.