Who Is The Greatest Dribbler Ever

Discussion in 'The Beautiful Game' started by Dearman, May 16, 2010.

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The Greatest Dribbler Ever

  1. Garrincha

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. Maradona

    3 vote(s)
    37.5%
  3. George Best

    1 vote(s)
    12.5%
  4. Ronaldo

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. Messi

    2 vote(s)
    25.0%
  6. Impossible to know

    2 vote(s)
    25.0%
  7. Other

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. AuriVerde

    AuriVerde Member

    Aug 26, 2003
    Fortaleza-CE,Brasil
    Club:
    Vasco da Gama Rio Janeiro
  2. DanFla

    DanFla Member

    Apr 18, 2010
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    I know that is about field soccer, but if consider Futsal, Falcão is the best dribbler of all the times.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIXzfq1ZZ_Q&feature=related"]YouTube- FaLcAoO - BeSt FuTsªL pLaYeR eVeR[/ame]
     
  3. kingkong1

    kingkong1 New Member

    Nov 12, 2007
    Rio, Brazil
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Yeah, he's incredible but that's simply another sport - & I know we'll all agree.;)
     
  4. Mexcellence

    Mexcellence Member+

    Oct 12, 2007
    Club:
    CD Chivas de Guadalajara
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    He's good, but even if I disconsidered that it is almost a completely different sport, I think the skills of Maradona, Ronaldo, Best, Garrincha, Ronaldinho, Cryuff, and even N Castillo :D are still ahead of that.
     
  5. kingkong1

    kingkong1 New Member

    Nov 12, 2007
    Rio, Brazil
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    I don't know.

    Requires a specific biotype (lighter, quicker).

    Put those guys in a court & let's see.

    Maradona tried - without much success.:cool:

    PS: Ronaldinho is out of discussion because he 'came' from futsal (like Zico, Robinho).

    Still we'd have to see how they'd evolve had they remained in futsal.

    Falcão though is an all-round pro in the modality.

    Another language, another vocabulary.:)
     
  6. aguimarães

    aguimarães Member

    Apr 19, 2006
    Club:
    LD Alajuelense
    Denilson can at least be considered an innovator for inventing the bicycle stepover, which most top wingers use today.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW8iFZy7x_w"]Denilson - Old school[/ame]
     
  7. kingkong1

    kingkong1 New Member

    Nov 12, 2007
    Rio, Brazil
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Another one who most certainly came from futsal.

    The interesting thing is that futsal (or beach) players adapt better to field football than the other way around.:)
     
  8. Estel

    Estel Member+

    May 5, 2010
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    True, it all comes down to individual taste and preference I suppose so I will give you the same in my case for Ronaldo and the reasons that I feel make him a somewhat better dribbler than the others.

    I don't agree with this in terms of it being something which takes away his ability. I have seen a lot of pre-1999 vids of Ronaldo recently, was trying to compare Messi with him, what I saw was that he beat defenders just as much through skill as through pace. Not just that, but to do something slowly and while taking time to think about it is quite a bit easier than doing the same at breakneck speed. So the fact that he was able to pull off the moves that he did, at the insane speeds in which he did them, make him special for me.

    Hmm, I feel that the degree of dribbling too directly, or not directly enough can always be tweaked depending on the playing experience the player has as well as depending on what the coach tells him to do. The other thing to take into account here is that the area of the pitch where Ronaldo generally dribbled, was much more crowded than say on the wings or in midfield where the others dribbled.
    If you compare him to say Zidane(not insinuating Zidane to be better than the others mentioned, just giving an example of someone who rarely lost the ball) then he definitely gives the ball away too often, since Zidane almost never tried taking on defenders when he could turn away which he could quite often, since there was space for him to. But that also decreased Zidane's effectiveness, although improving his team's possession play. It was the opposite for Ronaldo. Btw, if his coach had asked him to keep possession rather than passing defenders, i.e. make horizontal runs instead of giving away the ball, do you think he would have been unable to comply?
    Regarding the bolded part, Ronaldo has done some excellent work in tight spaces. His ability to round keepers, where I feel dribbling gets tightest and most constricted was also exceptional. Lastly, he is probably the biggest(in terms of height and weight) of the dribblers that you mentioned, which means that physics actually is against him when it comes to quick turns and keeping his balance. This also means that what he was not given naturally, he had to compensate for with skill which makes me feel he was superior to the others.

    Have already given my thoughts regarding Ronaldo. :)
     
  9. kingkong1

    kingkong1 New Member

    Nov 12, 2007
    Rio, Brazil
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    That's very relative.

    Relishing dribbling and still be effective (ie, score) without all that insane Ronaldo's running, bumping & shouldering could be even more difficult & trickier.

    Machiavelically you're giving way more time for the defense to recompose & neutralize you.:)

    And that's just plain football association: not a down-to-earth soccer version of 'gridiron'.lol
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMXn5hpxaxE"]YouTube- Rivelino - elástico memoravel![/ame]
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws4AhiePMFA&feature=related"]YouTube- Copa do Mundo de 1958 (3ºJogo) Brasil 2 x 0 União Soviética[/ame]
    Rivelino & Garrincha can be seen there almost like toreadores mesmerizing the bull.:D

    PS: Matthews, Maradona, Baggio, Romário, Messi among others would fit that category too.
     
  10. Cool Rob

    Cool Rob Member

    Sep 26, 2002
    Chicago USA
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Exactly. He's like the "missing link" in wing evolution and NEVER gets the credit he deserves. Denilson is a fascinating case becuase he's the pioneer that harkened back to the golden age of dribbling. To a large extent, dribbling as a weapon in itself was distrusted post-Total Football, and Denilson revived the art. It's not a suprise his early mentor was Tele Santana, Brazil's 1982-1986 coach.

    Unfortunately for him though, he came a little too early; imagine if Messi or C Ronaldo played 15 years ago...they would have been stuck on the wing of a 4-4-2. "Dribble, beat man, dribble, beat man, cross." I doubt they would have developed into the complete players they are, attacking wrongfooted with attacking tactics based around their dribbling, putting them in advantageous situations across the field.

    Garrincha is the best ever. IMO its not even close.
     
  11. Estel

    Estel Member+

    May 5, 2010
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    If I understand correctly then what you are saying is a bit different to what I was talking about i.e. Ronaldo's ability to pull of highly technical moves at high speed. You are talking about the other player's ability to be effective without relying on the speed factor in their dribbles.

    I feel both are equally difficult styles to master. However, I think Ronaldo's style would be more aggressive and thus more suited towards scoring, while the other player's style that you mentioned would be more suited towards assisting by drawing more defenders towards themselves. Which of these two would be more effective is, I feel, open to debate dpending on personal understanding and preferences as to how the game should be played.
     
  12. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    I agree with you as there are two different type of dribblers due to position and styles.

    so far not many players could pull some tricks while runnning at full speed like Ronaldo hence O fenomeno (was named). His style was rushing toward defenders and look toward scoring goals - same (often) with Pele, Maradona, Cruijff, Garrincha , Zico ... and lately Messi as these players were so complete with Skills + Tricks + Speed + acceleration.

    Other types (more often seen) are Best, Mathews, Rivelino, Baggio, Zidane, Ronaldinho ... use their dribbling slkills to make space, draw the corwd and make play - they lack of speed and acceleration to make DIRECT RUN like the above toward goals.
     
  13. kingkong1

    kingkong1 New Member

    Nov 12, 2007
    Rio, Brazil
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    You're absolutely wrong when say that R10, Baggio, Rivelino or Matthews, for example, didn't make direct runs toward the goal.

    How about R10's half-pitch run (& that wasn't mere exception) in the goal scored for Barça against RM at Bernabeo & btw got a standing ovation by all madridistas rooters? And his unstoppable & direct surge in the 1st goal against England in the 2002 WC?...

    How about 'Pelé, Garrincha, Zico & Maradona' who in fact masterfully alternated in the same proportion rushing & milimetric plays in 1 mt²?...

    It's not that people who don't run 'lack speed'.

    It's their ball (decision taking) that's light-years faster.;)

    So - often - there is no need for useless infantry charges.

    Gérson used to say in 1970:

    'Me'? Run??? Who 'runs' is the ball'!...

    I know you're trying to 'bring the sardine to your hot coal' but you don't have get that far-fetched, please! :p ...
     
  14. DanFla

    DanFla Member

    Apr 18, 2010
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    Dont forget this one.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCNvUHtHIbo&feature=related"]YouTube- Djalminha[/ame]
     
  15. bigTM

    bigTM New Member

    Feb 28, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    the greatest dribbler ever ... was garrincha

    his names comes up again and again an again on sites like these in all languages and in the real world all the experts say the same thing too as do all those who were lucky enough to have seen him play. even his opponents cite him as the greatest dribbler (juste fontaine,ray wilson etc ) as do all his former team mates from club & country.

    he was both devastating and fun loving to a degree no one else was.
     
  16. BurntPenguin

    BurntPenguin New Member

    Mar 1, 2010
    Malta
    Club:
    FC Internazionale Milano
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
  17. kingkong1

    kingkong1 New Member

    Nov 12, 2007
    Rio, Brazil
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Besides - although he had the whole pitch to his left - he'd prefer to dribble in the twilight zone.

    A true tightrope walker quickly transiting in the narrow stripe between his foe(s) and the side line.

    The only player in history to dare that.:D

    [​IMG]
     
  18. kingkong1

    kingkong1 New Member

    Nov 12, 2007
    Rio, Brazil
    Club:
    Flamengo Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Djalminha was sick! :D ...
     
  19. Alessandro10

    Alessandro10 Member

    Dec 6, 2010
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    I can't believe Omar Sivori is not in discussions about best dribblers ever. Messi should be in people's top 5 or top 4 already IMO. To be honest I wouldn't rate Pele in a top 5. Top 10 yes, but guys like Sivori, Ronaldo and Cruyff were better in dribbling from what I've read.
     
  20. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    There is no absolute way to rate them correctly, however what makes you think these guys were better than Pele in dribble? What made you think Messi is better than those guys?

    Ronaldo and Cruijff got the edge as they possessed a great speed and acceleration on top of their tricks; Pele was not slower than them and even faster than Sivori and Messi as an advantage.
     
  21. Alessandro10

    Alessandro10 Member

    Dec 6, 2010
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    Messi is a player who constantly takes on defenders more then Maradona(from the vids that I have seen of him). But you are right, it's impossible to make an exact top. It's just my personal opinion.
     
  22. Manolo

    Manolo Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 14, 1997
    Queens, NY
    For my taste, the best dribblers make it seem effortless. They use their body to fool the opponents and walk past them. For me, Ronaldo was a great striker/scorer, but his dribbling was basic with a few tricks that he executed to perfection (right-footed stepover and accelerate to the left).

    My favorite dribbler was Maradona. His cuts, turns, body feints and acceleration were effective, entertaining and aesthetically pleasing. Ossie Ardiles said "he had hands where his feet should be".
     
  23. Bada Bing

    Bada Bing Member+

    Jul 13, 2012
    Finland
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Messi, basically faster, more agile Maradona, with perfect technique. My favourite dribble of his, the second touch is just silly (note this is replay):

    [​IMG]

    happened in the same game

    [​IMG]
     
  24. Manolo

    Manolo Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 14, 1997
    Queens, NY
    There are entire YouTube libraries with Maradona doing moves just like these. Messi is brilliant but not Maradona yet.
     
  25. Bada Bing

    Bada Bing Member+

    Jul 13, 2012
    Finland
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    I didn't mean mazy runs in general, there is hours of Messi doing it already lol. I meant the ridiculousness of the second touch, show me the like of the first one. Maradona was my first football hero, I watched his goal of the century live from tv, and I would put him there definitely with Garrincha and the likes. But all do respect to the legends, Messi is already better dribbler. He's basically faster Maradona. And his tackle riding actually reminds me of Best's.
     

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