Maybe Ronaldo at his peak was better. of course Ronaldo at his peak was probably the best player in the last 15 years. I'd say Ronaldinho is better than Rivaldo, and has more of an overall impact on the game than Romario. He's single-handedly turned around the club! If Barca play at this level for a couple more years, its success will be attributed mostly to him, and so he's going to be on any all-time greats list. I'm the biggest Ronaldo fan. But I think he hurt his credentials as an alltime great player with his injuries and the Madridista claims of unwillingness to work and selfishness. He was spectacular at Barca and at Inter when he played, and both the 98 and 02 WCs, despite his collapse in the 98 final.
as much as i love ronaldinho, i hate that word"singlehandedly" in a team sport! saying that he "singlehandedly" change barcas fortune is a very simplistic line of thought! its not real! its just a fantasy because nobody can singlehandedly carry a team nobody and its clear to see that! why did he not sinblehandedly carry psg huh?he did not because he did not have frank rijkaard,eto'o,messi,deco,puyol,marquez,van bommel,guilly,larson,etc in short he had the right system and the right people in barca and every great player needs the right system and players to shine. they cannot do it alone! by no means barca is a one man team no way! please dont dont disrespect the other players in this team by that word "singlehandedly" dinho is one of the best that will ever play the game but it wont be possible without great players around him! what if he did not have a striker like eto'o to turn those passes to goals! hey its a combination of the pass and the finish and without a striker with the sense to make a meal out of those passes itwill be just another missed play! what about the midfield help of deco, van bommel etc. what about the great puyol and marquez what they do on defence?
well if the madridista who started this thread had the intention to see us bash zidane, i think we are proving him wrong because barca fans are not blinded by their love for their teams shirt. cules are capable of seeing beyond the barca family and appreciate a real football genius like zidane but if a similar thread like this about a barca player was opened in the madrid forum [a thread about eto'o was opened there and it was immediately closed before any response to it]it would have been closed before there was any response. we are proving that we are class unlike some of the madridistas who are just blinded by their team's players and cannot appreciate anyone else but madrid players[heck, they dont even appreciate their own player e.g the great RONALDO after everything he has done for them ]! i think most barca fans are worldly and sophisticated! hows that!! Today 04:08 AM Buddy i made this thread cause i was just wondering what u guys would think thats all . Ill be honest i thought some of u guyz would be a little ignorant but it hasnt been that bad as i said classy in my other post. But to say that Madrid fanz are ignorant in that way is ignorant i think Ronaldinho is the best footballer in the world and i love to watch him play and what did the Madrid fanz do when he should his class at the Berna! they appluaded him so dont say stupid shit like we are blinded . Also dont bring up Eto as an I.E first of all u cant compare him to Zidane and he is also an asshole off an on the pitch what did he say about us at ur celebrations ????? oww so dont think that on are forum were going to like him at all . When it comes down to it were all fanz of Football , When the game is over all the peices go back into the same box . P.S i dont know how to do the Quote thing SRY
Press the quote button on the bottom right hand of the post you want to argue or talk about, then Post outside the [ quo...], [ /quo...].
Look, obviously I don't mean that he plays 1 against 11. But Barca were in shambles when he came in, and I meant in a more inspirational sense - reinvigorating an idea of what Barca could be. I know it also coincided with the coming of Rijkaard, for example, but that first season all the stories were about how Ronaldinho was turning games, how Barca struggled when he wasn't in the starting line-up. Read the Guardian interview with him - the preface is all about how he changed the atmosphere in the dressing room, which is easy to believe when you see him out on the pitch. Also a bunch of the players you mentioned - including Eto'o - weren't around in the first Ronaldinho season, the one where Barca went on an 18-match unbeaten streak in the second half to sneak into second. and which is the beginning of their present streak of form. Again, my point is that obviously football isn't a one-man sport, but to the extent that one man can galvanize his teammates and reinvigorate a club, Ronaldinho has done as much as anyone could have with Barca.
True legend! One of the best players in football history and probably best player by any criteria in past ten years. I would say same level as Platini. Telling by true I always want him in Barca shirt but Madrid were financialy stronger at that time so he went there...Anyway, his days are over and good decision to retire from professional football.
I am not trying to hate on Ronaldinho, I really like him, but he in no way has singlehandedly changed this club. Ronaldinho is a major factor in the turn-around, but his supporting cast has done tons. Ronnie's 1st half season with barca was not successful to the club. The turnaround came when Davids transferred in, adding defensive bite, allowing Cocu to hold the ball better, and allowing Xavi to move up. The following year saw the arrivals of Deco, Belletti, Giuly, Eto'o, etc. Ronaldinho is the face of the club, he is probably the best player on the team, but good purchases are what has changed the club. To argue in favor of Ronaldinho though, I believe he played his absolute best before teaming up with Deco, Eto'o, and Giuly. The 2nd half of his 1st season was amazing. At that time he was THE man, there was no other man. Since then Ronaldinho has changed his role a bit.
what the hell kinda world cup did you watch in 2000??? I agree, he's nowhere near zidane...I don't know what the big deal is with Riquelme. He's good, but he's not that good.
what world cup did you watch? i mean there was a euro but world cups are held every 4 years, hence 1998 and 2002. so before you me a smart arse get your facts straight. and actually, while we are on 2000, zidane was immense that tourniment. matches vs spain and portugal were some of the best ive seen of him!
Well... the Real Madrid hater in me is simply saying "tsk, tsk"... but the knowledgable fan in me is feeling very sad for Zidane. A great talent, a great career, and it was amazing to see him bring back the magic against Brazil. Despite Henry, I was pulling for France simply because I wanted to see Zizou go out on top of the world. Never would've thought it would all turn upside down. Has he come out yet with any quote telling his side of the story? In the World Cup Final, of all places. (!)
Hate to say it, but I think this will do more for his reputation in America than if he had just won the cup on a header. Years from now, soccer still won't be nearly as big here as it is elsewhere, but the name Zidane will still resonate. I know, I know... who cares what America thinks. Just an observation.
i dont think he has surpassed Rivaldo yet because Rivaldo was our saviour after the Figo fiasco Edit:a lot pf people mentioned Deco, Messi, Van bommel etc which has really completed this team but with Rivaldo who can you really say he had with Klurivert,Overmars,Saviola, etc all being mostly busts for us not to mention Simao and Riquelme numrous others Edit2:the only other player Rivaldo really had to help this team was Cocu
yep i was thinking about that but Rivaldo had the fading Luis Enrique although when he was healthy and in big games, he would always put on a show
And Rivaldo has had a more distinguished inernational career. Sure everyone loved Ronaldo when he came back in 2002, but Rivaldo was the best player at that tournament. Without Rivaldo, I'm not at all sure if Brazil wins that world cup (see this year for evidence ). It's a shame Rivaldo didn't/doesn't get the respect he truly deserves.
Thats right. Only difference is the morale. Zidane did it to defend his family honor and Rivaldo did it to buy time (it were the last minutes) So u make ur own judgement
