Roy Makaay: King of Europe!

[SirManchester]

Hmmm...Makaay has 33 overall goals this season.....now, I was looking at the statistics of all other big strikers and none of them seem to have more goals than Makaay this season...

Not Sheva, not Adriano, not E'to, not Ronaldo, not Henry (although he's closest)

Can any of you think of someone or know someone that has scored more than King Roy this season?

We all know that Makaay is the most consistent striker in the world, but if he has more goals than anyone else and people overlook it, it will be a giant outrage!

[nicephoras]

We all know that Makaay is the most consistent striker in the world

He's not. And he plays in a weaker league than all the other players you've mentioned.

[SirManchester]

He's not. And he plays in a weaker league than all the other players you've mentioned.

he is, look at the stats and the Bundesliga is stronger defensively than any other league.....

[ronaldinhobr10]

doesnt mean anything
look at the teams in the bundesliga!
you can see a 2nd division league with better defense if you look at the goals allowed
that doesnt mean that they are better than 1st division teams
bundesliga is very weak compared to la liga, serie a, and epl
bundesliga only has one real good team and that is bayern
if makaay played in the top 3 leagues i can tell you his numbers would not be that high even though i still think he is a great striker

[Colm]

Mackaay scored 33 goals in the 4th ranked league in Europe, the otheres played in tougher leagues so i'd put them ahead of Mackaay but Mackaay is great player no doubt about that.

[Gregoriak]

When Makaay played in Spain (at that time the strongest league in Europe), he had about the same goal to games ratio that he has in the Bundesliga. In fact it was slightly higher than his Bundesliga ratio. Apparently it is not easier for Makaay to score goals in the Bundesliga than it was in Spain.

[ronaldinhobr10]

link?

[Gregoriak]

Makaay scored 23 goals last season in 32 Bundesliga games -> he thus scored 0.72 goals per game.

This season, Makaay scored 22 goals in 33 Bundesliga games -> he thus scored 0.67 goals per game.

His Bundesliga Stats (http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/makaayroy/)

In his last season in Spain (2002-03), he scored 28 goals. I don't know how many games he participated in (anybody has those stats?), but let's assume he took part in all 38 league games, he would have scored 0.74 goals per game. And if he appeared in fewer league matches that season in Spain, his goals per game ratio would even rise.

So in all cases, Makaay is scoring fewer goals per game in the Bundesliga than he did in Spain.

[SirManchester]

Thats right, Makaay was Europe's top scorer when he was at Deportivo.

[stevieg987]

Well Dirk Kuijt has scored more goals this season I think he has 35 on the season or 32. So lets see makaay break into the dutch national team then we may consider him on the level. Also he has scored most of his goals at the end of the season vs weak competiion or agaisnt teams with nothing ot play for.

[Spartak]

There is no doubt Makaay is one of the greatest strikers in the world. And he might be the best finisher on the planet. When he gets a chance he usually buries it. But saying he is better than Sheva, Adriano, Henry, etc. just because he scored more goals this year is going too far. It's sort of like saying Cristiano Lucarelli is the best striker in Serie A because he has the most goals. There are curcumstances that you fail to state. For example, Sheva, Adriano, and Henry all missed large portions of the season due to injury.

[SirManchester]

Dirk is the only one, you're right.

I'm not saying he's better than them, but this years performance he proved that he is certainly up there, if not better at the moment. I posted this because he doesn't get the credit he deserves because he plays in Germany or for Munchen for that matter.

And it doesn't really matter who he scores against, all leagues have "weak" teams. He did score 7 in the CL in the toughest group. Most of his goals didn't come late in the season, sure he scored 9 goals in 4 games but that was coming back from an injury, he got back in form really quickly.

Like mentioned before, he doesn't need a second chance to bury the ball in the back of the net, like many great strikers he puts it away when it counts on the first touch. He has incredibly positioning also. Now, the other strikers that I mentioned may be better in other respects but they are not perfect either.

If last season didn't prove anything, this season has to. He certainly deserves a chance in the NT, especially with Ruud's performance this season.

[nicephoras]

he is, look at the stats and the Bundesliga is stronger defensively than any other league.....

The Bundesliga is most certainly NOT stronger defensively. It is usually the highest scoring league of the big "4".

[The_Special_One]

I like Makaay and i like the Bundesliga, but lets not pretend that league is anywhere near as competitive as the Epl, La Liga or Serie A. Just cause he scores a lot of goals in the Bundesliga, doesnt make him one of the best strikers in the world. Is he a good striker, yes, is he a great striker, no.

Makaay is an old fashioned center half, he is good with his head, and puts easy chances away in and around the penalty area. But guys like Henry, Shev, Adriano, Etoo, Ronaldo, these guys have the ability to run at difenders, create chances for others, score goals from way outside the penalty area and generally have the ability to create chances out of nothing. Where as Makaay cannot take the ball from midfield run at 2 or 3 defenders, and score.

Plus, no offense, but someone who scores against weaker competition should not really be given the same kind of attention as someone who scores against harder oppostion. Look at whose the top scorer of all time in international football, an Iranian player called Daei, whose scored most of his goals against weak opposition. Which is why people dont pay him that much attention, although he is a good striker.

[johan neeskens]

I like Makaay and i like the Bundesliga, but lets not pretend that league is anywhere near as competitive as the Epl, La Liga or Serie A. Just cause he scores a lot of goals in the Bundesliga, doesnt make him one of the best strikers in the world. Is he a good striker, yes, is he a great striker, no.

Makaay is an old fashioned center half, he is good with his head, and puts easy chances away in and around the penalty area. But guys like Henry, Shev, Adriano, Etoo, Ronaldo, these guys have the ability to run at difenders, create chances for others, score goals from way outside the penalty area and generally have the ability to create chances out of nothing. Where as Makaay cannot take the ball from midfield run at 2 or 3 defenders, and score.

Plus, no offense, but someone who scores against weaker competition should not really be given the same kind of attention as someone who scores against harder oppostion. Look at whose the top scorer of all time in international football, an Iranian player called Daei, whose scored most of his goals against weak opposition. Which is why people dont pay him that much attention, although he is a good striker.

Are you aware of the fact that he excelled in La Liga as well?

[Borruma]

but lets not pretend that league is anywhere near as competitive as the Epl, La Liga or Serie A.

Actually it's more competitive than both the EPL and Serie A Atm. Whether or not it's more quality is up for discussion.

Makaay was also world-class in Spain.

[The_Special_One]

Yah, but we talking about this season.

And i know he excelled in Spain, dont get me wrong, he is one of my fav players from the Bundesliga, but to try and rate him alongside Henry, Shevchenko or Adriano is too much. Even Etoo, Ronaldo and Gillardinio are better. I think i would put him in the 3 round of best strikers in the world alongside Raul, Drogba, Owen, Vannistelroy (although he is a better player, this season has been dragged back with terrible injuries and bad form).

As for whether the Bundesliga has more competitiveness or quality, than the other leagues u mentioned. I am afraid to say it has neither, which is why, as a matter of fact, the viewing figures for the matches are so low.

Bayern Munich is just too good, when compared with the rest of the league, and the quality of the other clubs is not that great either. I mean, dont take it personally, i still like watching Bundesliga players like ballack, madhavikia, etc play, but its not the same standard as other leagues. And perhaps this is an indication of why the German nt team is suffering?

[johan neeskens]

Yah, but we talking about this season.

And i know he excelled in Spain, dont get me wrong, he is one of my fav players from the Bundesliga, but to try and rate him alongside Henry, Shevchenko or Adriano is too much. Even Etoo, Ronaldo and Gillardinio are better. I think i would put him in the 3 round of best strikers in the world alongside Raul, Drogba, Owen, Vannistelroy (although he is a better player, this season has been dragged back with terrible injuries and bad form).

As for whether the Bundesliga has more competitiveness or quality, than the other leagues u mentioned. I am afraid to say it has neither, which is why, as a matter of fact, the viewing figures for the matches are so low.

Bayern Munich is just too good, when compared with the rest of the league, and the quality of the other clubs is not that great either. I mean, dont take it personally, i still like watching Bundesliga players like ballack, madhavikia, etc play, but its not the same standard as other leagues. And perhaps this is an indication of why the German nt team is suffering?

You can't really compare Makaay to Henry or to Owen. They're just too different.

Also you might be interested to know that Dutch telly is no longer showing Italian football because interest is so low, while they are still showing German football. I'm no big fan of German football, don't get me wrong, but I think you're being too negative about it. It's a physical game over there, and that's pretty entertaining to watch in my book.

Overall I think it's wrong to dismiss a player just because he's in a lower quality league. Was Henry a bad player when he was playing in France? Was Robben a bad player when he was with PSV? Truth is Makaay has scored plenty in the CL against quality opposition.

[mofo4life]

I like Makaay and i like the Bundesliga, but lets not pretend that league is anywhere near as competitive as the Epl, La Liga or Serie A.

Stuttgart,Leverkusen,Berlin,Hamburg, > Everton,Bolton,Tottenham,Middlesbrough, Man City ;)

[Dark Savante]

Even Etoo, Ronaldo and Gillardinio are better.
your post became a joke the second you said this.