Best Striker in the World now

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Before any Barcelona fans start to complain I am not for a second questioning Eto'o but merely highlighting the one competition in which his record does not stand up to his peers and that he will need to rectify.

Note: If anyone was wondering the numbers at the bottom of the above post were Eto'o's minutes from the first group stage in 01/02.

[tadm123]

considering his "weakness" is the CL and he still manage to score 13 goals in 26 games, i'd put him in the top 3 right now.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

The figures Perú FC posted are inaccurate.

[Omideyi]

this whole Champions League debate falls totally flat on its face, when you consider that, arguably the finest striker of his generation, Ronaldo, has 16 in his Champions League career (5 in knock-outs, 9 in the league stages, and 2 in qualifying) in 40 matches, putting him behind some of the clearly superior strikers such as Hakan Sukur, Harald Brattbakk, John Carew, Jan Koller, Marco Simone, Giovane Elber.....the list is endless

:rolleyes:

[Teso Dos Bichos]

1. He was not the finest.
2. It is a major failing of his.

[iCEMANGSCCC]

1. He was not the finest.
2. It is a major failing of his.




Yes, Ronaldo definitely is the first striker of our generation. MAYBE Henry, but arguable. I can't think of a single striker that is better than even an injury hampered Ronaldo.

[Omideyi]

name a better striker than Ronaldo, and they need to meet your oh-so-strict criteria of scoring heavily in every single competition they played

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Yes, Ronaldo definitely is the first striker of our generation. MAYBE Henry, but arguable. I can't think of a single striker that is better than even an injury hampered Ronaldo.

Based on what? He was great pre-injury but after that, despite scoring goals, he was never the same and often a hindrance to his team which had a direct impact on his level success in later seasons. Add to that his meagre European showings. Obviously there are exceptions here and there, such as his superb Old Trafford hattrick that earned him a standing ovation, but they were few and far between. Nothing against him but I simply cannot put him the number one spot based primarily on a few years of peak form.

name a better striker than Ronaldo, and they need to meet your oh-so-strict criteria of scoring heavily in every single competition they played

Off the top of my head...

Over the last decade and a bit I would have Van Nistelrooy, Shevchenko and Henry before him with the rest tucking in behind.

[phil80]

are you claiming henry, rvn, sheva were better than ronaldo??

[Omideyi]

RvN, Shevchenko, and Henry?

oh no...

this conversation isn't even worth continuing

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Don't run away.

[Omideyi]

not running. just think you're now arguing for the hell of it. so if it's all the same, we can just agree to disagree

[Teso Dos Bichos]

I'd rather you try to explain why they should be rated lower.

[phil80]

Did you watch any of Ronaldo? There is no doubt he was higher quality then the ones you listed. Along with Rivaldo he is the best striker of his generation.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

What weighting are you putting on pre/post-injury Ronaldo? Plus Rivaldo was not a striker.

[phil80]

Over their whole careers.

[Perú FC]

Actually, including the Champions League according the numbers:

Samuel Eto'o

Champions League 2004/2005 - 4 goals in 593 minutes
Champions League 2005/2006 - 6 goals in 980 minutes
Champions League 2006/2007 - 1 goal in 112 minutes
Champions League 2007/2008 - 1 goal in 509 minutes
Champions League 2008/2009 - 1 goal in 163 minutes

13 goals in 2357 minutes... so 13 goals in 26 matches, 50% effective by match, great numbers to the Cameroonian. I can only count 13 goals, if he has 14 better to his statistics.
Regardless of what anyone might say in his defense the fundamental point is that Eto'o has only scored 14 Champions League goals in total. It is a poor figure for one of the so-called best strikers around. The only way he can rectify the situation is by improving his record.

... Speaking of minutes do you have a source for the ones you posted. I ask because some of them do not agree with the official UEFA and Barcelona sites. I would also like to know whether you made a distinction between qualifying and the tournament itself.
I think the numbers are too clear to try to fix the argument mate, Eto'o hasn't played many complete matches and has been injured in several participations, in spite of that his goal percentage is really good by minutes played and is undeniable by statistics. The numbers can deceive in a first impression but if anyone calculates in great detail will note that your argument of his ratio goal is weak in Champions League (about his 5 seasons with Barcelona) is inexact :p.

Whatever, I never like too much the statistics because can be deceitful, but in scoring terms Eto'o has really good and great numbers in La Liga and Champions League.

[Perú FC]

The figures Perú FC posted are inaccurate.
Are accurate. Font: www.football-lineups.com

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Over their whole careers.

Care to justify your choice and explain your criteria?

I think the numbers are too clear to try to fix the argument mate, Eto'o hasn't played many complete matches and has been injured in several participations, in spite of that his goal percentage is really good by minutes played and is undeniable by statistics. The numbers can deceive in a first impression but if anyone calculates in great detail will note that your argument of his ratio goal is weak in Champions League (about his 5 seasons with Barcelona) is inexact :p.

Whatever, I never like too much the statistics because can be deceitful, but in scoring terms Eto'o has really good and great numbers in La Liga and Champions League.

I'm not trying to 'fix' anything. All I ask is that you provide accurate numbers. You have failed to do so (see below), failed to take into account his appearances pre-Barcelona and have completely ignored my question in regard to qualification versus tournament play (a distinction that is made by UEFA). In addition you have completely ignored my fundamental point that his total goal figure in the CL, for a player of his standing, is poor in comparison to his peers. It is indisputable and something that he will need to address in future seasons. Pointing out any weakness of a player in a discussion about his respective quality and standing is not something you can object to.

Are accurate. Font: www.football-lineups.com

So you are using a user created source over that of both the official tournament site and the official site of the club in question? Game. Set. Match.

[KumarsS]

Omg just stop it all of you.