View Full Version : The Ultimate Soccer Player to Walk the Earth
Paul_NL
07 Aug 2007, 12:52 PM
Pretty hard to score a penalty :)
Mighty_Mouse
13 Aug 2007, 10:28 PM
I agree, but who do you think is the greatest? :rolleyes:
He rates Beckenbauer and Di Stefano ahead of Pele and Maradona.
Statements and Criticism> Proper Arguments
Teso Dos Bichos
14 Aug 2007, 12:13 PM
I actually don't have any particular number one player. All I said was that duo were underrated in the grand scheme of things. Then again, so many are because the argument always centres around Pelé and Maradona.
brassmonkey
03 Sep 2007, 12:22 PM
Alright, listen up kids. I'm the biggest fan of Zidane you will ever meet, period. I love the guy, and 98 made me a lover of the game. I'm going to say this once and for all, he was not the best player to ever live, it's just a fact. He's my favourite to watch, and one of most graceful and elegant men to ever step foot on a pitch. Everything about him looks and feels classic. He looks like he could have played for the Real Madrid of the 50's and 60's. Add in the absolute beauty of his play and you have something special to behold. He could jump out of nowhere and provide a great play. I'm not just talking about in big matches, he did it in league games too. I think he wasted a lot of his talent though, and would drift in and out and not show up sometimes. It was just his way. I'd probably put him on the level of Eusebio, Baggio, Zico, or Platini in that 2nd tier of greats. But he doesn't belong with Pele, di Stefano, Beckenbauer, Maradona, and Cruijff.
You like the way he plays and if you're a fan of Juve, Real Madrid, or France he gave you some great moments and performances. But don't get carried away.
brassmonkey
03 Sep 2007, 12:27 PM
He rates Beckenbauer and Di Stefano ahead of Pele and Maradona.
Statements and Criticism> Proper Arguments
IIRC, Maradona rates di Stefano as the best ever.
TKORL
03 Sep 2007, 02:02 PM
Di Stefano ahead of Pele?
brassmonkey
03 Sep 2007, 03:54 PM
Di Stefano ahead of Pele?
Not my opinion, but Maradona seems to think so
TKORL
03 Sep 2007, 04:04 PM
Not my opinion, but Maradona seems to think so
Maradona is on fat, or is it cocaine?
brassmonkey
03 Sep 2007, 10:36 PM
Maradona is on fat, or is it cocaine?
He probably grew up idolizing di Stefano, seeing as how he is from Argentina. It's kind of like how all the major pros of this past generation talked about Maradona being the greatest instead of Pele, and why a lot of younger players talk about Zidane. It's whoever they grew up watching.
But I don't think calling someone who scored 554 goals in 698 league games the greatest ever is merely the ravings of a cocaine addled lunatic. He's got an argument.
bosterosoy
03 Sep 2007, 10:44 PM
Not my opinion, but Maradona seems to think so
many people who saw di stefano play have all said he was better than both pele and maradona
so, its not just maradona who has said it
TKORL
03 Sep 2007, 11:16 PM
He probably grew up idolizing di Stefano, seeing as how he is from Argentina. It's kind of like how all the major pros of this past generation talked about Maradona being the greatest instead of Pele, and why a lot of younger players talk about Zidane. It's whoever they grew up watching.
But I don't think calling someone who scored 554 goals in 698 league games the greatest ever is merely the ravings of a cocaine addled lunatic. He's got an argument.
It's certainly reasonable seeing as how he's one of the greatest players to kick a ball, but to pick a player from the 1950s, considering how much the game has progressed athletically causes me to doubt his claim.
Not to mention, that by similar criteria players such as Hugo Sanchez, Gerd Muller, Ferenc Puskas, and of course Telmo Zarra were not mentioned also renders his claim questionable.
I doubt Maradona will say Hugo Sanchez is the greatest player ever.
Tribune
04 Sep 2007, 08:46 AM
Even in the 50s, Di Stefano was still more fit than Ronaldo was in his post-injury days and his poor level of fitness/athleticism did not stop Ronaldo to be one of the best in 2002-2004, until age and injuries caught up with him.
bosterosoy
04 Sep 2007, 06:26 PM
having top fitness is very good, but there are many examples of 'unathletic' players being very good players
TKORL
04 Sep 2007, 06:33 PM
Just curious - who would you put in that list?
jerrito
04 Sep 2007, 07:35 PM
Just curious - who would you put in that list?
My favorite in that category is Diego Armando Maradona. Second would be Andrea Pirlo.
TKORL
04 Sep 2007, 07:50 PM
Maradona, not athletic?
jerrito
04 Sep 2007, 08:17 PM
Maradona, not athletic?
Certainly. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding the term athletic? Maradona was hardly built like an athlete. And never looked like one. He was the ultimate example of a great, non "athletic" player, at least by modern football standards (players like him were more common in the past). Not particularly strong (though he had decent power in his shot), not fast. Not athletic. His natural talent, honed to be razor sharp and so superb that it made up for all of that is what made him great in my opinion. And please don't misunderstand, he is the greatest footballer I have ever seen play live. By far.
TKORL
04 Sep 2007, 11:15 PM
Well, I always thought he was fast, strong, outstandingly coordinated, great balance, excellent acceleration. Just look at the size of those legs, hella big.
But yes, it depends on what you mean by athletic. Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, and Ian Thorpe are all athletes of different types.
jerrito
05 Sep 2007, 05:40 AM
Well, I always thought he was fast, strong, outstandingly coordinated, great balance, excellent acceleration. Just look at the size of those legs, hella big.
But yes, it depends on what you mean by athletic. Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, and Ian Thorpe are all athletes of different types.
I do have to say that he was extremely quick with the ball at his foot. But I always considered that skill and not athleticism. And yes, monster thighs.
deejay
07 Sep 2007, 12:24 AM
Certainly. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding the term athletic? Maradona was hardly built like an athlete. And never looked like one. He was the ultimate example of a great, non "athletic" player, at least by modern football standards (players like him were more common in the past). Not particularly strong (though he had decent power in his shot), not fast. Not athletic. His natural talent, honed to be razor sharp and so superb that it made up for all of that is what made him great in my opinion. And please don't misunderstand, he is the greatest footballer I have ever seen play live. By far.
Actually I think he was a bit faster than average.