So you mean Argentina played 1 against 11 ??? I understand Maradona was the best player on the team and the engine of the team, but atleast give the other players credit for "playing their roles" to a perfection also. NOBODY can win a team sport alone, it's impossible. Wasn't Ronaldo ill before the WC98 final? As for WC06, that Brazilian team was already old and not so good imo. Do you think Maradona was a better goal scorer than Ronaldo?
Of course it was meant metaphorically, Maradona made that team into a world champion. The other players did play their role well, but at any point things became difficult they instinctively turned to Maradona. For WC06, Brazil went in as heavy favorites based on their form of the past two years and obviously as defending champion. Ronaldinho, Kaka and Adriano were in blistering form, and Ronaldo was seen as the added element that would make this team legendary. Part of their downfall was that they believed their own hype too much, in addition, Zidane had a legendary match against them to send them packing. I think if Maradona had played in a very advanced role throughout his career, he would have been on par as a goalscorer as Ronaldo.
Ronaldo doesn't have anywhere near the ball control when dribbling that Maradona or Sivori had or Messi currently has. Pipiolo already mentioned the passing. He doesn't have the heading ability or overall athleticism of Pele. He wasnt as tactically sound as Messi is or Pele was aside from the ball control and passing which are the two biggest thing that never suggested to me that Ronaldo would be the greatest ever, it was mostly issues having to do with football IQ, although his was very high.
NOT really ... Ronaldo was the rare player who could DRIBBLE and CONTROL the ball at MAXIMUM speed that even Pele/Maradona did not do. However at static position I agree Maradona was the best in ball control. I have not yet seen Messi producing some amazing ball control yet. You guys just EXAGGERATED Messi ball control just like media calling him the best ever! As of header or "AERIAL ability:" I can assure NO ONE could reach Pele level. Thanks to the fact that Football is a game with the feet (99% using the feet)
IS JUST YOUR OPINION FOR ME rONALDO HAVE A BETTER BALL CONTROL THAN mARADONA AT HIGHT SPEED. mARADONA WAS SLOW, NON FASTER. SLOW AND NOT GOOD BALL CONTROL FASTER AND MORE BETTER BALL CONTROL. HE IS OVERRATED, I HAVE SEEN MANY MATCHES WHERE Maradona LOSE CONTROL OF THE BALL SO STUPID. ITS CONTROL THE BALL IS NOT EVEN A LITTLE CLOSER THAN MESSI. And she probably HAD A BALL CONTROL OF THE BEST. Pelé was ONLY LESS ELEGANT BUT more effective. the dribbling skills of Pele is undervalued, it was less elegant than Maradona but he had better control in close space and at hight speed than Maradona AND SIVORI WAS NOT A GREAT, HE WAS SLOW, AND predictable
Ronaldo fans Always overrate his dribbling skills. He played in 3 WCs as a starter, where he scored 15 goals , he deserves a lot of respect for that. But what really surprise me is that none of his 15 goals were produced by his amazing dribbling skills or solo runs. Most of them were tap-ins or clear chances created by Rivaldo and co. Maradona delivered in WC86 like no one else ever did in WC level, not even Pele. Ronaldo could only dream to play like Maradona did against Belgium and England. The best goal by Ronaldo was scored against Compostela in Copa del Rey, I really don´t remember a great goal by him in WC or UCL.
Firstly, dribbling skills and scoring goals from dribble are TWO SEPARATE things. Most people praised Garrincha, Maradona, G Best ... for their dribbling (and rightly so) but HOW MANY solo goals they had produced in their career? MUCH LESS than Ronaldo did back with Barca and Inter. 2ndt bold, typical Ronaldo hater comment: (like Rivaldo 02 was better) Do you REALLY KNOW how many assists Rivaldo provided to Ronaldo for all 15games? I guess NOT, because if you know you would NOT dare to use the word "most" goals. The ANSWER is LESS THAN 3 (out of 15goals) = <20% Lastly, so according to your thought and comment, Owairan with his solo goal in WC94 should back him up as among the greatest dribblers in the world? LOL
I agree about ball control(technique). Maradona is the best ever. But I never saw anyone keep the ball as close as Messi when running(close control). Just insane. And about aerial ability. Pele was great, but was he realy better then guys as Van Basten, Jardel, Trezeguet,Dennis Law etc. I get it he's the best ever, the ultimate winner etc. but I get the feeling that people sometimes exaggerate some of his qualities(who were already superb). The same about dribbling. People put him near George Best,Cruyff, Diego ,Messi but from the footage I saw he isn't in their league in getting past players, and he didn't keep the ball as close to his foot like someone like Best, Baggio or Diego.
well Ronaldo was so great in keeping the ball "IN CONTROL" while running at HIGH SPEED (much faster than Messi) the reason we saw the ball further a way from Ronaldo legs for he was SO FAST (if he kept the ball close to his feet like Messi, it would SLOW DOWN his gifted speed) I guess ONLY someone playing good football would UNDERSTAND what I said ... Messi is surely a "special talent" in his own right ...
Messi will never reach Ronaldo's top speed with the ball(his short legs) but Messi can keep the ball closer to his feet then anybody when going full speed(his full speed). He has showed this many times.
If you've never seen Messi produce amazing ball control you really haven't seen him play. Hernan Crespo was more impressive than Pele in terms of aerial ability. And that's just one example. Stop exaggerating.
He pulled France from the jaws of defeat on 3 occasions, and that's just off the top of my head. One of which was on the biggest stage that exists. I can't see how that is overrated.
ahem ... I watched liga Bara and Real almost every weekend ... help me with a so called "amazing control" that Messi did .. rather than some wordings ... "keeping the ball between his feet" ??? Last bold, do NOT make me LAUGH ... Crespo was like a TOY and Pele is a human being! This comment only made your reputation down the drain ...
Look, the ball is like Maradona's RIGHT leg No one could do what he did with the ball, even Pele and great left foot Puskas ... ====================================== Many only seen Ronaldo at WC02 and post injured, and some video clips in you tube. They did NOT realize that at 17,18 Ronaldo could dribble pass few players at WILL ... Plus he could run on the flank and make great cross, assists
Here is a clip showing Ronaldo left his 'trade mark' moves ... for his younger generation to practice and follow ... so far only few pupils succeeded in a lesser extent ... Ronaldinho, Robinho, Neymar, Benzama, Kaka, Ibra, Etoo' , Drogba ... and lately Neymar, Lucas, and ... (lol) Balotelli Not sure if Messi could leave any "trademark" later on... like this
I really hope you're kidding. You're talking about heading ability. You said that you assure that no one could reach Pele's level in the air. Sorry but there are plenty of players better than Pele in the air. Hell Martin Palermo is one of them.
Not one wonder goal, but two wonder goals, one in the quarter-final and another in the semi-final, of the 1986 world cup: has any other player besides Maradona done that? Why? And, does that not answer your "in terms of skill" (ridiculous) argument? Please explain. Furthermore, Ronaldo could dribble past who exactly?? Did Ronaldo ever performed one of his trademark "solo runs" against AC Milan?? or against any decent defense?? I have seen Ronaldo, and he always struggled (very badly) against good defenders. Most of the solo runs that you see on Youtube came against the Italian teams at the wrong end of the table.... Again, did Ronaldo did one of those solo runs against the Netherlands or Argentina or some other quality team? Because Maradona did delivered against AC Milan and Juventus, and all the best defenders, for over three seasons. Ronaldo never did such a thing. Why? Please do explain. Hell, as a matter of facto, I have seen Roberto Baggio 1993/1994 do more impressive "solo runs" against better defenders than Ronaldo 1997/1998.... How come?? If Ronaldo was the crazy talented solo run dribbler that everybody says he was, how come Maradona and Baggio performed better "solo runs" against AC Milan? Ronaldo was an impressive player, I'll give you that, but if you look closely, Ronaldo wasn't that impressive against good defenders, Ronaldo (consistently) never really stood out when playing against Real Madrid or Barcelona or AC Milan.... Yet people like you, expect me to watch some YouTube video in which Ronaldo is dribbling past the entire Foggia defense, and then agree with you that Ronaldo could do everything that Maradona could do..... I mean, if that was the case, how come Maradona was consistently great against great sides such as the AC Milan of the late 1980s? And how come Ronaldo was so-so against the not-very-good (transitional period) AC Milan team of 1997/1998? Please explain. Also, video footage would be much appreciated. Do you know why, when you watch a Ronaldo YouTube video clip, you do not see Ronaldo dribbling past Maldini or Nesta? Because he struggled against good defenders. And when you consider the fact that the Italian Serie A was a lot more tougher and physical in 1993/1994 than in 1997/1998, it does make you wonder just how many "solo runs" Ronaldo could've performed against the likes of Baresi and the rest of the classic early 1990s AC Milan defense. He couldn't get past Maldini, and Baresi was better than Maldini, so that should give you a pretty good idea. Furthermore, that Inter team of 1997/1998 was not average, it was filled with quality internationals, and the critics (in general) expected much more from that Inter team because "on paper" it was very much a top quality team. Maradona's Napoli was "on paper" in no way stronger than Ronaldo's Inter; Maradona's Argentina was "on paper" weaker than Ronaldo's Brazil. It's funny how people use this argument against Messi, yet in favor of Ronaldo, when in fact Ronaldo was (consistently) guilty of the same thing.
I'm sorry, but what Messi are you watching? Saying that Ronaldo could control the ball better than Maradona at MAXIMUM speed is pure bias on your part. I have not seen another player who could dribble past harsh tackles whilst running at his top speed, the way Maradona could; well maybe only Messi, but then again, football is a lot more "softer" today. The fact that Ronaldo was MUCH faster than Maradona, shouldn't be used as the reference to argue that Ronaldo was better than Maradona at top speed; more impressive, yes, but better ball control? Really? Then how come Ronaldo didn't do better against AC Milan during season 1997/1998? Can you imagine Maradona's ball control at top speed, added to the 6th gear of speed of a Thierry Henry or Ronaldo? Surely, if such a player ever existed, he would have done better than Ronaldo before his injury? I mean, a player who is better than Maradona at top speed, who is as big and as fast as Ronaldo was, should have delivered better performances against AC Milan and Lazio? This is where I decidedly disagree with Ronaldo fans, because Ronaldo fans clearly are "elevating" Ronaldo into an ability status that he never actually justified on the pitch. How the hell is Ronaldo better than Maradona at any speed? Show me proof, and please, do not show me Ronaldo's famous solo runs against so-so opponents, I want to see Ronaldo's top speed solo runs against Real Madrid, AC Milan, Lazio, Barcelona, etc, etc. Please.
hmm ... and I would ask you EXACTLY the same question: what form of Ronaldo did you watch? (I know for the fact most fans around here ONLY watched Ronaldo POST injured and seen a few clips from YOUTUBE) 2nd bold, I did say based ON FACT. Ronaldo did dribbles (with great control) at higher speed than Maradona and Messi ever did. Now you's be BIASED to say otherwise without any proof or justification 3rd bold, yeah in taht case Maradona would be the BEST EVER (over Pele) but hey, we are NOT HERE to IMAGINE - but fact said, Ronaldo did dribble at higer speed (in average) than Maradona could ever do. (I also said at static, and slower speed, both Pele/Maradona were better than Ronaldo in dribbling surely) 4th bold, his STATS spoke for himself, as he did very well against those teams. HOWEVER, you NITPICKING with a question without THINKKING through. - Ronaldo was playing (mostly) on the LOWer SIDE against those teams (Inter and Barca 90's were not as great as they are now) For Real, he was passed his best (after 3years in hospital) and the galacticos project was a BAD IDEA of Perez, that even a KID knew at time. - If you disagree, I would also ask you the same: SHOW ME one great run that Messi did outside Barca shirt against TOP teams like Germany, Spain, Italy ... can you? NO
You talk about "proof" a lot without posting videos yourself to justify anything, while at the same time insisting that others do. Makes no sense..
Brazilian Ronaldo's top speed exceeded 9.5 m/s (consistently over 7.5 m/s) establishing him as one of the fastest strikers ever. Ronaldo was sprinting with or without the ball, in close or open area, after contacted or tackled by defenders, in the first or the second half, in an attempt for a goal or in the midfield. What do you think? Was correctly nicknamed 'fenomeno' or not? Ronaldo mean speed: trial 1: 9.79 m/s trial 2: 8.31 m/s vs Juventus trial 3: 9.57 m/s vs the Netherlands trial 4: 7.47 m/s vs the Netherlands trial 5: 7.71 m/s vs Levante trial 6: 9.48 m/s trial 7: 8.06 m/s
My friend, I do believe that you have seen the real Ronaldo, and I do for the most part consider you an informed person where football is concerned, I genuinely do.... However, I must decidedly disagree with you on this debate or argument. I mean, I am assuming that you have seen what Maradona could do at top speed, but I don't think you quite understand what a player who is a lot (a lot) faster than Maradona, with better ball control than Maradona at top speed, could do with the ball.... I have seen many of Ronaldo's games with Inter and Barca, and Ronaldo was not that good, in my opinion. And don't get me wrong, Ronaldo was a great (absolute legend of a) player, but saying that he had better control than Maradona at top speed, is simply taking it too far.... I'm sorry but I simply find that such a claim is indeed absurd and biased. And I must make it clear, that the Ronaldo matches that I bought, were "cherry picked", meaning that I did my research and bought Ronaldo's best performances for both Inter and Barcelona, so if you are doubting which "form of Ronaldo did I watched" you started off wrong; I can assure you, I have seen prime Ronaldo, and nothing he did (in my opinion) supports your claim/argument. I expect a better argument from a person with the experience and knowledge that you presumably have. Of course Ronaldo did dribbles at higher speeds than either Maradona or Messi, because Ronaldo was a lot faster than both Maradona and Messi..... Did I ever argued against the mentioned fact? Because I certainly don't remember doing such a thing. Furthermore, and more to the point, the fact that Ronaldo was a lot faster than either Maradona or Messi, does not mean that Ronaldo had better control when running at his maximum/top speed; this is my argument/claim, and I fail to see any bias in my argument? Please explain, because I don't quite understand if you are arguing against me or against some argument you just made up. Again, are you arguing against me? Because I never said that Ronaldo could not dribble at higher speeds than Maradona could ever dream of.... What I fail to understand is how that explains or supports the argument that Ronaldo therefore must have better ball control at his top speed than Maradona at his top speed; why is that? Maradona was a lot slower than Ronaldo; but I think Maradona's ball control at top speed was second to none.... you claim that Ronaldo's ball control at top speed was better than Maradona's ball control at top speed; thus, I ask you, how come? And please, can you provide us with video footage of such an incredible player? Ronaldo, stats wise, did well as striker; however, the people who say "Ronaldo played against the best defenders etc", fail to realize that Ronaldo actually was not very impressive against good defenders. I remember very well (seeing how I watched Ronaldo matches just one month ago) how Alessandro Nesta kept Ronaldo in his pocket with relative ease, I was quite disappointed by Ronaldo's performance in that game (a game which Inter comfortably won even though Ronaldo had the worst performance I've seen from him). Then against AC Milan, Ronaldo once again was disappointing despite scoring a goal. I have never seen a Ronaldo game in which he impresses me when playing against an organized defensive unit. There were a few here and there with Real Madrid, but from the matches that I have seen of Ronaldo when playing at Inter and at Barca, he consistently tended to disappoint against good defenders; similar to how CR7 plays against Barcelona, CR7 consistently scores goals against Barca, but at the same time CR7 consistently is unimpressive against Barcelona. Surely, if Ronaldo's ball control at top speed was better than Maradona's ball control at top speed, Ronaldo would have done even better. Of course I would find it difficult to find a good Messi run against a top team like Germany, Spain, or Italy; have I ever implied anything else? No. My claim was simple, Ronaldo fans discredit Messi for something that Ronaldo also did. But in my opinion, Ronaldo was even worst than Messi in this respect, because he failed to make great runs against top teams both at international and club level. Messi has consistently delivered great performances against Real Madrid and against Arsenal, top teams; can you say the same about Ronaldo? No. In fact, Roberto Baggio was a lot more impressive against AC Milan, than Ronaldo was against a considerably weaker AC Milan side. Please do note, that Baggio in 1993/1994 played for a rather not-too-shabby Juventus team that consistently depended on Baggio to create something out of nothing. So if Baggio was more impressive against AC Milan, than Ronaldo against AC Milan; how come? You can use the "Messi plays with Iniesta and Xavi" argument with Messi, but Baggio is an entirely different case, and I can assure you that Baggio did better against AC Milan, than Ronaldo ever managed in his brief Serie A pre-injury era. So, how come? Ronaldo was a great player, but Ronaldo fans tend to use Ronaldo's mythical solo runs against small teams, as the anti-messi argument..... without realizing how ridiculously flawed their anti-messi argument is. Just like Messi against English teams, Ronaldo had the tendency of delivering disappointing performances against teams with good defensive units; and unlike Messi, Ronaldo got to play on a quality national team, Ronaldo even got the chance to play with Romario, not to mention Rivaldo and then Ronaldinho and Kaka. Argentina's current national team is ridiculously overrated; Aguero, Di Maria, etc, are overrated, what do you expect that Messi will do when he is surrounded by pampered overrated talents who play for themselves?? Riquelme suffered the same fate that Messi will suffer, being the one player who is supposed to "carry" a team that consists of overrated players who couldn't care less about the national team. Another conveniently flawed argument, that Ronaldo fans use as an extra-layer to add to the anti-messi argument, conveniently ignoring the fact that Ronaldo's Brazil *without* Ronaldo was vastly superior to Messi's Argentina *without* Messi.... In favor of Ronaldo, I would say that 22 year old Ronaldo was more lethal than 22 year old Messi. However, Messi is now 25+ years old and on top of his game, I think Messi at this point is better than Ronaldo ever was. I don't quite understand how you haven't seen Messi's extraordinary ball control, I mean, I think you must be biased not to appreciate how gifted Messi is.
Zidane was a poetic player with an air of bravado; an aesthetic with a touch of madness. He made spectacular control of the ball and of his opponents look effortless and easy. If there was ever one player for grand occasions, he was your man. Simply one of the best and few were as enjoyable to watch.
I don't see the point in debating whose the better between Messi or Ronaldo. There's not a defender, or team for that matter, in the world that would fancy a game against either one at the top of their games. They're both unplayable.