Best Striker At Their Prime?

Discussion in 'The Beautiful Game' started by Bavarian14, Dec 27, 2018.

  1. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024


    nowadays


    Players are protected by the referees and the current infrastructure of 6 big stars.

    It's easier for younger players to break out at all even more younger.
     
  2. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    yes , Genius Olise and Harry Kane are better than him !!
     
  3. Isaías Silva Serafim

    Real Madrid
    Brazil
    Dec 2, 2021
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    As Diego Simeone said: "They don't have Cristiano Ronaldo"
     
  4. Al Gabiru

    Al Gabiru Member+

    Jan 28, 2020
    #2454 Al Gabiru, Apr 17, 2026
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2026
    Olise is a great player. It’s clear that he is inspired by Robben: he plays in the same position, same club, tries the same moves, cutting inside and finishing. He seems to be talked about more this year because he has greater visibility. His Champions League campaign last season wasn’t that good. This is his season of recognition. But he still needs to set himself apart from the Dembélés and Vinícius Jr.

    Yamal seems like a superior talent to me, like Neymar and Ronaldinho. For my taste in football, Yamal, Kane, and Mbappé have been the best forwards in the world over the last three seasons. But Yamal on a different curve of recognition, having already delivered great Champions League campaigns (Olise is in his first). Now the expectation is that Yamal wins UCL or shines at a World Cup.
     
  5. Al Gabiru

    Al Gabiru Member+

    Jan 28, 2020
     
  6. Sexy Beast

    Sexy Beast Member+

    Dinamo Zagreb
    Croatia
    Aug 11, 2016
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    So he hasn't embarrassed himself on the pitch by playing football, but by off the pitch trashtalk and making arrogant statements?

    This is so weird to read from a Ronaldo stan. If anyone, Ronaldo stans should have a really strong tolerance for embarrassment.
     
  7. Sexy Beast

    Sexy Beast Member+

    Dinamo Zagreb
    Croatia
    Aug 11, 2016
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    #2457 Sexy Beast, Apr 17, 2026
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2026
    He is more talented than the two in a sense that he is not all flair and technical brilliance. Yamal has a level of groundedness to his game which will serve him well long-term.

    His playing style is coherent as a whole. He possess foundations. Neymar and Ronaldinho applied themselfs in a disciplined manner for a very brief period of time, which is when they were at their best. Disciplined flair. Flairful discipline.

    Beyond that brief period of time, they were focusing more on individial expression than disciplined pursuit of developing their craft. That is the difference. Yamal is demonstrating both, flair and discipline on the pitch in his playing style. That is the optimal balance.
     
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  8. benficafan3

    benficafan3 Member+

    Nov 16, 2005
    Yamal is the most talented youngster possibly since Pele, IMO, but his success over time will come down to his mentality, which already shows worrying signs. Getting into relationships and public breakups with social media thots, throwing huge parties that attract media attention... rumors of showing up late to team meetings/games and pissing off Flick, and his dad reminds me of Neymar's dad - very into his son's career in a seemingly negative way.
     
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  9. Sexy Beast

    Sexy Beast Member+

    Dinamo Zagreb
    Croatia
    Aug 11, 2016
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Hansi Flick is probably perfect match for his development at this stage. Allows his flair to shine but keeps him grounded and disciplined.
     
  10. Sexy Beast

    Sexy Beast Member+

    Dinamo Zagreb
    Croatia
    Aug 11, 2016
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    It is to be expected at his age tho. Youngsters today grow up in completely different culture. He will get humbled many more times in years to come by failures such is the one few days ago. At that point he will have a choice, to take it as motivation and double down on developing his craft and actualize his potential or take a different route. This is yet to be seen. It can go either way.
     
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  11. benficafan3

    benficafan3 Member+

    Nov 16, 2005
    #2461 benficafan3, Apr 17, 2026
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2026
    Not sure if this is the place to write this but since everyone is active on here: Maradona is overrated and does not belong in a Top 3 discussion.

    His club career was commendable but Pele, Messi and CR7 blow his out of the water. Bringing Napoli to Serie As and an UEFA Cup is cool but those are significantly lower level achievements than dominating continental competitions. His performances in the European Cup were notably abysmal. 1987-1988 European Cup Napoli were ousted in the first round by Real Madrid with Maradona being understood to have kept quiet through the tie. 1990-1991 European Cup pitifully and pathetically dumped out by Spartak Moscow.

    Even then, he wasn't alone. He had Careca, Alemao, Ferrara, Zola etc. all maintstays and big players for major NTs like Brazil and Italy. Careca's record for Brazil was extremely impressive so this idea that Maradona carried Napoli alone is a myth and a huge knock to his best club achievements - he was the best player on a very good squad. Not a lone genius carrying minnows.

    Also, Sampdoria won Serie A and reached a EC final in the same period so Napoli was not some unique anomaly.

    The rest of his club career is good but not GOAT-level. No La Liga title at Barcelona.

    And many will say "But Serie A was the best league during that time". Doesn't matter. It's still a domestic competition and doesn't touch the European Cup. Real Madrid is considered unanimously the best club of all time because of their EC/CL record, not their La Liga wins. Even more pronounced, AC Milan is considered an all-time club because they have the 2nd most European Cups, despite having 3rd most Serie As.

    And then there is World Cup 1986. Has anyone actually considered the fact this guy's crowning achievement was predicated on blatantly cheating against England? Not a bad refereeing decision like many players have benefitted from, but actual deception. Why is this important? Because in the game against England this cheating led to the game being 1-1 instead of Argentina losing. And what happened 4 minutes later? The Goal of The Century which cemented his legacy in the tournament. Any basic understanding of chaos theory will know, if that initial handball goal was invalidated, every proceeding sequence would be different. There would be no Goal of The Century. Not to mention that England's tactics would have shifted, they would have been caught off guard and more anxious and with trepidation and so their whole game state would have been different. A goal like that comes from perfect conditions and if he wasn't such a cheat, it wouldn't have happened. And it's reasonable to conclude if there is no cheating to the 1-1, then England can hold on and win and so no great semi-final performance against Belgium and no title.

    Not to mention the lack of logic in arguing a player as the potential GOAT based on one single tournament, which his legacy is. No 86 World Cup and no one would bring him up along with Pele. It doesn't happen in any other sport and the only explanation is that the World Cup is such a global event, and in 1986 was such in a way that no other competition would compare - because it was the biggest, global sporting event by far in the world, in a way that trounced any other competition including the European Cup - that the achievement was illogically magnified. Basing a GOAT argument on a handful of games is inherently illogical and given the sequence of events that led to the victory, even moreso.

    Even the "carrying nobodys to Argentina 86" is overstated. Valdano was an amazing player for Real Madrid. Hector Enrique, great player. Ruggeri is considered one of the best Argentine defenders of all time. Not Brazil '70 level by any shot but still a strong contender.

    Pele's career absolutely trounces his and it's an absolute wonder anyone actually legitimately put the two in the same conversation. Top 10 sure. GOAT? No shot.

    Bring on the downvotes.
     
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  12. benficafan3

    benficafan3 Member+

    Nov 16, 2005
    I don't disagree but he is also openly not humble - posts a lot of shit-stirring on social media. CR7 was arrogant when he was young but he didn't shit stir. My main worry for him is his dad - that type of influence is native to him and doesn't go away. And it could be argued Neymar's dad ruined his career with his influence and wouldn't be crazy if Yamal's goes the same route.
     
  13. Betrayed@Krondor

    Jul 11, 2023
    #2463 Betrayed@Krondor, Apr 17, 2026
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2026
    He's probably the most talented player that ever played the game, IMO, and not necessarily by a particularly fine margin. That (and the 86 WC) has bought him a lot of good will over the years, but I tend to think Messi and Cristiano have now obviated anyone but Pele's claim to be the greatest (with the possible exception of Puskas and Di Stefano, if you're willing to go that far back).

    Unless you'd won the competition the previous year, the only way to enter the old EC was to win your domestic league. That does not inherently make Maradona's European record much better, but it does make Napoli's Uefa Cup win significantly more prestigious than modern fans tend to assume.

    No.

    It was the first goal of the game, in a match where Argentina were managing just fine pretty much throughout, largely due to Maradona. England wouldn't score until the 81st minute.

    He'd already made at least one similar half-field run in the first half. He scored a somewhat similar goal the next game.

    Messi's also had his share of handballs, incidentally. So have many, many others, if not nearly every single star pre-VAR. The Eighties were the absolute lowpoint of the sport, largely due to the impunity enjoyed by defenders. It's a genuine travesty Gentile could foul him over twenty times the previous tournament, or that Andoni Goikoetxea (allegedly) showed pride in the tackle that broke Maradona's foot. I don't particularly fault attackers for taking their own liberties, set against that background, and England's own defending was not unusually gentle.

    (I do, however, fault him for the sheer range and scope of cheating he'd exhibited over his career. One of the many, many things that make him look like an absolute choad, even outside of potential criminalities.)

    It and the 2,022 squad are about as workmanlike as WC winning squads ever get (altough the 22 side will eventually look better). Some Italian squads might have made it look a little harder, but what they lacked in firepower, they made out through sheer pedigree throughout thier sides.

    And Maradona's set the absolute standard. Well ahead of Cruyff or Garrincha in previous world cups, playing with throughly superior squads. Better even than Platini in Euro 84. It's only natural that people will remember that.
     
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  14. Isaías Silva Serafim

    Real Madrid
    Brazil
    Dec 2, 2021
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    upload_2026-4-17_18-10-42.jpeg
     
  15. roby

    roby Member+

    SIRLOIN SALOON FC, PITTSFIELD MA
    Feb 27, 2005
    So Cal
    Bob Gibson....hands down best striker!!! :ninja:

    [​IMG]
     
  16. Isaías Silva Serafim

    Real Madrid
    Brazil
    Dec 2, 2021
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Aside from the handball goal that would have been disallowed if VAR had existed back then, 5 seconds before the start of the play that led to the "goal of the century," there was a foul by an Argentinian player right in front of the referee, and he simply ignored it. Basically, in both of the most iconic moments of Maradona's famous 1986 World Cup, there were refereeing errors that would have nullified both goals in the VAR era.

     
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  17. carlito86

    carlito86 Member+

    Jan 11, 2016
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    #2467 carlito86, Apr 17, 2026
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2026
    IMG_5660.jpeg
    European Club Football Elo Rankings
    The miracle season when Hellas Verona came from nowhere to win Serie A | Serie A | The Guardian



    IMG_5661.jpeg
    European Club Football Elo Rankings


    Miracles seemed to be happening a lot back then

    A lot can be said about the 1986 World Cup winning squad

    IMG_5662.jpeg

    Argentinas main striker Jorge Valdano was officially voted the La Liga player of the year in 1985/86
    Don Balón Award - Wikipedia

    Jorge Burruchaga was officially voted the ligue 1 player of the year in 1985/86
    France - Footballer of the Year


    Maradona fans would have you believe that he was the best player in Serie A 1985/86(complete fiction of course but let’s run with it)

    If he was that meant Argentina had in their 1986 World Cup winning squad the outright best players of 3 of Europes top 5 leagues


    It’s worth noting that in 1978 when Diego Maradona was being hailed as perhaps the most gifted teenage talent the game had ever seen the Argentina national football team won the World Cup without him even making the squad.
     
  18. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    i don't wanna know about Jude

    where is Ronaldo Nazario de Lima all defensive actions ?????
     
  19. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    not for me !

    He reminds me


    more Ruud Gullit by Las bicicletas or pedaladas fintas


    on Robben is more by finishing skills


    Robben only dribbled at speed ...


    não tem a ginga ou as pedaladas fintas ..balanço de corpo

    como Ruud Gullit , Genius Olise or even Robinho or Garrincha ..
     
  20. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    Please don't send me any more videos of from Jude.

    Honestly, I don't like watching Jude playing football.

    I'm not going to waste my life- time on him.

    or focusing on him !!
     
  21. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    for me Genius Olise is better than all 3 players .... Ronaldinho..Ney Jr and Lamidia Yamal !
     
  22. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024
  23. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    Gerd Muller better than him also !


    But ..has the next World Cup 2026 ....


    so C. Ronaldo ..can be surpassing ..Gerd Muller ..Messi and even the KIng Pelé !
     
  24. carlito86

    carlito86 Member+

    Jan 11, 2016
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    His fat ass couldn’t keep up
     
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  25. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    the own Ronaldo Nazario de Lima

    spoken at interviews in Brazil ....


    for 4 main reasons Nazario de Lima doesn't defensive-work in general :


    1. almost died at Eredivisie ..aerial Battles ...and Headers Won %

    Ronaldo explicitly stated that he developed a kind of fear and panic disorder when playing in the air.


    2. famous brazilian Lazy " lazy brazilian players the famous fame "




    3. Ronaldo says again and again :

    after he suffered serious knee injuries...
    He developed a kind of fear and dread of tackles duels won % on the ground.

    He avoided these situations.



    4.
    To conserve stamina

    To make offensive runs and offensive plays ...

    like to Attack the open-spaces ...and Moves Into channels ..


    finishing skills
    and ..dribbling skills ..


    That's what Ronaldo Nazario de Lima said personally in interviews in Brazil.
     

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