Scoring rate does not mean you are a better goalscorer. You can score less and be better. He became a better player the more team oriented he became. Letting go and trusting his teammates meant he could focus purely on goals, and in doing so, could provide them in the toughest of circumstances
07/08 is his perfect season Stats: Premier League: 34 games, 31 goals and 6 assists Champions League: 11 games, 8 goals and 1 assist FA Cup: 3 games, 3 goals Overall: 49 games, 42 goals and 8 assists With Manchester United, Cristiano won: Premier League Champions League FA Community Shield FIFA Club World Cup Individually, he claimed: UEFA Best Player in Europe award European Golden Shoe as top scorer with 31 goals Ballon d'Or FIFA Best Men's Player award Champions League top scorer Some plays of that season: Arguably the greatest peak in history
Was the 2013/14 version of Ronaldo the one who scored the most solo goals after the 2009/10 season? I couldn’t find the number of goals he scored after dribbling past players per season, but I think 2009/10 was his best. What about 2013/14? Was it his second best ? If his final seasons at Man United were the best after 09/10, then maybe 2013/14 was his best at Madrid ?
Actually and maybe surprisingly I agree with you on this It is stupid skills like this that have massively contributed to the impression that he was nothing but a showboat dribbler at Manchester United These are the types of skills that have made it into his YouTube highlight reels Often repeated and even slowed down by comp makers as if they were even amazing to begin with When I use to make seasonal comps of Cristiano years ago I would never include his showboat skills and only keep the functional ones In reality he top scored in the 2007/08 premier league with 31 goals and he lead in dribbles completed 90 - Most dribbles completed in the 2007-08 Premier League season:90 - Cristiano Ronaldo88 - Aliaksandr Hleb75 - David Bentley69 - Joe Cole62 - Charles N'ZogbiaMemories. #OptaJoe15 https://t.co/q1xMfvcxec— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 4, 2024
@Isaías Silva Serafim His real masterclass season is this though I choose this as a fan of Cristiano above any single version of his Regardless of the number of goals scored,assists provided,individual accolades,trophies won or anything else
If I were to just say in terms of individual quality 1)2011-12 2)2007-08 3)2013-14 Ronaldo 2012 is the only version that can claim to be more perfect than all other versions of footballers in at least the last 30 years Goalscoring, playmaking, chance creation, dribbling, technique, passing, penalties, heading, weak foot, playing with the ball, playing without the ball, etc. Even in defense he won most duels
Throwing everything outside of window except pure athleticism, his peak might be 2009/10. Yes he was a terminator before his injuries, was running 96 meters in 10 seconds in 2012/13 But I think Ronaldo resembled prime Gareth Bale more in the 2009/10 season than in his other seasons. He only needed the blink of an eye to accelerate, reaching very high speeds over a very short distance. Due to this explosiveness and pace he was able to pass many defenders in single sprints very quickly
Carlito, the more I watch the more it seems clear to me that he was severely underrated in those years - and was playing in a way that was completely unprecedented. Yes, completely. Firstly, the sheer quality, totality, and comprehensiveness of his finishing is absurd. He has insane range - in fact, I can confidently the best long shot in football history. With respect to out of the box, he is capable with his weak foot. He is a reliable/elite header of the ball. One time finishes at great speed in the box. Finishes from every angle of attack, narrow angles on the left and narrow angles on the right. Running toward near post on the right, running toward near post on the left. It doesn't matter. Beyond that - he doesn't drift in and out of games. I was watching a La Liga 17-18 clasico and it is insane how often MEssi is derelict of his duties - he decides if he wants to move into space to collect the ball, decised to kill counters with inactvity, decides to not press - and this is the case for many players. Take Ronaldo - and he is always hyperfocused, always playing with intent and does not shirk offensive nor defensive responsabilities. He is also way less wasteful than his rival. It is crazy how much he gets done on the pitch while playing with less touches. Simply more effective. I genuinely have renewed interest and respect for this player in a way I did not before. The more I study him, the more I realize that history will hopefully be a lot more favorable in its appreciation than the current climate. My eye test now firmly tells me he is better than Messi. Not greater, not this or that. Simply a better, more capable performer.
One of the most physically dominant players of all time talking about the fear he had of Cristianos playing style https://m.youtube.com/shorts/foZBKiJrwk8 @SayWhatIWant @Isaías Silva Serafim
I think one of the most obvious aspects Cristiano should be praised for is his work ethic, as he managed to maintain his condition and endurance longer than Messi did. The 2017/18 season is quite a good example of this, because despite the fact that Messi performed excellently in La Liga and contributed to Barça's 25th title, the distance he covered per game was closer to that of an average goalkeeper than any other outfield player. That's why one can say Ronaldo was the better and more capable performer in 2017/18, as SayWhatIWant said. Especially in the high tempo games. Messi had heavier legs in 2011/12 than in his previous seasons, and injuries caused his physical abilities to decline even more in 2012/13 and 2013/14. He returned to his best in 2014/15 and got progressively better throughout the season, which gave us the most complete version of Messi ever in 2015. But, even though he was almost one footed (compared to his much later seasons) in 2009/10 and in 2010/11 and lacked many forms of threats like many free kicks, that messi had as much as endurance and physical condition as peak ronaldo, If not even more. So, in a hypothetical scenario that would push both of them to their absolute limits—let's say they appear in El Clásico and then play in a UCL semi-final just four days later, just like in 2011/12, but they face the 2012/13 Bayern team— I can confidently say I would pick the 2017/18 Ronaldo over the 2017/18 Messi. However, I wouldn’t say I would certainly pick the 2011/12 Ronaldo over the 2010/11 Messi, because that version of Messi was pressing like a dog as well, and he was an absolute menace.
Great post... I too was favored Messi circa 2010 when I was watching live - but the caveat being, that Messi was operating on an extremely dominant squad in relative terms. My issue I think also comes from how hyper-specialized Messi was. He is no Diego, though he was often compared to his Argentine predecessor. For Diego, it didn't matter where the ball arrived near his body - behind him, at his thigh, his neck, shoulder. For Diego, it didn't matter where the ball was when he shot - far edge of the pitch, knee height, waist high. He could fiddle with the ball in the air. With Messi - you felt he was a threat, but he was a threat if he had the conditions to impose his exact preferred plays. When you watch his second leg performance vs a 10man inter, or 10man chelsea, you just get the feeling the guy is completely out of ideas and wants to brute force the same 1-2 shot combos to no avail. Ronaldo is a diff story. He lacked the aesthetic fluidity of Messi especially as time went on, but you could get a sense that he would try every angle of attack to produce a shot/header and therefore goal.