Oh yeah, Lampard's countrymen also have no sense of judgment and are moved by a player's popularity. Ronaldinho voted World Soccer Player of the Year Barcelona's outstanding Brazilian star Ronaldinho is the undisputed World Player of the Year for 2005 after topping our annual poll. Ronaldinho also recorded the fifth biggest share of the vote – almost 39 per cent – in the 24-year history of the award. He received almost three times as many votes as his closest rival, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. Chelsea's Frank Lampard finished third. http://www.worldsoccer.com/news/Ronaldinho_voted_World_Soccer_Player_of_the_Year_news_72439.html What dumbasses!
no sh!t, of course the award is going to be based on form as well, Becks didn't have the type of year to be nominated for such an award. But let's be honest here, Ronaldinho's playing style will obvioulsy attract more fans and more attention right, so it would only make sense that Fifa award him please the fans. In all honesty, do you think Ronaldinho had a better last season than Lampard? Who's been more consistent?
Ronaldinho deserved this kind of award, sure, but not this time, especially not over Lampard. Last season alone there were several players that had a better season than him and he still got the award. Even Barcelona fans will tell you he didn't have exactly the best of his seasons then. Lampard on the other hand has been consistent for three seasons straight, even before Abramovich, it's eerie how consistent he's been regardless of the players around him because I could say the same for dinho. I appreciate skill and industry all the same, it's just beyond me how ignorant fans are, how they're blatantly willing to pick skill immediately over industry and strength among other things, like its supposed to be the better characteristic because its not. Brazilians for example could only wish to be physical players, in fact scouts over there even tend to favor strength over skill because its so rare. And thanks for proving my point, it is a popularity contest, like Ronaldinho "wows" the crowd, Lampard does the same for me everytime I watch him.
FIFA is not the only organization to award Ronaldinho. Who did the fans reading World Soccer award him for? And the European journalists? Get over it! Based on general world-wide football preference, the Gerrards and Lampards will never ever come remotely close to the Ronaldinhos, the Zidanes or the Maradonas. And popular opinion is what matters. No matter how 'ignorant' fans, players, coaches, FIFA delegates, and media personnel seem to you, they form the far greater majority. Thus, only the very few knowledgeable characters such as you are "wowed" by the Lampards.
i guess there can be lots of critisicm from both sides of the avenue. the real question is what has lampard done for country? ronaldinho has excelled in performance for both country and club. lampard has not been able to exert influence on his fellow midfielders. hes surrounded by fantastic players. try swapping players from both clubs. do u think barcelona would be as successful if they had lampard? ronaldinho would add be a shoe-in at chelsea. for now we can all do nothing but wait until they will have to face each other in the next champions league draw.
you just keep proving me right, thanks but I hope you realize the hypocrisy you're contributting to..oh well.. point is, you're right, the Zidanes, Ronaldinhos will most likely always win, not because they're better but because the average fan is a close minded, easily entertained moron who doesn't appreciate anything else other than flashy tricks. Just so you don't get on my case again, Ronaldinho doesn't neccessarily fall under this category, but because of his "flashyness" he received the award, even though Lampard was more deserving of it, and the excuse used to justify this will always be "because he does things no one else does, he's amazing, bla bla bla "
Lampard best player in the world? Oh yeah, now I get all the FIFA CWC discussion, that long thread, discussing things over and over again. English people simply live in a world apart from the others. The only thing that matters are their own championship, their own players. The rest of the world is crap. By the way, how many World Cups have you won? And EUROs? You know, with your amazing players, we´d really expect some better international display...
And you just keep dismissing the national team coaches and players, journalists, magazine subscribers and editors, and the FIFA family as average fans who are close-minded and easily entertained morons! You may think you are not the moron here, but 100% would choose you as the moron over the vast majority of the footballing world.
The fact is that even the English overwhelmingly acknowledged Ronaldinho's superiority over their own players. But then they are morons, just like the rest of the world except for SirManchester!
I was addressing the fans only, since you brought them up, I didn't even dismiss one coach, journalist, etc. And please don't dismiss my argument, you even re-assessed it, fans generally like to see flashy tricks, they want to be entertained, but they often don't keep in mind many other aspects of the game which deserve equal merit. FFS do you even consider what Lampard has done in the last three seasons? Do you think all of that was easy or not worth the award!?
You're exactly the close minded fan I was referring to, You obviously seem to find it incredible that an English player could win this award. Let me remind you so you don't make fiture mistakes, I'm not English nor am I advocating for them alone, If Lampard was any other nationality I would argue the same. You seem to have missed every point of mine, and unless you're going to discuss this maturely and on a more intelleigent level, stay out of it.
Thats because people want to be entertained. Be honest, if you wanted fans to appreciate strength, and Passion and industriousness, they could go watch another sport. Like the NFL. your calling the average football fan a moron because he likes what the game of football is about? The game of football would be boring with just a bunch of Gerrards and Scott parkers.What is the most important aspect of the game to you? To me its ball control. I guess you can see where im going from here. Also, i see you have been watching Ginga. There is nothing entertaining about players running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Some want to see something special, not people like Scott Parker. Its pretty boring to me. What is entertaining about Industrious players? Tell me. Now back to who is more deserving, depends on how which time frame they use. If they use the year 2005 instead of the last season, then Ronaldiho deserves it more. Since then he has carried Barca. Starting from January to now, he has been the best player in the world. But the last season, he wasnt poor, but wasnt his best.
This is what I'm talking about, it's all about subjectivity, some people actually prefer industrious players!!!!!! Have you ever played the game!? if you have then you'd know that what the Parkers, Lampards, Gerrards, and Ballacks do is itself very difficult and takes not only phsyical strength but intellect, awareness, positioning, there's so much more to it that people like you don't realize. I don't mean to offend you here but I hope you see where I'm going with this.
Im sorry, being physical, industrious, hard working, and such is not equally merriting. My mind is open to that, but anyone could work hard if they actually tried. If anyone can do it, then it isnt special. Not many can even start to attempt what Ronaldinho does. Thats what makes Flashy tricks (they are more than just flashy tricks) special. Not everyone can do it.
Everyone knows how great Lampard is. You could have made your point without coming off like football fandom's version of the Cro-Magnon. What, exactly, drives the Brit hatred of skill? This attitude is exactly what kept poor Glenn Hoddle off the pitch for England for so long. At some point, you people are going to learn that ball deception and misdirection skills (Yes, I said SKILLS. You'll notice I haven't used any derogatory terms like "tricks", "flash" or "ponce about with the ball") became part of the Game long ago (you'd think that would have been clear after Hungary --yes, even European teams use skills from time to time-- destroyed England home and away decades ago). A bigger hammer is not always the answer, and when it becomes the answer more oten than it ain't, that's the day I quit loving the Game. The Game doesn't need another Roy Keane hack-worshipping fest. Let it always remain as beautiful as it became under Pele. Perhaps you'd be better off following another sport, like maybe the NFL. Hay Seuss.
Do you think Lampard can't dribble becuase he can, Ballack can do step overs, elasticos, etc. and so can Gerrard, and while they're not nearly as creative as Ronaldinho their moves work, but you know what they don't do them because thats not the kind of players they are. I'm sorry if you don't understand or can't see that there's more to these players than meets the eye, that's no one's fault but your own. I suppose you'll just have to play the game to understand it beause if you think it's all industry and strength you got it all wrong, dead wrong.
I do see where this is going. I wouldnt exactly class Lampard, and Ballack in the same ...welll...class as Ballack and Lampard but anyhow... Its is important to the game, to teams, and such, but honestly My team had two industrious player. One was a centerback the other was a defensive midfielder. The rest were pretty flashy continental players, and the team did pretty well in a league where half the players were Scott Pakers. They had to make up for not having skill and creativity by being industrious.
::sigh:: I'm not British , and its not a hatred of skill, its rather your non-appreciation for everything else but skill. Again, you missed my point too if you think the Lampard type is all strength. And by the way, its Cro-Magnum, damnit, And here I thought all the Australopithecines died off a long time ago.
I'm going to reproduce a comment I made on the Chelsea boards. I've really had enough of SirManchester's knee-jerk hatred of Brazilian players and it's time to set things straight. A poster named JoshDB wrote something cretinous like: "Just because Lampard doesn't do all those pointless flashy tricks that Ronaldhino does, etc. ..............." And the response: This is threatening to become accepted wisdom on Big Soccer, and it's false. I believe that Teso and SirManchester are partly to blame. Anytime a Brazilian player is praised, they say something like: 1. 'Rooney is far more complete--he defends'. 2. 'The new Denilson . . . ' 3. 'His tricks are flashy, but so-and-so [insert German name] is just as effective'. Fact is, what Ronaldhino does works. It's effective. Defenses are surprised, wrong-footed, misdirected. Very little of what he does is pointless--indeed what's amazing is to see how rarely he squanders a pass or loses the ball given the high number of improvisations he attempts each game. A scheme-breaker, as the Spanish say. Now if Lampard is better (personally I doubt this) it would be because he is more effective than Gaucho, not because Gaucho is merely entertaining yet ineffective. This bears repeating.
I know that. You're another American (like me) who (unlike me) deludedly worships the chickenheaded antics of players who haven't worked hard enough to develop the skills 'Dinho's culture brings to the Game. I read this sh!t from Brits and even worse, from their lapdogs here in the USA every day on this site. When that style of play brings your heroes even two world Cups, maybe there'll be something to argue about. Right now, the grapes are as sour as a whore's piss from drinking buttermilk. You're another Comme, just with less football knowledge. Read my edited post. I know Lampard's quality. He just ain't no 'Dinho. No, I don't think so. But I'll look to make sure, tho.
pfft..thanks for the insults and accusations, couldn't keep them to yourself eh!? First of all, I never questioned Ronaldinho's effectiveness, you find where I said and I'll stop posting on this thread. Second I never called into question Ronaldinho's place in football, because I really think he's one of the best in the world, and as far as this season goes he's better than Lampard. The only thing I argued was that according to last season, Lampard was better, he was overall more consistent and he accomplished more, and that deserves some merit. Also, that he's done so for three straight seasons is like I said, eerie, and a lot of posters, and Ronaldinho supporters aren't willing to acknowledge that. If Ronaldinho is just as effective as Lampard (which I never questioned) why does he deserve the award? Because he happens to do more step overs, and cyclones, and elasticos? Because he entertaines those who don't acknowledge the Lampard-type players?
Ok you tell the rest of the world what we should appreciate. Im serious, i am trying to open my mind more. Before i do that though, Skill is special because not everyone can do it, Industriousness is not special because just anyone could get into shape and run around forever. Im not sayingLampard cant do anything else but its just that i dont see whats entertaining about people like Gattuso, Poulsen, Emerson, etc. Atleast players like Maduro, Vieira, Lamapard to some extent, and Ballack are technical geniouses sp?
Wrong, I'm not American, I was born and for the most part raised in Europe. I've played the game all my life and I know what aspects of it merit what kind of comments. It's insulting for you to brand me as someone with no football knowledge, just because I disagreed with the winner of this award, it's quite ignorant on your behalf, you don't know me at all, so please refrain from making any other comments like that.
if you really don't see whats special about those types of players you've mentioned you really have to open up your mind, only then can we really have this discussion. I appreciate your willingness to learn however. By the way, you're a United fan, if by what you said above is true you don't regard Keane as anything special.