Recent content by De Portago

  1. Ballon d’Or 2024 — post-Messi era

    Nowhere near the player though, and that should count for something atleast.

  2. Lamine Yamal

    A bit of an off-topic, but that's a rare case of a decision that involved three parties and went wrong for all three, usually at least someone ends up on the plus side. PSG wanted the CL, Neymar (I'm guessing) wanted to be the main man and win the Golden ball and Barcelona spent the Neymar money...

  3. Lamine Yamal

    Yeah you are right, maybe 18 though because he did play a fair bit in the 2005/6 season and would've even more if he didn't get injured in the spring. He wasn't nineteen yet when he was the MOTM against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

  4. Lamine Yamal

    I remember Messi breaking through quite well, and I feel it wouldn't be too controversial to claim that Yamal is a better passer than Messi was at a similar age. Against a prime #10 playmaking version he obviously loses out.

  5. La Liga 2024/25

    That's hardly some sort of a seal of approval with the current dire state of international coaching. More or less any national team would obviously hire him on the spot, but that doesn't say much IMO.

  6. La Liga 2024/25

    For god knows what reason, Real Madrid seem institutionally incapable of playing good consecutive league seasons. The fact that they last defended a league title in 2008 really boggles the mind considering the quality of teams they've had since. Early days of course, and with the injury crisis...

  7. Portugal Discussion | Roberto Martinez watch

    Of course not. Unless there is some sort of insurrection in Portugal I expect the exact same thing to happen in 2026. Ronaldo will not step aside of his own volition.

  8. Kylian Mbappe | PSG

    Just for reference, quick google will show that there are currently zero players in the NBA with a 48 inch vertical. Now we're talking about the premier basketball league in 2024 with all the medical/training improvements available and for obvious reasons vertical leap is a much more important...

  9. Kylian Mbappe | PSG

    Prime Michael Jordan was measured at 48 inches vertical if I remember correctly. That obviously doesn't mean Pele's figure is impossible but it seems very unlikely for a football player in the sixties no matter how athletic.

  10. Ballon d'Or 2023 | Messi wins for 8th time

    It was more or less that throughout history, otherwise Ronaldo 2002 and especially Cannavaro 2006 would have never happened.

  11. Guardiola is shagged out | Not shagged out “maybe I can extend”

    Well, modern football has tolerated Lionel Messi just fine. Now obviously it is a matter of personal opinion whether he belongs with the likes of players you have mentioned.

  12. Is Pep the greatest manager of all time?

    Putting Guardiola and Heynckes in the same sentence is just bonkers, one has spent 15+ years coaching top of the line teams and the other's career highlight is he ended up at Bayern twice during a period spanning almost forty years. There must have been a reason for that I guess.

  13. Is Pep the greatest manager of all time?

    Well, whomever wanted to upstage him then (or now, there's minimal difference) has a breeze of a job if all that is true. Get appointed as Manchester City manager and just reap the rewards. I wonder why Ancelotti for example didn't already come up with that.

  14. Frenkie de Jong - Part 2 - Chase Harder.

    They'd have to be absolute morons though, if I had to pick one player and call him the best in Barca currently that's him (not based solely on performance though, but a combination of talent, influence and contribution). They've made their share of cretinous blunders though historically so it's...

  15. Lionel Messi | PSG Watch

    Well thanks for the honest opinion, for whatever it's worth I agree completely and I would have done the same. However the awards are political and arbitrary to a large extent and if one spends enough time following football one gets used to it to a certain extent unfortunately. My opinion as...
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