This thread needs more gifs, so here's some great dribbles
Best Dribbler In The World
- Thread starter mancan92
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Wouldn't Mardadona have pretty much nailed down all three categories?
I think Iniesta is arguably the most impressive player in the world; he's ultimately let down by his end product though, but as a team player he is unrivaled for me. Close dribbling is his forte as he lacks the real speed of others mentioned; he's got quick feet, but he can't accelerate like Messi/Hazard and he can't stretch his legs like Ronaldo/Bale.
Messi is the best close control dribbler with speed - the ball is glued to his feet at any speed basically. He rarely does any tricks, but he doesn't have to.
Ronaldo is miles better than Bale at running with the ball. Bale kicks and runs and gets away with it because he's fast. He can dribble, but his close control is far behind that of Ronaldo. When Ronaldo runs with the ball, he rarely ever loses control of it, which Bale far more often does. Ronaldo is also faster than Bale is - maybe Bale would edge him in a 100m sprint, but on the pitch, no.
Messi the best overall dribbler though followed by Iniesta for me. Funny thing is that I would actually have had Nani on this list for the third category a couple of seasons ago. He was an immense dribbler at both speed and a standstill - so explosive with such control. Where has his pace gone?
I think Iniesta is arguably the most impressive player in the world; he's ultimately let down by his end product though, but as a team player he is unrivaled for me. Close dribbling is his forte as he lacks the real speed of others mentioned; he's got quick feet, but he can't accelerate like Messi/Hazard and he can't stretch his legs like Ronaldo/Bale.
Messi is the best close control dribbler with speed - the ball is glued to his feet at any speed basically. He rarely does any tricks, but he doesn't have to.
Ronaldo is miles better than Bale at running with the ball. Bale kicks and runs and gets away with it because he's fast. He can dribble, but his close control is far behind that of Ronaldo. When Ronaldo runs with the ball, he rarely ever loses control of it, which Bale far more often does. Ronaldo is also faster than Bale is - maybe Bale would edge him in a 100m sprint, but on the pitch, no.
Messi the best overall dribbler though followed by Iniesta for me. Funny thing is that I would actually have had Nani on this list for the third category a couple of seasons ago. He was an immense dribbler at both speed and a standstill - so explosive with such control. Where has his pace gone?
Giggs was the best high speed dribbler I've ever seen (Maradona was there I guess). He was so agile at top speed - like a Lennon who could dribble, and with more top speed. He too, like Iniesta, lacked a little end product compared to some of the greats though.
I think Carragher with that horrible injury took that pace and confidence away from him.
Looks like it. He never seemed to quite recover from it. I have no idea why an injury like that should impair his pace though. It's a shame as he was our most exciting player to watch.
Courtesy of Olly 
Adrien Silva in the last match
That kind of stuff is the kind of flash old bollox I despise - a proper player just plays the pass earlier.
Hate to do it but this was the moment I realised to my annoyance that Suarez was a real player, he made mugs off about £100m worth of talent in a few seconds.
This one isn't bad either
This one isn't bad either
Yeah...well thankfully not everyone thinks like you
Are you Jesse Pinkman in seasons 1 and 2?
Marouane?
If he wasn't a football-forkwit he could have played the ball early to the fullback. Instead he plays high-risk fannyball (if he loses that his team get creamed on the counter) to play a worse pass later. Taxi to the circus pal!
That´s alot of if´s that could happen. Or not pal!
You'll find some players are capable of a few quality dribbles a match but ask them to continuously run at players.. they'd run out of gas. The best dribbler is someone who will run and beat players throughout 90 minutes, if you compare someone like Robben to Silva... the former has to run at players throughout a game, whereas Silva has to pick and choose his moments.. he wouldn't be able to dribble at the same intensity of a Robben throughout.
Bale and Sterling are two good examples of players who can probably run at players with same level of intensity from first minute to the last.. tireless. Great asset to have as these players are reliable in tough situations to carry the ball when others are flagging.
You've basically invented your own definition and have gone off on a tangent.
Yes but what did happen was a pile of poo. Nothing to be exalted, freestyle bollox, not football (hint watch Messi).
That is just one element, I gave a whole list of elements in my post prior to it. If you can only complete one dribble per match ala Rooney, regardless how good that one successful dribble was, I wouldn't classify you as a top dribbler.
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That´s your opinion. I actually like to watch any kind of entertaining, sucessful, well made dribble (either it´s from Messi or Ronaldinho). If you don´t like to exalt that, it´s your problem, just don´t try to label as non football since it´s not actually true. But to which their own i guess.
Kaka in his prime is a good example of a speed demon on the ball.
If you'd played football you'd know why.
But i did mate and i still disagree. And i wasn´t particulary a flair player. But i understand each person has it´s own personal tastes.
Marouane?
Our own Yaya Toure, hands down.
We really need more of Suarez in this..
I really love Robben's dribbling style. Whether he's the best or not I don't know, but it's so aesthetically pleasing.
I agree, a real pleasure to watch him play.
This thread needs more gifs, so here's some great dribbles
just unreal between 2007-2011.
![messi-solo-goal-vs-real-madrid-o[1].gif](https://www.personal.psu.edu/koc5335/messi-solo-goal-vs-real-madrid-o[1].gif)
It's not an all time thread... but Messi and Maradona stand above all the other dribblers in history. The likes of Baggio, Best, Figo, Sacievic, Iniesta are all close or nearly on the same level of control but were just worlds away in the totality of dribbling, explosiveness, agility, strength on the ball, dribbling at speed. Some of those had some combination of those traits to the highest degree, but Messi and Maradona had them all.
It's amazing and also the way he breaks his opponent's ankles without even moving the ball initially.
Indeed. He will never lose it.
Forgot to mention Lucas.
He's certainly up there with the best when it comes to dribbling at speed - the ball is always stuck to him like glue, & he has great strength to hold off players & stay up. Imagine a Valencia with much better dribbling who would cut inside.
He seems to do it on a consistent basis as well. His ball carrying ability at pace is immense and also it almost looks unnatural the way he seems to have the ball in his control. Suarez at pace basically
True, he's a proven dribbler (people were saying Kovacic shouldn't be mentioned as he hasn't done it for long enough, which is fair) and does it even when the rest of his game is lacking. I hope he gets a move away from PSG so he can show how good he really is.
Verratti is pretty good too, excellent ball control, he does it also several times, I remember the Leverkusen game, where he made the defenders on so many occasions look like a joke.
