I'm not sure you understand what 'fitting' means. In what way is it fitting?
Cristiano Ronaldo - Much Ado About Al Nassr
- Thread starter Bastian
- Start date
His real career ended when he left the 2nd time, but he had already sealed his legacy when he left Madrid at 33. We usually dont judge players careers on what they do in semi retirement. I admit Ronaldo is funny meme material, but the only reason why Ronaldo's and the other guys thread is bumped is because its hard to let go of the 2 best players of the modern era.
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I think what makes its greater is the that he won them the match and the points. Also I think Al-Ahli are a more fearsome opponent since they are from the elite Saudi Pro league hvilst Al-Ain were from the qatari camel farmers league despite them being in Champions League and all.
Why shouldn't he start? There's no one else better at scoring goals for us.
We were desperately searching for a consistent world class number 9 before Ronaldo started banging almost a goal per game for us after 2011, and after he's gone, we'll fall into the same number 9 curse we had before him.
He's more consistent than our other strikers, and still has the ability to invent goals out of nowhere like the (rightfully disallowed) goal he scored yesterday. And it's not just the amount of goals he can still score, it's the quality of the goals themselves.
I do think he should be in the roaster and even trying to find a place for him, but isn't Jota pre recent injury in great form to try him?
There's a degree of subjectivity in what I say because the way I see Portugal's team is my own and ya know, sometimes different angles/opinions are equally correct.
Martinez tends to play 4-4-3, so that implies having a goalscorer, so as a goalscorer for the reasons I mentioned above, I don't think Jota is on the level of Ronaldo. I prefer Jota as a sub to Ramos, though.
Jota has a different kind of skillset than Ronaldo though, and can also press more if the strategy revolves around the number 9 pressing just by virtue of being much younger, but if it's a 4-4-3 Martinez will mostly play, I pick Ronaldo as number 9 any day of the week. With Jota's skill set, I'd have Jota on the left. Ronaldo at this age isn't attacking the depth as much, Jota does more of this. And there on the left, it's more about playing Jota or any other competing Portuguese player for that position and not Ronaldo.
I'd definitely give Jota game time on the left, and if he was on the pitch, on the offensive phase, I'd have him and Ronaldo on a more fluid system where they interchange positions at their will. I still like what I see whenever Ronaldo drifts to the left and receives the ball nowadays, and Jota would be able to play in the center this way.
If Martinez played 4-4-2 most of the time, I'd play both of them as starters.
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Interesting how you managed to write 4-4-3 two separate times, implying it was not just a typo.
I had one drink too much while typing it out I guess
Can't tell you how many times I re read it looking for typos either He had lost his place during the world cup. It's not just about goals with him, as it's been discussed plenty of times during his second stint at United. He brings almost nothing outside of goals, and when he tries to get involved more, he slows the game down and loses possession too often. He's old, basically.
You could start Ramos or even Felix as a 9. But you know your national team better than I do, so there's that.
Fair enough Marvin, as I also said, it's the way I view it but I don't like putting my view in here as if it were universal truth. Just another opinion as valid as yours.
Sorry for the long reply :P
I mentioned Jota's different skillset in my post as a positive to play Jota instead of Ronaldo at number 9, if Jota started as a 9 he'd add different things, for sure. I agree Ronaldo definitely loses possession more often than a few years ago now. He goes down more easily and doesn't have the body strength he used to have. But I also see him come out with positive actions whenever he receives the ball near the area on the left or the right. Whenever he engages in 1 to 1 in the corner of the area, he eithers tries to find space to cross, or cuts inside to shoot, or draw defenders to then put a back pass to a teammate.
More often than not he finds ways to cross the ball without it being blocked, even if he's not actually dribbling past players down the wing now - and I find his crossing ability hasn't diminshed that much compared to earlier years. His crosses are also more often than not weighty, into the space, and superior than what his teammates mostly deliver to him.
I think the only thing I'd really disagree with what you said is him slowing the game down. One of my favorites things from him is that he usually ups the tempo of the play, actually. Which makes sense, it's in his DNA to play attacking football since he wants to score as many goals as possible in whatever situation the game is. A big part of his linking play nowadays is playing a lot of first touch passes, those sometimes might slow the game down but looking broadly at football in the final third of the pitch, those will more often than not inject speed into the play, as well, and disposition the defensive organization.
I don't think he should be starting every game or play the 90 minutes every game, I'd get Jota in sharing the spot with him. Ramos feels as limited as Ronaldo as number 9, so... I'd take Ronnie any day.
I think it's clear I'm not convinced by Gonçalo Ramos yet
So he wouldn't win any trophy in KSA as the league is gone.
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cringe
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Cristiano Ronaldo could still easily play for a top European team, if he reduced his wages
He is just stat padding now. 12 points behind Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo has literally scored more goals than Haaland this season. Context is for haters only.
Wait, people actually care about how this narcissistic wanker is doing in Saudi?
No i cancel all social arrangements so i can watch Al Nassr vs Al Taaib.
Not hating, but has Ronnie won any trophies since moving to Saudi?
He won the arab club championships cup in 2023. Al Nassr is losing their second league title in a row though since he joined.
And that Arab "Champions League" isn't even a FIFA-sanctioned competition, I think? So basically, zero trophies.
Anyway, yeah I do watch the games but I don't cancel social appointments to watch them. I can always watch the full game unspoiled later since no one gives a crap about the Saudi League. Although even with United I am 95% of the time able to watch the games later without getting spoiled when I can't catch them live, somehow.
He played differently last night. Down the wing, dribbling past players, playing fast dynamic football. Was entertaining to watch. I always wonder why he only plays like this every 20 games or so. He did pretty well, quick feet, good first touches, assertive... He can get a cross down the wing after gaining space on a defender most of the time. And almost always good crosses. He can do these 1v1 better than Sadio Mane, ironically.
I watch him just to enjoy an all time great until he retires. I watch Messi when I can as well even in USA, although not to the same degree since one can only watch so many hours of football in one week. I used to watch Federer play all the time even when he was 37-39 years old. Not to watch him win trophies, if anything, just to keep watch him maul top 100 players in 3 sets with half the body of young players at their peak. Even at that age he spread class through the tennis courts most of the time.
He is an all time great but he really isn't enjoyable to watch and hasn't been for quite some time. Personally, he isn't a player I'd pay to watch even in his prime years at Madrid. He was much better to watch at United especially 06/07.
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Might have a little party when he hits a thousand
He’d still be a valuable asset for United today if he could have accepted that he’d be a rotation player and not play 90mins all the time
But I suppose his mindset is the reason he’s achieved what he has throughout his career
I've been watching football a long time and I honestly don't think I'd put him in the top three of the best players I've seen.
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6.6% conversion rate for league football, those are the only numbers I have.
That said...
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He would have to do another 3-4 seasons to hit 1000, I can't see his body lasting that long. I know Saudi league is shite but even his body will eventually give out. He would be what 42-43. And that's assuming he stays a 30-40 goal a year player all that time.
His assists today are better than his goals. Well, the 3rd goal was sexy I guess. But this 2nd assist, classy flick with the outside of the boot.
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That's a classy hattrick
Some of the players he plays with, though.
Mane, Talisca, Ospina, Laporte, Otavio, Brozovic, Telles.
He's playing Saudi League on Fifa with rookie difficulty turned on with players like that on his side.
Mane, Talisca, Ospina, Laporte, Otavio, Brozovic, Telles.
He's playing Saudi League on Fifa with rookie difficulty turned on with players like that on his side.
Looks like he’s doing alright still. Got to respect at his age. Would have been a good option for us still off the bench can’t deny.
I think watching Ronaldo lumber about in the Prem throwing his arms up as Mctominay smacked it at him from ten yards might have finished me off.
His last two matches have been against relegation zone teams. In KSA. Not that much of a threat.