Cristiano Ronaldo

Status
Not open for further replies.
I think he's one of those individuals who's changed the industry he's in. His physicality is such that he's moved the sport on and so like all firsts it seems impossible to predict how he'll fair in the future.

We can't say what he'll be like at 32 because I don't think we've seen a footballer like him before, there's no point of reference. He'll actually become that for the generation behind him.
 
No Wilshere will never reach Ronaldo's level. But if you look at their trajectories from here on in, Wilshere has more to give. He has so much time. Ronaldo is now at his peak and will soon in all likelihood start to decline, exactly when and at what rate we can only speculate. If you imagine a chart with time and ability on the axes, how many years before their levels cross? A few years, after which Wilshere will remain at a high level (obviously you never know exactly how someone's career will develop, but we expect) for quite a few more years.

Plus I just want to see SAF sign a top quality midfielder.

Listen, I respect your opinion on this, in that Ronaldo for £50m is a steal. That's why it won't happen. But yes, if it did, we'd be laughing. This figure has crept down a bit, the other day it was £55m wasn't it? Even then I thought it was on the low side to be realistic. The bottom line is if and when Ronaldo leaves Madrid it'll be for megabucks, I don't think he'll be coming to us, and I'm not beating myself up over it cause there are other players I'd personally prefer to see come anyway.
 
Hope I don't get shot down for this, but for all the gushing Balague and company were doing I didn't really think he was all that great. I mean he played well and exposed the gaps they left, but he had bags of room and his two goals were practically gift wrapped.

Actually I really fancied him for a hat-trick after the second.
 
The whole 'I'd rather see the money spent on somebody else' shtick is eerily similar to what we were hearing when we signed Van Persie. Some players if available and willing to come are just too good to refuse.
 
Good to see he's doing so well against Barca these days and quite often outshining messi, but would rather him have a few stinkers before the game against us. Ronaldo being in peak form or slightly off could decide the tie.
 
One thing is sure is that he will not be allowed the same freedom and space vs United.The way Barca were defending on him was suicidal but at the same he was just unstoppable at times
 
kouroux said:
One thing is sure is that he will not be allowed the same freedom and space vs United.The way Barca were defending on him was suicidal but at the same he was just unstoppable at times
Click to expand...


:confused:

1) Space will open up if Real Madrid score an early goal though...

2) Unstoppable? Dani Alves stopped him plenty last night. And his goals were basically unmissable, put on a plate for him. To be fair, he did do brilliantly to win the penalty against Piqué, great footwork and acceleration!
 
MrMojo said:
I think he's one of those individuals who's changed the industry he's in. His physicality is such that he's moved the sport on and so like all firsts it seems impossible to predict how he'll fair in the future.

We can't say what he'll be like at 32 because I don't think we've seen a footballer like him before, there's no point of reference. He'll actually become that for the generation behind him.
Click to expand...

There's never been a footballer like him before? I'd say he's awfully similar to Eusébio who still managed to score over a goal a game in his 30s. What has he done that's changed the industry he's in?
 
Brwned said:
There's never been a footballer like him before? I'd say he's awfully similar to Eusébio who still managed to score over a goal a game in his 30s. What has he done that's changed the industry he's in?
Click to expand...

I would agree on this, for all his greatness, Messi will be remembered for breaking records, even Cantona changed football more than CR, and CR is a far superior player
 
Brwned said:
There's never been a footballer like him before? I'd say he's awfully similar to Eusébio who still managed to score over a goal a game in his 30s. What has he done that's changed the industry he's in?
Click to expand...

I can't think of a player who's been able to combine strength, speed, agility and endurance like he has. In terms of physicality I think he's taken the game to a new level and what you'll see now is a generation behind him(like Bale) who'll strive to follow.

Stephen Hendry, Woods, Nadal, they're the same type of pivotal figures, they take the sport into a new era. This isn't necessarily saying they are the best ever but they bring something new that breaks a barrier.
 
MrMojo said:
I can't think of a player who's been able to combine strength, speed, agility and endurance like he has. In terms of physicality I think he's taken the game to a new level and what you'll see now is a generation behind him(like Bale) who'll strive to follow.

Stephen Hendry, Woods, Nadal, they're the same type of pivotal figures, they take the sport into a new era. This isn't necessarily saying they are the best ever but they bring something new that breaks a barrier.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this, mate. Spot on for me.
 
MrMojo said:
I can't think of a player who's been able to combine strength, speed, agility and endurance like he has. In terms of physicality I think he's taken the game to a new level and what you'll see now is a generation behind him(like Bale) who'll strive to follow.

Stephen Hendry, Woods, Nadal, they're the same type of pivotal figures, they take the sport into a new era. This isn't necessarily saying they are the best ever but they bring something new that breaks a barrier.
Click to expand...

Again, did Eusébio not do the same thing? Pelé? Ronaldo's obviously taking things even further thanks to the advancements in sports science and whatnot but to suggest he's a completely new breed of player rather than an improvement on them is just silly.

It's funny, it was around 2006 when people were saying football had become "too physical" citing Drogba as an example, then you had Barca's midgets convincing everyone that small, technical players are ideal, now we're being told Ronaldo is ushering in a new age of physical perfection...hmm.
 
Brwned said:
Again, did Eusébio not do the same thing? Pelé? Ronaldo's obviously taking things even further thanks to the advancements in sports science and whatnot but to suggest he's a completely new breed of player rather than an improvement on them is just silly.

It's funny, it was around 2006 when people were saying football had become "too physical" citing Drogba as an example, then you had Barca's midgets convincing everyone that small, technical players are ideal, now we're being told Ronaldo is ushering in a new age of physical perfection...hmm.
Click to expand...

I don't know it was 50 years ago, my knowledge of Eusebio is a YouTube video, my knowledge of his peers and how he compared is even more scant. Maybe for their time they were groundbreaking, that doesn't stop new athletes from taking the game up a level half a century on.
 
It just makes no sense to say we've not seen a footballer like him before if you don't actually have any idea if we have...weren't you giving me grief before for needlessly sensationalising things?
 
Brwned said:
It just makes no sense to say we've not seen a footballer like him before if you don't actually have any idea if we have...weren't you giving me grief before for needlessly sensationalising things?
Click to expand...

It's difficult because you pick a figure like Eusebio from fifty years ago and say "what about him." Well what about him, are you going to tell me Eusebio was as fast, as strong, as skilled, as endurable as Ronaldo? That would be some claim to make given the limited footage and huge changes in the game.

Why not pick a more contemporary comparison, one we can all have a more informed opinion on. Find me a footballer in the modern era who's 6ft 1, built like a 100m sprinter, almost as fast as one, with his dexterity and relentless endurance.
 
MrMojo said:
It's difficult because you pick a figure like Eusebio from fifty years ago and say "what about him." Well what about him, are you going to tell me Eusebio was as fast, as strong, as skilled, as endurable as Ronaldo? That would be some claim to make given the limited footage and huge changes in the game.

Why not pick a more contemporary comparison, one we can all have a more informed opinion on. Find me a footballer in the modern era who's 6ft 1, built like a 100m sprinter, almost as fast as one, with his dexterity and relentless endurance.
Click to expand...

Falcao/ Hulk are the closest IMO
 
I have a feeling Ronaldo will be impressive well into his 30s, and if he can reinvent himself a bithe might be a very very good player until his late 30s. He's the perfect professional when it comes to his diet and fitness and he's built like a freight train. Also, even if he slows down, he has amazing close control and shooting ability. And it's not like he's a player that relies on his pace - he just has pace plus a bunch of other attributes, like Giggs.

If Giggs and Beckham can play until they're 39, I see no reason why Ronaldo couldn't.

Imagine buying Ronaldo this summer and having him for the next 10 years... I'd pay 60m pounds for that no problem.
 
Brwned said:
Again, did Eusébio not do the same thing? Pelé? Ronaldo's obviously taking things even further thanks to the advancements in sports science and whatnot but to suggest he's a completely new breed of player rather than an improvement on them is just silly.

It's funny, it was around 2006 when people were saying football had become "too physical" citing Drogba as an example, then you had Barca's midgets convincing everyone that small, technical players are ideal, now we're being told Ronaldo is ushering in a new age of physical perfection...hmm.
Click to expand...

Eusebio was more strength than anything else, Pele was a complete player and Ronaldo is a complete player as well.
 
MrMojo said:
It's difficult because you pick a figure like Eusebio from fifty years ago and say "what about him." Well what about him, are you going to tell me Eusebio was as fast, as strong, as skilled, as endurable as Ronaldo? That would be some claim to make given the limited footage and huge changes in the game.

Why not pick a more contemporary comparison, one we can all have a more informed opinion on. Find me a footballer in the modern era who's 6ft 1, built like a 100m sprinter, almost as fast as one, with his dexterity and relentless endurance.
Click to expand...
Thierry Henry... before his body fell apart at an age Ronaldo has yet to reach.

Until all is said and done, we can't really talk about durability for Ronaldo as there may come a point when he goes the way many athletic specimens from the past have and he starts to struggle with minor niggles that become something more serious.
 
MrMojo said:
It's difficult because you pick a figure like Eusebio from fifty years ago and say "what about him." Well what about him, are you going to tell me Eusebio was as fast, as strong, as skilled, as endurable as Ronaldo? That would be some claim to make given the limited footage and huge changes in the game.

Why not pick a more contemporary comparison, one we can all have a more informed opinion on. Find me a footballer in the modern era who's 6ft 1, built like a 100m sprinter, almost as fast as one, with his dexterity and relentless endurance.
Click to expand...

Original Ronaldo for one, before the injuries. To suggest that there's no point of reference for CR is silly.
 
Jaybezia said:
I would agree on this, for all his greatness, Messi will be remembered for breaking records, even Cantona changed football more than CR, and CR is a far superior player
Click to expand...

Messi is going to be remembered for far more than merely breaking records. The quality, and not just quantity, of his goals is simply astonishing -- the kind of play we haven't see since Maradona. And if he can lead the Argies to a WC trophy lift next year then there's really no doubt left that his sole companion among the immortals is Pele.

Did Cantona really "change football"? I don't know about that. He brought a panache to a league which badly needed it, but other than raising United to the next level as perennial champions of England I can't think of what he did to change the game in the way that Messi and his little friends changed the game (although in my opinion not necessarily always for the better).

Ronaldo? Incredible stuff. But for Messi he would have been "the greatest footballer of his generation".
 
Elliott said:
Original Ronaldo for one, before the injuries. To suggest that there's no point of reference for CR is silly.
Click to expand...

Don't think he had relentless endurance, but I agree with your point. C.Ronaldo isn't even the greatest frame of reference for a footballer over the last 20 years as in all areas apart from stamina, leap/heading and endurance, Ronaldo Luiz was a level above him as a physical specimen.
 
There were definitely players in the mould of Ronaldo before, as rare as they might be, but one thing you can say about him is that he has taken the definition of goal-scoring winger to another level.

There's a lot of nostalgia and mysticism involved when people bring up past legends. If Ronaldo were to end his career now, god knows how highly he would be rated in the pantheon of footballing gods.
 
ElliottN said:
Original Ronaldo for one, before the injuries. To suggest that there's no point of reference for CR is silly.
Click to expand...

There isn't anyone to compare to in terms of how he'll do in his thirties. Given that's what we're discussing here your example, original Ronaldo, falls short. Christiano is simply head and shoulders above him as an athlete.

Ronaldo, like Nadal in tennis, has raised the bar in athleticism and as always, others will now follow. Just as Djokovic and Murray did in reaction to Nadal.
 
Why is it that in football there is a reluctance to accept that the game moves on? You don't hear people in Athletics saying Jesse Owens was a better runner than Usain Bolt so why do we find it so hard to accept that Cristiano Ronaldo really is that good?

Modern players, of which Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best, have access to advances in sports science, nutrition, recovery techniques that players of the past simply didn't and that means they are able to reach higher levels of athletic ability. Suggesting that if X would have been born today he would have been better than he was could be true but there is no way to prove it. It would be like saying Seb Coe would have been able to beat David Rudisha at London 2012 if he was born in the 80s. Maybe but how do you prove it?

You can only deal in facts and the basic facts of the case are that Cristiano Ronaldo has become one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of Real Madrid, a club that has had some decent players. He's done even more for Madrid than he did for us and he did pretty good for us. Ronaldo's record speaks for itself. No ifs, no buts, no hypothetical scenarios. Cristiano is one of the best players to ever play the game.
 
#07 said:
Why is it that in football there is a reluctance to accept that the game moves on? You don't hear people in Athletics saying Jesse Owens was a better runner than Usain Bolt so why do we find it so hard to accept that Cristiano Ronaldo really is that good?

Modern players, of which Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best, have access to advances in sports science, nutrition, recovery techniques that players of the past simply didn't and that means they are able to reach higher levels of athletic ability. Suggesting that if X would have been born today he would have been better than he was could be true but there is no way to prove it. It would be like saying Seb Coe would have been able to beat David Rudisha at London 2012 if he was born in the 80s. Maybe but how do you prove it?

You can only deal in facts and the basic facts of the case are that Cristiano Ronaldo has become one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of Real Madrid, a club that has had some decent players. He's done even more for Madrid than he did for us and he did pretty good for us. Ronaldo's record speaks for itself. No ifs, no buts, no hypothetical scenarios. Cristiano is one of the best players to ever play the game.
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
MrMojo said:
It's difficult because you pick a figure like Eusebio from fifty years ago and say "what about him." Well what about him, are you going to tell me Eusebio was as fast, as strong, as skilled, as endurable as Ronaldo? That would be some claim to make given the limited footage and huge changes in the game.

Why not pick a more contemporary comparison, one we can all have a more informed opinion on. Find me a footballer in the modern era who's 6ft 1, built like a 100m sprinter, almost as fast as one, with his dexterity and relentless endurance.
Click to expand...

Macro Van Basten was those things - strong, quick, tall and with a fearsome shot. But for his injury he could have been one of the best ever. I'm not sure Ronaldo is anything more than other players, perhaps simply has the benefit of sports science. Hard to compare players of different eras.

Ronaldo is a great athlete, if you could build a player, he's what you'd come up with. But, for all his talent, Messi has the better record. That's what great about football, you can't account for raw talent - makes for an interesting comparison.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.