Ronaldinho, Okocha, Maradona, Denilson Best and Ronaldo Da Lima are the best I ever saw
Greatest Dribbler of All Time
- Thread starter Moby
- Start date
Of all time: tossup between any of Garrincha, Maradona, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho
Of this generation: Messi (without question)
Other notables: Zidane, Cruyff, Pelé, Best, etc
Of this generation: Messi (without question)
Other notables: Zidane, Cruyff, Pelé, Best, etc
Last edited:
Yes there are plenty of players who do well in one league but struggle in another, but this is Messi we are talking about he is in the top most elite bracket with the likes of Silva, Iniesta, Neymar, Ronaldo etc, these guys don't struggle so why is it a given that Messi will? I'm a huge fan of Messi and I watch Barcelona matches whenever I can and he gets the same physical treatment the likes of Hazard, De Bruyne, Sanchez get in the PL. La Liga is not that soft as the English media would have you believe.
It's not just Messi almost every big player struggles in their national teams, this is what happens when you play with a bunch of players you never play with every week. If an England player led his team to two Euro finals and a World Cup finals he would have been knighted already.
He has been winning it just for that actually, he right now is a glorified goal poacher(still better than the rest mind you) when compared to Messi
Austin Jay Jay okocha was pure joy to watch.
Messi is the best for me.
Also, not mentioned in the thread yet, the best Portuguese dribbler ever:
Also, not mentioned in the thread yet, the best Portuguese dribbler ever:
Stand in line, losers
1. Lionel Messi
2. Diego Maradona
3. Garrincha
4. Pele
5. Ronaldo Nazario
6. Zico
7. Johan Cruyff
8. Ronaldinho
9. George Best
10. Andres Iniesta
2. Diego Maradona
3. Garrincha
4. Pele
5. Ronaldo Nazario
6. Zico
7. Johan Cruyff
8. Ronaldinho
9. George Best
10. Andres Iniesta
Solid list, though i think Pele Zico and Iniesta is top 25 dribblers but not in top 10 but that's only my opinion
Ronaldo. True ronaldo. Il fenomeno.
For me it has to be Ronaldinho. There's no one who can replicate what Ronaldinho did in his prime.
John Barnes has to be up there.
I did, he was the next big thing out of Derry at that time. Got a really bad injury that made him retire but made a comeback and was still brilliant, though less mobile. The Derry letissier. Imho had a real shot at making it but for that injury.
Worked with his wife Paula in the civil service for a short time
Without a doubt Ronaldo 9 is the best I've seen. Unlike Ronaldinho who would use his skills to mostly bamboozle players or Messi who would use his acceleration and close control ball skills, R9 used a perfect blend of both.
Not only could he burst past you with pace and power but he could do it pulling out the tricks at great speed. He's the only player that I remember who would consistently be able to get through more than 2 players marking him at a time. He looked as if everything else was moving at a snails pace to him and defenders would fall over just by being next to him when he feinted.
His dribbling style is the best I've ever seen. He had so many ways of beating you and this was all done on crap pitches and when defenders could bully you.
Not only could he burst past you with pace and power but he could do it pulling out the tricks at great speed. He's the only player that I remember who would consistently be able to get through more than 2 players marking him at a time. He looked as if everything else was moving at a snails pace to him and defenders would fall over just by being next to him when he feinted.
His dribbling style is the best I've ever seen. He had so many ways of beating you and this was all done on crap pitches and when defenders could bully you.
take a look at the Ronaldo Lima's dribble against schalke 04 to witness the dribbling god
by far the best dribbling move i have seen in the top flight of football
by far the best dribbling move i have seen in the top flight of football
Already a thread on this
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/top-three-dribblers-of-all-time.429615/page-4#post-21031247
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/top-three-dribblers-of-all-time.429615/page-4#post-21031247
Garrincha because he used to let the defender get back, and then beat them again 
Jay jay Okocha.
Dragan Stojkovic
Okocha: spectacular player but do you really think he was a great dribbler? 
Messi by a mile really. He raised the bar in terms of consistency with dribbling and during the years he won the Ballon D'or 4 times in a row he reached consistency levels with dribbling along with end product never seen before. Might be 30 years before we see his like again.
Adama Traore. Seriously. He's just so bad at everything else.
Okocha: spectacular player but do you really think he was a great dribbler?
I don't get your point he is a spectacular player partly because he is a great dribbler, of all the players you chose to single out arguably the most skilful of them all.
it's not by a mile though, currently he isn't much of a better dribbler than Hazard statistically.
Ryan Giggs
Messi
R9
Best
Cryuff
Maradona
No order.
Messi
R9
Best
Cryuff
Maradona
No order.
To go away from the usual I'd like to put honorable mentions for the following
Waddle
Kinkladze
Le Tissier
Waddle
Kinkladze
Le Tissier
Waddle. Good shout. Total mastery of one skill but done to perfection you couldn't defend it.
Barnes.
Great dribbler is a relative concept after all.
1. Messi
2. Ronaldo (Brazil)
then a wide chasm and then everyone else
2. Ronaldo (Brazil)
then a wide chasm and then everyone else
This is such a generic question. What kind of dribbling is it because different parts of the pitch require different types of movement.
Also, comparing dribblers from different eras directly is disingenuous. Different rules, different pitches, different ways of defending.
As for the different types of dribbling I narrow it down to 3 types. Obviously players will cross over all 3 but I'm being very general here:
Type 1: Press resistant players that are superb with dribbling when face with back to goal. They usually operate in the midfield and use feints and positioning to escape man marking and are strategic with their dribbling due to operating in a more dangerous area (for their team).
Type 2: players that once they face opposition goal they use their technique and ball control, more so than their athleticism to evade markers and are exceptional in tight spaces.
Type 3: usually explosive players that require the use of mainly their athleticism to evade a marker and usually are more effective with space in front of them
As I said players usually are a mix of all types but I am breaking it down to illustrate the players that use more of the others.
The best I have seen in each category are:
Type 1 Xavi, Modric, Iniesta, Maradona (later career), Gundogan, Osvaldo Ardiles, Johan Cruijff (later career), Didi, Rivelino.
Honorable mentions. Messi (last few seasons), Bergkamp (later career)
Laudrup was weak in this area and Zidane was effective but not as good as the players mentioned. He tried to use his body more than technique and when he couldn't escape he dived or got dispossessed similar to Busquets. Pirlo was good in this area but not excellent which is why he was relatively easy to man mark out of games compared to the top players in this category.
Players today have to be more press resistant than at any point in football history due to the improved vertical and horizontal compactness.
My top 3: Xavi, Modric and Iniesta.
Type 2: These are the types that are seen as classically great dribblers and mostly over represented in discussions.
Messi, Maradona, Johan Cruijff, Zidane, Zico, George Best, Ronaldo (inter), Ronaldinho, Pele, Ribery, Del Piero (pre injury), Bobby Charlton, Figo, Okocha, Dejan Savicevic, Denilson, Romario, Zola, George Weah, Laudrup, Jesper Olsen (Messi before Messi), Hazard, Rui Costa, Bergkamp, Gianni Rivera, Gascoigne, Omar Sivori, Platini, Roberto Baggio.
The mentioned players usually had the acceleration to go past in addition to their excellent ball control. They don't necessarily have the top speed to cover space so might be caught up but they keep the ball superbly when facing the opposition goal. Honorable mention goes to Iniesta and Modric who are more strategic with this but don't have the physical capacity to extend this over distances. van Basten was not on the level of the mentioned but he had excellent technique before his ankle injury when he played for us.
Top 3: Maradona, Sivori and Messi
TYPE 3 Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Preben Elkjaer, Gaarincha, Gento, Kubala, Pele (earlier career), Johan Cruijff ( earlier career), Ronaldo (PSV & Barcelona), Piet Keizer, Kaka, Michael Owen, Ryan Giggs,
Top 3: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gaarincha, Ronaldo de Lima.
Also when comparing players, most change their style of dribbling as they get older. The players that are slow are usually type 2 from the start throughout and then you have players that are type 1 mostly thay start to be type 2 as their physical faculties decline. For example, Johan Cruijff started out as mostly type 3 because he was one of the fastest forwards of his era but as got injured he became a type 2 and 3 because he dropped deeper and could no longer just rely on his speed. The transition requires the player to already have exceptional technical ability so dropping deeper means your technique and ball control have to be excellent.
These different types of dribbling are effective in different areas but if I was to pick an overall player that is complete in all 3 at any point in their career it would have to be Diego Armando Maradona
Also, comparing dribblers from different eras directly is disingenuous. Different rules, different pitches, different ways of defending.
As for the different types of dribbling I narrow it down to 3 types. Obviously players will cross over all 3 but I'm being very general here:
Type 1: Press resistant players that are superb with dribbling when face with back to goal. They usually operate in the midfield and use feints and positioning to escape man marking and are strategic with their dribbling due to operating in a more dangerous area (for their team).
Type 2: players that once they face opposition goal they use their technique and ball control, more so than their athleticism to evade markers and are exceptional in tight spaces.
Type 3: usually explosive players that require the use of mainly their athleticism to evade a marker and usually are more effective with space in front of them
As I said players usually are a mix of all types but I am breaking it down to illustrate the players that use more of the others.
The best I have seen in each category are:
Type 1 Xavi, Modric, Iniesta, Maradona (later career), Gundogan, Osvaldo Ardiles, Johan Cruijff (later career), Didi, Rivelino.
Honorable mentions. Messi (last few seasons), Bergkamp (later career)
Laudrup was weak in this area and Zidane was effective but not as good as the players mentioned. He tried to use his body more than technique and when he couldn't escape he dived or got dispossessed similar to Busquets. Pirlo was good in this area but not excellent which is why he was relatively easy to man mark out of games compared to the top players in this category.
Players today have to be more press resistant than at any point in football history due to the improved vertical and horizontal compactness.
My top 3: Xavi, Modric and Iniesta.
Type 2: These are the types that are seen as classically great dribblers and mostly over represented in discussions.
Messi, Maradona, Johan Cruijff, Zidane, Zico, George Best, Ronaldo (inter), Ronaldinho, Pele, Ribery, Del Piero (pre injury), Bobby Charlton, Figo, Okocha, Dejan Savicevic, Denilson, Romario, Zola, George Weah, Laudrup, Jesper Olsen (Messi before Messi), Hazard, Rui Costa, Bergkamp, Gianni Rivera, Gascoigne, Omar Sivori, Platini, Roberto Baggio.
The mentioned players usually had the acceleration to go past in addition to their excellent ball control. They don't necessarily have the top speed to cover space so might be caught up but they keep the ball superbly when facing the opposition goal. Honorable mention goes to Iniesta and Modric who are more strategic with this but don't have the physical capacity to extend this over distances. van Basten was not on the level of the mentioned but he had excellent technique before his ankle injury when he played for us.
Top 3: Maradona, Sivori and Messi
TYPE 3 Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Preben Elkjaer, Gaarincha, Gento, Kubala, Pele (earlier career), Johan Cruijff ( earlier career), Ronaldo (PSV & Barcelona), Piet Keizer, Kaka, Michael Owen, Ryan Giggs,
Top 3: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gaarincha, Ronaldo de Lima.
Also when comparing players, most change their style of dribbling as they get older. The players that are slow are usually type 2 from the start throughout and then you have players that are type 1 mostly thay start to be type 2 as their physical faculties decline. For example, Johan Cruijff started out as mostly type 3 because he was one of the fastest forwards of his era but as got injured he became a type 2 and 3 because he dropped deeper and could no longer just rely on his speed. The transition requires the player to already have exceptional technical ability so dropping deeper means your technique and ball control have to be excellent.
These different types of dribbling are effective in different areas but if I was to pick an overall player that is complete in all 3 at any point in their career it would have to be Diego Armando Maradona
I have seen Maradona, Messi, and other top dribblers with the ball, but Best was the greatest.
Messi is the best I've ever seen
Nice to read your thoughts, however wrong some might be.
You forgot Robben, Bad Dutch person!
Ross Noble.
Not the greatest but the guy wasn't that bad...
Only showing things from Sporting to remember some he didn't learn to play like that only at Barcelona or Madrid...
But like someone mentioned before the best from Portugal on that matter was between Futre and Chalana.
Only showing things from Sporting to remember some he didn't learn to play like that only at Barcelona or Madrid...
But like someone mentioned before the best from Portugal on that matter was between Futre and Chalana.
Mostovoi wasn't a bad dribbler. Not the greatest by any means but pretty good nonetheless. Alexander Hleb was good too. Andrey Arshavin was very good as well, when he could be bothered.
Some eastern European names there.
Some eastern European names there.