Bestie had a good 6 or 7 at worst. 5 years out of 6 where he was Utds top goal scorer despite playing in wider roles most of the time.
How good was Ronaldo #9?
- Thread starter VorZakone
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What set him apart from all the aforementioned strikers was his 1 on 1 ability. To sum it up:
In simpler terms: Think of a Messi with more pace (pre injury) but without the passing and playmaking ability and you've got Ronaldo in his prime.
If you take into account his poor heading ability and jump height... Would he still displace any starting striker today from any side?
It's when people say comments like he was Messi with more pace or Messi but better and I just how. I don't believe it for 1 second.
Fair enough, but still a relatively short time to spend at the top.
Well, he was faster than Messi. Better? Impossible to say. I'd give the edge to Messi just because of his consistency, but Ronaldo was just as good 1v1, could score all type of goals. Messi wins on passing range, which is phenomenal. So, yeah, I'd give the edge to Messi. But Messi never had to play against the physicality Ronaldo faced in his early career. So it's actually impossible to judge. You can only really compare players playing in the same era, and even then it's usually flawed.
The question was a little tongue in cheek because Ronaldo's strengths shit all over his weaknesses. To answer my own question, Ronaldo would walk Into any club or national side playing today.
Nor did Ronaldo partake in HGH (not that I'm implying that Mess did).
The hyperbole used when comparing players doesn't help matters also. Phrases like "miles ahead" for example.
He was faster than Messi but not "Messi with more pace". I hope what I wrote didn't actually come across like that. Messi is a better player and by a distance IMO.
I think the fact that Ronaldo has won wotld playr of the year three times proves his genius wasnt sporadic. And he was pretty amazing over a decade from 95 - 05. he recieved his standing ovation at old trafford in 2003 when most considered him well past his best, and was the outstanding in 98 and 02 world cups.
To answer the op. fecking amazing player. his best days were when he was at inter though. that was around the time we all used to tune into football italia on channel 4 on a sunday morning to watch the best players in the world. when italian teams were top in europe, seems like a long time ago now
Agreed.
That applause he got at OT though -- only thing comparable is the applause Ronaldinho got at the Bernabeu.
Don't destroy my impression of him
He had two very distinct periods where he was exceptional for 3 years at a time before his body gave out, and even shorter times in those periods when he was truly great. He never achieved the peaks he did in 95 again in his career for instance although he got close on a number of occasions. He wasn't amazing for most of his time at Inter other than that first season, to imply he was amazing for a decade is slightly disingenuous given one of those seasons he didn't kick a football and spent a year either side of that struggling with fitness and any sort of form.
Thats debatable, 6-7 years as Utds best player, how many other players can we name as being our best player for that length of time. What is true is that he should have been at the top for far longer but because he started so young his run at the top was of a decent length compared to many others. The fact he finished too early can distort peoples perspective of how long he was at the top.
So good that kids wanted to be
Which guy this big and strong could pull off these moves?
Definitely the best of his generation but also a bit overrated by some because they only remember his highlights.
None of those players are even fit to lace his boots mate. He was destined to go down as the greatest player ever (IMO) and then injuries destroyed him. One of a kind.
Great but 09/10 was just one season. He's been R#7 the rest of the time.
Think Martial..
The overrating is part the course though, you always remember the good times. When I think back to Duncan Ferguson I remember the powerhouse forward, I rarely remember the antagonising thug.
At the top of the tier under Messi and Cristiano in my opinion. Had he maintained a consistent run without injuries would be there with them.
Pre-injury he was phenomenal and right up there with the best there has ever been.
I think realistically even the most avid of fans would have to admit that Messi has the edge over Ronaldo ability wise - there wasn't really anything Ronaldo did better bar being significantly more physical.
He was more talented than Cristiano though and IMO the better player.
I think realistically even the most avid of fans would have to admit that Messi has the edge over Ronaldo ability wise - there wasn't really anything Ronaldo did better bar being significantly more physical.
He was more talented than Cristiano though and IMO the better player.
For me, the best 9 ever. Magic!
He used both legs and went two directions
At his peak - I feel he was the best ever. His speed, combined with his technical ability was unrivaled.
Such a shame that injuries got him. I personally believe that he would be in a class all on his own without them.
Such a shame that injuries got him. I personally believe that he would be in a class all on his own without them.
Judging by a recently closed thread, he wasn't rated as highly as Chadwick.
Some people would put him above Cristiano. An opinion I disagree with but can respect.
C.Ronaldo has nothing on the original Ronaldo.
Ronaldo was in a different league compared to C.Ronaldo
I don't doubt that for a second but I do think he's overrated by some since he in a sense died young and everyone thinks what could he have been and so gloss over his limitations despite them being few of them- he also wasn't a great volleyier either.
He was the complete forward IMO. He combined everything you want in a forward, speed, dribble, accuracy, he was very dangerous. The players you listed are not in his level at all. People will say injuries wrecked him, but i think he was fantastic despite his injuries. If he's playing now, he will be scoring as much as Messi and Cr7. He's a player a manager can bet their career on.
He won 3 FIFA WPOTY despite these injuries FFS. The only stain in his career was champions league. He never won that trophy which i think it's criminal.
Ronaldo destroy teams on the national level same way he does the club level. You should understand where that phrase is coming from.
A legend of the game, the best 9 for me ever, a perfect mixture of pace/strength/technique/finishing/technique. Before his injuries, he was like a PES or FIFA player with the stats boosted to the max.
The first about 4 years from his career in Europe before his serious injury, starting at 17 at PSV, he was absolutely sensational. He started brilliant, and got better and better and better. It was just impossible to stop him. At a certain point he was so strong and effective one started to wonder wether is was possible at all for a team without Ronaldo to beat a team with Ronaldo.
The strange thing was, he wasn't a wizard at all, nothing like Ronaldinho who could do anything with the ball, on technique he wasn't even close to players like Bergkamp or Messi. His first touch was reliable but not precise, but when the ball went off his foot half a yard too far, he just powered to it before a defender could. It was his combination of quick feet, long legs and strenght and speed that couldn't be defended. And a great finisher. Not a genius, not a magician, not an artist, not a technician, not a ballet danser, not highly intelligent, just unstoppable.
The strange thing was, he wasn't a wizard at all, nothing like Ronaldinho who could do anything with the ball, on technique he wasn't even close to players like Bergkamp or Messi. His first touch was reliable but not precise, but when the ball went off his foot half a yard too far, he just powered to it before a defender could. It was his combination of quick feet, long legs and strenght and speed that couldn't be defended. And a great finisher. Not a genius, not a magician, not an artist, not a technician, not a ballet danser, not highly intelligent, just unstoppable.
I'd argue the bigger stain is the lack of league titles. He won only one league title in 15 years in Europe, always playing for big clubs in the country. Two if you count the 06/07 season when he left Real in January without playing much, but you can't give him any credit for that one, that would be silly.
I loved Ronaldo and his form at Barca and his first season at Inter is only rivaled by Messi's best seasons in the last 25 years. Everything past his heavy injuries at Inter is quality, but not all time great standard, and that includes the WC win in 2002 when Rivaldo had in my opinion the better tournament.
If you look at his body of work, it's difficult to put him up with the greatest of all time. He's nowhere near that, lacks the trophies at club level and hasn't had a longlasting influence at any club the way all the other greats had. The performances that warrant that claim are really a bit limited. 'What could have been without his injuries' plays in my opinion a massive role in how highly rated he is today and how highly I rate him, there's no way around that.
Messi is different class, Ronaldo only had about 4 years at the peak of his career and his peak wasn't Messi at his best. But he was an unbelievable talent for that time. My opinion