How good was Zé Roberto ?

Luke1995

Full Member
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Jan 4, 2016
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People are, rightfully, in awe of players like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaká, Rivaldo and you could name a few others from that golden brazilian generation from the 90's and 2000's

But, Zé Roberto won two Confederations Cups and two Copa Americas in the middle of that, while being arguably Brazil's best player in the 2006 World Cup

Also, he played well for Bayer Leverkusen and played very well for Bayern Munich, which is generally considered the peak of his club career

I don't know if there are a few brazilians or south americans in the cafe, but regardless of your nationality, if you know anything about the brazilian league, what he did there as a youngster and later on at advanced ages with big clubs like Santos, Gremio and Palmeiras, was highly impressive. So, what are your thoughts on this guy's career and ability ? Could he have done more at Real Madrid ?
 
His footballing was great - but he took care of all the Brazilians and South-Americans at his clubs, too. A personnel side that is seldom mentioned with players but very important!
 
I remember him being a greatly versatile player when he was in Europe.
I saw him appear at left back,wingback,left wing,Central midfield and I vaguely recall him playing off the forwards one time at Leverkusen.
 
FrankDrebin said:
I remember him being a greatly versatile player when he was in Europe.
I saw him appear at left back,wingback,left wing,Central midfield and I vaguely recall him playing off the forwards one time at Leverkusen.
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Absolutely! He was champion of brazilian league in 2016 playing at left back aswell! At 42!
 
He was a great player. Always very reliable. Shame he had Denilson as his competition for the national team.
 
He was phenomenal player.

Look at his physique at 45

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Opta let people vote on the Bundesliga 11 of retired players this week:

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Loved him at Bayern, technically more gifted than your usual world class winger as he moved seamlessly into CM for Bayern and then later Hamburg. He has good passing ability and close control in tight spaces. Definitely underrated when people speak about the other great Brazilian players during that time, he wasn't the flashiest of them but was still consistent.
 
izec said:
Recency bias. Schweinsteiger has also god status from the WC 2014
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My thoughts exactly. It looks like recency bias plus remembering the historic iconic names. Proven by Lucio, Schweinsteiger, Ze Roberto, Robben all being in there. However, I wouldn’t really argue with Robben being in the 11 tbf.
 
He was shifted into the middle too late. I think he could have had an even better career if he was born a bit later. A central midfield position of a guardiola side would have suited him perfectly.
 
The holy trinity 68 said:
Not to take anything away from how good they were but imagine voting for Ze Roberto and Schweinsteiger ahead of Matthäus :wenger:
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I think his absolute peak came when he had played in Serie A, but "even" his Bundesliga peak of mid-to-late 80's should be enough to be picked ahead of those two. I'd also pick Breitner ahead of both, but overall it's quite a decent team to be fair.
 
Great in the Bundesliga. Was more of a squad player for Brazil.

How was his Real Madrid spell viewed?
 
FootballHQ said:
Great in the Bundesliga. Was more of a squad player for Brazil.

How was his Real Madrid spell viewed?
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With 86 caps certainly not a squad player for Brazil. Also their MVP at the 2006 world cup. I'd say he's become quite underrated. Was a truly great player. I remember watching him dominating in an Uefa cup match even at age 37 or 38.
 
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