with Var lots os WCs would’ve had other champion, 66, maybe 86, 2014 for sure remember the Neuer penalty against Higuain.
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- Thread starter Samid
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Why would 66 have been any different?
He would see a red card for using his hand, wouldn't he?
Was he on a yellow already? If so, fair enough. If not, would be a yellow would it not?
Intentionally scoring with your hand is (or at least used to be) a red card offence
It's only listed as a yellow in the IFAB current rules
That's why I don't get why people call him finished. Sure, he lost a bit of explosiveness but he's still fully capable to go on a run beating half the opponent team like few others in history could.
Hope he decided against the MLS for now. Would be sad to see him leave European football already. Better rejoin Barca
Hope he decided against the MLS for now. Would be sad to see him leave European football already. Better rejoin Barca
The third England goal in the final that would have been disallowed, presumably.
Though it was 2-2 before that goal, so it wouldn't necessarily have meant a different champion without it unless there were other incidents I don't know about.
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And with Var Maradona wouldn’t had used his hand, he wasn’t that stupid, so no red card for him
Most of them were in semi-retirement by the time they turned 30. Pele’s last big moment was the ‘70 WC at 30. Maradona had the ‘90 WC at 30 and then mostly took a step back after the cocaine ban, with a bit of flourish in ‘94. Pele and Maradona were essentially kicked out of the game, they played through the pain but by 30 they were seriously impaired in a way most modern players aren’t. Cruyff retired at 31 and then played around in the US for a bit, with a swan song season at 37 where he was named Dutch player of the year for Ajax’s rivals Feyenoord.
Di Stefano’s the one outlier there; he arrived at Madrid when he was 27, spent 11 seasons there, and won 5 his 5th European Cup in a row at 34 with a hat-trick in the final (after scoring in the 4 previous finals).
It’s definitely something that is easier to do now physically, with the kind of protection they get and the sports science to prop them up. But it’s incredible to still have the kind of desire and inspiration to keep rolling back the years! For me it’s one of the best sporting experiences to watch. Giggs at nearly 40 slaloming through players half his age, Federer in his late 30s pulling off shots no-one else can see; the effortlessness of the skill and pure joy from doing what comes naturally, while still having the determination to go back into training every day when you’ve already achieved more than you can dream of.
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That move seems instinctive, momentary lapses happen all the time in sports even for the best..
That was Higuain. Poor Messi has had to carry the can for his inferior teammates ballsing up opportunities he created for them far too often!
Yeah, I figured that but its never been proved conclusively either way and England were looking the better side at that stage so no reason to think it would have ended with a new champion tbh.
(Sorry, yes, I know I'm defensive but can we please be allowed our one international footballing success?!)
He was stupid enough to commit a blatant handball in the first place. You're not going to tell me that the risk/reward, if calculated sensibly, made that worthwhile even without VAR are you? It was a combo of instinct, blind luck and poor officiating that meant he got away with it, not some genius calculation on his part.
England win 2010 after Lampard's goal ignites England and they, against all odds, win it all.
England would have maybe got past Argentina, but would have got schooled against Spain.
Why do Ronaldo fans seems to only see football in goals or numbers? Messi’s performance yesterday was phenomenal, goal or no goal.
its teletext football, don't need to watch games just tell us the G/A
Because it is the only way that they can be compared and Ronaldo has a chance. Watching them it should be crushingly obvious who is the more complete footballer.
Simple truth is that Messi could have scored half the goals he has in his career and still be the better player.
You joke but as we get further in time from Messi and Ronaldo's peak more and more will the discussion be centered around stats.
For me it will always be Messi. He is just a joy to watch, it makes me feel something in my soul that Cristiano doesn't, and Cristiano was a machine.
Has there ever been another player with as many goals where they just pass it into the corner? It’s so simple, but as far as I know he’s the only one that’s ever done it consistently.
Michael Carrick
Wasn't Henry also pretty good at those low finishes into the corner?
Aguero was great at it.
To me the difference is that you watch Cristiano at his peak and you can understand why he does things the way he does. You get why he scores all these goals, why he has that power.
With Messi many times you just wonder how he does the thing he does. He doesn’t have a especial type of body. It’s his control, his decision making, his precision, his awareness. You can tell he has a superior IQ for this sport.
Josef Bican scored 805 goals in 530 games in the 50s. How many people have heard of him? I'm guessing in 70 years time Ronaldo will be just a footnote in football history whereas players like Messi, Maradona and Pele will still be talked about as GOATS.
I can’t see this being true. This talk is only becoming more and more based on reputation.
In 70 years the great players of today will be discussed based on reputation as well while we will have 6/7 new Messi and Ronaldos to add into the mix as well.
I also think a what? 5x CL winner and countless Balon Dor winner will be remembered in 7 decades
I don't know why. Messi is above on every single metric bar heading in terms of per minute or per game. Hell, even in goalscoring Messi has a better goals per minute ratio throughout his career. It's time to shut up the stat shop, for real.
This man really should have done the interview with Messi. At least it would have been easier for him to support…
I think a lot of people are getting turned off Ronaldo because of people like Morgan. I mean he seems to have gone completely bonkers. I was hoping that Portugal wins because two of our players are playing but now I am hoping they don't win or even get to the final. Messi is the best player in the Argentina side. Ronaldo is not the best player in the Portuguese side but probably the worst now.
The Australia players went to the Argie dressing room post match to get selfies taken with Messi. 
I don't think the discussion will be centered around stats. It was always an artificial discussion driven by the media who wanted a narrative to tell. But no past greats were measured in goals. If they were, Maradona wouldn't even be in the conversation. What will be remembered are their trademark moves, their iconic performances, highlights, etc. and Messi just blows Ronaldo out of the water in that regard. I think if Ronaldo skipped the period where he played like a young god, dribbling, incredbible long shots, etc. and just became a poacher right from the start, there would never have been such a discussion. His late United years were the door opener to get into the conversation and once he achieved that, people overlooked that he doesn't play like this anymore.
We're already beginning to see this goal obsession diminishing a bit I think. Haaland is easily the best goal scorer around these days yet people realize it feels wrong to call him the best footballer on the planet.
Wonder why they all sound the same. The guy could legitly be Cal? or Sporting with his demeanor.
We know where your bias lies, when you support Real Madrid.
Gento has 6, how many people today really know of him without looking it up?
How much footage have you seen of him?
Not much but that is the point. Mentioning CL titles and thinking everyone will talk about the player in 50 years is futile. Look at all the RM players that have 4 or 5 CL titles.
It is the goal record and Ballon D'or wins that will be discussed mainly, when looking back at Ronaldo as one of the greats. He is easily in the top 10 of all time and should be seen as a top 5 of all time, regardless of not being on the same level talent and technique wise as the other 4 in the top 5.
Maradona played with good teammates. Enough of that myth. At least in NT.
No, that’s my point. People don’t talk about him because you can’t, there’s nothing to analyse.
What do you expect people to say about him?
Ronaldo has best of both worlds. You aren’t forgetting about the most famous athlete on earth who has performed how he has and won what he has. It’s just absurd. Ronaldo accolades weren’t given to him, he earned them by being the difference in the biggest games in the world. That’s what will be looked backed on and, imo, history will look back in those games even kindlier than today due to the rising importance of CL in club football.
Let’s not pretend records suddenly aren’t important anymore when it doesn’t go in favour of somebodies favourite player. When the great players of tomorrow are chasing success it’ll be player x record who they are chasing. It’ll be he who they’re compared against. That’s how players of today will be remembered
Both players careers will be boiled down to statistics the longer we get away from their era. Let me ask you, what’s your list of Maradonnas greatest games, goals assists etc throughout his career that isn’t a game v England nor a meme warm up routine? Yet people who haven’t seen him play a full 90 minutes will rabbit on about his game. That automatic reverence will disappear the more top players come along and they will come along more frequently than before. It’s the same with Messi. Maradonna was once the greatest of all time, nobody would ever touch him yet there’s a video of he and Messi playing in the same team. Ronaldo made his debut 5 years after Maradonna retired. Same with Pele, he was the best there ever would be then Maradonna made his debut before Pele even retired.
Football continues on. Trying to made definitive statements on how players will be remembered is absurd. Records are forever