Ronaldo at United in fairness, before it all went all athletic.
Neymar vs Ronaldinho: Who was the better player?
- Thread starter Fortitude
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Ronaldo at United in fairness, before it all went all athletic.
Fair suggestion, loved watching him
Also fair point
I like Ronaldinho more but it isn't that big of a gap between them like people make it out to be here. Comments like "Not even a contest" and "It is like comparing Messi and Ortega" like.. wtf 
Neymar's numbers are better for both PSG and Barcelona, but Ronaldinho had better skills, more enjoyable to watch and a better technician. Impossible not to love him, while Neymar is extremely easy to dislike, so obviously this thread is only going one way.
Neymar's numbers are better for both PSG and Barcelona, but Ronaldinho had better skills, more enjoyable to watch and a better technician. Impossible not to love him, while Neymar is extremely easy to dislike, so obviously this thread is only going one way.
I mean if you're talking about tricks and dribbling then Neymar is, completely stands out in this era if fit. If diving and petulance ruins the entertainment for you then fair enough but in terms of entertainment on the ball, he's Ronaldinho's successor.
We can’t pretend they joined similar clubs though can we? Ronaldinho joined a side who had just finished 6th, and were in turmoil, had just gone 6 years without a title.
Neymar joined the best side in Spain who had just won a title, a side that won the CL two seasons prior, and they had the best player in the World, the best DM on the planet and Iniesta, to name but a few.
As I posted on this previous page, despite this:
If we take Ronaldinho’s 03/04, 04/05, 05/06, 06/07 Barca period as his peak:
• 62 goals, 48 assists in around 11,000 La Liga minutes.
whereas Neymar….
• 68 goals, 49 assists in around 10,000 La Liga minutes.
As I mentioned in another thread, Ronaldinho was playing in a Barca side that had the following GD in those 4 peak seasons:
+24, +44, +45, +45
Compared to Neymar’s Barça: +67, +89, +83, +79
If we’re saying that Neymar compares to Ronaldinho in some way, then are you saying the same for Suarez? A player who did more at Barca, and impressed more outside of Barca also?
Not at all for me for what it’s worth.
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That was pretty nice. I guess maybe I don’t watch him enough, I always found him underwhelming and yeah the diving and rolling around i hated
Now do the goals without penalties
I don't disagree with you. Ronaldinho, for me, is the better player but people here are acting as if it's a big gap between them, and it really isn't.
I don't think the part about goal difference supports what you're trying to say. Ronaldinho was part of a Barcelona team that scored fewer goals, while Neymar was part of (one of) the best attacking trio in history, which gives us an idea that the difference betweem them isn't as staggering as some think.
I feel we got to see Ronaldinho at his very best but not neymar.
I consider the latter more talented and he had better longevity as well ( by the standards of Brazilians at least) and while both faced disappointment nationally Newmarket usually turned up for them unlike Ronaldinho.
I consider the latter more talented and he had better longevity as well ( by the standards of Brazilians at least) and while both faced disappointment nationally Newmarket usually turned up for them unlike Ronaldinho.
Ok, the GD the season before Neymar….
Scored 115, GD 75.
The season before Ronaldinho:
Scored 64, GD 16.
Neymar joined a free scoring team, they were dominant and free scoring without him, so I can’t even imagine the numbers prime Ronaldinho would’ve put up in that team. Are you serious pretending it’s not much easier to put up amazing numbers in a massively dominant side?
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Ronaldinho.
Blasphemy
The correct answer, but whoever disagrees with me is not ready for this conversation.
Love Ronaldinho was a huge part of my childhood but firm in my believe Neymar was a better player.
Some things that should be made clear about Neymar (and I did this before in his own thread):
- People hate him, so when he was doing really creative flamboyant things, he wasn’t being celebrated for them.
- By contrast, Ronaldinho could do the exact same things and everybody would love him for it. I’ve never seen a more hated elite talent than Neymar.
- In keeping with the above, Neymar spent a lot of time injured because of his skills. Outwitting and outplaying opponents often saw him injured, the worst of which was the back break in 2014 World Cup.
- As above, Neymar had good reason to dive. An inordinate amount of fouls were made against him and many times caused him to miss significant periods at crucial times in seasons.
- Once again, Neymar is one of the players in what can be called the greatest attacking trio the game has seen.
I would vote Ronaldinho, but Neymar is really getting as unfair deal as expected.
- People hate him, so when he was doing really creative flamboyant things, he wasn’t being celebrated for them.
- By contrast, Ronaldinho could do the exact same things and everybody would love him for it. I’ve never seen a more hated elite talent than Neymar.
- In keeping with the above, Neymar spent a lot of time injured because of his skills. Outwitting and outplaying opponents often saw him injured, the worst of which was the back break in 2014 World Cup.
- As above, Neymar had good reason to dive. An inordinate amount of fouls were made against him and many times caused him to miss significant periods at crucial times in seasons.
- Once again, Neymar is one of the players in what can be called the greatest attacking trio the game has seen.
I would vote Ronaldinho, but Neymar is really getting as unfair deal as expected.
Probably Ronaldinho but Neymar is one of the few players who can be compared to Ronaldinho.
Neymar is rated a lot lower than he should be based on ability and performances. People hate him because he left Barcelona, he dives and is flamboyant outside of football. Its a shame because Neymar was a great player.
Seems like Vinicius Junior is following in Neymar his footsteps as an amazing player who is rated lower because people hate the way he acts on the pitch.
Neymar is rated a lot lower than he should be based on ability and performances. People hate him because he left Barcelona, he dives and is flamboyant outside of football. Its a shame because Neymar was a great player.
Seems like Vinicius Junior is following in Neymar his footsteps as an amazing player who is rated lower because people hate the way he acts on the pitch.
Sorry, that's not how football works. That's like saying Cole Palmer would be scoring twice as many goals and many more assists for that Barcelona team because he scored 22 league goals and 11 assists for a poor Chelsea team.
I'm not pretending anything. It is quite obvious that joining a coherent team with clear attacking patterns will make it much easier for an attacker, but that player also has to be part of that. It is impossible to debate whether Ronaldinho would function equally as good with Suarez and Messi as Neymar did, and whether he would score or assist as many goals. Sometimes, it is really just about chemistry like how Mane, Firmino and Salah clicked. Take Mane out with Hazard, and they probably wouldn't be the same team even if Hazard is better than Mane individually.
Anyway, all I said was that Neymar's numbers were better than Ronaldinho's, and they are. I didn't say he was a better player.
I really wish Neymar stayed at Barcelona. I feel we all missed out on something extraordinary if he did.
It's hard to compare them as they're not quite the same type of player although they have in common many believe they could achieved much more if they had the drive and professionalism of someone like Cristiano Ronaldo (or at least a fraction of it). Anyway I would vote for Ronaldinho as for talent alone and aplication he did better than Neymar.
Neymars work rate off the ball was always super underrated, never found him to be a shirker by modern standards at all
Well it’s not is it? Because Cole Palmer has had one good season to date, we have no idea if it was just one of those years or not. We’ll judge in 2-3 years though.
The poll simply suggests who people believe was better, and reflects even your opinion.
The poll doesn’t suggest how much better Ronaldinho was.
The poll is as expected, most people will rate Ronaldinho higher because his peak was better and had greater impact.
Gets glossed over that he was the only one that ever bothered running in those Messi/PSG teams. The other two walked the entire time.
What’s funny is Vini might end up having a greater legacy and being more popular in Europe yet I think he’s clearly not as good as Neymar as a player. Brilliant athlete and a bit more explosive in that sense but Neymar is far superior with the ball at his feet and what he can do with it.
Ronaldinho was more liked (Neymar is basically hated by a lot of people) so that consciously or unconsciously that plays into people's judgement.
There's a case for preferring one over the other or saying that one is better than the other, but anyone suggesting that the difference between the both of them was huge is simply delusional.
Someone here even went as far as saying that Kaka was better than Neymar, Rubbish IMO.
There's a case for preferring one over the other or saying that one is better than the other, but anyone suggesting that the difference between the both of them was huge is simply delusional.
Someone here even went as far as saying that Kaka was better than Neymar, Rubbish IMO.
Comparing Neymar to Ronaldinho is blasphemy. I can't believe your mind dare even conjure such comparison. Ronaldinho is art that has been scribbled by creative souls
Higher potential.. based on what? Ronaldinho is better than him in all facets. Better dribbler, more technical, better passer, more strength, made a bigger impact at international level. Ronaldinho is up there with the very best, it was evident from his time at Gremio.
No slag on Neymar, but Ronaldinho was without any real doubt the better of the two.
This is almost the most lopsided ‘who’s better’ question as it isn’t even close, Neymar is one of the most overrated player I’ve ever known and Ronaldinho between 2003 and 2006 is a top 10 of all time player, at his absolute peak Ronaldinho was simply unplayable.
I was lucky enough to watch Ronaldinho’s entire stint at Barca and at his first three years at Barca was the closest I’d ever seen of anyone to Maradona until Messi came along, Neymar was a good player and in that bracket of players below Messi and Ronaldo but was a luxury player like Pogba whereas Ronaldinho was THE player.
I was lucky enough to watch Ronaldinho’s entire stint at Barca and at his first three years at Barca was the closest I’d ever seen of anyone to Maradona until Messi came along, Neymar was a good player and in that bracket of players below Messi and Ronaldo but was a luxury player like Pogba whereas Ronaldinho was THE player.
Neymar hasn't had a healthy season in like 8 years. Whatever your feelings about the PSG stint as far as Neymar's legacy goes, the fact that he couldn't stay on the pitch counts against him.
One of the greatest of all time vs a player who probably isn't in the top 100. Weird comparison.
Bigger impact at the international level
I can’t think of many individual footballers who could even imagine doing the things peak Ronaldinho could do. Granted his best years came and went pretty fast, but my god were they some of the best years in football.
The game lacks that type of charisma on the pitch now. I went from being a pretty heartbroken 12 year old when he didn’t sign for us to a Revisita de La Liga repeat viewer just to watch him.
The game lacks that type of charisma on the pitch now. I went from being a pretty heartbroken 12 year old when he didn’t sign for us to a Revisita de La Liga repeat viewer just to watch him.
Ronaldinho won the World Cup and copa America and played huge roles in winning them. Neymar has won an Olympic gold. Not sure what you are cackling at?Bigger impact at the international level
Ronaldinho
Now imagine, if he didn't party until 4am and played the next morning..
The things he could do with the ball..Naymar couldn't..
Now imagine, if he didn't party until 4am and played the next morning..
The things he could do with the ball..Naymar couldn't..
Neymar the better player. Never made it count the way Ronaldinho did, for various reasons.
I don’t think there’s a piece of skill that Ronaldinho could do that Neymar couldn’t. Neymar has pulled off pretty much every skill you can think of in match at some point in his career. Also partied quite a bit himself. Can argue Ronaldinho had a better career and better moments but if it’s a one-off skillathon or judges artistic quality then Neymar is more than his match.Ronaldinho
Now imagine, if he didn't party until 4am and played the next morning..
The things he could do with the ball..Naymar couldn't..
If anything a more valid criticism of Neymar would be over exuberance rather than anything to do with technique. And mentality too, Ronaldinho more decisive in big moments overall.
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And Ronaldinho wasn't the best player in that Brazilian team.
Ronaldinho wouldn't have won anything either with the team Neymar had.
Like what?Ronaldinho
Now imagine, if he didn't party until 4am and played the next morning..
The things he could do with the ball..Naymar couldn't..
On stats it’s a close call and hard to split them.
If the question was “ who would you rather watch?”
My answer would be a resounding Ronaldinho
If the question was “ who would you rather watch?”
My answer would be a resounding Ronaldinho
Irrelevant. If I was a horse, I am sure I would gallop. He was one of the best players in a team littered with world class players. Neymar had his chance with brazil and was a part of a team that fumbled a final.