Bale. Ridiculous player at his peak.
Prime Bale or Prime Salah?
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Bale. But only just. His Wales heroics tip it for me.
Not as cut and dry as that really, Egypt played some of the most dour football imaginable under some of their managers, very little service. Despite it being Wales, Aaron Ramsey was a quality midfielder and actually Joe Allen punched above his weight, it was a good midfield. Bale was the star and deserves praise, but they tried to play a bit did Wales.
I still think though over the course of 90 minutes (no matter what dross the manager is serving up) you should be able to see with each touch, movement, intelligent interplay with teammates, whatever it may be. There should be something to indicate that this is a world class player, not just through scoring goals. A world class player should be able to elevate poorer teammates, not the other way around where he drops to their level.
Even for Liverpool, its very common for him to have matches where he is having a stinker for 80 minutes but then scores or creates a goal, then everyone is comparing his stats to the likes of Henry for the next week. Don't get me wrong, its a great skill in itself to inevitably produce goal moments out of nowhere when not having the best game. But when comparing to players who get the goals (maybe not at the same rate) and also have heavy influence over the 90 minutes? It will always be the latter for me unless their goal contributions are completely undeniable and ridiculous like a CR7.
I mean, Bale was the one who was supposed to blossom and become a great goalscorer...he just failed at it
Tbf Salah has been the main goal scorer for his team for those years, Bale was playing alongside Ronaldo. Agree he’s better at getting into more goal scoring positions and a better overall goal scorer because of that, which I mentioned in my original post.
Yeah but Bale was kind of a different player by the time Ronaldo left. I'm thinking @GlasgowCeltic meant Bale in his prime in Madrid without Ronaldo, would he have become the goal machine Salah became at Liverpool. He scored 26 goals in his final year at Spurs, and 22 goals in his first year in Madrid. Would it be fair to say he could have scored 30+ if there was no Ronaldo on the team in 2013-2016?
Prime Macheda.
Bale 100%
Yeah, quite a bit better though when you're comparing someone who's best season is 26 goals who's best season is 44 goals. Not sure Bale had the attacking instincts to ever score more than 30 goals a season.
Bale was 29 when Cristiano left, coming off a great season capped by a brace in the CL final. He scored 21 goals on limited minutes as between injuries and the team's success in his absence he'd become a backup by then. The expectation at the time was very much that he'd step into Cristiano's shoes and start scoring 30+ goals...I dunno that he aged out of his prime by then
I honestly believe that it’s easily Bale but it’s hard to prove for different reasons.
Salah is more consistent and has been with the same club. Bale across 2012-2014 was absolutely devastating but because he played for a very defensive Spurs team one year then the next was alongside Ronaldo where he was forced to play second fiddle.
Bale has more ability than Salah. Better athlete, heading, long range shooting, crossing, free kicks. Salah is the better finisher and a bit more decisive.
I can’t imagine what Bale will look like in a juiced up Klopp attack where the team is geared to him but he has a team of stars too. Compare them for Wales and Egypt where things are a bit more comparable and Bale clearly takes that.
In saying that, Salah is a machine and his ability to be fit all the time and a consistent match winner season after season is what makes him elite.
Salah is more consistent and has been with the same club. Bale across 2012-2014 was absolutely devastating but because he played for a very defensive Spurs team one year then the next was alongside Ronaldo where he was forced to play second fiddle.
Bale has more ability than Salah. Better athlete, heading, long range shooting, crossing, free kicks. Salah is the better finisher and a bit more decisive.
I can’t imagine what Bale will look like in a juiced up Klopp attack where the team is geared to him but he has a team of stars too. Compare them for Wales and Egypt where things are a bit more comparable and Bale clearly takes that.
In saying that, Salah is a machine and his ability to be fit all the time and a consistent match winner season after season is what makes him elite.
Bale, not even close imo.
I love the “Salah and it’s not even close” posts? By all means drool over Salah (he was a very good player) but “not even close”? 
First seven seasons at Real and Bale is scoring 1 in 2 despite being a squad player and not starting/finishing all those games. Don’t know why anyone thinks he couldn’t score 30+ if played a full season/team didn‘t fully rotate around CR7… he got 19 in 23 one season, he’d easily get 30-40 if playing more/more central.
Internationally, Salah has definitely helped Egypt to punch slightly above their weight but Bale didn’t have a strong midfield around him because Ramsey and Allen were there. Allen ran hard for 90 minutes and Ramsey had some good/bad games... Bale (for Wales) was like Robson in the mid 80s, dragging teams to massively over achieve. Lost track of the number of times we’ve needed a goal in a vital game and he’s done it.. big games (Wales and club), he does it… including v Salahs Liverpool (as a sub).
Both very very good players. One’s probably better than the other, depends on what criteria you use. But it’s definitely close.
First seven seasons at Real and Bale is scoring 1 in 2 despite being a squad player and not starting/finishing all those games. Don’t know why anyone thinks he couldn’t score 30+ if played a full season/team didn‘t fully rotate around CR7… he got 19 in 23 one season, he’d easily get 30-40 if playing more/more central.
Internationally, Salah has definitely helped Egypt to punch slightly above their weight but Bale didn’t have a strong midfield around him because Ramsey and Allen were there. Allen ran hard for 90 minutes and Ramsey had some good/bad games... Bale (for Wales) was like Robson in the mid 80s, dragging teams to massively over achieve. Lost track of the number of times we’ve needed a goal in a vital game and he’s done it.. big games (Wales and club), he does it… including v Salahs Liverpool (as a sub).
Both very very good players. One’s probably better than the other, depends on what criteria you use. But it’s definitely close.
Bale was a force of nature at his peak and a big game player. Shame about the injuries and his focus on things outside football.
I'd take Bale although probably the smart answer would be Salah as Bale was injured for long period of times.
Prime Bale eats Prime Salah for breakfast.
Kaká vs Bale would be a good one. Closer characteristics(I know, Bale and Salah played in the same position, but Bale and Kaká had much closer styles), short primes, etc.
Please, don't quote me to discuss that; I don't wanna ruin the guy's topic with a parallel discussion. If you wanna do that, do it by yourself.
Please, don't quote me to discuss that; I don't wanna ruin the guy's topic with a parallel discussion. If you wanna do that, do it by yourself.
Bale and this isn't particularly close. Well ok it's close, but clear
I have never seen player rated so much higher on caf than elsewhere as Bale. It's probably influenced by Welsh/English fans here, but then there are many other similar good player not rated that highly.
I mean, I doubt he was at any point in his career top5 players at Real Madrid, but you would think he was best player in the world at many points in his career reading redcafe. Great matchwinner though.
I mean, I doubt he was at any point in his career top5 players at Real Madrid, but you would think he was best player in the world at many points in his career reading redcafe. Great matchwinner though.
Salah comfortably.
Salah quite comfortably. Bale might be a more exciting player to watch, but Salah's best seasons are comfortably better than Bale's.
There was plenty of talk of him being on the cusp of overtaking Ronaldo leading into Euro 2016, so yes he was definitely top 5 at RM
He got hyped up a lot in the British media, influenced by Wales, remember some people saying he was the best British player ever but thankfully that sort of hype died down.
Easily Bale. More exciting to watch, big game player, did well in 2 different leagues, helped his national team.
Bale on his day is unstoppable. Messi-esque levels of unstoppable and could destroy you from anywhere on the field with his range.
Debatable. Ronaldo is talented but not a generational talent;. Other than outlier that is season 06/07, the rest of his career has been defined by his amazing stats and a big reason for his stats other than talent is his hardwork and obsession with goals.
that, plus the quality of some of his goals is making people remember him to be better than he actually was. in reality, he was nowhere nearly as dangerous as Salah. every possible stat, both in league and Europe, favours Salah.
Salah has been disappointing internationally so Bale.
This is how I feel.
He was our second best player in 15/16. Makes top 5 in his first season too. Other seasons he was injured a lot. 17/18 was great too though, was a weird season though
Caftards have a point about international football though
For me Bale kind of messed up going to R Madrid. Even though he won everything multiple times, he kind of got a 2nd hand to Ronaldo and became the RW when Bale at his best was actually a LW/CF.
He wasn't an inverted cut in and shoot player even though he was left footed and could pull that off, he kind of became more predictable playing as an inverted RW.
Bale when he was young would just beat people for pace and hit balls directly to the opposite corner from the LW or in more central positions.
If he chose any other club he would have been regarded as even a bigger legend than he is now because he would have played as the main player rather than the 3rd most important player in Real's attacking system.
I think Salah for me was more productive during his prime because he played consistently in his best position but Salah wasn't exactly great throughout his career either (Chelsea & early Roma).
Prime Salah at Liverpool was better than prime Bale - but Bale had a better career overall I.e from young until retirement & won alot more things.
He wasn't an inverted cut in and shoot player even though he was left footed and could pull that off, he kind of became more predictable playing as an inverted RW.
Bale when he was young would just beat people for pace and hit balls directly to the opposite corner from the LW or in more central positions.
If he chose any other club he would have been regarded as even a bigger legend than he is now because he would have played as the main player rather than the 3rd most important player in Real's attacking system.
I think Salah for me was more productive during his prime because he played consistently in his best position but Salah wasn't exactly great throughout his career either (Chelsea & early Roma).
Prime Salah at Liverpool was better than prime Bale - but Bale had a better career overall I.e from young until retirement & won alot more things.
Id take Bale for a one off game. Anything more than that, and Salah wins you far more games.
Just dump the phrase generational talent if you belive that Ronaldo wasn't one
People sleep on bale too much.
he was unbelievable and I think he would of got more individual plaudits if he didn’t go Real Madrid. The fact he was in that team with Ronaldo at his peak never allowed him to be the top dog at the club.
he was unbelievable and I think he would of got more individual plaudits if he didn’t go Real Madrid. The fact he was in that team with Ronaldo at his peak never allowed him to be the top dog at the club.
So Bale is basically a poor man's Ronaldo?
Not debateable at all. He may not have Messi / Maradona quality on the ball but he is miles ahead of frickin bale. First touch, dribbling, intelligence, shooting, heading, movement - you name it, Bale is several levels behind Ronaldo. I’ve argued against Ronaldo a fair bit but this argument is silly. Funny thing is that if one says that Ronaldo is stats and goals than Bale is even more so given he’s basically a much much lesser version of Ronaldo who unlike Ronaldo technically stood out in a bad way at that great Madrid team. He was obviously very good (at times) for them but he was also out of place at others.
If we're comparing Prime Bale vs Prime Salah, it's Bale all day long. Genuinely believe that Bale was a top 3 player for a couple of seasons as well when Ron and Messi were at their peak.
Having said that, if I'm a manager, and am supposed to buy one of the 2, I'll probably go for Salah just because of Bale's injury record
Having said that, if I'm a manager, and am supposed to buy one of the 2, I'll probably go for Salah just because of Bale's injury record
It's not even a debate, easily Salah. Salah's numbers are insane and putting him in conversation with Henry amongst greatest EPL players.
Even if you want to go into 'peak' and one season performances, Bale doesn't come close to Salah's 44 goals, 15 assists in 52 matches during his first Liverpool season.
Even if you want to go into 'peak' and one season performances, Bale doesn't come close to Salah's 44 goals, 15 assists in 52 matches during his first Liverpool season.
How the hell is C Ronaldo not a generational talent
He literally was 1:1 matching the GOAT'S (Messi) stats throughout their careers & many couldn't choose between who the GOAT was until arguably Messi won the World Cup.
Some still regard him as their personal GOAT.
He is more than a generational talent, he is an absolute legend of the game & if not in the top 2 of all time then definitely in the top 5 or at the very least top 10
I'd love to have whatever you're smoking!
I'd argue Ronaldo was just as important at making the inverted winger/forward role big as Messi & Pep managed to build/rebuild the False 9 position.