Maybe we can make a poll. It will be more even than Messi vs Ronaldo one.
Ronaldo vs Ronaldo
- Thread starter altodevil
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You can't really persist with the claim that Crespo gave a very poor return in England when his goals-to-minutes ratio is amongst the best the league has seen. It doesn't add up. He's come to England and scored at a better rate than he has done in Italy and it's blown your argument out of the water.
Serie A was the best league in Europe through most of the 1980s and up until the end of the 1990s. I would say Spain took over around 1998/99 and stayed as the best until the mid-2000s when the English league came to the fore. There was no real contest though when Batistuta and Ronaldo played at their peak - Serie A was the gold standard and the place everyone wanted to be. Loads of attackers tried and failed - Bergkamp, Henry, Papin, Pancev, Kluivert. It was such an unforgiving league for attackers. Meanwhile, the English league was known as a retirement home for the fading stars of Serie A, hence why the 32-year-old Vialli came over, or the 32-year-old Gullit or the 30-year-old Desailly. Harsh, but that's the way it was seen - and the coefficients demonstrated - until United secured European credibility in 1999.
Two things can be true at the same time here. Cristiano Ronaldo can have a strong case to be the greatest goalscorer of all time, and a player like Batistuta would have scored a lot more in today's game playing for an elite club.
There are 5 active players with over 500 career goals and four of the top 5 slots in all time CL goals are occupied by currently active players. If you look at those 4 players (Messi, Ronaldo, Lewa and Benz), they all have significantly worse goal ratios at international level than they do at club level. Same for Suarez and Ibra, two other great goalscorers from this era.
If you look at prolific scorers from the past like Puskas and G. Muller, they often have ratios that are similar at club and international level, or even better at international level.
I think historically there was a trend towards fewer goals up until the 21st century, when it started ticking upwards again due to rule changes made to favour attacking players. This has coupled with the superclub era, which has helped strikers to play with better players at club level than they do at international level (this was hardly ever the case in previous times, and is almost an inversion of how the game is supposed to be)
OK I understand your point but nonetheless, R9 never winning the Champions League (for me) shouldn't detract from his position as a top 50/100 attacker of all-time either.
But in saying this as far as attacking players go, it's surely Pele and Maradona followed by Ronaldo and Messi and there really shouldn't be much debate outside of it.
PS. I'd also feel strongly that there should be no discussion between R9 and Messi either.
Every time you hear a top player talk about R9 they have that same look on their face and loss for words to describe him, you don't really see that with CR7. Messi is the only one in the current generation who gets the same kind of response.
I agree with you there. But the ‘Djimi Traore has won the Champions League and Luis Ronaldo hasn’t’ arguments are a lot thinner on the ground around here, mainly because the World Cup is more important than the Champions League. By the way, R9 is surely top 10 of all players (not just attackers) of all time at the very least?
*Johan Cruyff and Alfredo DiStefano have entered the chat.....
It’s a similar debate for me. I think Messi has the advantage of being a better all round player than Cristiano, but the issue of international careers still rears its ugly head when you pit Messi against R9. Messi and C. Ronaldo were obviously good for longer, but they’ve both been very lucky with injuries.
Well I’d have defend Messi the same way too if someone claim Ronaldinho or R9 is better than him.
Don't worry, no one will claim that since it's that obvious Messi is better player than those 2.
Come on man, you're doing all sort of mental gymnastics here. You got proven wrong with Crespo and now you're on about Vialli who in the 4 seasons before Chelsea he had, 13, 4, 22,14 and then at Chelsea he had 11, 19 and 10. His bigger goal scoring exploits occurred a decade before the Chelsea move. He had a better ratio at Chelsea than Juventus despite being past his peak. Asprilla we all know if you were around that time, was a great talent who Newcastle didn't need! His signing is argued to be one of the reasons they failed to win the league because it disrupted their tactics. Nothing to do with his ability.
Then to totally disregard some of the great EPL players failed in Italy (Bergkamp, Henry) and great strikers in Spain, they failed in Italy. Whatever route you're going down can be completely shut down and the only way it won't be is if you move the goalposts and don't give barely any context.
And then to be so arrogant about it with the whole "how many more excuses..". You're getting battered around in this thread and jumping through hoops even when you're proven wrong. Surely you see that your argument was blown out the water? If you're wrong, just admit it. But I guess no one wants to be proven wrong online
Players juggling and keeping the ball up in the air for 5 seconds will be a greater player than C Ronaldo in peoples eyes.
People over - value technical ability as a way of rating their players.
For example- it was C Ronaldo's legendary mentality that made him grow in to the physicality he had today alongside the long successful career. On the other hand, you could see that Brazilian Ronaldo had a natural pace and skill in the way he played but ultimately you could see his Fatness starting to emerge in his white galactico Madrid shirt which made his career not as great or long or maybe even trophyful as it could be.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2378354/ronaldo-laughs-off-fat-jibes
People over - value technical ability as a way of rating their players.
For example- it was C Ronaldo's legendary mentality that made him grow in to the physicality he had today alongside the long successful career. On the other hand, you could see that Brazilian Ronaldo had a natural pace and skill in the way he played but ultimately you could see his Fatness starting to emerge in his white galactico Madrid shirt which made his career not as great or long or maybe even trophyful as it could be.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2378354/ronaldo-laughs-off-fat-jibes
A million times harder
The game has evolved significantly over the years. In the past, attackers had comfortably more space and time on the ball. This is a luxury that players in the present day will rarely have a chance to enjoy due to the quicker pace of the game. There is a discernible difference with regards to the intensity of pressing and closing down of space that modern tactics tend to place a huge emphasis on. Defensive structure, organisation and tactical set up have also become smarter. While games were more open and expansive in the past, they have become more compact now with many teams resorting to suffocating the space. I do think that players in the modern era have the advantage of receiving more protection from officiating, better condition of pitch and equipment, access to sports science and better nutrition. That being said, at the end of the day it's all swings and roundabouts. There are various factors that can be argued why scoring goals is harder in the Ronaldo-era than Batistuta-era, and vice-versa.
I understand that the World Cup has an aura of mystique around it. However, can you honestly say with a straight face that the level of quality in it is greater than the Champions League? I will just re-post what I wrote in one of my earlier posts.
R9 has scored 8 knockout goals in the World Cup. A break down shows the opponents he had scored against in the latter stages of the competition were Chile (2), Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Germany (2) and Ghana. The best teams amongst that list is probably 1998 Netherlands and 2002 Germany. However, if I'm being truthful, I don't think it is any more difficult to score against them than the calibre of opponents that CR7 has faced and scored against in the Champions League advanced stages. Bayern, United, Chelsea, Milan, Atletico, Inter, Arsenal, Dortmund, Juventus, and etc.
In my opinion, club football should be the bread and butter that players (and managers too btw) should be judged upon rather than international football. Club football takes place far more frequently and it indicates a level of consistency, as well as attributes such as focus, concentration, and endurance over a prolonged extended period of time that ensures the cream of crop eventually rises to the top. Like Messi, Ronaldo might not have scored a goal in the knockout rounds of the World Cup yet. However, the man has scored 67 goals in the knockout rounds of the Champions League. With the next highest being Messi with 49 goals in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, that makes Ronaldo head and shoulders the top scorer against the highest level of competition.
On the other hand, R9 has scored 14 Champions League goals in 40 games. His group stage record stands at 9 goals in 28 games, and knockout record is at 5 goals in 12 games. With of course, 3 of those coming in a game against United in the 2002-03 QF. And other 2 coming in the remaining 11 games. If we think about it, that distribution isn't exactly excellent. R9 has scored 14 CL goals in his career, and CR7 has eclipsed that amount of goals in 3 separate individual seasons! 2013-14 (17), 2015-16 (16), 2017-18 (15). Of course, goals is not the sole quantifiable metric to assess a player's quality. Though it is the most important in the context of the game.
R9 is insanely fast and has more pace than CR7, is stronger and hence harder to knock off the ball. Overall he is also the better dribbler because he is extremely difficult to stop once he gets going; even more so than any versions of CR7. He was an anomaly in terms of being a physical freak and force of nature. And I mean that as a compliment. Young CR7 who prioritises beating defenders and deliver curling crosses over scoring was a joy to watch. However, R9 was not just only a joy to watch. He was simply out of this world and unbelievable. CR7 is the more prolific scorer, better creator, better passer and certainly crosser, better vision, greater threat from distance with his numerous long range belters, greater aerial threat with his tremendous leap and accuracy of header. I won't say he is a better finisher than R9 though.
I felt they were equally good finishers once a chance fell into their path. However, CR7 definitely has better movement, anticipation/instincts, more intelligent reading of the game which very often leads to perfectly timed runs. As a defender, I would think R9 is harder to stop while CR7 is harder to cope with. If you take into account his goals from bicycle kicks and backheels, both of which he has scored a few times with, CR7 really is not only an immense goal scorer but he could also score a vast plethora of goals. He is not the complete attacker like Messi is. His biggest strength apart from the insane volume of goals he scores, is the variety of it. He has a multi-facet range of goals in his locker.
And Ronaldo is not the international flop that you are trying to make him sound to be. He is the joint top scorer in the history of the UEFA Euro's, 9 goals with Platini. He has scored in 7 different Euro's matches, more than any other player in the competition's history too.
Exactly what I was thinking.
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Nice post but can't agree with that. R9 was a better playmaker and sharper passer than CR7, you should watch his games for Inter where he was a creator and scorer.
Thanks.
R9 was better in forward through balls. CR7 was better in angled diagonals balls to the path of a team mate who are running in to the penalty box area. He is quite consistent with them and actually get a great amount of his assists this way. At United, it was usually Rooney, Giggs and Park at the end of them. While Benzema, Di Maria and Özil are often at the receiving end of them during his time at Real. CR7 was also undoubtedly better in long passing. I'd be more inclined to give CR7 the edge over R9 with regards to overall passing.
A million times harder
The game has evolved significantly over the years. In the past, attackers had comfortably more space and time on the ball. This is a luxury that players in the present day will rarely have a chance to enjoy due to the quicker pace of the game. There is a discernible difference with regards to the intensity of pressing and closing down of space that modern tactics tend to place a huge emphasis on. Defensive structure, organisation and tactical set up have also become smarter. While games were more open and expansive in the past, they have become more compact now with many teams resorting to suffocating the space. I do think that players in the modern era have the advantage of receiving more protection from officiating, better condition of pitch and equipment, access to sports science and better nutrition. That being said, at the end of the day it's all swings and roundabouts. There are various factors that can be argued why scoring goals is harder in the Ronaldo-era than Batistuta-era, and vice-versa.
I understand that the World Cup has an aura of mystique around it. However, can you honestly say with a straight face that the level of quality in it is greater than the Champions League? I will just re-post what I wrote in one of my earlier posts.
R9 has scored 8 knockout goals in the World Cup. A break down shows the opponents he had scored against in the latter stages of the competition were Chile (2), Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Germany (2) and Ghana. The best teams amongst that list is probably 1998 Netherlands and 2002 Germany. However, if I'm being truthful, I don't think it is any more difficult to score against them than the calibre of opponents that CR7 has faced and scored against in the Champions League advanced stages. Bayern, United, Chelsea, Milan, Atletico, Inter, Arsenal, Dortmund, Juventus, and etc.
In my opinion, club football should be the bread and butter that players (and managers too btw) should be judged upon rather than international football. Club football takes place far more frequently and it indicates a level of consistency, as well as attributes such as focus, concentration, and endurance over a prolonged extended period of time that ensures the cream of crop eventually rises to the top. Like Messi, Ronaldo might not have scored a goal in the knockout rounds of the World Cup yet. However, the man has scored 67 goals in the knockout rounds of the Champions League. With the next highest being Messi with 49 goals in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, that makes Ronaldo head and shoulders the top scorer against the highest level of competition.
On the other hand, R9 has scored 14 Champions League goals in 40 games. His group stage record stands at 9 goals in 28 games, and knockout record is at 5 goals in 12 games. With of course, 3 of those coming in a game against United in the 2002-03 QF. And other 2 coming in the remaining 11 games. If we think about it, that distribution isn't exactly excellent. R9 has scored 14 CL goals in his career, and CR7 has eclipsed that amount of goals in 3 separate individual seasons! 2013-14 (17), 2015-16 (16), 2017-18 (15). Of course, goals is not the sole quantifiable metric to assess a player's quality. Though it is the most important in the context of the game.
R9 is insanely fast and has more pace than CR7, is stronger and hence harder to knock off the ball. Overall he is also the better dribbler because he is extremely difficult to stop once he gets going; even more so than any versions of CR7. He was an anomaly in terms of being a physical freak and force of nature. And I mean that as a compliment. Young CR7 who prioritises beating defenders and deliver curling crosses over scoring was a joy to watch. However, R9 was not just only a joy to watch. He was simply out of this world and unbelievable. CR7 is the more prolific scorer, better creator, better passer and certainly crosser, better vision, greater threat from distance with his numerous long range belters, greater aerial threat with his tremendous leap and accuracy of header. I won't say he is a better finisher than R9 though.
I felt they were equally good finishers once a chance fell into their path. However, CR7 definitely has better movement, anticipation/instincts, more intelligent reading of the game which very often leads to perfectly timed runs. As a defender, I would think R9 is harder to stop while CR7 is harder to cope with. If you take into account his goals from bicycle kicks and backheels, both of which he has scored a few times with, CR7 really is not only an immense goal scorer but he could also score a vast plethora of goals. He is not the complete attacker like Messi is. His biggest strength apart from the insane volume of goals he scores, is the variety of it. He has a multi-facet range of goals in his locker.
And Ronaldo is not the international flop that you are trying to make him sound to be. He is the joint top scorer in the history of the UEFA Euro's, 9 goals with Platini. He has scored in 7 different Euro's matches, more than any other player in the competition's history too.
Exactly what I was thinking.
This is a very long list of excuses for CR7 having zero goals and zero assists in the World Cup finals knockout stages, none of which are very convincing. It’s a very poor record, that’s the long and short of it. Please just accept that fact, his career stands on its own merits.
And bringing up R9’s CL goals post knee surgeries (and ignoring the fact that he had 21 goals in 31 games in European competition before the injury lay-off, plus a UEFA Cup win and a goal in the final as part of a complete destruction of one of the greatest central defenders of all time) won’t change that......
Ronaldo's, Ronaldnho, Rivaldos and Romarios only need to be legendary for a short amount of time in their career because they have technical ability enough to make fans wish they had that skill.
C Ronaldo is a consistent monster. A terminator. I wish I had his mindset, his ability to always try something different just for his state of mind.
C Ronaldo is a consistent monster. A terminator. I wish I had his mindset, his ability to always try something different just for his state of mind.
Forgive me for not bringing up Ronaldo's scoring against the likes of the mighty Myllykosken Pallo, AEK Larnaca, Crvena Zvezda, AIK Solna, Neuchâtel Xamax, Strasbourg, Spartak Moscow and Sturm Graz.
Major cope.
There is a good reason why nobody brings up R9's record in substandard competitions such as the UEFA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Anyone of us with common sense know full well that calibre of opponents is hardly anything to shout about. CR7 has scored in the knockout rounds of the Champions League against Bayern, United, Chelsea, Milan, Atletico, Inter, Arsenal, Dortmund, Juventus, and etc. Many of them he scored multiple times against. There is no excuses for CR7, because there is not a need for excuses. His record is staggering and speaks for itself.
So if he’s so dominant against those clubs, why can’t he score a goal or register an assist in the knockout rounds of the World Cup? Why has he played in two international finals and one World Cup semi final and registered zero goals and zero assists? Why did it take him 21 games to reach the 9 goal Euros record you mentioned, which Platini managed in 5 games?
Messi has scored against most of those clubs too, yet his record in international finals is played 5, scored 0. Why?
Edit: Funny also re R9 in Europe how you carefully left out any club from your mocking list that people might actually recognise, but such is the way of the CR7 acolyte.....
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We are talking about players who have played many matches here, not about a one fluke wonder.
Lewandowski has been doing it for over a decade, scoring around 500 goals in his club and international career.
It was harder in all leagues to score in the 90s, Serie A being the toughest.
Teams were more balanced and usually only had 1 star player, so there wasn't a huge gap between them like nowadays, meaning games were more evenly balanced. You didn't have any superteams dominating and moping the floor with smaller clubs like you have now. So that's why you don't have similar stats. As Gio pointed out, Milan won the title scoring a measly 36 goals all season.
As for Batistuta's scoring in European games, are you that naive to compare the chances he got with a small team like Fiorentina, that barely even made it in the Champions League against other European giants ?!? And R9 had really good numbers up until his knee injuries, and with far inferior teams than the ones CR7 has played for.
I'm willing to bet CR7's scoring would be anything but impressive if we were to put him in those Fiorentina and Inter teams.
Meanwhile, Batistuta and R9's tallies will be at least double had they played for the stacked Real and Man United teams CR7 played for.
That's due to him suffering from hypothyroidism.
NasirTimothy, MalcolmTucker, Gio, Lay, 11101, royce987 - great posts yet again.
The WC showcases more the quality of individuals than that of teams.
The World Cup remains the ultimate barometer for greatness.
I also don't think CR7 has better anticipation/instincts.
The difference in speed has a lot to do with playing conditions and equipment. Go play football on a pitch that is perfect as a pool table, with light balls and boots. Then switch and go to a crap muddy and/or bumpy field, with heavy balls and boots. Come back to me when you do that. Or better yet ask someone to film you while playing on both, and you will see the difference with your own eyes. You will look like you are in slow motion in the bad pitch.
It doesn't matter if it has a higher level of quality or not. The World Cup better showcases a player's ability to adapt and improvise, regardless of the system, teammates, etc. And that because you are not used to your teammates like in club level. So as a star player, you have to take matters into your own hands on many occasions.
The WC showcases more the quality of individuals than that of teams.
When you are in a stacked Man United and/or Real Madrid team, scoring against those teams isn't that difficult.
No it should not. In all sports, you are judged based upon how you do in the most important/prestigious event. So why should it be any different in football ?!
The World Cup remains the ultimate barometer for greatness.
We are talking about prime vs prime here. R9 barely got to play a few games before his knee injuries, and with a far inferior team to the ones CR7 has been in. Judging R9 by the stats he's had after those knee injuries isn't fair.
I can agree with that.
I disagree with him being a better creator and passer, I agree about crossing. Also, he's more prolific cause he's played far more games and for far superior teams.
I'm sorry, but I disagree. Ask most world class defenders and they'll all tell you R9 was harder to stop and cope with.
I also don't think CR7 has better anticipation/instincts.
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I'm a Man United fan too, that's why I'm here. However, that doesn't stop me from being objective. We've had some great players play for our team throughout it's rich history, but that doesn't mean we have to overrate them when comparing to other greats.
Being better is all about prime vs prime, it doesn't matter how long their primes lasted. I have no problem if you say CR7 is greater, but he certainly isn't better prime vs prime.
As for being able to play in different positions, guys like Beckenbauer and Di Stefano could play anywhere on the pitch, yet that doesn't make them better than Pele and Maradona.
It doesn't matter how long his prime lasted when assessing who's better. If you are talking about who's greater, then you might be right.
Better career. Perhaps. Better prime vs prime, certainly not.
R9 had a higher peak than CR7
Please. Kylian Mbappe recently put up a post saying Idolo. It was CR7.
That's nothing, but a generational thing.
Not sure he had a higher peak. In terms of his international career probably. But not in terms of club seasons. They have different skill sets, but Cristiano would probably have won 8-9 Ballon D''ors if he wasn't competing against Messi. You could say that R9 never got a chance to play with a super team apart from Brazil before he was taken down by serious injuries. The Real Madrid team he played for was super stacked but he was past his prime at that point.
One's peak has got nothing to do with international or with club career. It's also has got nothing to do with what you win.
Peak form is all about how well you can play at your peak, how good a player is.
R9 trumps CR7 in that regard.
That still wouldn't have made him a better player. And all ATGs had other ATGs to compete with.
Most of the Galacticos were past their prime. And they didn't have the healthiest lifestyle either. Anyway, they would have been far more successful had they not sold Makelele.
R9 season with barcelona was spectaular. That was a fantastic team he played in. Some of the goals he scored that year were jawdropping. 47 goals in 49 games.
Do like CR7, but his best season doesnt match the global impact R9's had at Barcelona.
R9 then turned up at Inter the next season and destroyed the defences of serie A then the best league in the world.
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ronaldo-barcelona-inter-serie-a-la-liga-italy
When Ronaldo joined Inter from Barcelona and tore Serie A to shreds
Ronaldo was outstanding in La Liga but his peak came when he moved to Italy and embarrassed the world’s best defenders...
Any argument that puts r9 above Cristiano in historical rankings is tenuous at best, he simply didn't have the longevity (basics 2 years physically intact) .
However peak for peak it certainly is an argument , Ronnie's best seasons were 2008,2012 and 2014 and he did have higher outputs in all of those seasons than r9 did in his barca but then again he was surrounds by world class talent (in fact probably the best in their positions) all around while r9 stood shoulders above his team mates so I guess it's a matter of taste.
However peak for peak it certainly is an argument , Ronnie's best seasons were 2008,2012 and 2014 and he did have higher outputs in all of those seasons than r9 did in his barca but then again he was surrounds by world class talent (in fact probably the best in their positions) all around while r9 stood shoulders above his team mates so I guess it's a matter of taste.
Stick CR7 in 1990s serieA and his goal scored would drop like a stone. Scoring once a game was an achievement, scoring a goal a game for a few consecutive games was rare.
I'd say its easier to score in la liga during CR7s time there then it was during R9s time in serieA.
Past his prime at 25 isn't really an excuse.
When talking about the greatest of all time, consistency and longevity do matter. The truth is R9, despite how phenomenal he was between 1996 and 1998 was only really able to give us a few seasons of dominance. Even then, where Ronaldo's seasons are looked past based off him not winning a champions league, R9's best seasons did not come with any significant trophies.
This is not to say that they weren't great seasons, its more to say that we judged Messi and Ronaldo much harder than the legends that came before them. Outside the 2008-2009 season, Ronaldo from 2007 - 2008 to 2017-2018 gave us absolutely dominant seasons; ones in which legends prior to him outside of R9 were ever able to achieve. When you then take into account that he also had world class seasons in 2006-2007, 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 then it just become unbelievable. Messi playing alongside him made those achievement seem slightly less than they were, but those seasons were impressive, nonetheless.
In the case of R9, I don't think you can award a player on the basis of what they could have achieved. No matter how high his peak was. I'm not a fan of CR7 at the moment where the argument of a players peak is overstated undermines his own achievements. It would be like stating that Derrick Rose in Basketball was a greater player than Russell Westbrook. It just doesn't make sense to do that.
Without a doubt but I think one thing that works against r9 here is that his peak performances didn't really achieve much to elevate/immortalize his legacy for example maradona won his country the world cup and got Napoli their only 2 league titles and a European title on to, Messi got 2 trebles and a double and it's the same with Ronaldo.
That damages him a bit I think although it wasn't something he could control as it's a team game after all.
This. Not to mention gap between teams. Barca and Real during Messi/Cr7 era were few levels above the rest. It was only matter will day score 3,4 or 5 goals that day.
In 90s and early 2000s that gap was way smaller. Big teams needed to grind every win.
Put Ronaldo (or Maradona) in today's Barca and Real and their numbers would be on par with CR7 (and Messi).
Noone was scoring like this in La Liga before Ronaldo came in.
Add to this that R9 spent 1 1/2 seasons at Inter anyway where he had players scoring more than him doesn't help matters either. Ronaldo (CR7) wasn't just scoring 40 goals in a season, he was scoring 60.
As a wide player, he had scored 42 goals at United a few seasons earlier too. Add that to the fact that he scored a lot of goals in the champions league as well. Prior to Ronaldo's arrival, Madrid scored 83 goals in the league. Since he left, last season was the first time Real hit 80 goals, they were averaging around 65 league goals per season prior to that. Last season, the same thing happened to Messi when he left Barcelona.
Would it not be possible to say that having these players was the reason their teams were scoring as much as they did? Not just in terms of goals but also assists too.
Kroos and Modric were still at Real Madrid after 2018.
Would take 21 year old Ronaldo over any version of Ronaldo
Also, let's face it, the only reason the portuguese even ever chose to be known by his MIDDLE NAME was to bank on the fame of Ronaldo
Also, let's face it, the only reason the portuguese even ever chose to be known by his MIDDLE NAME was to bank on the fame of Ronaldo
Ronaldo in 2002-03 was probably as good relative to his peak as Cristiano was in 2016-18 - slightly off their absolute peak but still lethal and successful.
R9 would be in my all time XI over CR7, but the latter had a better career.
Maybe only for a season or 2.
R9 isn't consistently top goalscorer n the game throughout his career - Bierhoff, Makaay, Forlan, Eto'o, Ruud, Henry etc has all outscored him during most of his fully fit best seaons (except his peak season). Plus he is also not fit enough to last long or keep his top form.
He only had 1 truly out of the world season, 96-97, and another amazing season in Italy 97-98, and people tends to romanticise it and imagine he would repeat for many seasons afterwards if he maintain his fitness and peak form.
96-97 - 47 goals in 49 games (truly out of the world season in Barca, at his very peak. If we put this version of R9 in todays Barca/Real, he would have reached 50-60 goals for sure)
97-98 - 34 goals in 47 games (his 2nd most amazing season in Inter, but Bierhoff still outscored him in the league)
03-04: 31 goals in 48 games (his 3rd-4th best season as world class player in Real Madrid, but same season Henry scored 39 goals in PL, and outperforming him too)
02-03: 30 goals in 44 games (his 3rd-4th best season as world class player in Real Madrid, but same season Ruud scored 44 goals in PL)
94-95: 35 goals in 36 games (it was amazing season for a youngster, but it was only Dutch league. The year after R9 left, Nilis scored 31 goals there, then Machlas scored 34 there too. And then followed by Ruud scoring 41 goals there too)
Relatively speaking and based on the above, he would only manage Messi/Ronaldo type of season (scoring 50-60 goals) once in his career if he repeat his 96-97 form, even if he is playing for today's Barca or Real.
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Much though I would like to dunk on our Ronaldo, I'm surprised this is even a discussion.
If Zidane Vs Platini can be a discussion so can this.
To those saying Ronaldo Brazil had a better peak, what is that peak and did you guys watch him day in day out during those days?
ill be honest. I watched fat Ronaldo as a kid from 2002. I’ve only retroactively tried to see what his peak in the late 90s was about but it’s never the same as being there.
So for me it’s Cristiano. I suspect most of us in our early to late 30s have similar sentiments
ill be honest. I watched fat Ronaldo as a kid from 2002. I’ve only retroactively tried to see what his peak in the late 90s was about but it’s never the same as being there.
So for me it’s Cristiano. I suspect most of us in our early to late 30s have similar sentiments
True but then at one point Joe Cole vs Ronaldo was a discussion that took whole 3 pages to resolve on this forum. Let's keep things in reason.