Ronaldo Thread

Madridista · Dec 25, 2010

Senatore_M84 said:
This guy was pretty good
However brief is prime, I'll stand by saying at his top form, no forward touches him.

Wat? He was a monster even out of his prime. Thats how good he was. Even not at his peak, he was still the best or at least among the very best. WC2002 he was already out of his prime/top form and was still the best around. His post injury self is only poor compared to his Barca days, but no one else.

Kuzimoto · Dec 26, 2010

Madridista said:

what a shitty fucked up music for such a great video :mad:

Brazil · Dec 26, 2010

Nesta_Pirlo said:
Because these kids have not seen Pele or Maradona in action

They HAVE seen Zidane in action

Pele and Maradona are the 2 most Influential and huge figures in footbal

Ronaldo WAS good but not even near these 2 monsters

Don't listen to these ignorants they know not of what they are talking about

Wot???Not even near as good? I tend to think fans of club of AC MILANs reputation should first of all love football and know a bit bout the game...Not just masturbate on Milan players...And claiming Ronaldo was not even near as good is pure tryin-to-be-smart-and give-my-point-of-view kinda statement. Listen, Ronaldo is one of football gods,whether you or me or someone likes it or not! He was fu...immense aaaait?!Peles time were so different I think its stupid comparing him to nowadays players. Head to head I bet Rons better player.

Wet Ones · Dec 26, 2010

Brazil said:
Wot???Not even near as good? I tend to think fans of club of AC MILANs reputation should first of all love football and know a bit bout the game...Not just masturbate on Milan players...And claiming Ronaldo was not even near as good is pure tryin-to-be-smart-and give-my-point-of-view kinda statement. Listen, Ronaldo is one of football gods,whether you or me or someone likes it or not! He was fu...immense aaaait?!Peles time were so different I think its stupid comparing him to nowadays players. Head to head I bet Rons better player.

My fav player ever = Maradona

Ronaldo prime >>>> Maradona

If not for injuries, would have gone down as best player EVER.

Brazil · Dec 26, 2010

Why couldnt he go down as best ever. He sure is best CF ever...3times WPOY. Prob is just that he hit the peak so soon it couldnt last for decade. Was Zidane best in the world at 20? Nope...He shone later on...So we all have impression he lasted longer.

adriancg · Dec 26, 2010

Brazil said:
Why couldnt he go down as best ever. He sure is best CF ever...3times WPOY. Prob is just that he hit the peak so soon it couldnt last for decade. Was Zidane best in the world at 20? Nope...He shone later on...So we all have impression he lasted longer.

Van Basten retired at 28 with 3 ballon d'or.

Having said that, Ronaldo was a beast and I don't think you can argue than in his prime, he was among the best players ever.

Redman10 · Dec 26, 2010

Some of the best defenders to have ever grace the game was put to shame by Ronaldo. Ronaldo legendary status should never be question.

MilanMB · Dec 26, 2010

Redman10 said:
Ronaldo legendary status should never be question.

+1

Best striker ever.

Madridista · Dec 28, 2010

watch and learn, n00bz

Ashish · Dec 31, 2010

He is GOD, fuck football fuck all the players, why cant they create players like him or zidane anymore

there aint a complete player in this planet fuck shit football it has regressed &^$%@$#

Give me some one great like him

Jasper · Dec 31, 2010

Anybody operating in this thread good enough to point out the video that impressed me?

Meanwhile:

My Favourite Footballer…Ronaldo
August 29, 2010

by Andy Brassell

Karim Benzema has hardly gone out of his way to make himself popular since arriving in Madrid. He arrived at the Bernabeu with his foot in his mouth, but his first faux pas was an endearing, as well as a memorable, one. Asked in his exit interview at Lyon if he was looking forward to playing alongside the second generation of ‘galácticos’ – Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka etc – Benzema said, “I would have loved it if Ronaldo, the real one, the number 9, was still there.” The real one! Stick that in your CR9-branded marketing pipe and smoke it.

Admirable as Cristiano is, there has never been any debate for me – there is, was and will only ever be one Ronaldo. Of course, he wasn’t always as big – as a 17-year-old squad member of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning squad, he was Ronaldinho, the junior to São Paulo’s Ronaldão.

But it was to be without the suffix that he started to make his name globally. Though he scored at nearly a goal-a-game for PSV, his repetition of the feat at Barcelona after being bought to the Camp Nou by Bobby Robson in 1996 was unprecedented. The 20-year-old’s 47 (!) goals in all competitions saw Barca win a Cops del Rey and Cup Winners’ Cup double and Ronaldo jump ship to Inter and win the 1997 Ballon d’Or.

Much of his legend is self-evident; he was the greatest finisher of his generation, but cruelly stymied by illness (the fit which saw him first withdrawn, then returned to the Brazil XI which lost the 1998 World Cup final) then injury. The horrendous knee tendon injuries which limited him to 68 Serie A appearances in his five seasons at the San Siro would have finished off a lesser man.

I nearly spat out my cornflakes recently reading a message board poster listing Ronaldo as “one of Brazil’s great unfulfilled talents.” This misses the point; of course, he could have been even greater had injury not dogged him, but that he still managed to be arguably the greatest striker of the last 50 years tells you more about his mettle than any nit-picking over statistics ever could.

His comeback in the 2002 World Cup was not just one from chronic injury, but from crushing disappointment. Propelled to the brink of their first Scudetto in 13 years by a late season Ronaldo burst, Inter threw it away on the final day with defeat at Lazio. Still Ronaldo made the Japan and South Korea World Cup his, winning the final – and the Golden Shoe – with a brace in the final against Germany to finish with eight goals for the tournament. The £180 I picked up post-final, for a tenner staked on the great man to be top scorer at the most generous of odds, is still the sweetest bet I ever won.

Ronaldo ripped up La Liga all over again after moving to Real Madrid post-World Cup, even though he attracted more and more criticism for his weight. It was hard to ignore – even the great Guillem Balague never really convinced when insisting “honestly, it’s all muscle!” on Revista de la Liga. But it didn’t matter that he was a bit porky. While Ronaldinho’s ‘party lifestyle’ has contributed to permanently robbing him of the accelaration which made him the world’s greatest, Ronaldo never lost his, defying science and nature.

I had the joy of catching him in the flesh at the Bernabeu once, in March 2004, while I was researching a book on the Champions League. El Real battered Sevilla 5-1 and big Ron didn’t disappoint, scoring twice and setting up another. Watching the greats in the flesh is always an education – unlike with TV, you’re the director, and you choose which players to watch and how often.

There’s no doubt Ronaldo was somewhat off his physical peak. When he didn’t have the ball, he plodded around, puffing like a man who’d just given an all-you-can-eat buffet a proper caning. But when he got the ball? The control, the quick change of feet, the pace over ten yards shone as brightly as ever.

And the finishing. Ronaldo’s first was a header from a David Beckham cross. The second was scored deep into injury-time; he burst clean through, and delayed for what seemed like an age before stroking home. What was the hold-up, a journalist in the press area afterwards asked? “I asked the ‘keeper which side he wanted me to put it. He said left, so that’s what I did,” he grinned.

The essence of Ronaldo – despite the jibes about his fitness and the injury setbacks (of which there would be more at Milan) – as someone who purely loved to play the game, enjoy himself and be the best he could be still remains intact. That, as much as his trophies, and his club and international personal record breaking, is what made him a true champion.

Andy is a freelance European football journalist and the author of ”All or Nothing: A Year in the Life of the Champions League” – available from all good bookshops (and some bad ones too). You can also hear him most Saturday mornings alongside Tim Vickery and Dotun Adebayo on BBC Radio 5 Live’s excellent World Football Phone-In.

http://equaliserfootball.com/2010/08/29/ronaldo/

Ashish · Dec 31, 2010

OH MY GOD, I am not overrating him but for me he >> football every player every club every nation i have watched from my childhood
shit he is gone give me a better player footballing god, give me a better player to watch

thank you jasper

:proud:

drucurl · Dec 31, 2010

Excellent article Jasper
Wow Ashish that video of Ronaldo's visionary passing makes Pirlo look like shit :cool:

One thing about Ronaldo as Ash alluded to in another one of his profanity saturated tirades is his utter and complete mastery of the game. Both feet had precision and power. A sprinter's pace, all the ball tricks that spawned the Ronaldinho groupies everlasting love, the movement the instincts. He alse was an EXCELLENT header of the ball in Brazil and Holland. For some reason he allowed these skills to become dull but started re-using them later on. He could take free-kicks. AND HIS PASSING WAS ACCURATE VISIONARY AND PRECISE. Omg I think I remember Ronaldo crossing the ball for Beckham to head into the goal at real :eek:

Seriously when I look at modern footballers it's clear the level has regressed. The last truly epic player was indeed Ronaldinho. Messi, CR7 and Kaká are all awesome but there was only ONE Ronaldo. CR7 matches and would probably surpass him in goal scoring. He's also more a complete attacker because he's better in the air and takes superior free kicks. Messi has his touch and skill and is probably a better if less effective dribbler. And Kaka has the movement and the shooting ability but Ronaldo was like the best of them all combined into one.

Forza Ronaldo!!!

Ashish · Dec 31, 2010

fuck pirlo fuck comparison I dont care about anything

ronaldo is a champion

Redman10 · Dec 31, 2010

The level has regress but at the same token the bar was set extremely high. It does not excite me to see C. Ronaldo and Messi scoring week in and week out. When Ronaldo has already done in two different leagues against some of the best defenders to grace the game.

Madridista · Dec 31, 2010

Ronaldo had superior knowledge of football. Thats what set him apart from the few players who could be as physically (Cristiano Ronaldo) or technically (Ronaldinho, Messi) good as him. He was THE all round player, but his best ability was knowing when and where to move, with or w/o the ball, where the defenders and his teammates are. His brain was like a computer scanning the field. The only thing he lacked was work ethics, but even that is a testament of how good he's been. Nobody else could ever become what Ronaldo became with that little effort. Right now, hes a retiree playing in Corinthians, yet he's still incredibly useful for them. The entire team plays through him. He's a playmaker striker, making space and scoring the odd goal. For someone who is finished, thats a huge achievement.

btw dru that goal was against Mallorca in the spanish supercup 2003. Oh and if Guillem Ballague says its all muscle, I don't see how there is still a debate

manutd fan · Dec 31, 2010

Might aswell be honest with myself. Ronaldo's the best player I've ever seen. Had he not had those massive injuries he would probably have gone down as the best player ever along with Maradona and Pele.

Although I've heard before that in Brazil he isn't rated as highly as he is accross Europe. Romario is said to be the "star" of the last 20 years. Can't remember where I heard that though.

Madridista · Dec 31, 2010

Yeah Romario is rated higher. That is probably due to the reason that Romario played much more of his career including his peak in front of the very eyes of the Brazilian public. Ronaldo had only two seasons in Brazil, one as a kid and one as a retiree. Another reason is the fact that Ronaldo is generally blamed for the failure in WC 1998 because of his performance in the finals. Hes also among the top villains for 2006.

KujaIX · Dec 31, 2010

Comparing Romario and Ronaldo is like comparing Sheva and Pippo. Although Pippo and Sheva are worse than Ronaldo and Romario. Just i understand why, you compare players differently when they're your own countrymen.

Like i slag off Rooney all the time, and yet people from Slovakia or some other random country might consider him among the current best.

Sven · Dec 31, 2010

manutd fan said:
Although I've heard before that in Brazil he isn't rated as highly as he is accross Europe. Romario is said to be the "star" of the last 20 years. Can't remember where I heard that though.

My post on the previous page?

Anyway Madridista is right. Also one can't forget Romário was a very charismatic figure, scored 1000 goals in his career (something incredible in modern football). That's how those TOP players are compared, smetimes it's beyond football itself.

Zidane is a strange case. Brazilians usually are very provincial when it comes to football, but I think the fact he kicked Brazil out of two World Cups made him something of a myth, maybe more feared and respected than loved, but rated even higher here than another places. Also, he is a the kind of player that Brazilians love, a classical #10 with incredible skills, and born to shine at WC's.

BTW I consider Zidane the best player I've seen too.

Senatore_M84 · Dec 31, 2010

It's my impression Zidane and Maradonna are the two-non brazilians respected most (for footballing ability) in Brazil. Is that right?

Ashish · Dec 31, 2010

romario is a great player but I havent seen a player like ronaldo at his peak, his peak > anybody but maradonna, career wise zidane romario might overtake him.

braisilians expected a sure shot win in 98 and he almost did it(what a game against dutch) and he was blamed for failure which is ridiculous but when brasilain national team fails every one goes mad.
2002 he made it easy which was like walk in the park even though he came back from a major injury , made brasil qualify in that wc with a win against australia(not sure).
2006 was a failure even though he was one of the decent performing players in that shit team. I am speculating why he is underrated in brasil, I dont know the real reason some brasilians can comment on this ......

Thanks Sven but I think zidane was not the best player in wc 98 naah noway, then again winners are always right

KujaIX · Dec 31, 2010

Who are the most respected and loved figures in Brazil?

And i know all the provincial crap like hating players from your rivals etc, just in general though.

Redman10 · Dec 31, 2010

I think Brazilian even rate Zico higher than Ronaldo. I thought Ronaldo was 2nd after Pele maybe at worst 3rd behind Garrincha.

Ashish · Dec 31, 2010

Redman10 said:
I think Brazilian even rate Zico higher than Ronaldo. I thought Ronaldo was 2nd after Pele maybe at worst 3rd behind Garrincha.

exactly
I dont know why, as an outsider i thought similarly then again they have their own view

Xudong · Dec 31, 2010

Senatore_M84 said:
It's my impression Zidane and Maradonna are the two-non brazilians respected most (for footballing ability) in Brazil. Is that right?

All Brazilians I know (about 20 of them) hate those two very much, but I am sure that is a respect/hate mixture, which supports your point. :cool:

Madridista · Dec 31, 2010

That is also correct. Part of the reason is that Ronaldo isn't really the typical Brazilian footballer. His style is a bit too direct and physical for the ideals of brazilian football purists. As Sven said, the classic dreamy #10 is more appreciated. For all his skill, Ronaldo was also a physical monster.

Sven · Dec 31, 2010

Senatore_M84 said:
It's my impression Zidane and Maradonna are the two-non brazilians respected most (for footballing ability) in Brazil. Is that right?

Apart from the Brazil-Argentine rivalrie, yes. And also, players with strong WC displays are rated higher.

But people respect Maradona for his football and snub everything else. Mainstream media in Brazil uses Pelé (the best footballer ever) to humilliate the Argentinian cult on Maradona. But this rivalrie comes most from Rio and São Paulo, my State is closer to Argentina and we feel like outsiders on this issues.

KujaIX said:
Who are the most respected and loved figures in Brazil?

And i know all the provincial crap like hating players from your rivals etc, just in general though.

Redman10 said:
I think Brazilian even rate Zico higher than Ronaldo. I thought Ronaldo was 2nd after Pele maybe at worst 3rd behind Garrincha.

Pelé is the one. Then comes Garrincha. It's hard to find a third place, but players from 70 and 82 are problably mixed here - Zico, Sócrates, Rivelino, Gérson, Nílton Santos.... And to this one can add the modern players like Romário and Ronaldo. Of course, every club will overvaluate his own idol - like Flamengo with Zico and so on...

MilanMB · Dec 31, 2010

What about this. Can Pele really be counted as one of the best ever?

Football was so different back then. Competition wasn't so fierce and defenders didn't really know how to handle someone with a big talent.

But on the other hand, the attackers were handled very tough and aggressive, bad rules etc.

I can't really make up my mind. But I'm leaning more towards no, ultimately I don't think someone from that era can be counted as the best ever. I mean, how many have really seen Pele in a full game? Isn't he more of a myth?

I know it's off-topic but Brazilians and comparisons Pele has been discussed so...

Tantalis · Dec 31, 2010

Redman10 said:
I think Brazilian even rate Zico higher than Ronaldo. I thought Ronaldo was 2nd after Pele maybe at worst 3rd behind Garrincha.

its because zico was part of a legendary team, just give it time soon ronaldo will be rated higher than zico. The teams ronaldo played with arent considered legendary yet though in another 10 years or so it will be.

Ronaldo Thread

Ronnieboy will

return as soon possible, guns blazing and save our asses this season

definitely be fit by the time Christian Maldini makes his debut

WHY DO YOU WANT A POLL when he's gonna get crocked again!!!? (tougue-in-cheek)

not exactly a lightweight

Forza Milan!!!!

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