Cristiano Ronaldo

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RedRonaldo

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Like I said, I don't think he had a poor tournament, but being the most threatening player in a team set up to get the best of him him is expected, anything lower than that would be a complete disaster. I think it's fair to say he could have played better in a few of his games, but similarly anyone who says he's to blame for Portugal not going further is just wrong.
I actually thought the team didn't set up to get the best out of him at the beginning (during the first 2 matches). And not until they were playing against Holland, where Ronaldo started to 'command' his teammates to play him the ball more in order to progress further. That's all went well until they finally lost out to Spain in the semi.
 

SportingCP96

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They beat Denmark, Czech Republic and a Holland side who lost to everyone (including Denmark). Basically what you'd expect which is what Portugal have always done in the last three tournaments, they beat who they should beat and then lose when they face someone better than them. I think the 2nd best player in the world should be stepping up so they can win some of those games against Germany, Spain and Brazil, but whenever Portugal do run into top class opposition (or even just opposition better than them) Ronaldo's never made that step up.
2nd best player in the world ? i thought we were talking about Ronaldo not Messi :)
 

SportingCP96

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Wouldn't it be the other way around?

Didn't he go two years without scoring for the national team recently?
it was one and that was when we had Queiroz as a manager who was horrible the moment Paulo Bento went their he returned to him self regardless if you get his stats in the last 4-5 years you will see a much bigger improvement in his goals per games
 

barros

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Wait, what?

They lost in 2nd round in 2010 and the quarter finals in 2008.

Do you even watch football?
2010 was against Spain and they lost 1-0 - Spain end up to be the World champions.
2008 lost against Germany 2-3 - Germany went to the final and lost against Spain 1-0
So wasn't bad at all when a country with 10 million people vs 81 million and 57 million people play very close games
 

mancan92

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It's a decent achievement, have no problem with that part. To say he was the reason he got that far is unfair on the rest of the team though, especially the likes of Coentrão and Pepe who were no less important than Cristiano. Is Charisteas the reason Greece won Euro 2004 or was it a great team performance? You're giving Cristiano too much credit, he was decent but he didn't single handedly drag Portugal to the semis, not at all.
If Ronaldo isnt there they arent getting to the semi's simple as that. Yes there were a couple others who performed like with every team, theres no such thing as a one man team but Ronaldo was Portugal's best player and the reason they got as far as they did. Its not a decent achievement for a team like portugal to get semi's its a great achievement.
 

Sly

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2010 was against Spain and they lost 1-0 - Spain end up to be the World champions.
2008 lost against Germany 2-3 - Germany went to the final and lost against Spain 1-0
So wasn't bad at all when a country with 10 million people vs 81 million and 57 million people play very close games
It´s funny because before every tournament we aren´t even in the favourites group and are supposed to struggle (this is the same guy whos saying we won´t make it past group stages in the Wc and that would be a first in the recent past). Now apparently the results aren´t good enough. Go figure. Looks like foreigners are more demanding than us. Of course i would want to win a tournament but our results have been fine.
 

Bob Loblaw

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If Ronaldo isnt there they arent getting to the semi's simple as that. Yes there were a couple others who performed like with every team, theres no such thing as a one man team but Ronaldo was Portugal's best player and the reason they got as far as they did. Its not a decent achievement for a team like portugal to get semi's its a great achievement.
We'll have to agree to disagree then, because I thought Coentrão was Portugal's best player and I can't be bothered repeating why Cristiano wasn't the only reason they got so far.
 

SportingCP96

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We'll have to agree to disagree then, because I thought Coentrão was Portugal's best player and I can't be bothered repeating why Cristiano wasn't the only reason they got so far.
question would Portugal have made it to the semis without Ronaldo ?
 

Bob Loblaw

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question would Portugal have made it to the semis without Ronaldo ?
Don't know. Would they have made it to the semis without Coentrão?

Were they getting there without Ronaldo?

Could they have got there without coentrao but with Ronaldo?
Maybe, maybe not. It's impossible to say, but this is what bugs me. When Cristiano's team wins, he gets ALL the credit. If they don't win, his team mates aren't good enough. It can't work both ways, he needs them as much as they need him.

I'm not saying that he wasn't a reason why they got so far, I'm saying you'd have to be a moron to think he's the only reason.
 

SportingCP96

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Don't know. Would they have made it to the semis without Coentrão?



Maybe, maybe not. It's impossible to say, but this is what bugs me. When Cristiano's team wins, he gets ALL the credit. If they don't win, his team mates aren't good enough. It can't work both ways, he needs them as much as they need him.
to answer your question yes they would have ....now dont get me wrong i agree with you that Coentrao Pepe Nani Moutinho Rui Patricio were fantastic and they were but if your going to sit here and say that Portugal would have made it to the semis without Ronaldo i dont agree with that at all he was great in the Euro yes he faltered vs Germany but he stepped up when his country needed him most as he did vs Sweden this year and had he had scoring shoes on Portugal could have been in the final of that Euro
 

Sly

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Don't know. Would they have made it to the semis without Coentrão?
Im a big fan of Coentrão and he is our first decent left back in more than 30 years. Along with Striker, it was always one of our major flaws. We fixed that one but regarding strikers it doesn´t seems we are getting a decent option soon (unless we pull a "Diego Costa" like Spain but even a Negredo level striker would be amazing for us).
 

Bob Loblaw

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to answer your question yes they would have ....now dont get me wrong i agree with you that Coentrao Pepe Nani Moutinho Rui Patricio were fantastic and they were but if your going to sit here and say that Portugal would have made it to the semis without Ronaldo i dont agree with that at all he was great in the Euro yes he faltered vs Germany but he stepped up when his country needed him most as he did vs Sweden this year and had he had scoring shoes on Portugal could have been in the final of that Euro
I never said they would have got there without him, I'm saying it's literally impossible to know whether they'd get there without any of their key players. That applies to Cristiano just as it applies to Coentrão or anyone else.

I think that's irrelevant though, my issue isn't whether Portugal would have made it to the semis without Cristiano, it's that it's complete nonsense to say he's the only reason why.
 

anchan1989

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Portugal did great for such a "small" country. Euro 2004/final, world cup 2006/4th, Euro 2008/quarters,lost against Germany, world cup 2010/first KO round vs Spain,Euro 2012 semis!
That is a crazy record. Only Spain and Germany are better since 2004.
 

SportingCP96

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I never said they would have got there without him, I'm saying it's literally impossible to know whether they'd get there without any of their key players. That applies to Cristiano just as it applies to Coentrão or anyone else.

I think that's irrelevant though, my issue isn't whether Portugal would have made it to the semis without Cristiano, it's that it's complete nonsense to say he's the only reason why.
i never once said he was the only reason ...but he was the main reason along with other great performances from other players
 

anchan1989

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:eek:

Sorry, that gets me mad. He was 18/19 this season and had a few good games. Ronaldo was a monster with 18. One or two levels above him. What did he do the last months? Barely played. And if he would be soo good already he would have played more.
The English media and their need to have the best in England. I hope that he has a great career. But atm all around the world they laugh about certain papers. And now this "he is the best paid youngster in the world". What is a youngster? Is he really. And even if. What does that mean. Its soo annoying.
 

Bader

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Sorry, that gets me made. He was 18/19 this season and had a few good games. Ronaldo was a monster with 18. One or two levels above him. What did he do the last months? Barely played. And if he would be soo good already he would have played more.
The English media and their need to have the best in England. I hope that he has a great career. But atm all around the world they laugh about certain papers. And now this "he is the best paid youngster in the world". What is a youngster? Is he really. And even if. What does that mean. Its soo annoying.
No, You make me made.

Ronaldo and Januzaj were handled perfectly by Fergie and Januzaj by playing them at the right times. Both were skinny, but Ronaldo had more experience in first team level with sporting. Januzaj was better than Valencia and Young, your argument of 'if he was better then he would of played more' is stupid. There is a reason why both of them played a certain amount of games: don't let them become big-headed, not tire themselves (seen with sterling last season), make them learn from other players in their position etc.

PSG had put in a huge offer for Adnan and everyone praises him all the time, because he is so good and with huge potential. Ronaldo was not levels above adnan in vision at all! Ronaldo could not put his head up and pass in the first season and would get tackled all the time.
 

anchan1989

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No, You make me made.

Ronaldo and Januzaj were handled perfectly by Fergie and Januzaj by playing them at the right times. Both were skinny, but Ronaldo had more experience in first team level with sporting. Januzaj was better than Valencia and Young, your argument of 'if he was better then he would of played more' is stupid. There is a reason why both of them played a certain amount of games: don't let them become big-headed, not tire themselves (seen with sterling last season), make them learn from other players in their position etc.
Sorry, anyone has his opinion and you can have yours. But he was/is just not that good already imo. Talentwise he is, maybe, better then anyone you have on his positions. But not now. The 19year old is a fine player who can have good games but I never saw a game where I was blown away. And he is not soo young anymore also. Will be 19 1/2 when next season starts. Ronaldo, Messi, Götze, the highest level of U20 players is just a level or 2 above his U20 time, won titles as main players, had big scoring runs, and so on.
But that doesnt mean that he cant be better or as good as them. I never said that. No need to be aggressive. But I stay with my point. The U20 Januzaj hasnt done anything that impressed me deeply.
 

Nighteyes

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Sorry, that gets me mad. He was 18/19 this season and had a few good games. Ronaldo was a monster with 18. One or two levels above him. What did he do the last months? Barely played. And if he would be soo good already he would have played more.
The English media and their need to have the best in England. I hope that he has a great career. But atm all around the world they laugh about certain papers. And now this "he is the best paid youngster in the world". What is a youngster? Is he really. And even if. What does that mean. Its soo annoying.


Januzaj has been as good as Ronaldo was when he was 18 if not better.
 

JazzG

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Sorry, that gets me mad. He was 18/19 this season and had a few good games. Ronaldo was a monster with 18. One or two levels above him. What did he do the last months? Barely played. And if he would be soo good already he would have played more.
The English media and their need to have the best in England. I hope that he has a great career. But atm all around the world they laugh about certain papers. And now this "he is the best paid youngster in the world". What is a youngster? Is he really. And even if. What does that mean. Its soo annoying.
You sure about that?
 

MrMarcello

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Im a big fan of Coentrão and he is our first decent left back in more than 30 years. Along with Striker, it was always one of our major flaws. We fixed that one but regarding strikers it doesn´t seems we are getting a decent option soon (unless we pull a "Diego Costa" like Spain but even a Negredo level striker would be amazing for us).
Even a Brian McBride level striker would be. ;)
 

MrMarcello

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Sorry, that gets me mad. He was 18/19 this season and had a few good games. Ronaldo was a monster with 18. One or two levels above him. What did he do the last months? Barely played. And if he would be soo good already he would have played more.
The English media and their need to have the best in England. I hope that he has a great career. But atm all around the world they laugh about certain papers. And now this "he is the best paid youngster in the world". What is a youngster? Is he really. And even if. What does that mean. Its soo annoying.
I'd probably agree that Ronaldo was the bigger talent and arguably the better impact at comparable ages. But Ronaldo was also massively infuriating and wildly inconsistent. He didn't turn that page into greatness, and harness that talent, until the second half of 2006. For United at least.
 

anchan1989

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I'd probably agree that Ronaldo was the bigger talent and arguably the better impact at comparable ages. But Ronaldo was also massively infuriating and wildly inconsistent. He didn't turn that page into greatness, and harness that talent until the second half of 2006.
Very true. But he had those games where he was a force of nature. Januzaj hadnt much playing time in a crumbling United team. If you talk in Germany about him many say; "The next PL hyped player".
But I didnt want to attack anyone here. Im just tired of the English media where anyone in the PL is a world star and a Lewandowski is doubt till he scores 4 against Real. Slightly overstated, but just. ;)
 

SportingCP96

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Erm...I am talking about Ronaldo at 18 not when he was at his peak. Januzaj is more influential and overall just as good as Ronaldo at a similar age.
there were clips of him at that age like i said i could not find a particular video i was looking for ......more influential and just as good ok ... Ronaldo at 18 tormented Manchester United all but on his own at 19 he had a big role in Portugal reaching the Final of the Euros Ronaldo did things with the ball at 18 that Januzaj cant do ( im a big fan of Januzaj btw i think he is a great talent but a lot of people keep trying to overhype him )
 

Blasphemy

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?

For United that's definitely the case.
:houllier: Ronaldo was already electric at 18, he was a bit inconsistent but he was well, well ahead of Januzaj.

I thought the nut jobs saying Januzaj's the best 18 year old ever and better than Messi and Ronaldo at that age had all been shown how ridiculous they are?


Januzaj's never had a game for us close to that level, not to mention what a huge stage it was on.
 

Nighteyes

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:houllier: Ronaldo was already electric at 18, he was a bit inconsistent but he was well, well ahead of Januzaj.

I thought the nut jobs saying Januzaj's the best 18 year old ever and better than Messi and Ronaldo at that age had all been shown how ridiculous they are?
He was more dynamic but Januzaj quite blatantly has a better football brain and is very influential.

Messi was light years ahead of everyone and I am sure no one has said otherwise. Ronaldo wasn't.
 

Nanderson

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They're just different players. Ronaldo was more explosive and had more flair. Januzaj is deceptively fast but not at the level Ronaldo was at. However Januzaj is more technical and a better passer, and less wasteful. I don't think he has the talent that Ronaldo had but he's a serious talent and can go on to be a world class player without a doubt.
 

Blasphemy

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He was more dynamic but Januzaj quite blatantly has a better football brain and is very influential.
Watch that FA Cup final. Ronaldo was our best player and the player we looked too to make everything happen creatively and that's in an FA Cup final with everyone fit. Yeah, Januzaj's been excellent and our most creative player against lower end teams, but when everyone is fit he's not even a first XI player at this point and that's in a failed team finishing 7th, not a team who finished 3rd and won the FA Cup.

As for footballing brain, one of Januzaj's biggest weaknesses right now is his decision making on the field. He's got loads of talent and ability but very frequently his decision making gives his age and inexperience away.

Someone like Fabregas is a player who had a brilliant footballing brain in his teens.

Messi was light years ahead of everyone and I am sure no one has said otherwise. Ronaldo wasn't.
There was actually quite a fair few posts saying they don't remember Messi or Ronaldo being this good, some even said that no one had been as good at 18 (apparently they hadn't heard of Pele).
 
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