How good was Ronaldo #9?

Moonwalker

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Again, numbers don't make a player. Vardy could score 60 this season and he'd be a good PL striker at best.
If you compare Iniesta vs. C. Ronaldo, the latter has clearly the better numbers, but the former is clearly the better player. The same with Ronaldo.
Shades of Scholesy right there.
 

The Red Thinker

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Let's put it this way... He had Cristiano's pace, power and speed. Coupled with Messi's dribbling, finishing and technique.

A complete and utter freak of nature. He made football Larger than life. A true footballing icon.
 

devil in me

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The best player I've ever seen and I include messi in that. His year at Barca/first year at Inter were incredible. Would be the undisputed greatest ever if it wasn't for injuries, in my humble opinion.
 

UweBein

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Shades of Scholesy right there.
No, it's just I've been socialized in german football where there were always players who put up great numbers while they weren't even called up for the national team. And no-one was talking them up. They were good player, but not amongst the very good or best players.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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A stronger, slightly faster, less skillful Messi.

He's had a bigger impact on the sport than Ronaldo/Messi though. His playing days coincided with the booming television broadcast all over the world, really brought a lot of people to love football.
 

IFC 1905

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A stronger, slightly faster, less skillful Messi.

He's had a bigger impact on the sport than Ronaldo/Messi though. His playing days coincided with the booming television broadcast all over the world, really brought a lot of people to love football.

I think Messi has a bigger impact nowadays, reaching other sports aswell and with the social media boom all over the place.

But just like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo had a great impact on football



:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool:
 

InfiniteBoredom

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I think Messi has a bigger impact nowadays, reaching other sports aswell and with the social media boom all over the place.

But just like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo had a great impact on football



:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool:
Maybe it's memories playing tricks on me, but during those days wherever I went, people know about Ronaldo, old and young, male and female alike whereas nowadays despite the constant media exposure, I'm yet to feel the same awe and passion towards Messi outside of football fans.

One thing also to bear in mind is his life was much more colorful than Messi's, sleeping with trannies Etc...
 

Cal?

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Maybe it's memories playing tricks on me, but during those days wherever I went, people know about Ronaldo, old and young, male and female alike whereas nowadays despite the constant media exposure, I'm yet to feel the same awe and passion towards Messi outside of football fans.

One thing also to bear in mind is his life was much more colorful than Messi's, sleeping with trannies Etc...
If you want to talk about media exposure, surely Cristiano beats both.
 

JPRouve

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So you're essentially say you're ignoring all facts on the number of goals, trophies won, etc etc and simply basing your opinion on who was the more aesthetically pleasing?
I understand the logic but don't you think that there is more than numbers in football, otherwise C.Ronaldo is a far inferior player than Bican, Di Stefano, Pelé and others.
 

Cal?

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I understand the logic but don't you think that there is more than numbers in football, otherwise C.Ronaldo is a far inferior player than Bican, Di Stefano, Pelé and others.
Of course there's more than numbers (the quality of the opposition for one), but the only factors the Luiz Ronaldo side have been able to put up seems to be "talent" and "aesthetically pleasing" when compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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If you want to talk about media exposure, surely Cristiano beats both.
It's not simply a matter of people knowing their names, but actually interested and follow the sport due to that recognition.

CR7 is like DB7, many know of them through their other activities and assume they are the best player in football.
 

Joga Bonito

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I don't get all the comparisons with Messi, they were different types of players and I'd say Messi is better. I think the closest comparison in terms of playing style would be Eusébio and the frightening aspect was that, not only did he have Eusébio's physicality (albeit to a lesser extent) and the mind-blowing explosiveness, he also allied with unbelievable close-control and trickery generally associated with fleet-footed wingers. It was such a deadly cocktail and he was truly fearsome to behold at his peak, with his ability to strike fear into the entire defensive back line and his sheer deadliness.

Marcelo Lippi said:
Coaches recommended a second defensive line against him because everyone had the impression that Ronaldo would be able to lose his marker, whether it was with a sprint, or facing a defender directly.
Butragueno said:
A decisive player. It does not matter where he receives the ball. 50 meters from goal? It does not matter. In the last 25 meters there is no player like him in the world, with his demolishing finishing capacity
Ultimately, his injuries robbed him of the chance to be considered amongst greats of the game such as Maradona, Pelé, Cruyff etc but he is surely one of the greatest forwards to ever play the game, alongside the likes of Müller, van Basten, Eusébio etc.
 

Cal?

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It's not simply a matter of people knowing their names, but actually interested and follow the sport due to that recognition.

CR7 is like DB7, many know of them through their other activities and assume they are the best player in football.
That's a fair point, but LR had the same advantage that CR7 has in being Nike's main star.
 

JPRouve

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Of course there's more than numbers (the quality of the opposition for one), but the only factors the Luiz Ronaldo side have been able to put up seems to be "talent" and "aesthetically pleasing" when compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.
To me they are in the same bracket but I prefer Ronaldo, I feel that Ronaldo is tactically easier to work with than Cristiano Ronaldo. But that's subjective.
 

Cal?

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To me they are in the same bracket but I prefer Ronaldo, I feel that Ronaldo is tactically easier to work with than Cristiano Ronaldo. But that's subjective.
That's fine, and I have no problem with people saying they think L Ronaldo could have been better if he didn't get all those injuries.

I just can't see how anyone can objectively still think L Ronaldo was the better player given the way their respectively careers have turned out.
 

Mciahel Goodman

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C. Ronaldo has the better stats, and will go down as an all time great as well. Both undeniably brilliant, but whereas I'd give to nod to Messi over Brazilian Ronaldo due to consistency, I wouldn't do the same for Cristiano. Given the option to have either of the two up front at their prime, I'd go for Brazilian Ronaldo every time.
 

Cal?

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C. Ronaldo has the better stats, and will go down as an all time great as well. Both undeniably brilliant, but whereas I'd give to nod to Messi over Brazilian Ronaldo due to consistency, I wouldn't do the same for Cristiano. Given the option to have either of the two up front at their prime, I'd go for Brazilian Ronaldo every time.
If you owned a football club, and you had the chance to sign L Ronaldo (around 1994) or C Ronaldo (around 2004), somehow knowing the injuries they'll suffer in the next 10 years.

Are you honestly going to say you'd sign L Ronaldo?
 

kouroux

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What I also liked about Ronaldo9, even after his injuries, is his killer instinct in front of keepers. More often than not in 1V1 duel you would see him attempting to put the keeper on the floor before scoring inside an empty goal. That is how confident he was he would dribble past the keeper and if you were to watch many of his goals during his entire, it's a type of goals he's scored often.
 

Gol123

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If you owned a football club, and you had the chance to sign L Ronaldo (around 1994) or C Ronaldo (around 2004), somehow knowing the injuries they'll suffer in the next 10 years.

Are you honestly going to say you'd sign L Ronaldo?
Depends on who I have around them.
 

Mciahel Goodman

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If you owned a football club, and you had the chance to sign L Ronaldo (around 1994) or C Ronaldo (around 2004), somehow knowing the injuries they'll suffer in the next 10 years.

Are you honestly going to say you'd sign L Ronaldo?
Well, that's a piss easy decision. C. Ronaldo wins for consistency. I mean in terms of a one-off game, and who I'd think would be more effective. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Messi are probably the best individual players I've seen in my lifetime. All capable of completely winning the game by themselves. Likes of Zidane also, but harder to compare.
 

Cal?

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Well, that's a piss easy decision. C. Ronaldo wins for consistency. I mean in terms of a one-off game, and who I'd think would be more effective. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Messi are probably the best individual players I've seen in my lifetime. All capable of completely winning the game by themselves. Likes of Zidane also, but harder to compare.
As if Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't done that enough in the past 8 years...

Anyway, each to their own.
 

Vialli_92

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@Cal? I just don't rate C.Ronaldo that highly maybe I am unfair to him but I genuinely think he has been over rated.

R9 even when he was no where near his peak was still a phenomenal player and dragged Brazil to the WC victory in 2002.

Cr7 was just a couple of levels below R9 and I personally don't think it's a close contest.
 

Mciahel Goodman

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@Cal? I just don't rate C.Ronaldo that highly maybe I am unfair to him but I genuinely think he has been over rated.

R9 even when he was no where near his peak was still a phenomenal player and dragged Brazil to the WC victory in 2002.

Cr7 was just a couple of levels below R9 and I personally don't think it's a close contest.
I wouldn't say he's been overrated, because his goal stats are phenomenal. I just think that L.Ronaldo had more about him. Or put another way, L.Ronaldo 96-99 was better than C.Ronaldo from 11-15 imo. Goal stats will say otherwise, but the game has changed to the point where defenders are almost all attack minded. The game was also more even back then, no clubs held hegemony over others like it is today with Barca, Bayern and Real.
 

fontaine

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Very very similar to jonah lomu, even the haircut and short careers. the power, size, and to have the pace and technique he had at that size was incredible. The much better Ronaldo.
And a bit like Randy Moss too, for people that know NFL. Insane prime, but it was short.
 

BobbyManc

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A stronger, slightly faster, less skillful Messi.

He's had a bigger impact on the sport than Ronaldo/Messi though. His playing days coincided with the booming television broadcast all over the world, really brought a lot of people to love football.
Virtually every interview you see with forwards in today's game will mention Ronaldo as their inspiration as a kid, the player they aspired to be most. His impact has certainly been immense.
 

VorZakone

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@Cal? I just don't rate C.Ronaldo that highly maybe I am unfair to him but I genuinely think he has been over rated.

R9 even when he was no where near his peak was still a phenomenal player and dragged Brazil to the WC victory in 2002.

Cr7 was just a couple of levels below R9 and I personally don't think it's a close contest.
Dude, come on. We're talking about Cristiano Ronaldo here who scored 42 goals in the PL at the age of 22 to 23. A player who also won 2 CL's, got a CL goal record, has a 1 goal per game ratio for 6 seasons running at Real Madrid. His peak might be less good than Ronaldo #9 but I find it hard to believe that Cristiano is 'a couple of levels' below.
 

fontaine

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You just agreed with me, my point is people are rating him based on him remaining fit, but he didn't. Therefore, Cristiano Ronaldo has had the much better career and is the much better player.
Cristiano had the better career, but Ronaldo9 was the better player. I know, sounds weird.. but if your life is on the line, and you need to win the game, I'd say 99% of people here pick Luis Ronaldo.
 

Vialli_92

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I wouldn't say he's been overrated, because his goal stats are phenomenal. I just think that L.Ronaldo had more about him. Or put another way, L.Ronaldo 96-99 was better than C.Ronaldo from 11-15 imo. Goal stats will say otherwise, but the game has changed to the point where defenders are almost all attack minded. The game was also more even back then, no clubs held hegemony over others like it is today with Barca, Bayern and Real.
Teams hardly know how to defend anymore and its mostly a monopoly now of the big teams hoarding all the talent.

In the 90's lots of teams had world class players spread out so the competition was tougher especially in Serie A when Ronaldo played at Inter.

He was unplayable in his prime and put the fear of God into the opposition.
 

Vialli_92

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Dude, come on. We're talking about Cristiano Ronaldo here who scored 42 goals in the PL at the age of 22 to 23. A player who also won 2 CL's, got a CL goal record, has a 1 goal per game ratio for 6 seasons running at Real Madrid. His peak might be less good than Ronaldo #9 but I find it hard to believe that Cristiano is 'a couple of levels' below.
Stats wise yes he has insanely high numbers that seem unbelievable.

As a player he is not in the same league as Messi, R9 or even Zidane for that matter.

Those guys could drag their teams to victory when the going got tough and their team looked to someone to bail them out.

Cr7 can not do this and when his team have their backs up against the wall he is no where to be seen.

At United he was genuinely exciting but very inconsistent as well despite all the goals.

He was given complete freedom to do what he wanted without having a care in the world about helping the team.

Man United sacrificed a hell of a lot to get the most out of him which credit to Fergusson did work out very well in the end.

He is an efficient finisher with very good positioning but he can not win matches on his own and hasn't been able to for a long time.
 

Mciahel Goodman

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Teams hardly know how to defend anymore and its mostly a monopoly now of the big teams hoarding all the talent.

In the 90's lots of teams had world class players spread out so the competition was tougher especially in Serie A when Ronaldo played at Inter.

He was unplayable in his prime and put the fear of God into the opposition.
I agree with most of this -- I'd just add that whatever inflation C.Ronaldo has in terms of goals scored in an era when defence isn't exactly brilliant, he's still an all time great. His desire to score goals is just ridiculous.
 

fontaine

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Teams hardly know how to defend anymore and its mostly a monopoly now of the big teams hoarding all the talent.

In the 90's lots of teams had world class players spread out so the competition was tougher especially in Serie A when Ronaldo played at Inter.

He was unplayable in his prime and put the fear of God into the opposition.
Exactly. His Inter side was shambles, and he managed to morally "win" Serie A in his first season against Juventus, who were far superior squad. I say that because in the deciding match, the ref doesn't blow the whistle on a clear penalty on him. And we all know that Juve got relegated years later .....

I mean, look at his teammates..


Pagliuca

Fresi
Taribo West
Colonnese
Zanetti

Moriero
Winter
Zé Elias
Cauet

Djorkaeff
Ronaldo

Cristiano never had to spend his prime playing with this utter dross, and Ronaldo to me morally won Serie A in 97-98 with this absurdly average team against an all-time great Juve with Del Piero, Zidane, Davids, Inzaghi etc

Instead he plays on a very stacked Madrid team that can just bag goals for fun, and he still only one 1 La Liga in 8 possible.
 

Fergus' son

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@Cal? I just don't rate C.Ronaldo that highly maybe I am unfair to him but I genuinely think he has been over rated.

R9 even when he was no where near his peak was still a phenomenal player and dragged Brazil to the WC victory in 2002.

Cr7 was just a couple of levels below R9 and I personally don't think it's a close contest.

I love R9 but he had some decent help around him, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho namely.