Goal-wise his season at Barca is the only season which puts him in GOAT discussion. In the last 20 years or so, I think only Messi in 2012 had a better year.
He scored 7 goals for Internin 02 because he was injured for the whole year (yet still managed to come back just before the WC and win the golden boot, scoring in the final), and his best season at Barca was famously 47 goals. At about 19 years old. But never mind, he was poor at the end of his career at Milan so hey.
Good post.
Yeah, I agree with your post in general, just 2 World Cups seemed wrong somehow. Alongside Pele he is the best teenager that the football had ever seen, and even after all of his injuries he still stays the best player of his generation.
That is extremely debatable, considering Zidane's status. I think that the debate on Ronaldo vs Zidane is as close as Messi vs Ronaldo, and more like a matter of preference. It is that close.
Just to reiterate this:
Not for me.
On his one fantastic season at Inter, he was outscored in the league from Oliver Bierhoff who was playing for Udinese. Now there is no shame to be outscored from Bierhoff - he was an excellent striker - and anyone would say that Ronaldo had a better year. However, does anyone think that Messi or Cristiano (playing for that strong Inter) would have been outscored from Bierhoff playing for Udinese? I just cannot see that. He also didn't have assists in double digits and wasn't in top 10 at it, something that Cristiano and Messi do it all the time.Just to reiterate this:
Transfermarkd club/team value of all teams in La Liga. Nothing definite of course but the gulf is staggering.
If you include Atletico as well - three clubs are worth as 60% of the whole league.
When Fenomeno was tearing it apart in Seria A, Milan finished 10th with players like Maldini, Weah, Costacurta, Desailly, Boban, Kluivert, Savicevic etc..
It is for many though. I would say that Luis was slightly better, but there is a strong argument that Zidane was slightly better.
Maradona rarely made it to double figures if you discount penalties in the 80's and Aldo Serena outscored van Basten at his peak. That doesn't really change much tho. It happens from time to time
You have to count that Bierhoff usually faced one or two center backs and Ronaldo was man-marked from the game by 2 or even 3 players at once, who kicked him for 90 minutes. You see how Messi featured for Argentina in the same role — a leader in a talented, but broken team who constantly has 2 or 3 people on him at all time... and Ronaldo looked better. I mean Messi got outscored by not only Kane and Lukaku, but also by the likes of Cheryshev and Son, if we're continuing with that comparison
But he didn't have such a career, so it's a pointless hypothetical.
Maradona was not a striker though. And for Luis, it didn't happen from time to time. It happened most of the time. He won the golden shoe of the country he was playing on, only 3 times. He was always in top 2 (or at worst top 3 when in Inter) team in the country.Maradona rarely made it to double figures if you discount penalties in the 80's and Aldo Serena outscored van Basten at his peak. That doesn't really change much tho. It happens from time to time
Ronaldo and Messi are doubled and tripled too, and gets kicked all the time.
Indeed, he's in most people (in the right mind)'s top 2
The problem is only assessing it on goals. Ronaldo was arguably even better in 1997/98 at Inter than he was at Barcelona, despite scoring many fewer. It's not just the numbers of goals that were scored, it is the quality of them. They were more challenging to score because the supporting cast was so much weaker, the opposition so much stronger, and the environment much less attacker friendly. It's the same challenge that faced Van Basten a few years earlier. I suspect if you threw Messi or Cristiano into that environment, they would have the same struggles for consistency of impact that they have in international football and major tournaments.
Let's be fair, they were Inter. They were hardly a nothing team. Yep, Inter was mismanaged and Moratti was a moron, but still it was quite a good team.
Luiz Ronaldo's best ever season is about on par with Cristiano's worst in the last 10 years.Not really. His best ever season (or best two ever seasons) are at least comparable with Cristiano's best seasons.
I guess that already makes him an elite player.
Do you ever stop for air? Or are your lips surgically attached to Cristiano's ass on a permanent basis?
I guess that already makes him an elite player.
I've had this argument too many times, what did Luiz win in this supposed best season? How many did he score?
Out with the logic and in with the playground insults. It's the anti-Cristiano brigade again.
2 world cups and became the all time leading scorer of the tournament is good going. It isnt an argument where you go "if he'd have stayed fit he could have won THIS." He had a all-time great career. The argument is imagine what he'd have done on top of that.
But you cannot base the entire argument on that, right? If the player who scores most is the better player, then you have to accept that Salah this season was better than Ronaldo in 2008.
I guess that already makes him an elite player.
2 World cup, one where he features for a grand ZERO minute. *round of applause, David May CL winner*
You've conveniently ignored my other question.
Neither were Zico or Platini, but they scored 19/20, yet Maradona managed only 15 in terms of highest number whilst at Napoli.
Ah, yes, because you've responded so well to logic in the past.Out with the logic and in with the playground insults. It's the anti-Cristiano brigade again.
Kleberson also won a WC
You also have to remember Seria A / defending in general was much better back then also. Teams were happy winning 1-0, these days it wouldn't be accepted.
Di Stefano has also won 5 CL's, plus he actually played a part in all his finals. What's your point? Trophies are an awful way to judge a player in an 11-a-side sport.
Ronaldo won nothing in 2012-2013 and scored less goals than Messi, but won Ballon D'Or. Should by your logic remove that Ballon D'Or from him and give to Messi, because you know, he won trophies and scored more.You've conveniently ignored my other question.
The previous season (without him) they finished 6 points off the top. The season with him they finished 5 points off the top. So, they were hardly dogshit.
