André Dominguez
Full Member
How could I forget Paulo Futre?
Baggio was a beautiful dribbler, not seen him mentioned in this thread(apologies if incorrect) but he was a special talent, super quick running with the ball before his injuries piled up and then late career dropping deep Baggio looks uncannily like Scholes in some elements of his play.
Laudrup is a great mention as well, gorgeous footballer. A guy like Laudrup is why I think inane shite like top 10 lists and GOAT nonsense is so pointless, football has just far too much depth of talent historically, he probably wouldn't get a mention, but he loses very little to guys like Cruyff, Platini, Gullit, Iniesta and Zidane.
A great thing about this thread is just how many different styles have been mentioned.
Bobski already gave your answer but pretty much yeah, he was impeccable.Wasn't young Del Piero a physical beast when he was young? I remember reading here that before his injury he used to be very strong and highly explosive and adapted his playstyle afterwards
Série A physio doctors were encouraged to explore new techniques to reduce the recovery time from injuries. Unfortunatelly for some players those speed recoveries led to premature career endings.He was, great acceleration, both on and off the bull and proper bull strength at times from a smaller man. Add that to his superb technique, creative passing and football brain and you had a guy with a shout to be seen as the worlds best player between 88 and 94. Constant knee injuries though.
Edit, how the hell did I read Del Piero as Baggio in the above post. Can't blame alcohol, long ass week.
Where the feck did you crop up fromAll babies every where....
Terrible take, what’s the point of the entire academic field of history by that logic. The question was ‘all time’. It wasn’t ‘your time’. It’s ‘all’. I think it’s the opposite, you’re being historically ignorant by choosing to ignore players just because they’re older than you.How anyone can have Giggs on a GOAT dribbler list is crazy. In recent times Zidane, R9 (a literal nutmeg machine) and Ronaldinho should be on most top 5 lists together with Messi and Maradona. I think Bergkamp gets to few mentions here too.
I'm a young lad in my late 40s so can't say I've watched Garrincha, Best and the other oldies enough to put them on any list. Really can't understand how anyone under 60 can put Best on a list or anyone under 80 can mention Garrincha really....
Laudrup was the player Iniesta based his game on and looked up to. “The Ballon D'or is worth nothing because Michael Laudrup never won it.” -Pep GuardiolaLaudrup is a great mention as well, gorgeous footballer. A guy like Laudrup is why I think inane shite like top 10 lists and GOAT nonsense is so pointless, football has just far too much depth of talent historically, he probably wouldn't get a mention, but he loses very little to guys like Cruyff, Platini, Gullit, Iniesta and Zidane..
Where the feck did you crop up from
Barnes is a great shoutJohn Barnes was the best dribbler in English football in the mid to late 80s by far
Laudrup was the player Iniesta based his game on and looked up to. “The Ballon D'or is worth nothing because Michael Laudrup never won it.” -Pep Guardiola
Laudrup went from a continous title winning run with Barce to Real to batter Barce when playing for Real mainly due to himself.
Lionel Messi, although to be fair, he’s just the best at football.
Yeah I mean the fecker doesn't even do elasticos
Pretty damn close.Maradonna, Cruyff and Best.
Only online do you find someone laughing hysterically at a perfectly reasonable statement. Just never happens when discussing stuff face to face with people
Yeah I mean the fecker doesn't even do elasticos
Robben typically used one shoulder drop and then relied on his acceleration. No doubt he knows his way around a football, but even in his own team, Ribery had more tricks up his sleeve, Thiago had more ball control when watching them do the Rondo.Messi, Maradona, Best, Ronaldinho, Robben
You have the choice of giving the ball to Robben, or Ribery, with the sole aim of them beating their man with dribbling, and the man you pass to is Robben. To me a great dribbler is a highlights reel of beaten defenders, in match after match after match. Everyone knew what Robben was gonna do, no-one could stop him.Robben typically used one shoulder drop and then relied on his acceleration. No doubt he knows his way around a football, but even in his own team, Ribery had more tricks up his sleeve, Thiago had more ball control when watching them do the Rondo.
For me it is hands down Ronaldinho, a class above everyone else in terms of what he could do with a football.
Messi in his prime was easily better than Hazard at any point and quite certainly neither relied on pace. More like acceleration coupled with close control.Not including the likes of Pele and Garrincha from the days of amateur football in the 50’s and 60’s, impossible to judge the level vs. static defenders from what we are used to nowadays.
Two kinds of dribblers of course, the pure stuff and the pacy stuff. Ronaldinho was the man when it came to just fool everyone, then you have players like Messi and Hazard doing it with pace, as well as Cristiano when he was at United (creating his own kind of game). Lots of excellent players who could be on this list, that’s for sure. Ribery and Robben have to be included as well.
Messi easily better than both.Greatest dribblers I’ve ever watched has to be a coin toss between R9 and R10. Can’t talk about people I haven’t seen.
Interms of freestyle tricks, Ronaldinho was fantastic. But in terms of pure dribbling Messi was better unquestionably.Robben typically used one shoulder drop and then relied on his acceleration. No doubt he knows his way around a football, but even in his own team, Ribery had more tricks up his sleeve, Thiago had more ball control when watching them do the Rondo.
For me it is hands down Ronaldinho, a class above everyone else in terms of what he could do with a football.
Good post but we need names!Impossible to nail it down to one player, I'd say.
There are too many variables.
But - for me - the greatest dribblers do not rely on speed. The art of dribbling is about two things: remain in possession and/or gaining some kind of positional advantage (the latter doesn't have to amount to beating your man, as such, it could be about getting a pass or a cross or a shot in that a less skillful player wouldn't manage, because he'd lose control of the ball).
The greatest dribblers have to strike a balance between those two aspects - not losing possession can be rather pointless in and of itself.
Hm.Good post but we need names!
Fair enough. Would be interested to see your top 10.Hm.
O' Shea for his meggin' of Figo means he's top of the list.
But seriously - some kind of Top 10 thing...I'll think about it.
It would have to be "in no particular order", though.
You have the choice of giving the ball to Robben, or Ribery, with the sole aim of them beating their man with dribbling, and the man you pass to is Robben. To me a great dribbler is a highlights reel of beaten defenders, in match after match after match. Everyone knew what Robben was gonna do, no-one could stop him.