Nordic Ghost Yeti | Haaland at City

Stacks

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
10,905
Location
Between a rock and Gibraltar
I mean you're the one saying that Ronaldo's quality can purely be measured in goals scored... Which is nonsense.

The Ronaldo and Messi era and what that comparison turned into has really ruined people analyzing players in the past. Just because he didn't score 50 goals every season doesn't mean he wasn't a better player. There's more to football than goal total and especially 20 years ago, there wasn't a stat obsession where teams focused on maximizing 1 player scoring all the goals.
I mean objectively both Messi and Cristiano were better. I would like to say Ronaldo but their impact on football and winning was simply higher. Cristiano won CL with United and got to another final then 3 in a row with Madrid and was always leading scorer. They played for the same club and whose impact was greater?
 

Gehrman

Phallic connoisseur, unlike shamans
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
11,117
He didn't.

A team is also about the balance. Shoehorning Beckham into CM role to get all the attackers into the XI, and sold Makelele who glued things together; that's more group of individuals than a team. It's no coincidence that Ronaldo, Zidane, Figo stopped winning anything after Makelele, Hierro sold. Real Madrid only won again when it's time to bin the Galaticos 1 project.
My bad
 

Gehrman

Phallic connoisseur, unlike shamans
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
11,117
Well the narrative is obvious to say Haaland can not be a top striker that can be mentioned along with the all time great striker like R9, Messi, or may be Henry because he can't dribble and create something out of nothing for himself, or play making for other players. Van Basten if i remember correctly wasn't that good on those front either.
Wasnt that kind a bit what Van Basten was known for? Being the complete striker in every sense of the word?
 

Skåre Willoch

Full Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
4,223
And Benzema and Lewandowski are technically extremely good and contribute much more than Haaland. Benzema especially won three UCL's as basically a playmaker with in comparison mediocre goal outputs.
And they're 35 and 34 years old. Haaland is 22. Who says he can't develop his game?
He has 8 years left of his prime. I can easily imagine he'll have a fair amount of assists as well when he retires a long time from now.
Benzema and Lewandowski changed a lot through the past 10-15 years. I reckon Haaland will develop and have different "phases" of his career, like any player.
 

jm99

New Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2011
Messages
4,667
See, in those days, you didn't just count up the volume of trophies and count up the volume of goals and then decide who was the best based off of that. Even when he went to Madrid (when he was a greatly reduced player), the superclub disparity was not what it is now. If Ronaldo played today he'd have the same number of league titles as all the top players have now.
But none of this has anything to do with the original argument where you said it was ridiculous to think haaland would have matched R9's success had he played in the same teams. Not about whether he's a better player or would have contributed more, but would he have managed the same success, and at club level the likely answer is yes, and had he been playing for Brazil in 2002 instead of Ronaldo I'd still have them as favourites
 

jm99

New Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2011
Messages
4,667
Are you saying Ronaldo didn't? Or are you being obtuse to ignore the very obvious point being made. If someone is saying Halaand would have had the same impact as Ronaldo in the same team, you have to be aware of the differences.
I'm saying that people who say haaland just relies on service from his teammates are overlooking the value of his movement to create those chances. There's a reason he's scoring at a higher rate than just about any player in modern times
 

Cassidy

No longer at risk of being mistaken for a Scouser
Joined
Oct 2, 2013
Messages
31,391
Well the narrative is obvious to say Haaland can not be a top striker that can be mentioned along with the all time great striker like R9, Messi, or may be Henry because he can't dribble and create something out of nothing for himself, or play making for other players. Van Basten if i remember correctly wasn't that good on those front either.
Please don't reply to my posts in future when you have not bothered to read, nowhere can you find me perpetuating a narrative that Haaland is not a top striker
 

Cassidy

No longer at risk of being mistaken for a Scouser
Joined
Oct 2, 2013
Messages
31,391
I'm saying that people who say haaland just relies on service from his teammates are overlooking the value of his movement to create those chances. There's a reason he's scoring at a higher rate than just about any player in modern times
In the context of a comparison to Ronaldo, its not actually being overlooked is it?
 

Zehner

Football Statistics Dork
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Messages
8,104
Location
Germany
Supports
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
No, no sir, your pay does typically equate to your importance/irreplaceability, how much better you make the team. The pay is determined by the club hierarchy (manager, owner, directors) and it is THEY whom value scoring in nearly all sports. Who are the highest paid players in football? then try basketball? Notice a pattern here? Draymond Green for all his defence and playmaking, just lost out on a max contract for a kid (Poole) because Poole is a scorer. Get me 30ppg or average 30-35 goals per season and you will
a)command the highest transfer fees
b) get paid the most

"Scoring is sweet nectar for the sport. Scoring is emotion. Scoring is victory. Scoring is life." Plato
Your paycheck is defined by supply and demand. There are lots of players who can demand more than their efforts on the pitch justify because of the commercial advantages they bring with them.

May I ask if you ever played football yourself? I think your perspective is severely limited and superficial. You also didn't address one of the arguments I brought up about goal record stats. Basketball is a very different sport to football, especially regarding scoring. I think you lack a bit of attention to the details.


And they're 35 and 34 years old. Haaland is 22. Who says he can't develop his game?
He has 8 years left of his prime. I can easily imagine he'll have a fair amount of assists as well when he retires a long time from now.
Benzema and Lewandowski changed a lot through the past 10-15 years. I reckon Haaland will develop and have different "phases" of his career, like any player.
Certainly not me.. But we're not talking about potential but about the current version of him.

By the way, Benzema and Haaland didn't change that much. Lewandowski only became more clinical at some point, he always had exceptional alround game. Same goes for Benzema - for him, it is primarily his role in the team that changed after Cristiano left. And that's also very logical since motoric abilities are developed at an early age. Gladly, I think Haaland is much better in that regard than given credit for. But as good as his final movement is, he's too invisible in the build up.
 

Cassidy

No longer at risk of being mistaken for a Scouser
Joined
Oct 2, 2013
Messages
31,391
His Barca were a super team though. Albert Ferrer, Pep, Figo (future ballon d'or winnger), Stoichkov (Balon d'or 3rd place), Laurent Blanc, Luis Enrique, Rafa Nadal's uncle, Prosinecki (scorer of a Rabona corner), De La Pena, Couto, Giovanni
Great team, ignored PSV though.
They are both quality strikers, they play differently.
No one can assume Haaland could have had the same impact at PSV and Barca, just as much as no one can say Ronaldo would have the same impact in the PL today.
They game is different today than it was then
 

Stacks

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
10,905
Location
Between a rock and Gibraltar
But none of this has anything to do with the original argument where you said it was ridiculous to think haaland would have matched R9's success had he played in the same teams. Not about whether he's a better player or would have contributed more, but would he have managed the same success, and at club level the likely answer is yes, and had he been playing for Brazil in 2002 instead of Ronaldo I'd still have them as favourites
Same. I did not think this would be controversial based on the archetype of forward that was successful during the 90s.

No, this isn't correct. His vaunted partnership with Romario in 1997 ( The Ro-Ro show) displayed his full array of abilities on, off, around the ball for himself, for his partner and playing anyone else into positions to score. It was heralded not only for the brilliance of the football but also the imagination - Ronaldo proved he could be anything needed for a strike partner in that competition and it was at this stage in his career that he was evolving into both a supplier and scorer, which was further exemplified at Inter before his knees blew out.


There are countless through-balls played in and through in a myriad of ways by Ronaldo in that vid. There's also crosses, him passing from deep (high and low) and a general display of his awareness of spatials and what to do with them outside of dribbling.

Ronaldo was actually becoming more unpredictable before the injury; it can be fairly argued that we didn't even get to see his peak.

Compilations at Inter will be even more extensive because he was doing a lot more to help the team there: wide, deep, through attacking midfield as well as being the killer forward. He was very expansive before the tragedy struck.
Think this one looks better tbh

 

Fortitude

TV/Monitor Expert
Scout
Joined
Jul 10, 2004
Messages
22,782
Location
Inside right
What's missed in such a discussion is that whole teams set up to try and contain Ronaldo. Literally no other striker active during his time (or at any other time) had that much attention and deliberation put on stopping them and them alone. Sans Van Basten, who paid a severe price being forced to retire well before his organic end.

Plenty of strikers tallied heavily, and Bierhoff outscoring him is often brought up, but nothing like the measures put in place to stop Ronaldo were applied to others.

Haaland would never have gotten the attention Ronaldo did - their paths are not alike.
 
Last edited:

Stacks

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
10,905
Location
Between a rock and Gibraltar
Great team, ignored PSV though.
They are both quality strikers, they play differently.
No one can assume Haaland could have had the same impact at PSV and Barca, just as much as no one can say Ronaldo would have the same impact in the PL today.
They game is different today than it was then
I would be very confident in Haaland destroying it as PSV. he has done at every league. Luuk Nillis scored 31 goals the year ronaldo scored 35. One could argue Nillis was better than Ronaldo if you really think deeply.
 

Fortitude

TV/Monitor Expert
Scout
Joined
Jul 10, 2004
Messages
22,782
Location
Inside right
Same. I did not think this would be controversial based on the archetype of forward that was successful during the 90s.


Think this one looks better tbh

Don't know what that should mean - you made a point of a player only ever receiving the ball after give and goes, which is evidently and factually incorrect, as the video displays.
 

Zehner

Football Statistics Dork
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Messages
8,104
Location
Germany
Supports
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
I would be very confident in Haaland destroying it as PSV. he has done at every league. Luuk Nillis scored 31 goals the year ronaldo scored 35. One could argue Nillis was better than Ronaldo if you really think deeply.
Depends on your definition of "destroying".
 

Jim Beam

Gets aroused by men in low socks
Joined
Feb 10, 2017
Messages
13,076
Location
All over the place
His Barca were a super team though. Albert Ferrer, Pep, Figo (future ballon d'or winnger), Stoichkov (Balon d'or 3rd place), Laurent Blanc, Luis Enrique, Rafa Nadal's uncle, Prosinecki (scorer of a Rabona corner), De La Pena, Couto, Giovanni
You are making it up or just putting big names without any context. Stoichkov was already in huge decline spending previous season in Parma where he was shit. Blanc was a flop. Prosinecki didn't play a single game for Barcelona that season (as he was absolute shit in the previous one) and was loaned to Sevilla in December. The rest of that group aside from Figo and Luis Enrique aren't that impressive.

This City team is much superior individually and collectively having Pep as their manager.
 

Stacks

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
10,905
Location
Between a rock and Gibraltar
Your paycheck is defined by supply and demand. There are lots of players who can demand more than their efforts on the pitch justify because of the commercial advantages they bring with them.

May I ask if you ever played football yourself? I think your perspective is severely limited and superficial. You also didn't address one of the arguments I brought up about goal record stats. Basketball is a very different sport to football, especially regarding scoring. I think you lack a bit of attention to the details.




Certainly not me.. But we're not talking about potential but about the current version of him.

By the way, Benzema and Haaland didn't change that much. Lewandowski only became more clinical at some point, he always had exceptional alround game. Same goes for Benzema - for him, it is primarily his role in the team that changed after Cristiano left. And that's also very logical since motoric abilities are developed at an early age. Gladly, I think Haaland is much better in that regard than given credit for. But as good as his final movement is, he's too invisible in the build up.
If you read my early replies I was playing competitive football during the Serie A peak level. Yes I played up to semi professional. I feel people overcomplicate football imo.
Why is the demand for high scorers so big and the supply low? is it because it is the hardest to do consistently, whilst being the most important? Even City who won the league at a canter, still bidded 130million for Kane and then signed Haaland. Basketball is similar. In fact scoring is even more important in football as you have a keeper and very few people can finish effectively past that keeper.
 

Cassidy

No longer at risk of being mistaken for a Scouser
Joined
Oct 2, 2013
Messages
31,391
I would be very confident in Haaland destroying it as PSV. he has done at every league. Luuk Nillis scored 31 goals the year ronaldo scored 35. One could argue Nillis was better than Ronaldo if you really think deeply.
See this is the problem with your analysis in the first place. The 35 in 36 and PSV and 46 in 49 at Barca was between the ages of 17-20
At the same age Haaland was playing in Norway and Austria and wasn't close to those numbers at all.

Its not a given he would have had the same impact as Ronaldo especially at that stage of his career, unfortunately for Ronaldo his injuries kicked in early, but he was a different type of freak and people clearly either do not remember or do not know this.

As for Haaland his is a phenomenal player, but we don't need to start comparing him to Ronaldo.
 

Stacks

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
10,905
Location
Between a rock and Gibraltar
You are making it up or just putting big names without any context. Stoichkov was already in huge decline spending previous season in Parma where he was shit. Blanc was a flop. Prosinecki didn't play a single game for Barcelona that season (as he was absolute shit in the previous one) and was loaned to Seville in December. The rest of that group aside from Figo and Luis Enrique aren't that impressive.

This City team is much superior individually and collectively having Pep as their manager.
Stoichkov was Balon d'or winner ony 4 years before and made Euro team of the tourney 2 years prior. Scored more than Grealish. Blanc being a flop is as relevent as Grealish being a flop. Still a great player and big name in the squad. Pep wasn't impressive? De La Pena was niiiice. Nadal and Couto are legendary defenders in my book. Giovanni was once the best player in the Brazilian league.
 

Tom Cato

Godt nyttår!
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
7,579
Which is a pretty simplistic view of football if you ask me. Goals make up such a small part of playing football. The obsession with goals always reminds me a bit of kindergarden days during which you thought the player who scored the most was the best.

Play 11 Haaland's and you win nothing. Play 11 Modric's and you still compete for the UCL.
Yes but someone still has to score goals. Lets not be so tweed and tophat. Goals are fun
 

Stacks

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
10,905
Location
Between a rock and Gibraltar
See this is the problem with your analysis in the first place. The 35 in 36 and PSV and 46 in 49 at Barca was between the ages of 17-20
At the same age Haaland was playing in Norway and Austria and wasn't close to those numbers at all.

Its not a given he would have had the same impact as Ronaldo especially at that stage of his career, unfortunately for Ronaldo his injuries kicked in early, but he was a different type of freak and people clearly either do not remember or do not know this.

As for Haaland his is a phenomenal player, but we don't need to start comparing him to Ronaldo.
I know he isn't better than Ronaldo but he would of replicated his success is all I said. he has proven a goal a game striker in all leagues along with immense, size, pace, power, finishing on both feet. disgusting
 

adedawson

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Sep 29, 2009
Messages
78
While it's evident that Haaland possesses exceptional talent, some may argue that he tends to be inconsistent in his performance. He may remain relatively inactive during certain games, but then suddenly emerge with a flurry of goals, leading to an inflated goal-scoring average. Although he's undoubtedly a skilled goal scorer, some may contend that his all-round game leaves room for improvement.
 

Zehner

Football Statistics Dork
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Messages
8,104
Location
Germany
Supports
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
If you read my early replies I was playing competitive football during the Serie A peak level. Yes I played up to semi professional. I feel people overcomplicate football imo.
Why is the demand for high scorers so big and the supply low? is it because it is the hardest to do consistently, whilst being the most important? Even City who won the league at a canter, still bidded 130million for Kane and then signed Haaland. Basketball is similar. In fact scoring is even more important in football as you have a keeper and very few people can finish effectively past that keeper.
Basketball is completely different because of so many reasons. The first is that basketball is a highscoring game - you get much more chances and it is far easier to create those chances by yourself. Attacks are also much more replicable since there are far less variables and a smaller field. There's not really an equivalent to a poacher in basketball since you create your points by plays of types that are typically attributed to playmakers in football.
And I wonder on which basis you claim that goal scorers were always in highest demand or held in the highest regard. Just a quick look at the Ballon d'Or history shows you that the best scorers were rarely if ever considered the best players - and if it was then the player usually had much more to his game than just goals. That's also backed up by the list of transfer record fees: Neymar, Mbappe, Coutinho, Felix, Enzo, Griezmann, Grealish, Lukaku, Dembele, Pogba, Hazard, Cristiano - how many of those were strikers with as little overall contribution as Haaland at the time of their moves? Probably Lukaku alone.

But you said something very good: "hardest to do consistently, whilst being the most important" - this is clearly playmaking. While I think the midfield role is the most important on the pitch, you find more players able to do the job while playmaking/chance creation is the most difficult discipline but only makes a difference when the basics are ensured.

I mean, you're free to believe what you want about Haaland but history or paycheck doesn't back your point up :) It's never been the highest goal scorers that created the highest demand, it's been the best playmakers/chance creators - often in combination with scoring but not necessarily. Nobody had van Nistelroy over Zidane, Eto'o over Ronaldinho or Müller over Beckenbauer.
 

Jim Beam

Gets aroused by men in low socks
Joined
Feb 10, 2017
Messages
13,076
Location
All over the place
Stoichkov was Balon d'or winner ony 4 years before and made Euro team of the tourney 2 years prior. Scored more than Grealish. Blanc being a flop is as relevent as Grealish being a flop. Still a great player and big name in the squad. Pep wasn't impressive? De La Pena was niiiice. Nadal and Couto are legendary defenders in my book. Giovanni was once the best player in the Brazilian league.
Only 4 years ago (and even 2 years ago) is a long time in football (ask our friend in Al-Nassr). Only previous season Stoichkov flopped in Parma which says it all. Blanc was a bigger flop than Grealish and Prosinecki didn't even play. I will give you Pep (with Figo and Luis Enrique) who was a good player in his days. The rest of them, meh.. Nadal is probably more famous for being Nadal's uncle than a football player. Couto was always error prone and erratic.

They were far from any definition of super team.
 

Zehner

Football Statistics Dork
Joined
Mar 29, 2018
Messages
8,104
Location
Germany
Supports
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Yes but someone still has to score goals. Lets not be so tweed and tophat. Goals are fun
Yeah, but if the rest isn't fun to you, football might just not be your sport since you're bored 99% of a game ;)
 

BalanceUnAutreJoint

Full Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2017
Messages
1,522
Why does he need to be "complete" when we might be looking at the most natural goalscorer in all of modern football?
No players bags goals like he does.
It doesn't matter if it's all he does because the quantity he's scoring is simply unheard of even for a poacher
 

bosnian_red

Worst scout to ever exist
Joined
Aug 13, 2011
Messages
57,994
Location
Canada
I mean objectively both Messi and Cristiano were better. I would like to say Ronaldo but their impact on football and winning was simply higher. Cristiano won CL with United and got to another final then 3 in a row with Madrid and was always leading scorer. They played for the same club and whose impact was greater?
I'm not saying Ronaldo was better than Cristiano or Messi (though peak level is similar to Cristiano, both below Messi). But you mentioned him comparison to Haaland... Come on. Haaland is a terrific poacher. He's just a pure goalscorer. But as a player, while he might set goalscoring records, he is lacking a ton to his game to actually ever get him in the greatest ever conversations. Let's not go overboard here. Haaland is excellent but he's ultimately just a pure poacher and isn't the overall player that Ronaldo was, or Mbappe currently is. These are guys who can do it all on their own whereas Haaland has great movement so he'll maximise the goals of a team given he gets the service (which he has better than anywhere at City).
 

ti vu

Full Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
Messages
12,799
But none of this has anything to do with the original argument where you said it was ridiculous to think haaland would have matched R9's success had he played in the same teams. Not about whether he's a better player or would have contributed more, but would he have managed the same success, and at club level the likely answer is yes, and had he been playing for Brazil in 2002 instead of Ronaldo I'd still have them as favourites
If playing for the same teams, then it's still not guaranteed the same success.

Ronaldo ran that PSV, Barcelona, Inter team than just scoring/attacking. Great goal scorer alone still couldn't get you as far because unlike today with lack of elite scorer, other teams in that era had great goal scorers to compete too. It's more difficult to get all the pieces together back in the days. Ronaldo is a transformative player who elevate the team all round beside goal scoring. He brought with him elite ball carrying, very good level of play making beside the forward required work.

PSV, Barcelona, Inter could have still lost those few trophies and being in worse position, with different type of forward in his place.

World Cup 2002 with Brazil maybe because Ronaldo freshly came back as more of poacher than his healthier days. However, nothing is certain even then. Ronaldo had his clutch moments. Something that can't be certain. Many great scorers, great players failed to deliver those clutch moment for their teams. It may take a bit more of chemistry with the team. Ronaldo had that chemistry. Haaland, or someone else however good they are may not have. Benzema didn't have as good chemistry with his France team for example when he's easily better player than Giroud. Benzema is no less selfless on the pitch than Giroud, too. On paper, Benzema would improve that France team in Giroud place, but reality had shown a different story.

Going back to Ronaldo era, France team revolved around Zidane. Henry did have great impact, but he's not as influential in France NT. Whenever Zidane not in form/retired, France had trouble despite their also talented packed squad, and Henry was still at his peak. Certain settings can't be easily replicated.
 
Last edited:

mshnsh

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
1,361
Location
old trafford
I don't talk about highlight as a view to assess player. I am actually complaining highlight makers who failed to capture the simpler, efficient in other part of the game.







You ignored the Carrick question?







By assist count, Gerrard>> Lampard>>> Scholes> Carrick. Xabi Alonso assist stats depressing too. Perhaps, playmaking means much more than assist count? Agree?







Ronaldo pre injury run his team attack on his own. Almost all the play goes through him, even if middle third or first third when defending set piece.







Please point out the terrible games. Your claim implied a player hindering the team and should be subbed. Ronaldo in his peak only the World Cup final came into mind. Else you need to try to prove it. I didn't have chance to watch all his games live back in the days, but if I tried I can get the games from fellow Ronaldo fanboy and proof check with your claim.
I'm big fan of R9 but he was never a playmaker although decent at the final pass. His best attributes (before injury) were is explosiveness, dribbling, power, skill, technique and goalscoring ability. His one on one's with the keeper are the best and most brilliant I have seen.

Henry had probably more vision/awareness/selflessness compared to any other striker including R9. In addition to great speed, good technique and finishing ability.

Haaland is essentially a goal poacher who is also fast and powerful. He is absolutely average at everything else.

Cristiano has been about power, pace, incredible athleticism, incredible drive and goalscoring ability be it tap ins, headers or pile drivers. His technique while very good is not Henry or R9 level, his dribbling/playmaking probably decent at best in his prime.
 

balaks

Full Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
15,335
Location
Northern Ireland
Supports
Tottenham Hotspur
He certainly is one of the best goal scorers (possibly the best) of the modern era. I wouldn't say though he is one of the best footballers in terms of skill and overall ability but you can't argue with his numbers or his physical attributes which are beastly. I wonder if he will decline a lot when he gets older and he loses that physical edge he currently has but right now he is exceptional at putting the ball in the back of the net.
 

mshnsh

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
1,361
Location
old trafford
I'm not saying Ronaldo was better than Cristiano or Messi (though peak level is similar to Cristiano, both below Messi). But you mentioned him comparison to Haaland... Come on. Haaland is a terrific poacher. He's just a pure goalscorer. But as a player, while he might set goalscoring records, he is lacking a ton to his game to actually ever get him in the greatest ever conversations. Let's not go overboard here. Haaland is excellent but he's ultimately just a pure poacher and isn't the overall player that Ronaldo was, or Mbappe currently is. These are guys who can do it all on their own whereas Haaland has great movement so he'll maximise the goals of a team given he gets the service (which he has better than anywhere at City).
R9 was absolutely a better footballer in his pre injury years than Cristiano even if the later is greater due to longevity and much more club level success.
 

Andrade

Rebuilding Expert
Joined
Mar 16, 2022
Messages
2,460
But none of this has anything to do with the original argument where you said it was ridiculous to think haaland would have matched R9's success had he played in the same teams. Not about whether he's a better player or would have contributed more, but would he have managed the same success, and at club level the likely answer is yes, and had he been playing for Brazil in 2002 instead of Ronaldo I'd still have them as favourites
Please point to where I said this?!?
 

balaks

Full Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
15,335
Location
Northern Ireland
Supports
Tottenham Hotspur
Well the narrative is obvious to say Haaland can not be a top striker that can be mentioned along with the all time great striker like R9, Messi, or may be Henry because he can't dribble and create something out of nothing for himself, or play making for other players. Van Basten if i remember correctly wasn't that good on those front either.
Woah now, Haaland isn't close to the class of Van Basten.
 

RedDevil@84

Full Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2014
Messages
21,659
Location
USA
He certainly is one of the best goal scorers (possibly the best) of the modern era. I wouldn't say though he is one of the best footballers in terms of skill and overall ability but you can't argue with his numbers or his physical attributes which are beastly. I wonder if he will decline a lot when he gets older and he loses that physical edge he currently has but right now he is exceptional at putting the ball in the back of the net.
The question is can he be stopped? Going by him blanking in multiple games this season, it seems like while he is awesome at finishing, good teams can figure out a way to stop him. We will need to see how the rest of the season goes. Maybe he will tear apart big teams as well in coming games.
 

ti vu

Full Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
Messages
12,799
An era where real Madrid won the champions league twice in three years before they signed him? For a player of his quality, one league title and no champions leagues is a very poor return at club level. Obviously he'd have won more without injuries but are you trying to suggest that Madrid wouldn't have won the league if haaland was in place of Ronaldo?
Easily suggested that.

Valencia, Barcelona was all around better, while Galaticos without Makelele and Hierro was unbalanced group of brilliant individuals. Also sacking Del Bosque to downgrade the manager position didn't help the issue.

Real Madrid problem is not goal or chance creation. It's the defensive part. Haaland certainly wouldn't fix that for them.
 

jm99

New Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2011
Messages
4,667
The post of someone who never saw Ronaldo play.
It was somebody else I quoted who said that but you said me suggesting that haaland being able to replicate Ronaldo's success could only come from someone who hadn't seen him play
 

2ndTouch

Full Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2015
Messages
2,644
Supports
Bayern München
He certainly is one of the best goal scorers (possibly the best) of the modern era. I wouldn't say though he is one of the best footballers in terms of skill and overall ability but you can't argue with his numbers or his physical attributes which are beastly. I wonder if he will decline a lot when he gets older and he loses that physical edge he currently has but right now he is exceptional at putting the ball in the back of the net.
I wonder how long it's gonna be until his body breaks. His movement patterns just reek of brutal mechnical strain. Regardless of his young age, we might see peak Haaland right now.