Wing Attack Plan R
Full Member
City, aside from DeBruyne and Haaland.
Rooney was just a much better player. Striker or not.As a striker? Drogba was utter class as a striker for a few seasons - one could, probably rightfully so, make an argument that Rooney was the better player, but not sure he was a better striker. Another argument, of course, is that Rooney was to an extent sacrified for the better of the team, but then again, Ronaldo wasn't.
I did say Stam was and Schmeichel was, but earlier in his career.Not a single player in the 99 team was world class? Irwin, Schmeichel, Stam, Becks, Scholes, Keane, Giggs were all world class players.
Immediately springs to mind. He was very good at dribbling and drawing fouls but he didn’t have the mentality of a great. That move to Real Madrid should’ve been the springboard to greatness but he flopped massively and let himself go physically. He will never be world class for me.Hazard.
No, they absolutely were World Class.The other players you listed I consider very good but just short of being world class.
Completely agree about the 99 team. That team was on an individual level very underrated. The players you mentioned were world class.I know it’s all about opinions and at times you have to take a deep breath and accept people have a different view but
Not a single player in the 99 team was world class? Irwin, Schmeichel, Stam, Becks, Scholes, Keane, Giggs were all world class players.
Rooney, not world class? I agree that when people start saying he was only behind Ronaldo and Messi, that is way overrating him…Xavi, Iniesta we’re far better, Scholes was better…but he was easily world class.
Carrick and world class don’t belong in the same sentence. I don’t think it’s ever been a mainstream opinion that Pogba was world class? Don’t know why he’s in the conversation. He’d have games where he was, he was capable in terms of talent but he never got close to it in terms of overall performance over a season or more. Still a good player though.
Do you mean the guy who played 24 seasons in Serie A for the same club (age 16-40), who Captained Roma 500+ times, who scored Serie A goals in 22 seasons in a row (double digits 13 times), 5 times Italy player of the year between 2000-2007 despite winning only one scudetto (When the likes of Zidane, Del Piero, Maldini, Zlatan, Nedved, Kaka, Cannavaro, Pirlo, Rui Costa, Crespo, Batistuta etc. also played and peaked in the same period) and world champion Totti?I think it's more because in the admittedly few games I watched him he was largely invisible, but I know Totti is very highly thought of here...
Absolutely, but Rooney's problem for me is that he was never the best in any position, but he was still a great player.Rooney was just a much better player. Striker or not.
Don’t tell me how to live my life!Please, never talk about football again
Michael Owen was a pure No.9 IMO yet never managed to score more than 20 goals in any of his active seasons as a player. As far as metrics go to judge a striker, I'd say goals is one of them. He wasn't particularly outstanding at assisting either. Good player on his day, absolutely but world class? Not for me.Cringy yes, world class in his prime.
@mods, this is tantamount to bullying. nicknames are bad names.Grimaldo.
He was one who came to mind for meRoberto Carlos.
Famous for his FKs but other than that I never considered him worthy of the plaudits he seemed to receive at the time. Certainly not compared to many of his contemporaries. One of those players who probably benefited from many games not being easily accessible live at the time and so often all we saw was the highlights. The mystique surpassed the reality.
Definitely World Class. I can't possibly understand why anyone would think he wasn't.Vidic
Well, if it was what made him famous, he's really bad, because his FKs were shitty in 95% of attempts; a bit like Ronaldo's, but with even less consistency and accuracy.Roberto Carlos.
Famous for his FKs but other than that I never considered him worthy of the plaudits he seemed to receive at the time. Certainly not compared to many of his contemporaries. One of those players who probably benefited from many games not being easily accessible live at the time and so often all we saw was the highlights. The mystique surpassed the reality.
Because he was a limited footballer that had 3 or 4 good seasons in his entire career. Depended exclusively on his physique, when it declined he was absolutely bad.Definitely World Class. I can't possibly understand why anyone would think he wasn't.
No, can't get behind this at all. He was arguably the best centre back in the world.Because he was a limited footballer that had 3 or 4 good seasons in his entire career. Depended exclusively on his physique, when it declined he was absolutely bad.
Only in the league though, which was affected by his patchy record with injuries and feeding off scraps for a defensive Houllier side. For example, he scored 36 goals for club and country in 2001/02, and 32 goals in 2002/03. Even later at Real he scored every 140 minutes, which in a more defensive era than today, was good going. He also reached 40 England goals by the age of 27 (younger than anyone else bar Greaves).Michael Owen was a pure No.9 IMO yet never managed to score more than 20 goals in any of his active seasons as a player. As far as metrics go to judge a striker, I'd say goals is one of them. He wasn't particularly outstanding at assisting either. Good player on his day, absolutely but world class? Not for me.
His tentatives to brag are some of the most pathetic things I've ever seen in football(which isn't exactly a universo known for its wit), even Griezmann is less embarassing.Ibrahimović, but I am not sure if he is truly considered world class by anyone but him. Great player sure, easy on the eye and charmingly arrogant, but only made it to one World XI in 2013 and never made it to top3 Ballon d'Or. There's been at least 5 other as good, if not better, strikers in his generation.
I also find it embarrassing, but I think it was all just a public persona and a popularity stunt, a successful one too.His tentatives to brag are some of the most pathetic things I've ever seen in football(which isn't exactly a universo known for its wit), even Griezmann is less embarassing.
Yeah, I agree with your point. Somehow this kind of thing is popular and makes the player look bold and cool in the eyes of the general public(the same happens here with Romário).I also find it embarrassing, but I think it was all just a public persona and a popularity stunt, a successful one too.
At least Romário is a politician so I can understand his hunger for the clout, and he achieved stuff Ibra can only dream ofYeah, I agree with your point. Somehow this kind of thing is popular and makes the player look bold and cool in the eyes of the general public(the same happens here with Romário).
I'm a bit baffled by any of your arguments that he is world class? Everything you have said has painted him to be a top player. Not in the tier of being in the class of the best though.Only in the league though, which was affected by his patchy record with injuries and feeding off scraps for a defensive Houllier side. For example, he scored 36 goals for club and country in 2001/02, and 32 goals in 2002/03. Even later at Real he scored every 140 minutes, which in a more defensive era than today, was good going. He also reached 40 England goals by the age of 27 (younger than anyone else bar Greaves).
He is also one of the few strikers who maintained a high scoring rate in big games. He made his World Cup debut with 15 minutes to go when England were up shitcreek against Romania, and scored an equaliser within 10 minutes. He has played in two World Cup knockout games against Argentina and Brazil and scored in both. He has played in one Euros knockout game against Portugal and scored there too. He scored a hat-trick against Germany in a World Cup play-off. For Liverpool he played in 5 cup finals against Manchester United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich and scored 5 goals.
There were certainly gaps in his game. In his earlier years his left foot and back-to-goal hold-up play were not up to the standard of the other great strikers of the era. But unlike so many domestically great strikers who either cannot influence games by lack of involvement or by passing up chances, Owen had balls of steel on the big occasion. The bigger the stakes, the better he played. The higher quality the opposition, the more he relished the challenge.
Wow. What a strange comment.Because he was a limited footballer that had 3 or 4 good seasons in his entire career. Depended exclusively on his physique, when it declined he was absolutely bad.
Absolute bollocks, it was the knee injury that forced his decline.Because he was a limited footballer that had 3 or 4 good seasons in his entire career. Depended exclusively on his physique, when it declined he was absolutely bad.
Did you watch RM regularly in the late 90's and early 00's?Roberto Carlos.
Famous for his FKs but other than that I never considered him worthy of the plaudits he seemed to receive at the time. Certainly not compared to many of his contemporaries. One of those players who probably benefited from many games not being easily accessible live at the time and so often all we saw was the highlights. The mystique surpassed the reality.
There was a guy in here who claimed Roberto Carlos wasn't WC, where does that leave Luke Shaw?Which left backs are better than him? (Shaw)