He is literally the top scoring player of all time in the Champions league.
Comparing the three Ronaldos
- Thread starter Luke1995
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Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) discuss United's fantastic win away against Athletic Club in the semi-final of the Europa League.
They also pick out the positives of United's 4-3 loss away at Brentford, and Nik reviews a day out at Old Trafford watching Manchester United Women qualify for the Champions League.
He is literally the top scoring player of all time in the Champions league.
World Cup, Euros?
Won the Euros with Portugal, holds the joint record with Platini(another player who's brilliance is forgotten) for goals scored in the Euros. Got 7 in 17 appearances in the world cup and played with a relatively week Portugal team for most of his International career. While doing it in an era where large score lines are becoming rarer and rarer in football.
Ronaldo is simply underrated by some as he happens to play at the same time as Messi.
He is literally the top scoring player of all time in the Champions league.
Checkmate. Absolutely ridiculous to try and drag DOWN any of these fantastic players.
That's pretty much how I see it . Watching R9 burst onto the scene was jaw dropping , unbelievable and just made you want to watch him . R10 was a joy to watch as well , more for the trickery and pure enjoyment of playing football . There was a lot less protection for these guys too , defenders would hit them hard compared to today . CR7 has worked harder for a long time and has incredible stats and honours but his style of play is nowhere near as exciting .
It's all down to taste really , if honours and achievements are what you measure greatness with then it's CR7 , whereas if it's pure natural ability and joy to watch its the Brazilians .
If not considering him the Greatest of All Time is dragging him down, well guilty as charged.
If longevity, consistency and numbers play a part(which they obviously should), then the answer is easy. It has to be C.Ronaldo.
It's more interesting to discuss who had the best peak(2-3 year period). I reckon it could be any of these 3, depending on what you value. They're all absolute legends. Ronaldinho is probably my all time favorite non-United player. R9's explosiveness just looks unreal. I wish I was old enough to witness him in his prime and not just on YouTube clips.
It's more interesting to discuss who had the best peak(2-3 year period). I reckon it could be any of these 3, depending on what you value. They're all absolute legends. Ronaldinho is probably my all time favorite non-United player. R9's explosiveness just looks unreal. I wish I was old enough to witness him in his prime and not just on YouTube clips.
R9 was impressive and all the more impressive considering he battled alot of injuries and a underactive thyroid issue which is why he struggled with his weight especially towards the latter end of his career.
I think if you ask a random caf goer to name players in contention for GOAT, you'd get C Ronaldo in most top 3's or 5's. In the same way I think people underrate him vs some of the older players you mention above, and overrate some players due to nostalgia, generations after us will have the same conversation about C Ronaldo but the point is he will be in the conversation along with Messi. Ronaldinho and Fat Ronaldo will not.
Recency bias.
If you asked a random caffite 15 years ago, they would have said Zidane is the greatest of all time. Now, not so much.
Cristian has never been the undisputed best player in the world, so GOAT conversation is wishful thinking by his fanboys.
I like Cristiano, think he's United's best player ever but he's not the greatest ever to play the sport let's get real.
we all know that’s rubbish
Personally I think his hundreds of goals in the Cl is more impressive than Klose's what 15 at the WC?
On ability and Talent, I would choose it like this
1. Luiz Ronaldo before his injuries
2. Ronaldinho
3. C. Ronaldo
In relation to achievements there is no doubt that C. Ronaldo has surpassed them by far and you don't get there without natural abundant of talent. But Luiz Ronaldo was just a freak of nature when he burst onto the scene and looked to become the greatest ever before injuries.
It's not quite fair to compare Ronaldinho goals stats to the others since his role in the team was not really being a forward or a striker.
1. Luiz Ronaldo before his injuries
2. Ronaldinho
3. C. Ronaldo
In relation to achievements there is no doubt that C. Ronaldo has surpassed them by far and you don't get there without natural abundant of talent. But Luiz Ronaldo was just a freak of nature when he burst onto the scene and looked to become the greatest ever before injuries.
It's not quite fair to compare Ronaldinho goals stats to the others since his role in the team was not really being a forward or a striker.
He is literally the top scoring player of all time in the Champions league.
It’s incredible really, Ronaldo seems to have this cult like following of haters that will say the most ridiculous things to down play his achievements. I don’t believe he’s the GOAT , but to say he hasn’t done anything important at the highest level is delusional at best.
Cristiano, sorry you're not the greatest of all time.
Please tell your fans to stop anguishing about it.
Out of this thread before it degenerates into a typical Messi/Ronaldo/R9/R10/D10S shitshow.
Please tell your fans to stop anguishing about it.
Out of this thread before it degenerates into a typical Messi/Ronaldo/R9/R10/D10S shitshow.
The point made was Cristiano hadnt reached God level. You retort with Euro 16. Cristiano was God level there? Thats a reach, even by Cristiano fanboy level.
Platini went through the same thing due to Maradona.
When we played football as kids everyone would say "I'm Maradona and the next kid would say I'm Platini"
Ronaldos career dwarfs the other Ronaldos.
You are making it sound like Cristiano style has turned out to be boring for majority of his career, whereas Ronaldo and Ronaldinho has maintained high level of excitement throughout the years.
Truth is, Cristiano from 2003-2013, since his debut at Man Utd to early years at Real, he has been a talented and exciting player to watch. From 2013-present, he has turned into goal scoring machine, and not as exciting. Around 10 years of exciting play, and 6 years of rather boring but efficient play.
Whereas Ronaldo from 1994-1999, he is what you have been describing, very talented, jaw dropping and exciting, but from 1999-2010, already past his peak due to injuries and then weight issue etc, not quite the player you think he was. So 5 years of exciting/jaw dropping play, 11 years of not so exciting.
As for Ronaldinho, he was an exciting player from 2000-2006, especially during his peak at Barca, most entertaining player ever. But ever since 2007- 2015, his form drop drastically, not the same player anymore. So 6 years of excitement, 8 years of disappointment.
So the truth is, Cristiano has maintained far longer period of exciting play then the other 2. 10 years of excitement vs 5-6 years of excitement.
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It's not really about the amount of excitement years they gave but the intensity. CR7 was never able to reach the level of creativity R9 and R10 did. He's a fantastic player no doubt but when R9 and R10 had the ball, you knew that at any moment they could do something (useful) you've never seen before on a football pitch. Cristiano copied in a bit of a stiffier way what R9 and R10 (and others like Zidane) showed on the pitch a couple of years before. And he did it very well, using these tricks combined with his natural abilities and it made him a lethal player but he never really had the same creative sparkle.
Let’s just say if he is not at “god level” in CL, no one is then. He is literally the GOAT in CL, hold every records there, and won 5 of those. His 17 CL run is one of most impressive ever individual display since Maradona in 86 WC, IMHO.
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The truth is - the only thing that Ronaldo 9 & Ronaldinho have over C. Ronaldo is 'technique. And to me technique is just one aspect of a footballers multiple abilities.
Some fans will put the Brazilian's above C. Ronaldo due to their ability to occasionally seal dribble or dribble with with the ball lying on their chest & make a pass - but ultimately C Ronaldo is nothing but a gun & the deadliest gun in football history.
Ronaldo & Ronaldinho are beautiful footballers able to bring a sweetness to someone' s mouth by shooting marshmallows at their face.
In comparison, C Ronaldo is boring.
Do you know why? Because C. Ronaldo is a deadly gun & after about 3 or 4 games it's boring watch the guy just kill his opposition & never really fail at it. And it's simple - the way a gun can kill his opposition doing the same things, be it from long distance, short distance, being shot up side down, with his eyes closed, hattricks etc - it's never really anything more than a bullet and a hitman & one that never really fails.
I always wondered why fans valued technique as the epitome of footballing ability & how the players with the best technique would always be regarded as the better footballer. Messi, Ronaldo 9 and Ronaldinho are occasionally being talked about being better than C Ronaldo due to their technique.
Ultimately - some fans view football as an entertainment & will value technique over anything else because watching their players is like 'watching a magician on the field'.
However, to the other fans - football is more a sport than a piece of entertainment & it is a game or a war that requires the deadliest gun on the planet to be won.
C Ronaldo is the deadliest gun & hitman in the football history & ultimately made the beautiful game not that beautiful to watch.
Some fans will put the Brazilian's above C. Ronaldo due to their ability to occasionally seal dribble or dribble with with the ball lying on their chest & make a pass - but ultimately C Ronaldo is nothing but a gun & the deadliest gun in football history.
Ronaldo & Ronaldinho are beautiful footballers able to bring a sweetness to someone' s mouth by shooting marshmallows at their face.
In comparison, C Ronaldo is boring.
Do you know why? Because C. Ronaldo is a deadly gun & after about 3 or 4 games it's boring watch the guy just kill his opposition & never really fail at it. And it's simple - the way a gun can kill his opposition doing the same things, be it from long distance, short distance, being shot up side down, with his eyes closed, hattricks etc - it's never really anything more than a bullet and a hitman & one that never really fails.
I always wondered why fans valued technique as the epitome of footballing ability & how the players with the best technique would always be regarded as the better footballer. Messi, Ronaldo 9 and Ronaldinho are occasionally being talked about being better than C Ronaldo due to their technique.
Ultimately - some fans view football as an entertainment & will value technique over anything else because watching their players is like 'watching a magician on the field'.
However, to the other fans - football is more a sport than a piece of entertainment & it is a game or a war that requires the deadliest gun on the planet to be won.
C Ronaldo is the deadliest gun & hitman in the football history & ultimately made the beautiful game not that beautiful to watch.
If the argument is about which player is the most exciting to watch during their peak, then I wouldn’t argue against Ronaldo/Ronaldinho being more exciting than Cristiano, although I do think the difference is minimal.
But if we are arguing which player is more exciting throughout their career, Cristiano 10 years vs Ronaldo/Ronaldinho 5-6 years of exciting play are much more impressive to me.
The problem with most people here is, they will often tend to use the current ‘boring’ version of Cristiano to compare with the peak performance of Ronaldo/Ronaldinho which they could remember, this isn’t fair at all. Ronaldo/Ronaldinho has many average/shite performances in larger part of their career which people choose to forget when doing these comparison, whereas they always brought up boring but effective version of Cristiano for comparison.
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Exactly. Right now Messi and Ronaldo are hyped as the best ever. In reality, in years from now Messi will settle down into the top tier alongside Pele and Maradona, not above them. Nobody else will be there. Cristiano will be in the second tier alongside players like Zidane and Cruyff. Luis Ronaldo will be there too, but he will always have an asterisk next to his name that says without the injuries he could have been better than them all.
CR7 probably doesn't have the raw technical ability. But in terms of aerobic capacity and workrate, I'd bet he makes loads more runs and hence why he scores so many goals.
Yep
I think a lot of people are ignoring the OP's question. He said ignore longevity and stats and decide purely on talent. That's why CR7 is struggling to come up trumps in this one, but that doesn't mean he's not the best overall package of the 3. Some people are so insanely defensive.
I would say R9 is the most talented player I've seen alongside Messi, albeit in very different ways. Messi's complete mastery of every aspect of technical play is unrivalled. There has never been a player who is so good at shooting, dribbling, ball control and passing all in one. R9 had different talents in that he was the most deadly and explosive player we've ever seen. His ability to control the ball, maintain perfect balance and pull off dazzling skills at speeds no one else can even comprehend has not been repeated since. He is also the best we've ever seen at taking the ball round the goalkeeper.
I'd have Ronaldinho a level below these players. He was brilliant to watch when he was in his prime but to me not quite equal to the others.
I would say R9 is the most talented player I've seen alongside Messi, albeit in very different ways. Messi's complete mastery of every aspect of technical play is unrivalled. There has never been a player who is so good at shooting, dribbling, ball control and passing all in one. R9 had different talents in that he was the most deadly and explosive player we've ever seen. His ability to control the ball, maintain perfect balance and pull off dazzling skills at speeds no one else can even comprehend has not been repeated since. He is also the best we've ever seen at taking the ball round the goalkeeper.
I'd have Ronaldinho a level below these players. He was brilliant to watch when he was in his prime but to me not quite equal to the others.
Either you are a big Messi fanboy and are deliberately being difficult or you're out of touch with football. If you think 15 years ago people would be ranking Zidane higher than Pele or Maradona, you're the latter. Some people might not consider CR7 the GOAT but he is undeniably in the conversation. Personally I think his bid to be considered the GOAT will only intensify when the dust settles on his career, this goes for Messi as well because no one looks even close to matching what they have achieved and they'll both be hugely missed by the game one they retire.
If so many people saying that Ronaldinho and Fat Ronaldo are better than Cristiano Ronaldo then would it be acceptable for me to say that Best was better than Messi? If no, then is it possible that someone who's greatest attributes is playmaking, dribbling technique etc and also has great longevity to be inferior to anyone? The whole "great career but" thing wouldn't apply? Because I don't say people saying stuff like that when it comes to these types of players.
If it's strictly about ability and beautiful goals #1 is clearly Ronaldinho. He was a magician in his prime at Barca.
But if its about the best player (all considered in their prime) the only answer is Ronaldo #9. A phenomenon.
Dress it up all you like but CR7 has had the best career trophy wise , stats , longevity whereas the Brasilians were much better to watch over a shorter period .
He definitely had raw technical ability as a boy at United. He changed his game to be more efficient and direct, he's the perfect tournament player. He is 3x more efficient than Ronaldo or Ronaldinho ever was as a forward.
Plenty feel he's outside the big 3-4 and in the next bracket. So it's not undeniable really. But I agree that it's silly to demote him as if he isn't an all time great becuase he definitely is.
CR7 is just below the big 3, on that tier where absolute legends of the game such as Cruyff and Beckenbauer are.
Ronaldo and Ronaldinho simply arent. Especially Ronaldinho, yeah his peak was great, and he was really fun to watch, but lets face it he never had a GOAT season like CR7, Messi, Maradona, R9 had. When people say R10's peak was the highest peak theyve seen i just wonder if they started watching football in 2004 and stopped in 2006.
Ronaldo and Ronaldinho simply arent. Especially Ronaldinho, yeah his peak was great, and he was really fun to watch, but lets face it he never had a GOAT season like CR7, Messi, Maradona, R9 had. When people say R10's peak was the highest peak theyve seen i just wonder if they started watching football in 2004 and stopped in 2006.
05/06 Ronaldinho was pretty great.
On perceived ability alone
R9 > R10 > CR7.
Cristiano has had by far and away the best career and is the most effective of the three but the other two were better to watch than just about anyone in the history of the game. Cristiano became an absolute ruthless machine whereas the other two weren't, although R9 probably could've been if he had never gotten injured like he did, he bridges the gap between CR on one end and Ronaldinho on the other because he had a bit of both about him. Ronaldinho was just an absolute joy, made everything fun and was never not worth watching at his best. Used to watch Barcelona just to see what he came up with.
All three are probably my three favourite players of all time.
R9 > R10 > CR7.
Cristiano has had by far and away the best career and is the most effective of the three but the other two were better to watch than just about anyone in the history of the game. Cristiano became an absolute ruthless machine whereas the other two weren't, although R9 probably could've been if he had never gotten injured like he did, he bridges the gap between CR on one end and Ronaldinho on the other because he had a bit of both about him. Ronaldinho was just an absolute joy, made everything fun and was never not worth watching at his best. Used to watch Barcelona just to see what he came up with.
All three are probably my three favourite players of all time.
Late 2003-2006 he was brilliant. The guy saying he never had standout GOAT seasons clearly never watched him in either 2004/05 or 2005/06. He was amazing to watch in 04/05 and was decisive in every big game aside from the CL final itself in 05/06 (when his decline had started to kick in).
I think if you’ve seen all 3 play properly (I wonder how many of those backing Cristiano have) and still think Cristiano is the most technically skilled, then I fear you may lack a little soul. May I recommend listening to Curtis Mayfield and watching again.
Wrong and wrong. Right now, Messi and Cristiano arent hyped by the majority as the best ever. Messi is constantly compared to Diego and Pele, now. You wont have to wait years for that comparison.
Cristiano is regarded in the tier below with Cruyff. He doesn't have the natural talent to sit at the very top. I mean, look at this forum, a United forum. Many put the 2 Brazilians above him in the talent stakes, unsurprisingly. Though Cristiano is the greater player.
R9: Greatest talent football has ever seen. If you both consider technical talent, physical capabilities and intelligence (anticipation, runs, etc.), he simply has no equal. For me, he also had the highest peak of every player out there. The way he steamrolled whole world class defences was incredible. An edge ahead of Maradona's and Messi's peak, IMO, but far too short to be considered the GOAT.
R10: One of the very few players who was even more technically gifted than R9. Probably the most gifted footballer ever when it comes to ball controll and technique. Maradona and Zidane are probably his only equals in this regard. For all his talent, he was rather inefficient though. Drifted in and out of games (and seasons) so never really reached the output he could've had over the period of a season or even longer. His best performances though are up there with almost anyone's.
CR7: Pure efficiency. He is himself an extremely gifted footballer, both technically and physically, but not to the same extent as the other two. He easily had the best overall career. If you need someone to perform in every game throughout a season, he's your man. If you were a coach and you'd have to pick one of the three at the beginning of his career, you'd be dumb not to go for Cristiano. Yet I still think he doesn't come close to R9 at his peak and his best games weren't better than Ronaldinho's best games. He's just consistent as very few others and that on a level very few have ever achieved in football.
R10: One of the very few players who was even more technically gifted than R9. Probably the most gifted footballer ever when it comes to ball controll and technique. Maradona and Zidane are probably his only equals in this regard. For all his talent, he was rather inefficient though. Drifted in and out of games (and seasons) so never really reached the output he could've had over the period of a season or even longer. His best performances though are up there with almost anyone's.
CR7: Pure efficiency. He is himself an extremely gifted footballer, both technically and physically, but not to the same extent as the other two. He easily had the best overall career. If you need someone to perform in every game throughout a season, he's your man. If you were a coach and you'd have to pick one of the three at the beginning of his career, you'd be dumb not to go for Cristiano. Yet I still think he doesn't come close to R9 at his peak and his best games weren't better than Ronaldinho's best games. He's just consistent as very few others and that on a level very few have ever achieved in football.