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Cristiano Ronaldo - Performances (wums will be thread banned)
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
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Exactly this!
Fergie also had some bitter moments with players like Beckham, Stam, Keane, Ruud, should I resent them just because he once did? Don't care if SAF sings to him before sleep, at the end of a day he's more of Real than United legend and that's it.
Me too
They lost to Albania at home in Qualification without him. They wouldn't have even made it to the tournament, through the group stage and to the final without him.
Really? I don't think he'll become a manager after he retires. He doesn't seem to have the brain for it IMO. He'll probably become a RM ambassador though
Totally agree. Well at least I don't have to argue with people who used to say things like 'Ronaldo doesn't have enough help, look at his shite teammates', or 'Portugal is terrible and Ronaldo carries them'. The 'shit' team won without him and looked better as a unit without having to collectively play as his supporting cast
Exactly. There is no doubt in my mind that Ronaldo can be a hindrance in his current state, i.e. the final yesterday it is foreseeable that he may have made them worse and for real at times he has been a hindrance. However his presence and sheer desire to win, it is infectious.. he gives his teams alot of presence. It is an intangible element of his greatness but it is priceless.
He is both a burden as well as a source of energy for his sides, which is why it is always polemic with Ronaldo.
Ask the Portugese if Ronaldo was a burden when he scored twice against Hungary to keep their hopes alive, or when he scored and assisted against the Welsh in the Semi's.
I think Ronaldo may be past his best. However, at the top of his game I believe he is the best player I have seen at OT in my 50+ years of watching football. I also believe he is the best European player there has ever been. In terms of the ongoing debate about who is better between Messi and Ronaldo, I don't believe it matters. Personally, I think that both of them are top 5 all time pushing top 3.
Calm down. He's not the best European player. He's not a patch on Cruyff for example in terms of talent/footballing intelligence or Beckenbauer in terms of achievement.
I don't understand why people can't feel happy for him without needing to proclaim him the greatest of this and that when he isn't as good as some of the greats of the past. He is very special of course and a phenomenal consistent winner. Not the greatest though. I'd have him in my top 5 europeans though (i think).
Go and read about how he motivate his team mates at HT, and how he encourage Moutinho during the penalty shoot out. Those are the kind of things I expected from Giggsy as an assistant manager. Motivate the lads.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36760331
Words from Ronaldo's team mates. Seemed like a true leader which no one hear thought he would be. He clearly is a huge influence on all of them. People really need to start looking at him differently. Theres a true leader there.
Words from Ronaldo's team mates. Seemed like a true leader which no one hear thought he would be. He clearly is a huge influence on all of them. People really need to start looking at him differently. Theres a true leader there.
Nice touch giving Nani his silver boot award.
I was impressed with his attitude last night, looked like a great captain even without being on the pitch.
I was impressed with his attitude last night, looked like a great captain even without being on the pitch.
Can I just ask, how much you actually saw of Cruyff and Beckenbauer? I've got to admit I don't remember a whole lot of "Der Kaiser" myself although I did see a few of his games on TV. I saw a little bit more of Cruyff but it was mostly watching European Cup finals in the early 70s and the World Cup of 74 (a tournament I actually lost money on because I backed Holland to win it). Most of what we hear about legends of the game is apocryphal since the majority of what is spoken/written is either third hand, hearsay or grainy black and white videos of their best moments.
As to achievements Beckenbauer has 4 Bundesliga titles (Ronaldo also 4, 3 EPL +1 la Liga), 4 domestic cup wins (Ronaldo 5, 1 Fa Cup, 2 League Cup, 2 Copa del Rey), 3 European Cups (Ronaldo also 3), Beckenbauer 1 UEFA Cup to Ronaldo's zero and 1 Intercontinental Cup to Ronaldo's 2 FIFA World Club Cups. They both have 1 European Championship but Beckenbauer does have 1 World Cup although having said that Beckenbauer did play for a country that had a much better track record on the International Stage than Ronaldo's Portugal. Beckenbauer also won 2 Ballon d'Ors to Ronaldo's 3 (although back in Beckenbauer's day the Ballon d'Or was only for European Footballer of the Year).
Thus I stand by what I wrote. Cristiano Ronaldo is the best European player there has ever been. I suppose I should have added IMHO. But it is what I feel and as I said I stand by what I wrote.
Many of us have never seen Cruyff play live and highights can never be a substitute. To us he will be the best European player ever seen.
Oh yes
Whatever he did in the dressing room aside (his shouting from the bench to me unnecessary and just a play to the gallery), the post above is a good example of why he's not a good leader on the pitch. Lets also not forget how he thrown hissy fits when he's missed goals even after his teammates went on to score
@charlton66
There is so much footage of Cruyff and Beckenbauer for that matter on the internet. Now with Beckenbauer he plays in a different position to Ronaldo so cross comparisons are always fraught with danger in that respect but the 'Kaizer' is that good that you can easily say he is the superior player irrespective of the mismatch of their positions.
Of course Ronaldo will be the better goalscorer/dribbling etc, that is a given just like Andros Townsend has a better left foot than Franco Baresi but if you take the obvious differences aside and match them up pound for pound relative to their ability for their position, the 'Kaizer' is the best defensive player the game has ever seen.. whereas Ronaldo arguably isn't in the top 5 attackers to grace the game.
In terms of big match performances, Beckenbauer in the 1966 final, 1974 final, the 1970 QF's v England, 1972 Euros, hat trick of CL wins from 1974-76 (check out his 1976 game v Real Madrid in the semis). Alot of the footage of his performances from his games are on youtube and as I play in drafts, I have to study alot of footage on old players as well as it being a passion of mine.
A guy like Beckenbauer is no ordinary defensive player, he's more of a midfielder. His first touch, his vision, the time and composure he has on the ball... the outside of the foot passes, if Pogba is worth £100m, this guy is worth half a billion at the very least.
I have no doubt in my mind that if Beckenbauer or Cruyff were playing in the same team as Ronaldo, they would be the undoubted focal points. For me that is a good way of comparing players, who would be the bigger influence on that team if they were in the same side (taking their position into account) and trust me.. Ronaldo would be found wanting.
I am no Messi is better than Pele/Maradona guy either. I just think Messi is comfortably better than Ronaldo - that is all.
You can count on one hand the legendary performances Cristiano has put in era-defining games, CL semi's and finals, international finals/sf's against proper opposition (his two best big match performances are arguably v Arsenal/Wales). Same can't be said for the other two.
There is so much footage of Cruyff and Beckenbauer for that matter on the internet. Now with Beckenbauer he plays in a different position to Ronaldo so cross comparisons are always fraught with danger in that respect but the 'Kaizer' is that good that you can easily say he is the superior player irrespective of the mismatch of their positions.
Of course Ronaldo will be the better goalscorer/dribbling etc, that is a given just like Andros Townsend has a better left foot than Franco Baresi but if you take the obvious differences aside and match them up pound for pound relative to their ability for their position, the 'Kaizer' is the best defensive player the game has ever seen.. whereas Ronaldo arguably isn't in the top 5 attackers to grace the game.
In terms of big match performances, Beckenbauer in the 1966 final, 1974 final, the 1970 QF's v England, 1972 Euros, hat trick of CL wins from 1974-76 (check out his 1976 game v Real Madrid in the semis). Alot of the footage of his performances from his games are on youtube and as I play in drafts, I have to study alot of footage on old players as well as it being a passion of mine.
A guy like Beckenbauer is no ordinary defensive player, he's more of a midfielder. His first touch, his vision, the time and composure he has on the ball... the outside of the foot passes, if Pogba is worth £100m, this guy is worth half a billion at the very least.
I have no doubt in my mind that if Beckenbauer or Cruyff were playing in the same team as Ronaldo, they would be the undoubted focal points. For me that is a good way of comparing players, who would be the bigger influence on that team if they were in the same side (taking their position into account) and trust me.. Ronaldo would be found wanting.
I am no Messi is better than Pele/Maradona guy either. I just think Messi is comfortably better than Ronaldo - that is all.
You can count on one hand the legendary performances Cristiano has put in era-defining games, CL semi's and finals, international finals/sf's against proper opposition (his two best big match performances are arguably v Arsenal/Wales). Same can't be said for the other two.
You are underestimating Ronaldo a bit. His peak level may not be higher than Cruyff's or Beckenbauer's or Platini's but his incredible consistency gives him the edge eventually. 6 consecutive 50+ seasons is absolutely astonishing in itself but he had world class seasons before that with United and he will have probably 2-3 another world class seasons. It is not Ronaldo's talent but his superhuman consistency that elevates him above any other European player.
Longevity to me doesn't equate to greatness.
Stanley Matthews played till 50+ does it make him better than Van Basten who played till 27? no of course not.
Longevity only applies if you're comparing one hit wonders v a player who has done it over a sustained period of time.
Guys like Cruyff and Beckenbauer are hardly one hit wonders, they are multiple Champions League winners, someone like Pele = world cup winner in 1958, then in 1970 and was injured for 1962 where they still won it.
The greats of the past were not one hit wonders, they did it for a prolonged period of time. So for me it is admirable but not a defining characteristic to be used when comparing one great v another.
Against Ronaldinho, yes I would argue it is a slight against his stature in the game because he only had two outstanding years when you think about it and Cristiano is arguably better. But most greats don't fall into that category.
Ronaldo's longevity is something else though. We are talking about 10 world class seasons or more over the course of his entire career, not 4 or 6 or even 7-8. Cruyff had at best 6-7 world class seasons in his career. I like him a lot, more than Ronaldo but Ronaldo's consistency at the top top level is something else really. When Ronaldo retires, he will be widely regarded as the best European player ever, IMO.
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Not sure if this video has been posted before, but this clip brought tears to my eyes:
You can see what a special relationship players like Nani and Cristiano shared with Sir Alex. So heartwarming to see.
You can see what a special relationship players like Nani and Cristiano shared with Sir Alex. So heartwarming to see.
Yep, we saw a bit of a new side of his in this tournament.
Yesterday as well as against Poland when he encouraged Moutinho to take the pen, something like "you take good pens, just do it, if we lose so what, it's in God's hands now ".
This is really impressive considering the pre penalty shoot out pressure in which he himself has to take a penalty as well.
Came here to post this. Fergie's proud face when he's waiting!Not sure if this video has been posted before, but this clip brought tears to my eyes:
You can see what a special relationship players like Nani and Cristiano shared with Sir Alex. So heartwarming to see.
Cruijff had more than 7 world class seasons and a higher peak than Ronaldo (imo). Sure Ronaldo outscores him but Cruijff scored a very good amount of goals himself, had a crazy amount of assists and controlled matches.
It's very easy to watch full games from the 70s. Of course I can understand everyone who doesn't want to watch 40 year old matches but we don't have to rely on highlights.
And the beaming look of Cristiano when he see Ferguson!
He had at best 2 world class seasons at Barca and didn't achieve much there whereas Ronaldo has had at least 6 world class seasons at Madrid alone and won more while competing with one of the best teams in history in Messi's Barcelona. Cruyff had no more than 4-5 world class seasons at Ajax. Your numbers do not add up.
That's nonsense. Unless you're a mutant, in which case, as you were.
Lol, no. Ronaldo will be regarded as one of the most efficient strikers in history, but his game is too one-dimensional to let him ascend into Cruyff-Beckenbauer echelons.
Lol at your confidence. Ronaldo hasn't been a pure striker for a start.
I loved that.
It reminded me of what Michael Jordan used to say when asked if he was afraid of missing a game-winning shot. He said "Why would I think negatively about something that hasn't happened yet?". He also said that he knew he had prepared as best he could and that he had applied his best effort. So in that sense if he missed a shot he could process it and deal with it.
Same with Ronaldo - he knows he couldn't have practiced more, or gotten himself any better prepared. So if he was to miss, he can deal with it.
But great to see how he encouraged Moutinho - it wasn't telling someone to take one, it was making them believe that they could, and at the same time not putting pressure on him.
Ronaldo has the 4th most assists of any player in the last 5 years. but yeah just a pure one dimensional goalscorer
Ronaldo covers all angles now. He has done it in different leagues, different clubs and has evolved from tricky winger to striker which shows game intelligence.
Unbelievable. If Portugal somehow wins the world cup he will have have had the perfect career.
Unbelievable. If Portugal somehow wins the world cup he will have have had the perfect career.
Indeed, how many Bayern players have assisted more goals than Ronaldo over the last 5 years? Probably zero, given that Ribery has declined...
He's a finisher, *pure* striker or not. A large goal tally alone doesn't put you on top of them all. If that was the case, Gerd Müller(whose goals lead to 3 CLs in a row, a WC, and an EC) would have been ranked above Beckenbauer.
There is a reason why the all-time greats are all players who were highly influential on the game of the squads they have played in.
The answer is above. He has assisted probably more goals than any Bayern player over the last 5 years. One-dimensional my arse. Stop with this ignorant garbage.
Did you just start watching Ronaldo when heturned 31? He was highly influentual in the Euros and only scored 3!
"Yeah but those assists were probably one yard passes before the scorer did all the hard work"
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