One of the reasons why Ronaldo is a bit underrated at times is that his strongest quality is largely invisible. Unlike great technique, great movement isn't easy to spot. Many people tend to think that Ronaldo scores somany goals because he is lethal with his finishing. Actually, Ronaldo scores so many goals because his movement is far superior to the movement of the other forwards. In terms of movement, he is in a class of his own. This makes him extremely difficult to play against. Ancelotti knows his game better than anyone else. Yet he couldn't find a solution how to stop him.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Performances (wums will be thread banned)
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It hasn't been for years
I think subconsciously people compare his shortcomings to Messi who does that aspect very well, so in that sense I agree. However when you compare him to other greats in the past when it comes to influence (discounting goals) on the game he isn't on their level, but on the other hand apart from a few the other greats can't touch him when it comes to direct influence in goal scoring, that's why I find him a hard player to place amongst the GOATs.
I think during a lot of these debates, people compare Ron to the natural talent of other GOATs. And consider him inferior.
But IMO this is what makes him look even better, because despite being less talented he reached newer heights through determination and hardwork.
But IMO this is what makes him look even better, because despite being less talented he reached newer heights through determination and hardwork.
In my list of Madrid best players he would be third,only behind Di Stefano and Gento.
About the whistles I think Bernabéu socios (who are very particular)hold dear Cristiano.
Based in people that I know and interviews out of stadium.
For what I've seen they whistle top players that can do better or are not running enough.
And of course Cris had episodes of being selfish,with ugly gestures to other team mates or moaning for being changed in the minute 85.
Anyway against Bayern people were too anxious and rushed with the whistles.
Cris wants to keep his status intact but we are not in 2009.He is 32 and unfortunately he is not the same player.
Raúl was/is a big idol and in his last years was nicknamed despectively as "Baúl".That happened because tried to keep his prominence despite not being good enough.
Cris seems to be taking the same road.
However then in the quarter final of CL becomes the savior,exactly what is demanded of a top player and all the debate goes to the litter bin.
Probably @giorno comparison of Van Nistelrooy goes too far but every day his performances are more distanced in time
About the whistles I think Bernabéu socios (who are very particular)hold dear Cristiano.
Based in people that I know and interviews out of stadium.
For what I've seen they whistle top players that can do better or are not running enough.
And of course Cris had episodes of being selfish,with ugly gestures to other team mates or moaning for being changed in the minute 85.
Anyway against Bayern people were too anxious and rushed with the whistles.
Cris wants to keep his status intact but we are not in 2009.He is 32 and unfortunately he is not the same player.
Raúl was/is a big idol and in his last years was nicknamed despectively as "Baúl".That happened because tried to keep his prominence despite not being good enough.
Cris seems to be taking the same road.
However then in the quarter final of CL becomes the savior,exactly what is demanded of a top player and all the debate goes to the litter bin.
Probably @giorno comparison of Van Nistelrooy goes too far but every day his performances are more distanced in time
Agreed on both counts. My Madridista friends also say that it annoys them the fact that he doesn't celebrate teammates goals very effusively or celebrate at all. They are not Tomás Roncero but they are fierce in their defence of Ronaldo, specially in the context of Real vs Barça battles.
Broad comparison. He's a similar player these days, though Van Gol was a pure #9, better playing with his back to the goal. Still didn't have the same impact Cris has now
The most funny thing nowadays is how people say Real Madrid plays shit compared to Barcelona but in regard to Ronaldo you will have the same people saying Real Madrid is the better team, with better individuals, and that's why Ronaldo is scoring. So in my eyes they're just trying to discredit the team and Ronaldo depending on the circumstances.
Ronaldo isn't perfect, commits mistakes but I also think he has matured as a player for the better. Before when he was banging more than 50 goals for I don't know how many consecutive seasons you would people telling how he only cared about his personal records, and now that the team is performing well, and he has inevitable declined, they will tell you how he's not as good as before, plays shit and is in decline. I mean, it's really impossible to complacence a person who already is set up by default to criticize whatever he does just because they don't like him as a character.
Ronaldo isn't perfect, commits mistakes but I also think he has matured as a player for the better. Before when he was banging more than 50 goals for I don't know how many consecutive seasons you would people telling how he only cared about his personal records, and now that the team is performing well, and he has inevitable declined, they will tell you how he's not as good as before, plays shit and is in decline. I mean, it's really impossible to complacence a person who already is set up by default to criticize whatever he does just because they don't like him as a character.
I know giorno.After a victory everything is fine but after a defeat,reading for example Marca,It seems the match day threads here and Cris is usually the culprit
@carvajal The comments sections in marca and As always crack me up 
honestly, we have to be the most bipolar fanbase in the world
MD's is just vile on the other end
honestly, we have to be the most bipolar fanbase in the world MD's is just vile on the other end
True. Still don't know how people could criticize him between 2009 and 2013, when he was carrying us almost single-handedly on a weekly basis
Btw, i don't think he's matured, per se, he was always selfish and he still is, but very rarely went overboard to the point of hurting us. People go on about how he's adapted his game, but watching him, i don't get the impression that he's adapted as much as he's just so naturally good that no matter what he does he's still going to end up scoring at outrageous rates and winning games. I mean he's not a CF, he's refused to become a CF, he still tries to play a lot like he used to, only now he pulls off about 30% of what he did, and yet he's still so fecking effective overall. He's a freak
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Your luck was that I had to work, because 1 day if I have the patience to rebate all your mighty Cruijffian nonsense will be the day where you will be speechless.Cheers Lord!
Sure, whateverYeah, of course
That's how I think of it too. People sometimes chose the best footballer as the most talented one or what they 'can' do. I consider what they have done more.
Though, Ronaldo's natural talent is often underrated. It's so surprising how many just see him as a hard working physical beast who's just an insane goal scorer. He really is a genius and immensely talented player on the pitch and technically gifted beyond almost any other player I've seen.
I do agree with this, people go on about how hard he works, but look at him when he was 18 years old! Incredibly talented.
I think a lot of the reasons people try and discredit him are because they don't like Real Madrid. If he signed for someone like Sevilla, and had the same goals/assists/trophies more would be likely to call him the/one of the best ever. A lot of Madrid fans are absolutely disgraceful though, at several times in Ronaldo's career he has been booed by the his own fans. That is unacceptable, and one of the reasons people have so much hate for him.
His story is still being written, if he keeps it up for 3 or 4 more years I'll happily change my mind on who the best player ever to play the game is, it's freakish numbers and he demonstrated enough in his Utd career just how exciting and unstoppable he can be as a winger. Already one of the greatest wingers of all time, and undoubtedly the greatest finisher of all time. I don't even like him to be honest but it's just hard to argue with his impact and influence for two massive clubs.
His story is still being written, if he keeps it up for 3 or 4 more years I'll happily change my mind on who the best player ever to play the game is, it's freakish numbers and he demonstrated enough in his Utd career just how exciting and unstoppable he can be as a winger. Already one of the greatest wingers of all time, and undoubtedly the greatest finisher of all time. I don't even like him to be honest but it's just hard to argue with his impact and influence for two massive clubs.
Just watched his best goals for us, and wonder why he's never even tried to hit a free kick again the way he hit his one against Sunderland? It was pretty similar to Beckham v Greece, and he didn't just try to murder it. I feel his free kicks might be more consistent if he hadn't scored that one against Portsmouth, he's just always trying to better it
Great post which probably highlights the key area of his game which frequently goes amiss.
I'd say watching him on the tv (where the camera follows the ball) is the main reason why people would fail to notice how good his positioning is. Watching him live in a stadium or even more so playing against him would no doubt give you a much better perspective of just how incredible his movement in general is.
His movement is exceptional. Still has a way to go to reach Chicharito levels though
Why is this supposed to be funny? Chicharito's movement is among the very best in the world.His movement is exceptional. Still has a way to go to reach Chicharito levels though
I'm being serious but laughing because it sounds ridiculous when you say it. He and Henrik have the best movement I've ever seen
That stat looked ridiculous at first, especially the gap between Ronaldo and Messi so I dug around a bit more -
Ronaldo - 32. He never scored in CL, let alone the knockouts until Roma in 2007.
Finals - 2 (Chelsea in 2008, Atletico in 2014)
Semi finals - 10 (1x Milan 2007, 2x Arsenal 2009, 2x Bayern 2012, 1x Dortmund 2013, 2x Bayern 2014, 2x Juventus 2015)
Quarter finals - 20 (2x Roma 2007, 1x Roma 2008, 1x Porto 2009, 2x Spurs 2011, 2x APOEL 2012, 3x Galatasaray 2013, 1x Dortmund 2014, 3x Wolfsburg 2016, 5x Bayern 2017)
Messi - 16
Finals - 2 (Man Utd in 2009 and 2011)
Semi finals - 4 (2x Real Madrid 2011, 2x Bayern Munich 2015)
Quarter finals - 10 (2x Bayern 2009, 4x Arsenal 2010, 1x Shakhtar 2011, 2x Milan 2012, 1x PSG 2013)
Just the Round of 16 stats: Ronaldo 17-16 Messi
Ronaldo - 1x Lyon 2008, 1x Inter 2009, 1x Lyon 2010, 3x CSKA 2012, 2x Man Utd 2013, 4x Schalke 2014, 3x Schalke 2015, 2x Roma 2016
Messi - 2x Celtic 2008, 1x Lyon 2009, 2x Stuttgart 2010, 2x Arsenal 2011, 6x Leverkusen 2012, 2x Milan 2013, 2x Man City 2014, 3x Arsenal 2016, 1x PSG 2017
Both have scored 9 against a single opponent. Messi vs Arsenal, Ronaldo vs Bayern Munich.
So the criticism of him not performing in big matches and not creating enough chances (poacher role only) has now settled I would say. The only criticism left is not performing consistently enough (apart from supreme number of goals and assists) for past 2 years.
I reckon if young Ronaldo, from 17-20 years-old, played in a team as good as Messi's in the same age, he could have had a significantly goalscoring record than Messi. People tend to forget that young Messi played in Ronaldinho's Barca, while Ronaldo played in a declining team that needed rebuilding.
Nice header.
Missed a pen though.
Ssshh
What is a definition of a good finisher in your opinion? Ronaldo has a bad shots per goal ratio, which, imo, should be the deciding factor. Romario was more clinical, Müller was a better finisher etc.
Ronaldo is one of the best (and arguably the most all-rounded) goalscorers, but he definitely isn't the best finisher ever, far from it.
Everyone seems to have missed that he has now become the all time top goalscorer in the top 6 European league. He takes the title from Jimmy Greaves.
I ignore what is his conversion rate but maybe it's just phrased the wrong way. Like being able to shoot very often should be seen as a virtue, the intelligence to find space and correct timing to put yourself in all those scoring positions despite not scoring every single one. So maybe you're technically correct in him not been among the best finishers ever but he still needs to be seen as a player who carries an enormous goal threat.
Of course, no one would even dare to dispute it (especially since he just broke Greaves' record for most goals in top-6 leagues). He is one of the most potent goalscorers ever, and arguably the most all-rounded one, alongside Pele. Just not the best finisher.
Have reconsidered and it's fair what you say. These days I just class him as nothing but a goalscorer and the +1 goal a game ratio he has for Madrid clouds things but when you compare him with other strikers - say on a rating out of 100 for finishing- there are quite a few I'd rate above him in terms of technique/ability to find The corners/accuracy etc.
Also, I just want to be seen as conceding something to Ronaldo for his efforts, because truthfully I don't think he belongs anywhere near the top tier of football greats and arguably doesn't belong in tier 2 either.
What's tier 2 for you? Because to me, after Di Stefano, Pele, Cruyff, Maradona and Messi the rest falls into tier 2, and that's a wide area were a lot of players fit with my criteria, and Cristiano would lead that tier
Platini, Matthias, Maldini, baresi, Ronaldo9, garrincha, chartlon and probably a few others but Ronaldo doesn't get close to those in my opinion
He is the greatest header of the ball that I've ever seen. I don't know if there's been anyone better because it's only based on what I've watched personally. His anticipation and athleticism is incredible.
His all-round game has been gradually deteriorating since around the time of his transfer to Madrid. Now his signature move is passing the ball to one of his teammates and running straight into the box. Combine that with his "me-me-me" antics on the pitch, it's not easy to like the guy.
His all-round game has been gradually deteriorating since around the time of his transfer to Madrid. Now his signature move is passing the ball to one of his teammates and running straight into the box. Combine that with his "me-me-me" antics on the pitch, it's not easy to like the guy.
I won't argue if they were better or worse, but Zamorano and Santillana blow my mind every time I see their headers
Especially Santillana
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