French league regulars old timers: how good was Juninho apart from freekicks?

[Lord SInister]

I barely ever saw him play, so would like to know how good he was apart from freekicks?


Like Becks are a really magnificent passer(long range, play switching) and crosser of the ball, aside from being a really good hard working player and a handy goal scorer from midfield. But freekicks overshadowed all of it.


Was Juninho also the same? Or it was only freekicks. Although given he was a key player of a 7times champion side, so he couldn't be a show pony only.

Like YouTube compilations like these show, he had skills and all, but compilations can make Quaresma like Ronaldinho.



So how good was Juninho as a midfielder? Like if we could compare him with one midfielder from today, who would it be?

 

[The Don]

The 2nd most skillful Juninho in football.

 

[VorZakone]

I'd say Cazorla level? Great but not elite.

 

[Haddock]

He was competent but not even the best Juninho.

That whole Lyon squad was filled with a lot of players who never really did it in the big time. Cacapa for instance was Lyon captain and when he played for Newcastle he made Titus Bramble look like Franco Baresi.

I'd say Cazorla level? Great but not elite.

I've slagged Cazorla off on this forum (foolishly) years ago but have come around on him. He was one of the best midfielders in la liga this past season. I seriously doubt Juninho could dream of that.

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

He had excellent vision and passing skills as well as his free-kicks.

Weaknesses that i remember were him not being a quick player and often needed some space or a workhorse or two beside him to get into a rhythm. His open play did often have a "set piece" quality to it as well and he wasn't really the highly press resistant, short/medium pass type. More about being direct and deadly with long passes and through balls if given space. Not that good defensively.

For recent more famous players i'd compare him to Sneijder, he wasn't any less skilled but never quite got as good a platform to showcase his abilities as Mourinho's Inter were.

 

[Kopral Jono]

An average deadball merchant and a pretty good passer. Basically football's equivalent of a kicking specialist in the NFL.

 

[Hound Dog]

An average deadball merchant and a pretty good passer. Basically football's equivalent of a kicking specialist in the NFL.

Are you serious?

 

[cyberman]

Ah feck me this is considered old French league now? I feel old as feck

 

[Kopral Jono]

I'd say Cazorla level? Great but not elite.

No chance, Cazorla is miles better. This Juninho was deadly with set pieces and quite good with his passing but offered little else.

Are you serious?

Yep, dead serious. In my opinion he was just a better version of Laurent Robert.

 

[Chief123]

I never watched him play much either but his free kicks were insane. Reminded me of Mihailovic who I regard as the best free kick taker I’ve ever seen. But bang average centre back.

I remember Mihailovic scoring a hat-trick with free kicks in one game. Never seen that done before.

 

[JPRouve]

He had excellent vision and passing skills as well as his free-kicks.

Weaknesses that i remember were him not being a quick player and often needed some space or a workhorse or two beside him to get into a rhythm. His open play did often have a "set piece" quality to it as well and he wasn't really the highly press resistant, short/medium pass type. More about being direct and deadly with long passes and through balls if given space. Not that good defensively.

For recent more famous players i'd compare him to Sneijder, he wasn't any less skilled but never quite got as good a platform to showcase his abilities as Mourinho's Inter were.

That's the best description, in terms of style he was similar to a Lampard and had nothing to do with Laurent Robert.

 

[Le Red]

From a Brazilian perspective (that means watching him a lot with the NT and Vasco da Gama but very little with Lyon) he was one of the best midfielders we had in the 2000s, not just because of deadballs. He was a cool headed, technically solid player capable of driving the play beyond his team's half with ease.
It's actually a surprise to me so many people think of him as a dead ball merchant.

 

[JPRouve]

He was competent but not even the best Juninho.

That whole Lyon squad was filled with a lot of players who never really did it in the big time. Cacapa for instance was Lyon captain and when he played for Newcastle he made Titus Bramble look like Franco Baresi.

That's an interesting mention because Cacapa was nothing special for Lyon. Abidal, Edmilson, Cris and Muller were all better and considered better, he was generally the third option but a respected leader in the locker room.

 

[Andersonson]

Technically very solid, but faded alot in games. Didnt really manage to controll games. World class at set pieces and both short and long passes was sublime.

He was a good player, who could be himself at Lyon, but I think he was a level below whats needed for the top top clubs.

He ran alot though, but was often not involved, but when he was it usually ended up with something dangerous.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Like Becks are a really magnificent passer(long range, play switching) and crosser of the ball, aside from being a really good hard working player and a handy goal scorer from midfield. But freekicks overshadowed all of it.

Sorry, but Free kicks did not overshadow Beckham’s talent at all. He was a fabulous footballer and is recognised as such.

 

[Haddock]

That's an interesting mention because Cacapa was nothing special for Lyon. Abidal, Edmilson, Cris and Muller were all better and considered better, he was generally the third option but a respected leader in the locker room.

Abidal was of course the best of that lot. Cris was ok I guess. The player I really rated was Toulalan. I kept trying to convice myself that Vikash Dhorasoo was better than he was because he was Indian. I'm fairly certain Lyon didn't even make it out of the group stages in the Champions league at least twice in that period.

 

[JPRouve]

Abidal was of course the best of that lot. Cris was ok I guess. The player I really rated was Toulalan. I kept trying to convice myself that Vikash Dhorasoo was better than he was because he was Indian. I'm fairly certain Lyon didn't even make it out of the group stages in the Champions league at least twice in that period.

Cris was the better CB of that lot. And after 2003 Lyon always qualified for the KO stages until 2012.

 

[Vidyoyo]

Abidal was of course the best of that lot. Cris was ok I guess. The player I really rated was Toulalan. I kept trying to convice myself that Vikash Dhorasoo was better than he was because he was Indian. I'm fairly certain Lyon didn't even make it out of the group stages in the Champions league at least twice in that period.

Not to cause a ruckus but this is a bit disingenuous. The last time they didn't get out of the group stage was 02/03 and they got through every year after that.

More, they finished above Bayern in 03/04, above us in 04/05, and finished top above Real Madrid in 05/06 AND 06/07.

Certainly less impressive in the knockouts though:

• RO16 - 3 times
• Quarter Finals - 3 times
• Semi-finals - 1 time (pretty good though)

Their domestic record was generally unreal during that period (as good as PSG's today).

Winners (7): 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08


This was all during Juninho's pomp.

They really had a great team in those years (in addition to those you've mentioned - Coupet, Diarra, Benzema, Govou, Malouda and, for a short period, Tiago).

 

[Jund]

An awesome footballer, but a late bloomer. The only thing that was slowing him down was his speed. Pun intended.

 

[Vidyoyo]

An awesome footballer, but a late bloomer. The only thing that was slowing him down was his speed. Pun intended.

Yeah, I remember him being really slow. Great playmaker otherwise.

 

[GifLord]

The moment he became known to the world

 

[SCP]

He actually already was a top player at Vasco da Gama in Brasil. And at the time they had outstanding players. Romário/Edmundo/Juninho Paulista/Mauro Galvão, even Felipe was a quite entertaining player, but honestly wasn’t made to play in Europe. He was more than a free kick specialist, that”s for sure.

 

[FootballHQ]

Was a regular squad player for Brazil, pretty sure he featured in one world cup (2006?) and a few Copa Americas for them.

Not quite elite but a very good player for many years for Lyon and in CL as they were getting to knock out stages regularly back then.

A year or two after he left they got in Michel Bastos who had two really good seasons for them and think he was a really good Free kick taker aswell but he never quite kicked on in his career.

 

[kouroux]

He was a very good player overall.

 

[RoyH1]

Much better than how the CAF remembers him. You didn't play 40 games for Brazil in midfield back in the 00's just because you were a free kick specialist

 

[SilentStrike]

The moment he became known to the world

That's insane, and against one of the best goalkeepers of all time too.

 

[Karel Podolsky]

I'd say Cazorla level? Great but not elite.

Agree.
I'd say Christian Eriksen level.