I agree generally yes - for 90% of players it's a circus trick. And it's the feint as the opposed to the stopover itself that does the damage. What made Ronaldo so devastating with it was that momentum and physicality that he mastered more than anyone else. But the stepover was key in setting him to surge off his planted foot at an angle which is perfect for acceleration. Typically it compares to how sprinters accelerate out of the blocks and is a long way away from the silly tall posture stepovers many other players have used since. The stepover also allowed him to do the feint and keep the ball within very close control, with some protection provided by the stepover leg, which wouldn't have been possible with just the feint itself.
Greatest Dribbler of All Time
- Thread starter Moby
- Start date
30 years ago or more one of the first I seen in the English First Division was Tony Daley. As for the haircuts!
Bestie was the greatest I have ever seen, and I seen him a lot. Maradonna could not dribble like best.
But Maradona could.
Spot on. Majority does the stepover because its an easy trick but very few are the masters of the proper stepover. Gio pretty much covered everything but i would just add that there is no better feeling then "catching" someone into a stepover, it very rarely happens(you can go 10/10 past the player and not catch him) but when it does its a thing of beauty, did it myself few times and unfortunately/luckily was on the end once so i know the feeling. You know in theory how to defend against it but your brain pretty much freezes and you cant do anything other then follow the stepover, its like a hypnosis.
Robinho could have done stepovers until the byline and guy wouldnt react.
Bastard
then again it's all in the tagline brother!Maradona with one or two N's could not dribble like best.
Michael Owen *runs away*
There's nothing more effective and spectacular than Messi's bodyfeints when done at full speed. In my opinion of course. For example, 2011's Messi. Gattuso wouldn't have seen him.
It's incredible. It's so fast you don't see it at the first time, at normal speed.
Nobody in the history of football is even close to peak Messi when it comes to dribbling in my opinion. Pure efficiency.
When kids learn to dribble first they learn the most basic way to beat a defender, put the ball almost out of reach, and if you are right footed (and so is the defender) suck him in and beat him to the punch, going past on his right. Next stage is going to his left, or even a nutmeg and if you are super fast off the mark and have the timing right, push the ball past him on his left, and go around him to collect it. Knew a guy as a kid who mastered the trick of watching which foot a defender leant on, and timing that little move perfectly. I never saw Maradona or George Best in real life, but I remember a Moroccan juggler who showed up out of nowhere playing beach football twenty years ago; that guy had circus balance and lightning thought, and (even for the stars of local beach footie) was close to impossible to disposess.
But could Best dribble like Maradona?
You're no fun. There is something beautiful about a couple of step-overs and sliding by the player like some of the GIFs posted above show. Messi is beautiful to watch in his first touch, but he is efficiency personified and that's why most people enjoyed watching Ronaldinho more than a Messi. The game of football is made for all sorts of interpretations of how it should be played, but I and many other people have a soft spot for those who will go for audacity over the consistently most efficient decisions. Not everyone should be machines, there's a space for the artists as well.
I'm all for artistry, if i thought the stepover was more aesthetically pleasing and not just pretty goofy and awkward 90% of the time, i'd be a lot more willing to overlook not thinking it's a very efficient move for most scenarios. That said, there were good points raised by posters above on it's better uses. Just a styles thing...Robert Prosinecki could never be accused of having a machine like, efficiency focused dribbling style(especially after his injuries at Real Madrid and subsequent poor fitness) and would often take 7 or 8 touches where 2 would do to beat a man, or let an opponent recover before skinning them again, but i absolutely loved watching him play.
@Demyanenko_square_jaw I think you've overlooking a number of things stepovers provide apart from what has already been mentioned. There's an issue with the stepover where you have players who do them for seemingly little reason, as opposed to others who can do many in a row with each one serving as functional because of what it provides.
@Gio pointed out Ronaldo's usage and the benefits it provided him, but the problem with Ronaldo is he was an outlier and a freak, so what he could do was, or is not really a template for other players to follow. It wasn't just dribbling ability opponents had to process with any dribble Ronaldo made, it was also his explosive second actions and the fact he was already outright faster than them in any scenario anyway - defenders are going to have half their mind overloaded with thoughts about that, let alone the stepovers coming towards them. Actually, if we remove pre-injury Ronaldo, we get a very clear picture of the benefits of the move when not backed up by extraordinary physical attributes.
For a normal player, (or, let's at least use ones who are not top of the top percentile, like Ronaldo) the stepover can place them in a battle of wits and reactions with an opponent. Like with a punch feint in boxing, or a kick feint in Taekwondo, or the combination of either in MMA etc. an opponent has to decipher what the real intent is behind each individually actioned feint, which, in this case is the stepover off either the left or right foot. Just as with a feinted act of aggression in a combat sense, the body and the mind are going to react and prepare for each unique action in a sequence because response time is essential for the actual follow through, be it a block or dodge or counter strike of your own in a combat sense, or a body shaped correctly to even be in a position to tackle, in a football sense.
With each stepover: left to right, right to left, the defender has to shift his bodyweight and his own centre of gravity as well as place his feet correctly lest he become rooted to the spot - if done correctly, this practically always leads to the defender doing a dance of sorts where his coordination is offset and he's moving off-time with each independent stepover.
When a great exponent of stepovers approaches a defender ill-equipped to process the action, the defender will often appear to be frozen in place, motionless and hypnotised, most of the time, that will occur because his brain is in a lagged state, very probably processing the stepover before the stepover being seen in real time. The player executing the stepovers then has an easy stroll past said player and it's not infrequent to see the beaten defender either fall flat, like some kind of sleeping cow being tipped in a field, or just stand still for the entirety of the move past him, like a mannequin. The stepover has not only done its job, then, it has also programmed that player to fear one-on-ones with the exponent, which is where the likelihood of fouls and cards enter the fray in future encounters, not to mention frustration and further loss of concentration.
This leads on to the second reason stepovers can be so useful for those proficient with them - they buy the player and his team time and they disrupt the opposing teams defensive schematic. Of course, being humiliated and bamboozled is not something any defender wantonly seeks out, so in the next scenario where he is isolated with the same player, he is going to try and hold position and not get duped once again, in the meantime, this statuesque defender has effectively removed himself from the game. His concentration is now compromised because all he's thinking about is the player with the ball and not the things happening around him and he's moving half a second slower because he's overthinking things instead of reacting instinctively and intuitively as he normally would, he very probably also needs assistance from another team-mate, which means two men have been drawn to one man and are no longer watching what his team-mates are doing or the spaces they're now running into.
Players who are smart and are doing the stepovers whilst being acutely aware of their surroundings and the opportunities it can provide are like gold dust, however. It's not uncommon to find that great dribbling goes hand-in-hand with selfish or self-involved end-product (i.e. the 'hero run' a lot of dribblers make), which is where the move, and sometimes not the player, get admonished. It's the player who makes a potential golden opportunity he's just created for himself or a team-mate, 'pointless', just as it's the good players who make the exact same scenario a huge problem for the opposition. There's a big difference between a Denilson doing endless stepovers and a player like Ronaldinho. Even young Cristiano was basically learning his trade and the countless ways he could incorporate those 'show pony' stepovers into his overall play to the benefit of himself (heh) or his team.
Anyway, yeah. Stepovers.
@Gio pointed out Ronaldo's usage and the benefits it provided him, but the problem with Ronaldo is he was an outlier and a freak, so what he could do was, or is not really a template for other players to follow. It wasn't just dribbling ability opponents had to process with any dribble Ronaldo made, it was also his explosive second actions and the fact he was already outright faster than them in any scenario anyway - defenders are going to have half their mind overloaded with thoughts about that, let alone the stepovers coming towards them. Actually, if we remove pre-injury Ronaldo, we get a very clear picture of the benefits of the move when not backed up by extraordinary physical attributes.
For a normal player, (or, let's at least use ones who are not top of the top percentile, like Ronaldo) the stepover can place them in a battle of wits and reactions with an opponent. Like with a punch feint in boxing, or a kick feint in Taekwondo, or the combination of either in MMA etc. an opponent has to decipher what the real intent is behind each individually actioned feint, which, in this case is the stepover off either the left or right foot. Just as with a feinted act of aggression in a combat sense, the body and the mind are going to react and prepare for each unique action in a sequence because response time is essential for the actual follow through, be it a block or dodge or counter strike of your own in a combat sense, or a body shaped correctly to even be in a position to tackle, in a football sense.
With each stepover: left to right, right to left, the defender has to shift his bodyweight and his own centre of gravity as well as place his feet correctly lest he become rooted to the spot - if done correctly, this practically always leads to the defender doing a dance of sorts where his coordination is offset and he's moving off-time with each independent stepover.
When a great exponent of stepovers approaches a defender ill-equipped to process the action, the defender will often appear to be frozen in place, motionless and hypnotised, most of the time, that will occur because his brain is in a lagged state, very probably processing the stepover before the stepover being seen in real time. The player executing the stepovers then has an easy stroll past said player and it's not infrequent to see the beaten defender either fall flat, like some kind of sleeping cow being tipped in a field, or just stand still for the entirety of the move past him, like a mannequin. The stepover has not only done its job, then, it has also programmed that player to fear one-on-ones with the exponent, which is where the likelihood of fouls and cards enter the fray in future encounters, not to mention frustration and further loss of concentration.
This leads on to the second reason stepovers can be so useful for those proficient with them - they buy the player and his team time and they disrupt the opposing teams defensive schematic. Of course, being humiliated and bamboozled is not something any defender wantonly seeks out, so in the next scenario where he is isolated with the same player, he is going to try and hold position and not get duped once again, in the meantime, this statuesque defender has effectively removed himself from the game. His concentration is now compromised because all he's thinking about is the player with the ball and not the things happening around him and he's moving half a second slower because he's overthinking things instead of reacting instinctively and intuitively as he normally would, he very probably also needs assistance from another team-mate, which means two men have been drawn to one man and are no longer watching what his team-mates are doing or the spaces they're now running into.
Players who are smart and are doing the stepovers whilst being acutely aware of their surroundings and the opportunities it can provide are like gold dust, however. It's not uncommon to find that great dribbling goes hand-in-hand with selfish or self-involved end-product (i.e. the 'hero run' a lot of dribblers make), which is where the move, and sometimes not the player, get admonished. It's the player who makes a potential golden opportunity he's just created for himself or a team-mate, 'pointless', just as it's the good players who make the exact same scenario a huge problem for the opposition. There's a big difference between a Denilson doing endless stepovers and a player like Ronaldinho. Even young Cristiano was basically learning his trade and the countless ways he could incorporate those 'show pony' stepovers into his overall play to the benefit of himself (heh) or his team.
Anyway, yeah. Stepovers.
Before we answer, we must define what dribbling means, cause I see some folks don't actually understand. Dribbling means getting past defenders, regardless of the method one uses. Some use fancy tricks, others keep it simple, some use body feints, other use their athletic qualities. In the end all that matters is the end result, whether you get past opponents or not, not the way in which you do it.
Second of all, we must also take into consideration the number of players one gets past. It's one thing to be able to get past 1 or 2 opponents, it's a whole different ball game when you get past 4 or 5. For instance, as great as Zidane was, he usually got by 1 defender, so he's not exactly among the all time greats when it comes to dribbling.
Third aspect is the difficulty of comparing players from different eras, like some other members pointed out. IMO it's easier to get past opponents nowadays for a top player due to the increased protection he gets from the refs, plus better pitches and equipment.
As good as Messi and CR7 are, they're vastly overrated. They are surrounded by world class players who play for them at their club teams, and the Spanish league isn't exactly famous for defending, so it's not that hard to get the records.
I'm willing to bet they would spend more time on the sidelines than they would on the pitch due to injuries in they were to play in the 80's and 90's, especially in Serie A or Premier League.
Messi has tremendous close control, but put him on a muddy and uneven pitch and he struggles bigtime. Argentina played a friendly against Romania in 2014 and Messi was non-existent. When he was questioned about his poor performance by the media after the match, he blamed the playing conditions.
With those things in mind, I'd have to give the edge to the old legends.
I haven't watched the likes of Pele, Best, Garrincha, Cruyff or Maradona live. There are youtube highlights and they pretty much cover Maradona and Cruyff's career, not so much for the other 3. From the few footage that I've seen though, Garrincha seems vastly overrated. Pele and G. Best look very good, shame only a small part of their career was filmed.
Anyway, given what I've seen, both on film and live, my top 5 would have to be: Maradona, Ronaldo Fenomeno, Pele, Best and Messi. Messi only gets last place cause he has it easier, I don't think he could have replicated his feats in previous eras, due to the ferocity of defenders, and his frailty.
I also have to explain why Ronaldinho didn't make the cut. Although he was a good dribbler himself and a joy to watch with his fancy tricks, he wasn't as effective as these 5.
And we're debating here who the best dribblers were, not who were the best to look at.
Second of all, we must also take into consideration the number of players one gets past. It's one thing to be able to get past 1 or 2 opponents, it's a whole different ball game when you get past 4 or 5. For instance, as great as Zidane was, he usually got by 1 defender, so he's not exactly among the all time greats when it comes to dribbling.
Third aspect is the difficulty of comparing players from different eras, like some other members pointed out. IMO it's easier to get past opponents nowadays for a top player due to the increased protection he gets from the refs, plus better pitches and equipment.
As good as Messi and CR7 are, they're vastly overrated. They are surrounded by world class players who play for them at their club teams, and the Spanish league isn't exactly famous for defending, so it's not that hard to get the records.
I'm willing to bet they would spend more time on the sidelines than they would on the pitch due to injuries in they were to play in the 80's and 90's, especially in Serie A or Premier League.
Messi has tremendous close control, but put him on a muddy and uneven pitch and he struggles bigtime. Argentina played a friendly against Romania in 2014 and Messi was non-existent. When he was questioned about his poor performance by the media after the match, he blamed the playing conditions.
With those things in mind, I'd have to give the edge to the old legends.
I haven't watched the likes of Pele, Best, Garrincha, Cruyff or Maradona live. There are youtube highlights and they pretty much cover Maradona and Cruyff's career, not so much for the other 3. From the few footage that I've seen though, Garrincha seems vastly overrated. Pele and G. Best look very good, shame only a small part of their career was filmed.
Anyway, given what I've seen, both on film and live, my top 5 would have to be: Maradona, Ronaldo Fenomeno, Pele, Best and Messi. Messi only gets last place cause he has it easier, I don't think he could have replicated his feats in previous eras, due to the ferocity of defenders, and his frailty.
I also have to explain why Ronaldinho didn't make the cut. Although he was a good dribbler himself and a joy to watch with his fancy tricks, he wasn't as effective as these 5.
And we're debating here who the best dribblers were, not who were the best to look at.
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I’m not usually in the Messi camp for these kinds of things but when it comes purely to dribbling, he is for me the best of all time.
Sorry but it’s total bullshit to say Messi is overrated st dribbling. And then to say he can’t do it if the pitch isn’t in perfect condition. The classic.
Phillip Neville. Master of the stepover.
Lol, this is ridiculous. Nostalgia is blinding you.
You're basing your opinion on Messi on one game. Amazing. I've seen Messi play under terrible conditions several times and he still excelled. Both for Argentina and Barcelona.
George Best looks the best to me (from some old footage)
Then Maradona or Messi
Or peak Ronaldo (dribble past players all the way from half way line couple of times?)
Or peak Ronaldinho (most entertaining dribbler I’ve ever seen)
Or Garrincha? (No idea? Don’t have much footage I like)
Then Maradona or Messi
Or peak Ronaldo (dribble past players all the way from half way line couple of times?)
Or peak Ronaldinho (most entertaining dribbler I’ve ever seen)
Or Garrincha? (No idea? Don’t have much footage I like)
I think stepovers can be extemely efficient if done correctly. People are probably a bit too used to the typical young Cristiano stepover that was more for showboating than for actual dribbling. Cristiano didn't really use them as body feints. When doing "classical" stepovers your center of gravity is usually above the ball and one foot is constantly on the ground in order to accelerate, often doing one as a body feint is the most effective way of going past defenders. Cristiano often had the ball slightly in front instead of under him and sometimes it seemed like both legs were were in the air so that he couldn't really react fast to go past the defender if he took the bait. The movement itself looked spectacular and incredibly quick but it ultimately wasn't what made him such a brillant dribbler. However, when he used it the way it was actually "meant to" Ronaldo also utilized the stepover brillantly. In the video linked below, you can see the difference quite clearly at 32 seconds (positive example) and 49 seconds (negative one).
I agree that we see fewer players doing stepovers but I think we shouldn't underestimate the influence of the top dribblers on that. When Ronaldo Lima was considered the best in the world, you saw more players successfully copying him. Now the role model is Messi with his less spectacular style and you see that many players were inspired by him. But there are still some that utilize step overs and skill moves very effectively, exemplarily Neymar and Marcelo.
Anyway, considering the actual topic: I think it is really hard to say who was the best. There is no clear answer. I'd go with Ronaldo Phenomeno since he had incredible close control but also this unbelievable explosiveness and top speed. Additionally, more or less unparalleled skill moves with which he could take out multiple players on very tight space out of the blue. Behind that, I'd have Maradona and Messi more or less on the same level. Unbelievable close control, body feints and acceleration, totally capable of taking out 4-5 players on their runs but they never had the top speed of Ronaldo. Then probably Best who was also exceptional but doesn't amaze me the way the three mentioned before did. However, he was a better dribbler than Cruyff I think who is the better player but not the better dribbler. I'd have Ronaldinho ahead of him from what I've seen. Pele could as well be the number one, he looks a little bit like Ronaldo Phenomeno without the fancy tricks but seems to rival him in pure dribbling ability and top speed but I think there is not enough quality footage to judge. Probably ranks on par with Messi and Maradona, maybe even above both. Garrincha was good but I think it is more of a hipster choice. However, I think Zico was amazing and doesn't get too much credit.
From the more recent players, I think Robben, Neymar, Hazard and also Iniesta deserve to be mentioned.
1. Ronaldo Phenomeno (+Pele)
2. Maradona and Messi
4. Best
5. Ronaldinho, Zico, Cruyff
I agree that we see fewer players doing stepovers but I think we shouldn't underestimate the influence of the top dribblers on that. When Ronaldo Lima was considered the best in the world, you saw more players successfully copying him. Now the role model is Messi with his less spectacular style and you see that many players were inspired by him. But there are still some that utilize step overs and skill moves very effectively, exemplarily Neymar and Marcelo.
Anyway, considering the actual topic: I think it is really hard to say who was the best. There is no clear answer. I'd go with Ronaldo Phenomeno since he had incredible close control but also this unbelievable explosiveness and top speed. Additionally, more or less unparalleled skill moves with which he could take out multiple players on very tight space out of the blue. Behind that, I'd have Maradona and Messi more or less on the same level. Unbelievable close control, body feints and acceleration, totally capable of taking out 4-5 players on their runs but they never had the top speed of Ronaldo. Then probably Best who was also exceptional but doesn't amaze me the way the three mentioned before did. However, he was a better dribbler than Cruyff I think who is the better player but not the better dribbler. I'd have Ronaldinho ahead of him from what I've seen. Pele could as well be the number one, he looks a little bit like Ronaldo Phenomeno without the fancy tricks but seems to rival him in pure dribbling ability and top speed but I think there is not enough quality footage to judge. Probably ranks on par with Messi and Maradona, maybe even above both. Garrincha was good but I think it is more of a hipster choice. However, I think Zico was amazing and doesn't get too much credit.
From the more recent players, I think Robben, Neymar, Hazard and also Iniesta deserve to be mentioned.
1. Ronaldo Phenomeno (+Pele)
2. Maradona and Messi
4. Best
5. Ronaldinho, Zico, Cruyff
I'm not saying Stojkovic was the best ever at dribbling but he played like this against Spain whilst he was playing in Japan at club level at 29 years old ffs.
Also vs Spain in WC 1990
Also vs Spain in WC 1990
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Question is too broad for me.
Ronaldo was a better dribbler over 40m on a counter attack.
Messi was a better dribbler using almost any other parameters.
Ronaldo Lima probably had the best of both of them though. He'd dribble his way out of a corner when double teamed. He could also romp away from his own half and destroy a team single handedly.
Appreciate that Messi can and has dribbled from end to end but I hope that people can apply a common sense filter and acknowledge that wasn't his game.
Ronaldo was a better dribbler over 40m on a counter attack.
Messi was a better dribbler using almost any other parameters.
Ronaldo Lima probably had the best of both of them though. He'd dribble his way out of a corner when double teamed. He could also romp away from his own half and destroy a team single handedly.
Appreciate that Messi can and has dribbled from end to end but I hope that people can apply a common sense filter and acknowledge that wasn't his game.
Thierry Henry was great at that too. Probably one of the best premier league dribblers of all time.
This is like saying an F1 car is over rated for racing, because it can't do it driving over boulders off road.
Adding on that list- Aimar , former messi
Agreed, Suarez would also be up there with him.
Ronaldinho for me, I think he reached a level no one else ever managed. Longevity is his only shortfall.
George Best: poetry in motion!
In terms of my favourite to watch young giggs was best for me. Electric pace with few touches and used his body more than anything to throw defenders. The qpr goal for example. It wasn't just about pace, the way classic wingers weaved through players was one of the things i most loved to see.
Dribbling in the sense of sheer skill close control and touch, messi has to be considered. Guys like zidane and iniesta were good dribblers over short distances. But overall there are different types of dribbling to be considered
Dribbling in the sense of sheer skill close control and touch, messi has to be considered. Guys like zidane and iniesta were good dribblers over short distances. But overall there are different types of dribbling to be considered
Talking of Maradona and Messi, there is one significant difference in their style of dribbling.
Messi's was a mix of horizontal and vertical dribbling, that is dribbling sidewards while also moving forward proportionally.
Maradona's was way more of a vertical dribbling style where he just tore teams with his audacity and pace of dribbling.
The vertical style needs way more skill, confidence and ability to pull it off IMO which is why Maradona's dribbling is probably a tier ahead of everyone else including Messi, for me.
Messi's was a mix of horizontal and vertical dribbling, that is dribbling sidewards while also moving forward proportionally.
Maradona's was way more of a vertical dribbling style where he just tore teams with his audacity and pace of dribbling.
The vertical style needs way more skill, confidence and ability to pull it off IMO which is why Maradona's dribbling is probably a tier ahead of everyone else including Messi, for me.
Yeah I would agree with this and it's why Cruffy's dribbling style is my personal favourite. Was really direct but also did it with grace.
Messi has been 70% the player he once was for the past 4 or 5 seasons. Messi from 5 years ago was 10 times the dribbler of any other man this world has ever known.
Ronaldinho for me. The man just barely tries and has fun while dribbling. God I wish I could remember seeing him play, my memory is horrific and I'm only 26.
I didn't see Best at his peak and the issue of pitches (a lot harder to dribble on) and what sort of tackles were allowed confuses thing but for me, still got to be Messi. Acceleration, balance, control and the feints are incredible.
Sir Stanley Matthews
George Best, was the greatest dribbler of all.
Nah, Messi also had brillant runs straight forward while Maradona also cut in from out wide a lot. He also did a lot of crossing after one on ones on the wings. Think Messi's runs end up in the box more often than Diego's. Maradona looked more spectacular if you ask me but I think result wise they were pretty comparable. I think only Ronaldo Phenomenon went more directly towards the goal and that's primarily because he could outpace everyone by a landslide after dribbling past them. Messi and Maradona weren't able to got that many metres between them and the defenders after bursting past them since they lacked the absolute top speed.