I completely disagree. I don't think it is "as clear as the nose on your face". They are different players. Messi is better at some things and CR7 better at others. Personally, I would pick CR7 over Messi but I understand that more people think Messi is better. I just don't understand why so many people pick one or the other and seem to have a hate for the one they don't like. When their careers are all said and done they will both have records that will likely never be beaten. I know people like to romanticize about players of the past and talk about Pele and Maradonna when talking about who was the best ever, but for me CR7 and Messi are the best ever and someone will have to be absolutely amazing to even come close to their achievements...
Greatest European Cup/Champions League player(s) of all time?
- Thread starter Fortitude
- Start date
Was he? He played one great pass to Iniesta but pretty much did nothing other than that. Fantastic is way over the top.
In the home leg he also wasn't great and missed 3 chances that he should have done a lot better. Against PSG away he had a terrible game, probably his worst of the season. Last season the Champions League was simply a disaster for him. The rest of the team didn't help but he still should have done better than he did.
Ronaldo's missed the semifinals once in the past 12 years, he's scored more than anyone in the history of the competition, he has more assists than anyone in the history of the competition, he has more goals in the knockouts, more assists in the knockouts, decided more big matches, he played 5 finals to Messi's 3, won it 4 times while being the competition's top scorer, did it for 2 different clubs, all of this while playing with a worse team around him for most of it. He was born to play Champions League football.
He played for arguably the best MUFC side of SAF’s reign and Real Madrid. Not Salford City.
different eras, so I won't claim one pair is better than the other, pitches were nowhere near like that are today, and you'd get a 5 match ban for some of the ''good tackles'' Maradona had to deal with, I don't go down the road of liking one or and not liking the other, I just think Messi is hands down the better player, R9 was also better. I think many feel obligated to praise CR7, because he used to be one of us.
Yes, does that change what I said?
Phil Neal. Liverpool Football Club.
European Cup winner.
1977
1978
1981
1984
Finalist
1985
European Cup winner.
1977
1978
1981
1984
Finalist
1985
Greatest ever European Cup/Champions League right-back?
Anyway.
I went for Maldini as I've actually seen him play in one. The cheeky twat scored after 33 seconds too.
I went for Maldini as I've actually seen him play in one. The cheeky twat scored after 33 seconds too.
Maybe I mis read the OP. But yes. Certainly one of the most decorated players in European football. I think he won 22 medals in domestic and European football in his career. I think Heysel was his last game but not too sure. It's a shame if it was.
OGS
I have no obligation to praise CR7. He has earned every bit of my praise. The man is a machine. I have no problem with people who think that Messi is a better player. Arguments can be made for both. But to say he is "hands down" a better player is somewhat disrespectful to him. I'd be curious to know what your argument is to say that he is "hands down" better than CR7. That makes it sound like it's not even close, however if you look at the facts, it is anything but hands down to either of them.
http://messivsronaldo.net/
Can't believe people easily forgot about the star of that night in Instanbul.
Anyway. Voted Di Stefano.
Anyway. Voted Di Stefano.
Duncan Edwards.
Traore ?
But the teams were barely much worse than Barca, so the comment doesn’t really matter that much.
They were worse, which is what I said.
They were worse because Messi played for Barca, put Messi in that United side or Madrid of the last 8 years and Barca all of a sudden become worse than them two sides.
Very good call.
Well, of course. What does that have to do with what I'm saying?
You're not even disagreeing with me so I'm not understanding this.
Make a half decent team from the nominees and a couple more.
Casillas
Phil Neal Beckenbauer Costacurta Maldini
Messi Xavi Di Stefano Gento
Ronaldo Cruyff
Slightly attacking.
Casillas
Phil Neal Beckenbauer Costacurta Maldini
Messi Xavi Di Stefano Gento
Ronaldo Cruyff
Slightly attacking.
I am biased because he has played for our great club and helped us to our last CL title. The one the only CR7 in my opinion is the best ever in the Champions league era. I cannot rate players I did not see play live. That being said respect to the elder greats of our game.
He's a good shout, but an awful man, so whilst I'd have him in the all time 11, I just couldn't vote for him as best ever.
I'd say his performance in last years final was similar.
Ronaldo's knockout round performances are far above anyone's that I know of. He's shown up more often than Messi has.
Dietmar Hamann
Seriously? In a thread about all time best player in the EC/CL, you bring up someone who's never won it?
I'd be very very surprised if Messi didn't win the ballon d'or this year. He deserved it last year too. I mean every other one of Ronaldo's 5 ballon d'ors I would say deserved but last years he definitely didn't deserve imo.
Dudek is my guess. Double save on Sheva is the iconic play from that night. Or should be at any rate. That was the moment that definitively won the game for liverpool
I remember it well. That was the moment I relaxed ( as you can under such circumstances ) and knew we would win . It's hard too explain stuff like that .
Well not really. Or maybe it is, but i think everyone, starting with the players, understood right then that liverpool would win
Btw i reacted to it like i react to real madrid goals. But then i was watching tne game with a bunch of milan fans
not gonna lie, i'm still not quite sure ho that night didn't end in a brawl, but the tv owner ended up throwing it off the balcony Care to explain why Messi will win it this year? 2018 is only 48 days in, during that time Messi has 8 goals and Ronaldo 9.
As for last year, Messi bottled the big games and Ronaldo won everything meaningful, it's just about a foregone conclusion.
Agreed. I also wonder how people can vote for a modern-day player if the poll includes players from the past they haven't seen play. If someone is uniformed about any of the choices they shouldn't be voting at all.
For some reason people think "I haven't seen him, him or him but am still going to say they weren't the best or greatest and someone else is even though I haven't got a clue what I'm talking about".
Well not really. Or maybe it is, but i think everyone, starting with the players, understood right then that liverpool would win
Btw i reacted to it like i react to real madrid goals. But then i was watching tne game with a bunch of milan fans
Nice story but I still can't explain it or that night. It was too weird.
I don’t think any of the older players can win the competition is infinitely more difficult since the champions league era
IMO it has to be Messi or Xavi both linchpins in what in my opinion is still the best side I ever saw play
IMO it has to be Messi or Xavi both linchpins in what in my opinion is still the best side I ever saw play
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for me, I think .
.Karma. Football Gods. Whatever, they most definitely exist. If they didn't, you don't play them again in the final 2 years later and lose while dominating the game, or chelsea doesn't win it in 2012
Yep. There was deffo something in the air that night. In 2007 I had a feeling that we would lose. I watched it in Chiang Ma Thailand with a lad from Salford. He said he wasn't arsed who wins but everytime Milan scored he would run out the bar and celebrate. I guess I'd do the same.
This, and I'm old and was actually around when most of these other greats were playing.