1. Zico
2. Ronaldinho
3. Rivaldo
4. Kaka
5. Neymar
2. Ronaldinho
3. Rivaldo
4. Kaka
5. Neymar
Rank these Brazilian players
- Thread starter sun_tzu
- Start date
Zico
Ronaldinho
Kaka
Neymar
Rivaldo
Ronaldinho
Kaka
Neymar
Rivaldo
I have a bit of knowledge because our national tv used to broadcast some top brazilian league games once a while back in the days (late 80's and 90's) and some of the top teams had really remarkable squads.
People have to bare in mind that for most of S.A. players, to reach a brazilian top club is a career feature. Not only because they could afford much better wages, but also because the fanbase of those clubs are huge.
And people have to remember that brazilian clubs could actually afford top wages and that was one of the reasons why players like Romário didn't mind that much coming back to Brazil earning a bit less, but still being overpaid.
From the top of my head, all these players played in the 90's "Brasileirão" (now renamed Serie A)
- Edilson Capeta (for those who don't know him, search on youtube: a helluva player)
- Giovanni
- Djalminha
- Marcelinho Carioca
- Amoroso
- Mauro Silva
- César Sampaio
- Edmundo
- Romário
- Bebeto
- Muller
- Evair
- Túlio Maravilha
- Petkovic (one of the most accurate FK takers on football history)
- Freddy Rincon
- Renato Gaúcho
- Viola
- Dunga
- Raí
- Juan Carlos Arce
- Carlos Gamarra
- Aristizábal
- etc....
1. Zico - never saw him play, only watched some footages, but he scored 476 goals in 699 games as attacking midfielder, which was totally insane, and people used to call him "white Pele", so I guess he is easily the best here.
2. Ronaldinho - at his peak he was the most entertaining footballer I've ever watched, at one point I really thought he could have the potential match Maradona greatness with his flair, dribbling, creativity and imagination. Shame his peak was rather short and he became rather poor later on.
3. Rivaldo - Great player, comparable to Figo and Zidane during his peak. Part of Brazil 3R golden generation winning WC.
4. Kaka - Ballon D'or winner. He was a good footballer when he was playing at Milan. But similar to Ronaldinho he didn't keep it up long enough.
5. Neymar - Meh, unlucky playing for worst Brazil team in decades, enjoy some good success at Barcelona but playing under the shadow of Messi, then overshadowed by Mbappe in PSG again (partly due to injuries), still one of the most talented footballer in past decade, behind Messi and Ronaldo. But I feel he would never win a Ballon D'or, even after Messi and Ronaldo retired.
2. Ronaldinho - at his peak he was the most entertaining footballer I've ever watched, at one point I really thought he could have the potential match Maradona greatness with his flair, dribbling, creativity and imagination. Shame his peak was rather short and he became rather poor later on.
3. Rivaldo - Great player, comparable to Figo and Zidane during his peak. Part of Brazil 3R golden generation winning WC.
4. Kaka - Ballon D'or winner. He was a good footballer when he was playing at Milan. But similar to Ronaldinho he didn't keep it up long enough.
5. Neymar - Meh, unlucky playing for worst Brazil team in decades, enjoy some good success at Barcelona but playing under the shadow of Messi, then overshadowed by Mbappe in PSG again (partly due to injuries), still one of the most talented footballer in past decade, behind Messi and Ronaldo. But I feel he would never win a Ballon D'or, even after Messi and Ronaldo retired.
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Yeah, it's Zico on top - obviously, I'd say.
Dinho or Rivaldo below him, depending on what you choose to focus on (pure talent versus achievements and longevity).
Kaka over Neymar for me. The latter could do something still to change perceptions - though I have a feeling he won't.
Dinho or Rivaldo below him, depending on what you choose to focus on (pure talent versus achievements and longevity).
Kaka over Neymar for me. The latter could do something still to change perceptions - though I have a feeling he won't.
Rivaldo must have been really good if there is a consensus that he deserved the Ballon D'Or over a treble winning Beckham.
Zico
Rivaldo
Ronaldiniho
Kaka
Neymar
Rivaldo
Ronaldiniho
Kaka
Neymar
Zico
Neymar
Ronaldinho
Kaka
Rivaldo
Neymar
Ronaldinho
Kaka
Rivaldo
Question about Zico, what was his time at Udinese like? I see he had a good goalscoring debut season but not his second. Also, how did he end up at a midtable Italian team and not one of the bigger teams?
Not sure I agree with everyone placing Neymar last and behind Kaka.
Kaka was excellent for a short burst (pre injuries) but I'm not sure he was good enough in that period (like Ronaldhinio was) to put him ahead of Neymar. Maybe my memory is clouded but Neymar was for a good while universally considered as the third best in the world behind Messi and Ronaldo. He was instrumental in the treble win, and has score tons of goals for Brazil. The psg move has obviously tainted his career but Im not sure it puts him behind Kaka.
Kaka was excellent for a short burst (pre injuries) but I'm not sure he was good enough in that period (like Ronaldhinio was) to put him ahead of Neymar. Maybe my memory is clouded but Neymar was for a good while universally considered as the third best in the world behind Messi and Ronaldo. He was instrumental in the treble win, and has score tons of goals for Brazil. The psg move has obviously tainted his career but Im not sure it puts him behind Kaka.
Zico
Ronaldinho Rivaldo
Kaka
Neymar
Ronaldinho Rivaldo
Kaka
Neymar
As a Brazilian, here's the general opinion in the country, which I share:
Ronaldinho
Zico
Rivaldo
Kaka
Neymar
Most controversial is number 2 spot. Rivaldo and Zico is very close.
Ronaldinho
Zico
Rivaldo
Kaka
Neymar
Most controversial is number 2 spot. Rivaldo and Zico is very close.
Junior is really admired as well. It helps that he's well known by younger generations as a beach football legend.
The Udinese and Zanussi owner Lamberto Mazza wanted to make a splash, but didn't really have the budget to build a title-challenging squad. It was a slightly dodgy transfer as part of the fee came through another holding company. It was a different era as there was less of a gulf between squads and each club was only allowed three foreigners so the quality was spread across the league more, and maverick chairmen were always keen to secure their own superstar for the glamour. His first campaign there was exceptional and he rattled in the goals in what was a midtable side. Him and Platini were gods in Serie A and were quite clearly the top two players in the world. He was moving into his 30s though and it was no longer prime Zico which became more evident in his second campaign there. And by that point Udinese were starting to struggle elsewhere and barely avoided relegation.
Like Messi vs VVD this year except Rivaldo also dominated and won the Copa America
Zico was phenomenal at a time when creative players were still mercilessly hacked but the opposition. Brazil 82 is the best team to never win the World Cup. So...
1. Zico.
2. Ronaldinho (his peak was short)
3. Rivaldo
4. Kaká
5. Neymar
1. Zico.
2. Ronaldinho (his peak was short)
3. Rivaldo
4. Kaká
5. Neymar
1 Zico- Amazing footballer, best player in the world for a period of time.
2 Dinho- similar to Zico but for a shorter span of time.
3 Neymar- Have him above the other two cause he can do things they just couldn't. He's a true which they weren't.
4 Rivaldo- Lethal is the word. Amazing player with lots of strings to his bow.
5 Kaka have him slightly behind Rivaldo. Truly great player to and perhaps underrated these days.
2 Dinho- similar to Zico but for a shorter span of time.
3 Neymar- Have him above the other two cause he can do things they just couldn't. He's a true which they weren't.
4 Rivaldo- Lethal is the word. Amazing player with lots of strings to his bow.
5 Kaka have him slightly behind Rivaldo. Truly great player to and perhaps underrated these days.
1. Zico
2. Ronaldinho
3. Rivaldo
4. Kaka
5. Neymar
2. Ronaldinho
3. Rivaldo
4. Kaka
5. Neymar
Agree with this. Except the gap between fourth and fifth could be a bit more.
did not want hurt any feelings.
Kaka won a CL almost single-handedly...he's getting seriously underrated here
Haven’t seen Zico properly. Can’t include.
1. Ronaldinho
2. Rivaldo
3. Kaka
4. Neymar
Kaka was very very good but he played in a top Milan team and didn’t generally destroy teams. I think Rivaldo is if anything underrated.
Rivaldo was possibly my favourite player as a young kid. Not old enough for Zico.
Rivaldo/Ronaldino (career/peak)
Neymar
Kaka (loses points for not being great for long)
Would be interesting if this included R9 and Romario too.
Rivaldo/Ronaldino (career/peak)
Neymar
Kaka (loses points for not being great for long)
Would be interesting if this included R9 and Romario too.
Zico
Ronaldinho
Rivaldo
Kaka
Not rating Neymar as he is a spoilt child and not a footballer
Ronaldinho
Rivaldo
Kaka
Not rating Neymar as he is a spoilt child and not a footballer
@Invictus
That was a lovely rabbit hole to go down, watching that old Barca. I can't remember fearing another player more in our treble season than Rivaldo in those CL group games. And they also had Figo! Two of the best players to watch in the 90s.
Didn't catch Zico, but I'd say
Ronaldinho
Rivaldo
Neymar at Barca
Kaka at Milan
That was a lovely rabbit hole to go down, watching that old Barca. I can't remember fearing another player more in our treble season than Rivaldo in those CL group games. And they also had Figo! Two of the best players to watch in the 90s.
Didn't catch Zico, but I'd say
Ronaldinho
Rivaldo
Neymar at Barca
Kaka at Milan
Haven't seen Zico outside of videos and stories from players, I know he was amazing but I can't rate him.
1) Rivaldo: Massively underrated from some of the rankings here, I can't see how anyone puts Kaka' over him unless they're counting fairplay as the main factor.
2) Neymar: This one was hard, I initially put R10 ahead of him but I think, outside of injuries, Neymar has been a superior player because when he is fit, he produces more than Ronaldinho.
3) Ronaldinho: The most magical player I've ever seen play. Too short of a peak in his career to put him over Neymar or Rivaldo.
4) Kaka': He was untouchable in his Milan days, the game against United, the pass for Crespo in the final against Liverpool, that run against Messi in the friendly for the goal, those are the main things I remember about him. I didn't want enough Serie A when he was playing, but I have seen enough to comfortably put him last on this list.
1) Rivaldo: Massively underrated from some of the rankings here, I can't see how anyone puts Kaka' over him unless they're counting fairplay as the main factor.
2) Neymar: This one was hard, I initially put R10 ahead of him but I think, outside of injuries, Neymar has been a superior player because when he is fit, he produces more than Ronaldinho.
3) Ronaldinho: The most magical player I've ever seen play. Too short of a peak in his career to put him over Neymar or Rivaldo.
4) Kaka': He was untouchable in his Milan days, the game against United, the pass for Crespo in the final against Liverpool, that run against Messi in the friendly for the goal, those are the main things I remember about him. I didn't want enough Serie A when he was playing, but I have seen enough to comfortably put him last on this list.
Zico
Rivaldo
The other three on the same level. Maybe Neymar slightly behind so far.
Rivaldo
The other three on the same level. Maybe Neymar slightly behind so far.
Kaka should be by far the last on the list. He had majestic moments in the CL but he and Milan were extremely inconsistent. The fact that he only won one Serie A title says alot.
Kaka carried Milan to the CL trophy in 2007, something that Neymar never did in his career. If we're talking about absolute peak, then Kaka is surely above Neymar.
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Ronaldinho remains my favourite footballer to watch. In his pomp Barca games were must see tv.
Kaká was fairly consistent in terms of performance and accolades, though — tied with Eto'o in the Ballon D'Or in 2004 (also Serie A Player of the Year), 9th in 2005 and UEFA Midfielder of the Year:
https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/news/newsid=1498487.html
Tied with Deco in 2006, then won the Ballon D'Or in 2007 and 9th in 2008 while entering the decline period — that's a remarkable record for an era that contained a ton of really, really good players. Wrt. Milan and Kaká winning only one Serie A title, their primary objective (by a wide margin) was to overtake Real Madrid in the Champions League under Ancelotti (seems ludicrous now but by 2007 they trailed by only 2 titles so it seemed a realistic target). Also, the Juventus team of that period were no mugs, and while Milan focused on Europe, they had the quality and durability to go the distance in the domestic arena under Capello...
Del Piero Trezeguet
Nedvěd Vieira Emerson Camoranesi
Zambrotta Cannavaro Thuram Zebina
Buffon
Nedvěd Vieira Emerson Camoranesi
Zambrotta Cannavaro Thuram Zebina
Buffon
Also had Ibrahimović, Blasi, etc.
For what it's worth, Neymar is oftentimes underrated for someone who has been among the best players in the world for most of his adulthood and has an extraordinary skill set as a playmaker, but he hasn't led Brazil to significant trophies or his club team to a Champions League title while being the “star of the show” because at Barcelona he had Messi and Suárez alongside him — which affects him in this company. He could definitely overtake Kaká by guiding Brazil or Paris Saint-Germain to the summit — but until that happens, the jury is out, IMO.
Fair enough. But I imagine this isn't about peak but overall peformances which are a combination of peak and consistency/longevity. On the CL point, to be fair, nobody can carry any team which has Messi in it. And besides I don't believe Kaka did do that either. That Milan team which made two finals had a fanatatsic midfield too with Pirlo, Gatusso and Seedorf at the heart of it. Also, I think the CL field was a tad weaker back then with Milan meeting a pretty mediocre Liverpool team in two finals.
Of course Kaka was a terrific football. But I'm not sure it's as clear cut as this thread would suggest. The move to PSG has to be the daftest, most career damaging move I've seen a high profile player make though. And Neymar's stature has taken a huge beating as a result. He moved from an elite team where he fit in very well to a baby in CL football where CL was everything.
These were the types of challanges Zico would go up against (no card). It also shows his messi'esque style (albeit right footed)
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I actually quite liked Neymar's move to PSG. He was never likely to get out of Messi shadow and become the main attacker for Barca, so he went somewhere he had a chance to do that...to take more personal responsiblity on, try and be the main player in taking a club to unprecedented CL success. We're already well into an era of unbalanced leagues and a few big clubs dominating so i find it hard to care much about the french league being a step down from La Liga, or PSG being dominant there.
Injuries have been the main problem so far with the move. If he goes back to Spain i'd prefer to see him take on a tougher, more unique challenge than the big two and try and elevate a Europa League/midtable level team to new heights, but that is highly unlikely and probably needs having more insight and desire in leaving a unique mark on the game than Neymar actually has.
Injuries have been the main problem so far with the move. If he goes back to Spain i'd prefer to see him take on a tougher, more unique challenge than the big two and try and elevate a Europa League/midtable level team to new heights, but that is highly unlikely and probably needs having more insight and desire in leaving a unique mark on the game than Neymar actually has.
Ronaldinho
Rivaldo
Zico
Kaka
Neymar
Rivaldo
Zico
Kaka
Neymar
Never seen Zico play live.
1. Ronaldinho
2. Rivaldo
3. Kaka
4. Neymar
1. Ronaldinho
2. Rivaldo
3. Kaka
4. Neymar
Didn’t watched Zico a lot
In 1st position Neymar
the others started to decline before the 30 yo
Neymar
Ronaldinho
Kaka
Rivaldo
At their peak
Ronaldinho
Kaka
Zico
Neymar
Rivaldo
Ronaldinho
Kaka
Zico
Neymar
Rivaldo