Simply. 
The natural successor: Has Neymar blown it?
- Thread starter Fortitude
- Start date
Damn, I didn’t know Neymar’s mom was a cougar.
Good for her
Good for her
Neymar still has every chance to win these individual awards.
It just relies heavily on PSG mounting that champions league challenge, while other players have won or can win the award without that european glory (See Ronaldo, who never won the CL)
It just relies heavily on PSG mounting that champions league challenge, while other players have won or can win the award without that european glory (See Ronaldo, who never won the CL)
What in the actual.....no fecking way. I’d bust his ass. How is Neymar ok with this
A young stud to add to the family orgies, what's not to love?What in the actual.....no fecking way. I’d bust his ass. How is Neymar ok with this
Depending on what you would like to believe, I think Rashford will be in that fold. His stats and numbers are brilliant at his age! Others who can get there are Timo Werner (he'll be 26 at hitting his peak), Haaland (21, but has a big shout), Salah (29 then, but I hope this does not happen). I'm sure there are lots of other names, which others can put in the hat.
Mbappe has had a brilliant start to his career, but that does not mean he will be able to replicate what Messi and Ronaldo have done. Both of them were generational talents, and showed levels of consistency that no player has shown before. Zidane probably came the closest with 4 absolutely insane seasons, but these two have done it for more than a decade now.
Like you mentioned, this is a digress - so back on point. Neymar hasn't digressed but he does not get the same attention now that he is not in one of the two Spanish clubs. PSG just don't have the same profile in the media as Barcelona. A lot of what he would be doing is now disregarded as he is playing in France. If there was ever a bad career choice for a player who had the world at his feet, its Neymar to PSG (regardless of the stupid money that was thrown around).
For Mbappe it will be different, he will spend his pre-peak years at PSG. He can move to another club at 24-25 and still play at the top level in that club for 6-8 years!
They're filthy rich but They seem to have no class.
For every Warren Buffet, there are 1000's of Kardashians and Neymars.
For every Warren Buffet, there are 1000's of Kardashians and Neymars.
Perhaps he wasn't asked.What in the actual.....no fecking way. I’d bust his ass. How is Neymar ok with this
The lad dancing in that video to BieberI hope the PSG dressing room absolutely hammer him for this.
Hammer-Ed! Neymar wants to leave PSG after team mates' mockery. Ed Woodward is preparing a bid.
I hope the PSG dressing room absolutely hammer him for this.
there is plenty of hammering going on, but it’s in Neymar’s guest bedroom
I hope the PSG dressing room absolutely hammer him for this.
Imagine it was his dad with some 22 year old girl. Probably a complete non story though equally weirdWhat in the actual.....no fecking way. I’d bust his ass. How is Neymar ok with this
In terms of best players, I think when Ronaldo and Messi (still only 32) dwindle, it will probably be Mbappe. I think it would take another 3 maybe 4 years before anyone replaces Messi as the best in the world, and Neymar by that time would be about 31/32 himself, whereas Mbappe should be hitting his peak. I think Haaland has a shout because he's so goal hungry and scores all types of goals. I think talent wise he's nowhere near Mbappe but Ronaldo is probably even further away from Messi in terms of pure talent. Early days but Haaland seems to have that single minded hunger for goals. No one else really obvious comes to mind but there will probably be someone bursting through in a few years who will he better than these two!
Neymar has the talent but not the mentality to succeed messi as the BPITW. I'd say Neymar is the polar opposite of Cristiano; the later is not as talented as neymar or many footballers of yesteryear e.g Ronaldinho or Luis Ronaldo but his mentality and desire means he has made the absolute most of his otherwise limited attributes to earn comparison to the very best.
Well, I don't think there's anybody that can compare to CR7 as far as mentality and obsession with improving/training/recovering, etc, but limited attributes? CR7??
Also, I think Neymar is pretty damn solid mentally. People tend to forget that la remontada, arguably one of sport's biggest comeback in recent history, only happened because of him above anybody else on the field that day.
We will just see a return of outstanding performers in that year winning the Ballon d’or - which used to happen before this two. It means you get some strange results like Owen! But it will be more interesting. There won’t be one player who is the best in the works for 2-5 years, this is a complete anomaly.
I think Mbappe can pull it off, he is keeping pace with Messi and CR7 already, albeit in Ligue 1 but I'm pretty certain he will be able to do it anywhere. Barring injury, I fully expect Mbappe to take over the mantle as soon as next season.
I get what your point is, but young Ronaldo was a huge talent back then. Even George Best, one of the most talented player ever in the history of the game, has said this himself, that he was honoured to be compared with young and talented Ronaldo. Not having same level of natural talent as Messi or Maradona, doesn't mean he is limited player. Players like Cruyff or Di Stefano may not have same level of talent as Messi or Maradona too, but would you say they had limited attributes?
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What i mean by limited attributes is that he lacks attributes associated with fantasy type football, the kind that the likes of messi, ronaldinho, luis ronaldo, maradona, cruyff et al possess. He is more of an athlete who has made the absolute most of his athleticism with the power, the sprints and the headers and that is down to his mentality.Well, I don't think there's anybody that can compare to CR7 as far as mentality and obsession with improving/training/recovering, etc, but limited attributes? CR7??
Also, I think Neymar is pretty damn solid mentally. People tend to forget that la remontada, arguably one of sport's biggest comeback in recent history, only happened because of him above anybody else on the field that day.
Yes, Neymar was great in that match but the truth is that as messi passed his peak, it left a void for neymar to take over and win the individual honours which he didn't and instead a past-his-peak 30+ year old Cristiano won them without exactly being spectacular.
I dont think he meant Neymar's mentality on the pitch, which is superb most of the time. I think he means being mentally strong enough to not drink, go out and make sacrifices to improve as a playerWell, I don't think there's anybody that can compare to CR7 as far as mentality and obsession with improving/training/recovering, etc, but limited attributes? CR7??
Also, I think Neymar is pretty damn solid mentally. People tend to forget that la remontada, arguably one of sport's biggest comeback in recent history, only happened because of him above anybody else on the field that day.
Cruyff had world class vision, passing, and ball control. However, he lacked the explosive agility and acceleration that Messi and Maradona possessed. Cruyff's limitations were physical.
I agree that Ronaldo is a fantastic footballer with very good ability. He doesn't quite have that mythical ball control that the two Argentinian magicians had, but he is still a fantastic footballer nonetheless.
Having watched Ronaldo very closely from 2009-2011 (his first two seasons at Real), I would say that his all-round abilities as a footballer at that time were on par with Ronaldo Nazario at his peak.
Completely disagree with you there, R9 at his peak is a different level to CR7 at his peak, I don't care what the stats say on that one. CR7's heading ability is lightyears ahead of R9 at his peak, but everything else leaves him in the rearview mirror.
Sure R9 peak was indeed very high, but people tend to also overrate it abit because of his younger age and the early promises (at around 19-22) and the big contrast in comparison with his average grown-up years (post-injuries).
Whereas people tend to underrate CR7 peak abit it as he has been around for so long at the top where his games has been changing alot too throughout the years. In truth, people tend to rate CR7 during his most successful period (at around 29-33), where it was far from his peak level of performance.
Its not only about stats, I've seen Ronaldo peak during 2010-2013 in Real, the performance is truly breathtaking and it was at that time I really think he has at least reach R9 peak and becoming a truly better player overall.
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
And I am not even talking about his crazy stats here, just purely on his performance level. As you can see, he tends to influence the game alot initiating alot of attack move for his team from around 30-50 yards out to the final third with his runs, pace, skills, dribbling, tricks, explosiveness and his pass technique. Truly amazing to watch.
And 2013-2014 is probably his last season playing near to that level. Ever since then his game has changed alot. He was becoming more of a poacher and focus more on scoring goals to maintain his impressive stats, and aiming to win more games and trophies, rather than being an all-action attacking beast who tries to lead every attack for his team,
2013-2014
Unfortunately, Ronaldo peak in 2010-2013 also coincides with Messi/Barca peak during the same period. Messi, being a GOAT himself, is playing at his absolutely peak level too, winning everything at Barca, and support by peak Xavi+Iniesta (who also dominates world football from 2008 to 2012 in Spain team, winning 1 WC and 2 Euro in this period). Hence most people will tend to rate Ronaldo during his most successful period instead (2014-2018), when he finally leads his team (Real/Portugal) to win everything.
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Cruyff was very quick and agile and was faster than probably 95%+ of the defenders he came up against.
Yeah, he was rapid.
The problem with youtube videos are that anyone can be made to look like a combination of messi, maradona and pele. The best way to judge a player is to watch the actual matches and i have watched Cristiano
At the beginning of their respective careers Rooney was considered a bigger talent with Ronaldo being dubbed a 'one trick show pony'. It was
since his debut at Man utd and my opinion is based on exact that.
The problem with youtube videos is that they can make anyone look like maradona + messi + pele all rolled in one. I've watched Cristiano since his debut and he has never been anywhere near as good as messi or other players i mentioned interms of all round attacking play and those videos absolutely exaggerate his performances.
Nah you getting it wrong. Its not just another youtube video showing the highlight of best of his career. If you look at it closely, its recorded in season by season basis. Which means, over 10 mins of footage for each season alone, and over 45 mins of footage in 4 years. You don't get this extensive with other players in youtube, not on those you describe anyway (which is usually 5 or 6 mins footage showing the best of a players career).
Also, the problem is, you are basing your judgement on Ronaldo on his earlier years at United, and later years at Real, where both not anywhere near his prime at all. You are missing the whole period I am talking about (first 4 years of his Real Madrid career). I assume you didn't watch every games he played since he moved to Real, maybe out of frustration of him leaving our club. But you should know it when he first won Ballon D'or with us, he was easily more talented than Rooney at that time, in fact by quite a margin.
And lets see George Best real quote on Ronaldo during his early years anyway:
And here's your opinion:
Well let's just say, you surely know your stuff, or maybe you don't rate George Best type of talent at all, its all up to you really. But when it comes to real talent in football, I am sure George Best knew something about it.
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I watched World Cup 2014 on Amazon earlier this week. Such an incredible footballer
Neymar should have been recognised as the best player in the world now but the move to PSG killed that sadly
Neymar should have been recognised as the best player in the world now but the move to PSG killed that sadly
Probably just happy the guy is off the market so it's less competition for his sister.What in the actual.....no fecking way. I’d bust his ass. How is Neymar ok with this
Some of your comments make it obvious that you are underrating Ronaldo.
Rooney was considered more likely to reach the level that his talent would allow, not necessarily a bigger talent. As it turns out it was the exact opposite with Ronaldo reaching his absolute peak while Rooney never really reached the level that was expected.
Ronaldo may not have had quite the pure ability that Messi and Maradona had, but to say that 'he has never been anywhere near as good' or that 'He is more of an athlete who has made the absolute most of his athleticism', is definitely going overboard. In the early days it was his pure talent that made people talk about him being potentially one of, if not the best, players in the world, but as time wore on it was felt to be unlikely to happen as he didn't have the decision-making. It was actually him reducing the amount he utilised the 'fantasy football' stuff and focusing more on efficiency that allowed him to just about keep up with Messi. But in 07/08 and the first couple of years at Real Madrid he had just about the perfect mixture of dominance and effectiveness.
Just go back to threads at the beginning of his career (2005), you will see that it is Rooney vs messi comparisons rather than with Ronaldo. I will say this again, Cristiano is a match winner in terms of scoring goals and has been since 2007 but his play lacks certain fantasy such as control of the ball at full speed, vision, passing range, creativity, ability to control the attack that players like Messi, Maradona, Ronaldinho, Luis Ronaldo (before his injuries), cruyff etc. Neymar possess these abilities but does not have 50% of the drive or discipline that Cristiano has.
So, in a nutshell, from a purists point of view, Cristiano even in his prime (2010-14) was a very good footballer and a match winner but a very mechanical footballer, a machine. Don't get me wrong, i respect what he has achieved.
Rooney was simply more developed and consistent than Ronaldo when he was younger. Ronaldo always had greater potential and showed flashes of his mercurial talent, it just took a lot longer for him to put all the pieces together consistently.
Rooney was hyped because he did everything at such a young age, was productive and it also helped with him being English. He was doing great things at 18 but it never looked like he had much scope to improve and beyond the press, I and many other United fans saw Ronaldo as the bigger talent, it was just a case of whether or not he could fulfil it.
I do agree with everything else you wrote though. Ronaldo is top 5 but he lacks the genius that the likes of Messi, Maradona and Ronaldinho had.
Cruyff was quick, but he didn’t have that explosive acceleration of Maradona. That was the biggest difference between the two.
No, his acceleration was ridiculous for the time
He just plain wasn't as good as Diego. At anything, really
Certainly faster than Messi or maradona.
That's a lie. He was faster, double footed unlike Diego, a better finisher and a better passer. Diego was technically better and a better dribbler.
Phew, not sure about that, Maradona was a bullet too. I'd say of those three, Messi is the one whose dribbling runs were significantly more about agility & initial acceleration than actual pace (ridiculous ball control & mental quickness left aside for once). I feel Maradona had the most complete high-end package of all these technical and physical qualities.
A wonderful footballer who can still walk into any team in Europe and achieve great things, wouldn't write him off yet.
What I notice a lot is people somehow manage to downplay CR7's skills as an attacker because they consider him a winger. R9 was a no.9 who was not involved in general play for a large portion of the game just like most other strikers, so people judge his skills as a striker, add that to the skills he demonstrated and call him the best no.9 in history. Yet CR7 scored more goals on a season by season basis, coming from the flanks while managing to display even more skills during the game, but since he is viewed by many as a winger, his skills are deemed ordinary. If people were fair, looked at both of their impact on a game and judged CR7 for what he really is, a goalscorer like R9, then people would actually judge him more appropriately in terms of ball playing ability rather than just goalscoring. He is criminally underrated by people who simply believe being a great player is about being a technical playmaker.
Here's another argument and proof of that, Dennis Bergkamp. Very overrated player who was sound technically and beautiful to watch, but nowhere near as impactful as people would have you believe. People will swear to you that he was one of the key cogs in the 01-04 Arsenal teams, but the reality was he was heavily rotated during that period and in fact was one of the least influential players in their first xi during that period. Another one is Zidane. If you go and watch the old Juventus games, you can see how limited his actual impact on the game was in a lot of matches. He was great at producing at the highest moments but did not have the week to week consistency or the impact of messi and ronaldo. I actually find it disturbing how people so readily downplay these two when they provided more than a decade of consistent week to week excellence. The truth is, noone prior to them did what they did or would have done what they did if they didn't get injured. Ronaldo ( Brazil) even at peak, would not have done that. And assuming he would, simply as a result of him being injured is failing to recognize how much talent and wear and tear it takes to perform at that level every week. Being more pretty to watch than another player does not make you better. Ability does not equal technical skills, and even where that is concerned, CR7 is still as high as those players. Messi is the only reason he seems lacking in that area.