Which footballer peaked the highest?

[Eddy_JukeZ]

During a cup competition?

World Cup, Euros, Champions League, etc.

Is it Maradona in the 1986 World Cup? Probably my pick.

Some other candidates off the top of my head: Platini Euro 1984, Messi 2010-2011 Champions League, Pele 1958 World Cup(I know he won the Golden Ball in 1970, but I was more impressed with his performances in 1958).

So who's your pick?

 

[11101]

I dont think there's any other possible answer than Maradona in 86.

Second place then, for me probably fat Ronaldo in 98 (he was unplayable all the way to the final) or Zidane in the same year.

 

[Bowlcut11]

I think Miroslav Klose deserves a shout for the 2002/2006 World Cups.

Obviously not to the extent of Maradona etc. but definitely raised his game!

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

I dont think there's any other possible answer than Maradona in 86.

Second place then, for me probably fat Ronaldo in 98 (he was unplayable all the way to the final) or Zidane in the same year.

Yeah I thought about Ronaldo's performances in 1998. I didn't mention him, because of what transpired in the final itself, but that might have been unfair of me.

 

[The Urban Goose]

Paulo Rossi 1982 is up there.

 

[nobby the legend]

Bobby Charlton....1966

 

[Mb194dc]

Xavi in 2010/11, ran the midfield and key player in teams that won absolutely everything, world cup, champions league, league, pretty much every major trophy available in this period.

Pretty much impossible to have a better couple of years as footballer than that.

As we've seen since, an irreplaceable player.

 

[Haddock]

Zidane is the biggest myth in modern football.

Ronaldinho probably. He was untouchable and he brought joy. Something completely lacking in a lot of modern footballers.
Maybe Messi between 2011-2013 in terms of efficiency. He scored 73 and 60 goals in a season..I mean when you think 30 goals is a great season. It felt like he was taking the piss chipping keepers every week.

 

[Gavinb33]

Just Fontaine 13 goals in just 6 matches in 1958

 

[Fiskey]

Zidane is the biggest myth in modern football.

Ronaldinho probably. He was untouchable and he brought joy. Something completely lacking in a lot of modern footballers.
Maybe Messi between 2011-2013 in terms of efficiency. He scored 73 and 60 goals in a season..I mean when you think 30 goals is a great season. It felt like he was taking the piss chipping keepers every week.

I've heard this mentioned a couple of times recently, where is it coming from? Incredible player who was widely regarded as the best in teams that won everything.

Where's the myth?

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

I've heard this mentioned a couple of times recently, where is it coming from? Incredible player who was widely regarded as the best in teams that won everything.

Where's the myth?

Think it came from the fact that he had a pretty underwhelming league career, while spending a fair chunk of it at Juventus and Madrid.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

Adriano Leite. Confed cup 2005.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

That one season for Kaka at Milan and similarly for Ronaldinho at Barca

Both were comfortably the best player in the world and were just unreal.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Also... Eder, scorer of goal, creater of worlds, 2016.

May his name never be denigrated

 

[Infordin]

Maradona 1986

Messi 2012

 

[JPRouve]

Think it came from the fact that he had a pretty underwhelming league career, while spending a fair chunk of it at Juventus and Madrid.

He didn't had an underwhelming league career though, his individual performances ranged between very good to great during that period of time. The issue is more that some of the younger football followers seem to think that Juventus or Real Madrid were like today far above their competition but it wasnt the case in the 90s-early 2000s, we are talking about a time where Parma had the likes of Thuram, Cannavaro and Crespo. Lazio had Nedved, Boksic and Nesta. While Milan and Inter were full of superstars.

 

[SilentWitness]

Kante 2015-2017.

Went from a little known midfielder in France to the best CDM in the world in a short space of time and with absolute ease.

 

[Treble]

Ronaldo 7 was out of this world for Real's CL win in 2017. Didn't he score 10 goals from the quarters to the final, including hat-tricks against Bayern and Atleti and 2 goals in the final against Juve? That's better than anything Messi or any other player has ever produced in the final 5 games of a big tournament.

Platini's 9 goals in 5 games in '84 was sensational as well. Maradona's all-round game was sublime in '86, of course, but Ronaldo's 2017 CL performances are stunning in terms of productivity. 10 goals in the last 5 games of the CL. Won't be bettered any time soon.

 

[Fiskey]

He didn't had an underwhelming league career though, his individual performances ranged between very good to great during that period of time. The issue is more that some of the younger football followers seem to think that Juventus or Real Madrid were like today far above their competition but it wasnt the case in the 90s-early 2000s, we are talking about a time where Parma had the likes of Thuram, Cannavaro and Crespo. Lazio had Nedved, Boksic and Nesta. While Milan and Inter were full of superstars.

I can't pretend to have watched every Real game in that period but I loved Beckham so watched a few. My memory is that Zidane was always impressive, just that the team was unbalanced following Makelele's sale.

 

[JPRouve]

I can't pretend to have watched every Real game in that period but I loved Beckham so watched a few. My memory is that Zidane was always impressive, just that the team was unbalanced following Makelele's sale.

Yeah, Zidane rarely had bad or even average games. The one issue that I had with Zidane is that he had an extra gear that he seemingly only used on special occasions.

 

[Newstar]

I can't pretend to have watched every Real game in that period but I loved Beckham so watched a few. My memory is that Zidane was always impressive, just that the team was unbalanced following Makelele's sale.

Yea, zidane was an incredible player with the ball at his feet, up there with the very best I’ve ever seen, just before ronaldo and Messi came along and changed how we viewed footballers forever!

 

[paulscholes18]

Nikola Zigic over 6’7

Messi 2012 91 goals

 

[Tel074]

Zidane is the biggest myth in modern football.

Ronaldinho probably. He was untouchable and he brought joy. Something completely lacking in a lot of modern footballers.
Maybe Messi between 2011-2013 in terms of efficiency. He scored 73 and 60 goals in a season..I mean when you think 30 goals is a great season. It felt like he was taking the piss chipping keepers every week.

Zidane is a myth ? Pretty sure he was the main man in every team that won every trophy worth winning

 

[HTG]

Adrian Mutu.

 

[Cutch]

Was Zidane that good in the France 98 tournament or did the 2 goals in the final massively inflate how good he was overall? Thought he carried them more in 2006

 

[JPRouve]

Was Zidane that good in the France 98 tournament or did the 2 goals in the final massively inflate how good he was overall? Thought he carried them more in 2006

Zidane didn't really carry France in 2006, the team was built around Vieira, Henry, Thuram and Zidane. In 1998 the team was built to defend deep and give the ball to Zidane, he was everything for that team.

 

[RedRonaldo]

In cup competition:
1. Maradona 86 WC
2. Ronaldo 17 CL

 

[Dorian Gray]

I've heard this mentioned a couple of times recently, where is it coming from? Incredible player who was widely regarded as the best in teams that won everything.

Where's the myth?

Not sure what the OP meant but for me, his contributions towards the '98 world cup win are always exaggerated. Truth is he was much more of a lynchpin for the French team in 2006.

In 98 he got red-carded for stamping on some player during group stages. In his absence (2 games), France won the pre-quarters through Blanc's golden goal (the first-ever in WC iirc). He was ok-ish in quarters (France won on penalties against Italy) and semis (Thuram scored a freakish brace - his only 2 goals for the national team in 15+ year career).

Zidane, of course, scored a brace in the finals but they were 2 headed goals from corners. His overall play was nothing special. Brazil defeated themselves with their abysmal play. Whatever chances they did create fell to an unfit Ronaldo and were promptly nullified by an on-form Barthez.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

Torres in euro 2008. I guess he did alright after it too, but then declined fast once he moved to Chelsea.

 

[Dorian Gray]

Was Zidane that good in the France 98 tournament or did the 2 goals in the final massively inflate how good he was overall? Thought he carried them more in 2006

He was definitely one of the best players in the squad. But the 2 goals in the final surely inflated his contributions towards the world cup win.

 

[thepolice123]

People tend to forget Zidane wasn't the most consistent of players.

He had the highlight reel though.

Messi 2012 has got to be one of the greatest peaks ever witnessed. He scored 30 goals in 3 months ffs. Some player take the whole season and get nowhere near that amount. And the insane thing about this is that he maintained that consistency for another 9 months.

 

[SirAF]

Just Fontaine 13 goals in just 6 matches in 1958

@fontaine

 

[harms]

Paulo Rossi 1982 is up there.

Not really. An outstanding striker at the peak and his form and luck, but incomparable to someone like Maradona.

 

[harms]

Pele 1958 World Cup(I know he won the Golden Ball in 1970, but I was more impressed with his performances in 1958).

Despite winning 3 (well, 2 and a half) World Cups, I don’t think that his World Cup performances do him justice. His absolute peak, when he was arguably the most complete attacker of all-time, came into the early 60’s, but he was violently kicked out of both 60’s tournaments. In 1958 he was more of an enigma, although his goals were just out of his world.

 

[fps]

Messi. Made the game look like playing fifa on easy. Staggering.

 

[Ramos]

World Cup wise:

Maradona 86
Ronaldo 98
Zidane 06

 

[NewGlory]

Shout-out to Roberto Baggio in 1994 world cup. He was incredible up until that penalty miss in the final

 

[Invictus]

Garrincha carried Brazil in a way that Pelé never really did. The 1958 team was primarily built around Didi (who was a magisterial playmaker and arguably the best player in the world at the time) with noteworthy contributions from Garrincha, Vavá, the Santos duo, and in 1970 you had Jairzinho, Gérson, Carlos Alberto, Rivelino...

Pelé was most definitely a crucial part of the team in both editions, but in 1962 Garrincha kind of propelled Brazil on his back as a creative and goalscoring spark (especially vs. England, Chile and Mexico) as a lot of players from 1958 team were older and less sharp/enthusiastic, Didi was not as influential in midfield, and the morale was low following Pelé tournament-ending injury vs. Czechoslovakia. Reckon he evidenced the highest singular/individual World Cup peak of all the Brazilian greats.

Cruyff was also impeccable in 1974, though in the different way as the team was expertly organized — part of the system but also the very foundation of the system.

 

[Dorian Gray]

World Cup wise:

Maradona 86
Ronaldo 98
Zidane 06

The pre-tournament Ronaldo hype in 98 was incredible. Never seen anything like that. And he was fecking 21! Although he had won 2 consecutive FIFA World Player of the Year in 96 and 97. Which itself is an amazing feat as a 19 & 20 year old.

 

[Gringo]

Eusebio 66.