Flip

Please enlighten us, I don't think anyone on here has clled CRonaldo anything less than the 2nd best footballer in the world, so please tell me how people are criminally underrating him? What annoys me is the fact that people like you, the CRonaldo fan boys, are starting to say he MUST win it after he scored 4 goals in 2 games against Sweden and are putting him in the top echelon with the likes of Pele (who as a 21 year old scored 5 against Benfica over two legs in the intercontinental cup which was considered the biggest club game in the world). 4 GOALS AGAINST MIKAEL ANTONSSON AND PER NILSSON, I'm pretty sure Sweden would've gone through if it wasn't for those two also tbf. Putting words in people's mouths to suit your argument there, Felipao. How is that? Is it just me or has the media turned around and said he must win it now? Isn't this exactly what has happened? Hasn't FIFA prolonged the voting-time? Hasn't this thread all the sudden become much more frequented after that game tuesday night?

That's absolute bullshit, FIFA seriously lost it. Aren't friendlies ''official'' games now? Well then suspend them for one friendly. FIFA man, fucking hell.

Well, not really better, it's still a load of horse cack what you're saying. Take someone’s goals away from them and they'll have less impact, hardly rocket science that. However say they did both stop scoring, they both would still be highly effective in their teams and still outstanding players because their attributes aren't just tailor made to just score goals, they have many other aspects to their game. I think it's a fair comment to say that he does far less than Messi does. Messi scores more (except beginning of this season but I've already posted that they're actually not even far off) and Messi contributes more to general play in terms of creating chances, holding on to the ball. Just for the sake of it, what does Ronaldo do that he's great at except the obvious ones? Does he press high up the pitch constantly? Does he provide cover to Marcelo/Coentrao? Does he win ball back? Does he create a lot of chances out of nothing for his teammates? I'm asking because so many seem to watch him week in week out.

Please enlighten us, I don't think anyone on here has clled CRonaldo anything less than the 2nd best footballer in the world, so please tell me how people are criminally underrating him? What annoys me is the fact that people like you, the CRonaldo fan boys, are starting to say he MUST win it after he scored 4 goals in 2 games against Sweden and are putting him in the top echelon with the likes of Pele (who as a 21 year old scored 5 against Benfica over two legs in the intercontinental cup which was considered the biggest club game in the world). 4 GOALS AGAINST MIKAEL ANTONSSON AND PER NILSSON, I'm pretty sure Sweden would've gone through if it wasn't for those two also tbf.

Do you have a link to this?

That is unbelievable. They're such mugs.

Luca are you italian?

Messi is head and shoulders above everyone in terms of footballing ability, Ronaldo is the most athletic, but don't take anything away from Ribery HTT, you clearly don't watch him enough.

Shows how much you follow Bayern. Robben is inconsistent as hell, and reason he looked more dangerous is because he's given more of a free-role. Ribery plays a very rigid style of football and works twice as hard as Robben. i largely agree. He looks amazing from the highlights from the Bundesliga. But in the big games he's a fancy James Milner. Talent wise he isn't top 5 in the world for me. Not a big fan at all. Get the f*** out of here Fancy James Milner You're so full of s*** sometimes. Although I'd still have Ronaldo over Ribery in terms of footballing ability, he's just not THAT much better, they fulfill different roles. fwiw. Rivaldo is a step above Ribery too. Ribery's never truly been the sole star man in a great team. This is a lad who has been to a world cup final too. He wasn't particularly good in that tournament either. Robben was the best player in the latter stages of the CL. I would have Totti & Robben over Ribery. Robben is a bigger threat than Ribery in big matches. A missed penalty here, taking an extra touch in the WC final - Robben's has been close to book-ending a few monumental moments. I'm glad it was him who closed the door on Dortmund. I'm not comparing them over a large period of time, but ask anyone in Munich what they think of your opinion. Being to Munich quite often, I can already tell you you'll see their answers. Like I said based PURELY on ability I wouldn't have him top 5 either, but if we're taking into consideration everything then he's definitely top 3 as he was the instrumental and most important piece of a treble winning side.

Just realized Messi has played 400minutes less than CRonaldo which totals into more or less four and half game. Has scored 8 goals less than Ronaldo and has one assist more. Add their average last season which was more than one a game and Messi isn't far off Ronaldo this season in the La Liga. All that for the talk about his form dropping, as well as topping the SA WC qualifier and scoring second most goals. All this with Messi out of couple of games and then back in, and then out and then back in. And his team is also unbeaten this season and won the league last season while he scored in like 16 consecutive games or something.

Shows how much you follow Bayern. Robben is inconsistent as hell, and reason he looked more dangerous is because he's given more of a free-role. Ribery plays a very rigid style of football and works twice as hard as Robben. i largely agree. He looks amazing from the highlights from the Bundesliga. But in the big games he's a fancy James Milner. Talent wise he isn't top 5 in the world for me. Not a big fan at all. Get the fuck out of here Fancy James Milner You're so full of shit sometimes. Although I'd still have Ronaldo over Ribery in terms of footballing ability, he's just not THAT much better, they fulfill different roles. This prize thing is hard, based on ability alone Messi deserves it 10 out of 10 times, based on form Ronaldo deserves it and based on what he has achieved for his team in general Ribery deserves it. I'd have Messi Ronaldo Ribery fwiw.

Yesterday should've made them non-existant after Brazil played terribly and still beat them.

My favourite Argentine of all times. Too bad he couldn't get Villarreal into that CL final.

Well, yeah, because he was never as good as that lot during their prime. I prefer Totti to Rivaldo certainly, but it's difficult to compare them well as they played such different roles. 230 goals in 543 games is good for the role he plays. And he's still doing it this season. I rate totti extremely highly. Someone who will dictate a game, which sets the very best players apart IMO Totti about Rivaldo? The same Rivaldo who was the best player in a Brazilian side that won the World Cup and who was voted best player in the world at one occasion? Totti and Del Piero were both excellent excellent footballers, footballers I've grown up with and loved to watch, but Rivaldo was a step above, won't say a whole level if you understand what I mean, but he was a better player and won everything you can win as a player in Europe.

Neil do you watch a lot of the Bundesliga or a lot of Real Madrid? Their footballing ability isn't THAT for off, the difference between both is that Ronaldo scores more for the team while Ribery works more for the team. I think Ronaldo is a better player, but you can't really say it's a no-contest in terms of footballing ability. Ronaldo is clearly the more spectacular player, but don't down on Bundesligas best player who also happened to qualify his team last night from a much harder position. I watch a fair bit of both. Ronaldo is on an entirely different level. This thing about "all Ronaldo does is score goals". That seems to be a comment based on his selfishness - and he sure is selfish, often with good reason - but he also contributes his fair share of assists and contributes plenty towards the chances of others. And, regarding goals, this isn't someone who's happened to score a few more. He has reached absurd levels, along with Messi. 31 goals in mid November ffs. That's utterly incredible and it's a complete disservice if people summarise that as "Ronaldo scores a lot" or "he's scored more than Ribery." We might not see these levels again for decades. A once-in-a-generation player, and we're lucky to have 2 of them in their pomp. Also, you're really stretching it if you're trying to imply that Ribery did more to get France through than Ronaldo did for Portugal. He scored every single goal, man. It's the definition of single-handedly winning it for your team. I'm talking about people raving about Ronaldo's performance yesterday. I agree with you, I was talking more about the fact that Ribery works his socks of defensively as well and doesn't have the same freedom offensively as CRonaldo does. I think the roles they play suits them perfectly, I couldn't see Ribery scoring as many goals in a free role and I couldn't see Ronaldo providing the cover that Ribery does and work his socks off on that flank for Bayern, which was a great reason to why they were able to maintain shape throughout the CL season since Robben was always having that more 'free-role'. I just don't agree that you think their ability is MILES off, they just do different things on the pitch in different ways, in terms of pure technical ability I don't see Ronaldo as a much better player tbh, his dribbles are rarely successful and what he does so well is drive the ball forward and pace and shoot with an unbelievable accuracy, it's the finishing ability that Ribery lack, but he compensates more than enough with working his socks off and there's no surprise to why the Bayern fans adores him. I remember when he first started in the Bundesliga, Diego was absolutely running riot in that league, and as soon as Ribery signed for Bayern he took over the crown as the best player in the league, something that has stayed with him ever since. Neil do you watch a lot of the Bundesliga or a lot of Real Madrid? Their footballing ability isn't THAT for off, the difference between both is that Ronaldo scores more for the team while Ribery works more for the team. I think Ronaldo is a better player, but you can't really say it's a no-contest in terms of footballing ability. Ronaldo is clearly the more spectacular player, but don't down on Bundesligas best player who also happened to qualify his team last night from a much harder position. I don't mean this lightly but Ribery is not in Ronaldo's class. his assist was a crappy shot and he skied another chance you would bet Ronaldo would at least hit the target with. Ronaldo scored 4 goals and hit the bar. You say he struggled when Sweden played deep but he scored and almost scored another. Ribery's a great player. Ronaldo is an all-time great. Stop watching highlights, if you've seen the game you'll see that he was far more involved in the game than that, he had 3 or 4 yellow cards against his defenders, one which was sent off as well. True, but he did was Cristiano does at a higher pace. Injuries 'killed' him.

Sakho is extremely overrated.

Would love to see Hummels, Khedira, Schmelzer all out until July

Neil do you watch a lot of the Bundesliga or a lot of Real Madrid? Their footballing ability isn't THAT for off, the difference between both is that Ronaldo scores more for the team while Ribery works more for the team. I think Ronaldo is a better player, but you can't really say it's a no-contest in terms of footballing ability. Ronaldo is clearly the more spectacular player, but don't down on Bundesligas best player who also happened to qualify his team last night from a much harder position.

I think that is such a non-starter as an argument - Messi is in a better team. Messi doesn't play for Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid... Two teams who stopped Madrid from winning anything and nullified Ronaldo... He has led his team to glory tbh, but still for me Messi is a much better footballer, look at Ronaldo yesterday, he was nullified by Sweden for most part and got a goal when Sweden started to move higher up the pitch and then got two goals on the counter against two defenders who are worse than Mike Williamson. Says a lot about last night. Last year I had CRonaldo as the third best in the world behind Iniesta but this year he's a obvious second, I understand arguments for being called the best in the world as well, but a lot of these people only look at the amount of goals.

So Ronaldinho who won the World Cup, Champions League and Copa Libertadores and was named the best player in the world twice is in the same bracket as Zlatan? Rivaldo as well? Get the fuck out of here Zlatan is in the bracket of the excellent players we've had in this game, such as Laudrup, Hugo Sanchez, Eusebio, but he's not in the top echelon with Messi, Pele, Garrincha or Maradona or even in the next with Cruyff, Zidane, Ronaldo, CRonaldo, Zico.

What more recognition than being considered in the same bracket as Zidane or being his nations best of all time can he get? He is a great player, but he's also never been the best in his generation. He's a class striker and will go down as one of the best number 9s of all time, but he's still not in the same bracket as the best of all times.

Scoring three goals against an open Sweden defense with Per Nilsson and Antonsson really gets this discussion going again.

Zlatan in same bracket as ZIDANE? Zidane won everything possible as well as being the worlds best three times.