No doubt for our generation, he does hold that position.
But in terms of ability, he is far far behind Messi.
I donât think he is comparable in quality to R9. People donât show enough appreciation to the struggle that R9 went through coming back from consecutive knee injuries to become the best player in the world again and win the WC finishing as top scorer. Doctors told him heâd be lucky to walk again and he battled back from that to be 50% of the player that he was and he was still a great player. Not the phenomenon he was pre-injuries, but still a world class player.
R9 was the most incredible blend of pace, power, skill and just sheer destruction I think football has ever seen. He was posting Messi and CR7 numbers at the age of 20 and completely redefined the role of the striker.
For me, Messi is the greatest on longevity and talent and R9 comes second to him. And if he didnât have to contend with devastating injuries who knows what he would have accomplished.
Cristiano has delivered at a higher level for many more years than Luis Ronaldo did though, I think itâs a failed case arguing that the Brazilian was better. Durability adds to Cristianoâs greatness.
Itâs not really a failed case because sometimes you have to look at football as more than just numbers. Ronaldo was the best player in the world from the age of about 19 to the age of about 23 until his knee caved in and he was told he wouldnât walk again.
Prior to that he was a phenomenon. He dominated Spain and Italy with his performances and destroyed some of the greatest defenders to ever live.
He scored 47 goals in 49 games at the age of 20 for Barcelona.
Itâs impossible to argue which way R9âs career would have gone had he not gotten those injuries but itâs more probable he would have continued to operate as the very best for plenty of seasons to come.
Ronaldo operated at the highest level of football both domestically and internationally. He redefined the role of the striker and influenced an entire generation of strikers.
Iâd never argue that R9 had the better career than CR7 because he didnât have a career long enough, but he certainly had more talent than he did in my opinion.
Oh if youâre arguing talent alone then you a case can certainly be had. Misunderstanding I should have said Cristiano has had the second best career out of any footballer that Iâve seen.
Yeah itâs almost illogical to argue against the greatness of CR7âs career though. I totally agree with you there. When it comes to R9 though I get ultra defensive haha.
Do you know why he left Barça after just one (incredible) year? I understand Serie A was at its peak but Iâm amazed he didnât stick around there for a bit longer
I seem to remember him saying he had issues with the clubs hierarchy and lost faith in them. He basically felt like moving to the Serie A was the best move for him because it was the best league in the world at the time.
I was about to ask that.
Barcelona fans must have been furious to see him go after he just scored 47 in 49 for them.
Celta Vigo-Athletic Bilbao today.
Work
Can anyone tell me if Celta Vigo are playing Athletic Bilbao tonight? Canât see it on this thread anywhere.
Thanks
I made a mistake. Stop.
1-1 at HT.
1-0 Bilbao
1-1 Celta
2-1 Bilbao FT. They are out of the relegation zone now.
Assist by the goalie there, nice
It counts for the spanish Fantasy Football :mustafi:
47 goals in 49 games is always the stat I throw at people too when it comes to R9 discussions. To score that many goals at a younger age than either Messi or CR7 ever did tells me he is in the GOAT conversation when it comes to natural ability.
To then move to Italy in 1998 and score 34 in 47 games, in that era of Italian football again at such a tender age (21), shows the trajectory he was on.
He achieved so much despite his body letting him down.