I don't care much for Ronaldo the man, at least what I know of him through the media and his behaviour, at times, on the pitch, but the guy deserves the upmost respect for the standards he's maintained for the last decade. He's an incredible, phenomenal footballer and I'd be very hesitant about throwing around things like 'declined massively".

He'll probably find a way to put up better numbers in the next 5 years than he has in the last 5! He puts other footballers to shame with his ambition, dedication and sheer hard work, I wouldn't put anything past him.

Rex wrote:

You shouldn't underestimate that at Barcelona Suarez is mostly the third player opposition focus on closing down. We have all seen how much players on other teams have benefited from not being the main man, and I think the same is true for Suarez at Barcelona. With Ronaldo it is obviously different at Real Madrid, and it always has been.

Well he was definitely the main man at Liverpool, didn't do much to stop him having a pretty sensational season. 

Regardless of who the better footballer is I'd still take Suarez, he's just so much more fun to watch. Ronaldo is a machine, Ricky is right about his dedication and drive, but he's dull as fuck.

Ricky1985 wrote:

Ronaldo would make any team he was in 10 times better. It might have become fashionable to make out he's not that good, but in truth he's absolutely phenomenal. Probably the best goalscorer I've ever seen, or at least right up there. So much better than Suarez in just about every respect that they can't really be compared.

Agreed.

I agree Ricky, it's just that I don't think it matters what Ronaldo once was, all I see is that he's not nearly as good now.

No

m.s.n >

otfgoon wrote:

Rex wrote:

You shouldn't underestimate that at Barcelona Suarez is mostly the third player opposition focus on closing down. We have all seen how much players on other teams have benefited from not being the main man, and I think the same is true for Suarez at Barcelona. With Ronaldo it is obviously different at Real Madrid, and it always has been.

Well he was definitely the main man at Liverpool, didn't do much to stop him having a pretty sensational season. 

Regardless of who the better footballer is I'd still take Suarez, he's just so much more fun to watch. Ronaldo is a machine, Ricky is right about his dedication and drive, but he's dull as fuck.

Ronaldo isnt dull to watch. ?

In fairness I get the argument that it's too early to displace Ronaldo from second place. When the thread first started, it seemed apparent that Neymar was going to eclipse Ronaldo - and probably even Messi - by the end of the season but that's not happened and Neymar's gone off the boil lately (only by his own standards) but consistency is what Ronaldo and Messi have excelled at.

Neymar is probably the only other player in the world currently that, in my opinion at least, has the same kind of ability as Ronaldo (no one is near Messi). Whether he can put up the numbers and maintain that almost perfect standard of performance season in, season out for years on end is very unlikely.

otfgoon wrote:

Rex wrote:

You shouldn't underestimate that at Barcelona Suarez is mostly the third player opposition focus on closing down. We have all seen how much players on other teams have benefited from not being the main man, and I think the same is true for Suarez at Barcelona. With Ronaldo it is obviously different at Real Madrid, and it always has been.

Well he was definitely the main man at Liverpool, didn't do much to stop him having a pretty sensational season. 

Regardless of who the better footballer is I'd still take Suarez, he's just so much more fun to watch. Ronaldo is a machine, Ricky is right about his dedication and drive, but he's dull as fuck.

Agree with this. Generally Suarez scores more outrageous goals and is more unpredictable in his moves than Ronaldo, who has the same set of effective skills everytime and power past everyone. More of a goalscoring machine.

I don't think Suarez is massively underrated in this forum. Only a few posters don't rate him at all. This season he has further proven that he is top 3 in the world right now.

Ronaldo won't age gracefully. Will be fun to watch

As if on cue: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35590767

In the past 12 months or so:

1.Messi
2.Suarez
3.Neymar
4.Ronaldo

Ronaldo's influence is faltering and his performances against the bigger clubs are almost non existent in recent times. He's 31 and on the way down.

Clrnc wrote:

otfgoon wrote:

Well he was definitely the main man at Liverpool, didn't do much to stop him having a pretty sensational season. 

Regardless of who the better footballer is I'd still take Suarez, he's just so much more fun to watch. Ronaldo is a machine, Ricky is right about his dedication and drive, but he's dull as fuck.

Agree with this. Generally Suarez scores more outrageous goals and is more unpredictable in his moves than Ronaldo, who has the same set of effective skills everytime and power past everyone. More of a goalscoring machine.

I don't think Suarez is massively underrated in this forum. Only a few posters don't rate him at all. This season he has further proven that he is top 3 in the world right now.

I make him top 5 as i cannot decide the order between him, Neymar and Lewandowski.
I favour Neymar for number 3 as he pulls off training ground tricks in competitive matches.
I feel Lewandowski is the better out and out CF but Suarez is better at build-up interplay outside the box.
He also has a better temperament and is less likely to be sent off for racially insulting or biting another player when being outplayed.

I cringe whenever he kicks out at players due to his own frustrations.

Such a lack of class.

Mirth wrote:

In fairness I get the argument that it's too early to displace Ronaldo from second place. When the thread first started, it seemed apparent that Neymar was going to eclipse Ronaldo - and probably even Messi - by the end of the season but that's not happened and Neymar's gone off the boil lately (only by his own standards) but consistency is what Ronaldo and Messi have excelled at.

You're saying it's by Neymar's own standards (which put him closer to 2015 Messi than Ronaldo) that he's gone off the boil yet "it's not happened"? For me Neymar is definitely #2 right now, he started 2015 by scoring in both CL quarter finals, semis and the final itself (first player to do so) then went on that ridiculous run of form when Messi was out.

Definitely beats Ronaldo's form during that period imo, think even his figures are higher (even including the 20 pens Ronaldo scored) plus he's way better as a footballer and more entertaining. Suárez and Ronaldo is comparatively close in 2015, Neymar at #2 is a good bit clearer imo.

What I meant is that it's not happened over a consistent enough period of time. In terms of raw talent he's up there but his finishing and passing can go from the sublime to erratic more often than Ronaldo's does. It's only a matter of time though...

I think his passing and overall game is a good notch over Ronaldo's but yeah, it's just a matter of time until he's universally considered better.

Easy to forget he's younger than Wilshere...

Qwiss! wrote:

otfgoon wrote:

Well he was definitely the main man at Liverpool, didn't do much to stop him having a pretty sensational season. 

Regardless of who the better footballer is I'd still take Suarez, he's just so much more fun to watch. Ronaldo is a machine, Ricky is right about his dedication and drive, but he's dull as fuck.

Ronaldo isnt dull to watch. ?

Maybe he's not dull so much as guys like Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Ronaldinho, Kaka etc being much more fun to watch. 

Same here. Neymar is where entertainment's at.

Yeah, Neymar's easily the most entertaining out of the new generation of players. Football would be so much poorer without guys like him.

Klaus wrote:

Gotta say, Messi bores me out of my mind most of the time. I have the utmost respect for his talent but he's just as machine-like as Ronaldo to me; it's just that he's twice the player. I'd rather watch someone like Ronaldinho or Original Ronaldo any day.

I see where you're coming from but I love watching guys like Messi and Kaka. Everything they do looks so silky, effortless and simple and yet requires incredible skill. Messi putting Boateng on his backside before chipping the keeper was magic. 

I think Kaka was a lot more entertaining than Messi too, at least for a few years in his prime.

Imo there aren't any players out there as entertaining to watch as Messi. Is there anything people like to see Özil do that Messi can't do as well?

I can see why Messi might be boring to watch in that he hardly ever fails. If he's through on goal, he scores. If he wants to beat a man, he will. In some respects, his narrative with the national team makes more compelling viewing because it's the only time when the odds are against him.

I can't see how Messi doesn't inspire anyone watching though - the things he does is supernatural. And even in the biggest of games he does something insane - were you bored when Messi chipped Neuer? Or dribbled past the entire Bilbao team in the Copa Del Final? Or nutmeg half the Man City team? I wasn't. He's got a sense of occasion like few others while simultaneously being one of the best goal scorers and creative midfielders at the same time.

The biggest compliment I can give is that I can't stand Barcelona but I try to catch them or watch their highlights just to see what Messi does. Which I can't say I've done for many other players - apart from Ronaldinho.

Messi is amazing. Head and shoulders above anyone who has ever played the game bar Maradona

Shady wrote:

If you were showing a footballing novice a player to try and get them into the game, you'd go for a Zidane, a Ronaldinho, a Neymar, for sure.

But if you were showing a novice a goal, you'd probably show him some long range effort from Stevie G or overhead kick rather than Dennis Bergkamp's goal against Argentina or Newcastle because they wouldn't necessarily appreciate the technique or excellence that's required. I'm not sure accessibility to new fans is a good indication of the skill that's on display. And after watching football for more than a decade, skill is what is hard to come by, not flair.

It's the same sort of criticism (?) directed at the likes of Federer at times which I never understood. And while sport is about drama, it's also in equal parts about skill otherwise we'd all be watching the lower leagues. I still maintain though, whenever there's a script to be written, it's usually Messi that writes it and I find it inconceivable that anyone would rather watch a game featuring Kaka than Messi.

What Mirth said.

Quincy raises a good point too. Aside from the goalscoring and dribbling stuff Messi does what Özil does to a much higher level, if you can't enjoy Messi doing that then it would make little sense to enjoy Özil's game either. I can understand the reasoning behind saying it gets boring how he's just so blatantly better than everyone else but as a football fan there is no way I'll ever get bored watching the guy play.

Think I've posted it in the past but since we're hijacking poor Cristiano's thread anyway (the clip has English subtitles):

It's not just his talent that sets him apart from everyone else, it's his mentality of always playing on. If you don't know the video you should watch it, it makes you appreciate the guy more who, as Casciari puts it, doesn't really seem to understand the game.

Epitome of entertainment for me, nobody past or present comes even close.

I think Messi has found new motivation since Suarez came into the team, and his position changed. For a few years prior to that I often got the vibe that he didn't even enjoy playing. Very machine like, but frighteningly efficient of course. For the past 18 months or so he looks to have found that love and enjoyment again and, to me, he is again much more entertaining to watch. Penalty the other day is a case in point; can any of you imagine Messi trying that 2 years ago? I can't.

That was a great vid jones, can't normally sit through entire compilations but saw all of that one.

I've seen that video before but it still brought a tear to my eye and i don't even support Barcelona.
My biggest regret, watching it was not understanding Spanish and having to miss the action reading the subtitles.
The commentary was beautiful.
Emotional and from the heart (total opposite of CRonaldo).
Unfortunately age has robbed us of that Messi and it will remain a regret for me, for ever, that i hated Barcelona at the time and only watched them when forced, depriving myself of incredible memories. I blame Eboue.
BTW CRonaldo scoring that fantastic goal yesterday certainly shut up those reporters who were going on about his away goal record.
It's only mid-season and the man is doing ok.

It must be a great feeling being a Barcelona fan, season ticket holder, having been in your 20s or 30s when Messi got into the team at 18 or whatever he was. The absolute privilege it must feel like to have been fortunate enough to first hand see this guy throughout his career, playing for the team you love.

Bold Tone wrote:

BTW CRonaldo scoring that fantastic goal yesterday certainly shut up those reporters who were going on about his away goal record.
It's only mid-season and the man is doing ok.

Was it not a deflection?

Vintage Ronaldo chop though.

The shitty Ronaldo Goal

That, is a quality piece.

60' Szczesny facing a lot of pressure at the moment. Still looking like a boss. albeint an anxious boss, like one with their quarterly review coming up with the board...