Ricky1985 wrote:
Mirth wrote:
I'm judging him on his technique, mentality, consistency and ability to deliver in key moments.
You could say very similar things about someone like Ibrahimovic or Luis Suarez.
I'm not doubting Ronaldo's quality - you won't find many bigger admirers of him - but he's lost a yard, he's lost much of his ability to make repeated sprints, he's therefore not much of a counter-attack player any more - which is where he was extraordinary. He gets many of his goals in games where you'd expect him to score, against defenders that aren't the top guys. He's still a genius mover in the box and a great finisher, but he doesn't have any kind of x-factor.
Ricky, Ronaldo outscored Ibrahamovic last year by 36 goals to 17. So no, you couldn't say that because that's clear ground between the two.
Suarez too is not nearly as productive and also isn't offering the same level of contributions for his national team. However Suarez has some merit because he did rally At Madrid to the title. Put it this way, Suarez was certainly better than the likes of Auba, Werner, Jesus, Cavani, Firmino last season.
I'm not sure you can say someone who scores these many goals doesn't have an x-factor. Ronaldo is obviously in decline relative to his own standards (and I certainly wouldn't play him as anything other than a number 9) but despite that he's still above the majority of strikers out there. On reflection I think that says as much about the available talent out there as it does about Ronaldo.
