Football purist thread

[avenellroad]

Remember this guy? One of the most underrated players of all time. Hugely influential in Valencia two La Liga titles and their UEFA Cup win as well as a CL final under Benitez. It's so sad that players of this mold are dying out, but football is cyclical, hopefully these types of players will make a return soon.

Aimar was a great great player. Absolute mercurial talent. So underrated too

 

[avenellroad]

Pre injuries Ronaldo for me.
Can’t remember who said it, but he was like an alien playing football at the time. Technically ridiculous with the sort of sprint speed which was unheard of in football.

It’s such a shame that his knees couldn’t hold up to his brain...he still re-invented him as one of the best strikers in the game, and played by instinct in his Real Madrid days. The mercurial speed was sadly not there anymore though...

Nothing like watching Ronaldo sitting the keeper down with a double step over before slotting it

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Still the best player on the planet, don't care what anyone says. Debate your mothers, he's a victim of his own greatness. He's got 21 goals and assists and we're just in mid-March. And look at the assists and goals, only one tap-in fgs.

 

[Riou]

Still the best player on the planet, don't care what anyone says. Debate your mothers, he's a victim of his own greatness. He's got 21 goals and assists and we're just in mid-March. And look at the assists and goals, only one tap-in fgs.

Think people are just desensitized too him now, seen him too much...people will get used to something they see over and over again (even a genius like him) they always want something new.

I remember seeing his goal against Getafe and his hattrick against Madrid in 2006/2007, mind blown...but now when he does it, it's the norm...still the GOAT though, always will be.

No one will ever get ahead of the Brazilian Ronaldo for me, he is football for me, even more so than Messi.

Even before I was even a fan of football really, I knew of Ronaldo...he is like Hulk Hogan and Pikachu, everyone knows of him

He had such an aura about him, don't know why exactly...think if he didn't get his knee injuries he would go down as the best ever, imo.

 

[dashsnow17]

Pre injuries Ronaldo for me.
Can’t remember who said it, but he was like an alien playing football at the time. Technically ridiculous with the sort of sprint speed which was unheard of in football.

It’s such a shame that his knees couldn’t hold up to his brain...he still re-invented him as one of the best strikers in the game, and played by instinct in his Real Madrid days. The mercurial speed was sadly not there anymore though...

Nothing like watching Ronaldo sitting the keeper down with a double step over before slotting it

podcast here about his Inter years

 

[BobP]

Still the best player on the planet, don't care what anyone says. Debate your mothers, he's a victim of his own greatness. He's got 21 goals and assists and we're just in mid-March. And look at the assists and goals, only one tap-in fgs.

I'm thankful that I'm alive to witness the greatest football player of all time.

 

[dashsnow17]

Think people are just desensitized too him now, seen him too much...people will get used to something they see over and over again (even a genius like him) they always want something new.

I remember seeing his goal against Getafe and his hattrick against Madrid in 2006/2007, mind blown...but now when he does it, it's the norm...still the GOAT though, always will be.

Also...2006/2007 seems a life time ago, both in terms of football and life...time goes by like nothing sometimes it feels

Yes, desensitised but also oversaturated; there is so much footage of Messi. Can you imagine if Messi was doing what he's doing in the 60's and most of his games weren't televised, and people only had snippets of rare footage like the goal against Getafe. His legend would be even greater, many people wouldn't even believe he was real or that a person could do such things.

 

[dashsnow17]

Still the best player on the planet, don't care what anyone says. Debate your mothers, he's a victim of his own greatness. He's got 21 goals and assists and we're just in mid-March. And look at the assists and goals, only one tap-in fgs.

I think he's at a strange point where he's being underrated atm because his fate is so closely tied to that of Ronaldo in people's minds. For many they exist only in relation to one another, therefore when Ronaldo declines so too does Messi. This season for sure you can see Ronaldo's decline, his numbers are good but the eye test tells you this player is nowhere near the best in the world anymore.

Then the simultaneous CL exits of Barca and Juve while Mbappe/Haaland progressed had huge symbolism for people. As if we've constructed this artificial reality where Messi/Ronaldo must immediately make way because Mbappe/Haaland have arrived.

I think I atually read an article after those CL games saying Messi is now longer the best and I kinda thought "uh ok, when did we suddenly decide this?".

So yeah it's a combination of people being so used to his greatness and an artificial symbolism we've imposed on Messi/Ronaldo vs Mbappe/Haaland, when in reality he's still clearly the best player in the world and has been every single year since about 2007.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

I think he's at a strange point where he's being underrated atm because his fate is so closely tied to that of Ronaldo in people's minds. For many they exist only in relation to one another, therefore when Ronaldo declines so too does Messi. This season for sure you can see Ronaldo's decline, his numbers are good but the eye test tells you this player is nowhere near the best in the world anymore.

Then the simultaneous CL exits of Barca and Juve while Mbappe/Haaland progressed had huge symbolism for people. As if we've constructed this artificial reality where Messi/Ronaldo must immediately make way because Mbappe/Haaland have arrived.

I think I atually read an article after those CL games saying Messi is now longer the best and I kinda thought "uh ok, when did we suddenly decide this?".

So yeah it's a combination of people being so used to his greatness and an artificial symbolism we've imposed on Messi/Ronaldo vs Mbappe/Haaland, when in reality he's still clearly the best player in the world and has been every single year since about 2007.

If Messi isn't single handedly carrying Barca through the rounds they assume he's finished and they've been doing this for so long. It's like with Argentina, in 2014 he did absolutely everything in his power to try and help them win that tournament, look at their squad they had no right to reach the final. Yet him not winning a world cup will always be used against him. In 2018 they lost to the eventual champions in a thriller yet people will try and say he personally bottled it and should have been beating France all on his own.

With Barca it's a similar story, despite scoring twice vs Liverpool, they'll say he bottled the return leg, even tho Barca as a team just froze from being so shell-shocked pretty much and weren't in control of the game at all. Last season Bayern ripped them apart because they were such a mess and this season they've been the worst I've ever seen them and he's getting blamed.

Also people are obsessed with this changing of the guard idea that Messi must be finished with Mbappe and Haaland emerging, two incredible talents and certainly Mbappe is up there with the best in the world. But Messi is still proving that he's the best for me. Put him in PSG, City, Bayern and there'd be no doubt about it. There's a reason he was desperate to leave Barca because they're an absolute mess and horrible run and a squad filled with mediocrity and aging players.

 

[dashsnow17]

podcast here about his Inter years

An important thing they mention here is that Ronaldo combined skill with speed in a way which essentially no one else has ever done. Other players before and after him have combined incredible close control with breathtaking speed, namely Maradona and Messi, but they're both little guys with low centres of gravity. Ronaldo was 6'1 and doing it with power.

I've seen people compare Mbappe to Ronaldo, and although there are some similarities I don't agree entirely. Mbappe does have skill, speed and power, but he doesn't have the supreme technical close control at speed and in tight spaces which Ronaldo had.

Peak Ronaldo is the best striker to ever play the game.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

 

[Tir Na Nog]

One of the ultimate "streets won't forget" players.

 

[Juan Matas Beard]

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Seen this comp already big fan of Hxnz99 even if he's a little too obsessed with Rooney, what a superb song choice might I add.

Rooney like Henry you could probably make a 20-25 minute comp and not get tired of watching it because there's so much you could put into it over the course of their careers.

 

[Riou]

Was watching this vid again today, wanted to clip this part of it for this thread...



...Jose was such a pure footballer, just oozed natural ability, just wanted to put this comp of him running at people in here...we were at our peak as a club in 2004, with Reyes probably being our best player in those few months that season.

 

[Alexs]

As albakos might say: 'Thanks Arsène, we miss you'.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

I was so gassed by this thought Brazil would go on to win the world cup, and thought Neymar was a few years away from surpassing Messi and Ronaldo.

 

[Juan Matas Beard]

 

[krengon]

Will I ever see anyone like him again

 

[GDeep™]

Will I ever see anyone like him again

Nah, you’re never going to see anyone like him again. In the world, never mind Arsenal.

Even Mbappe looks crap compared to Henry now. Definitely 2 levels below Henry.