Ronaldo - Tested to the limit

[Rocksuperstar]

Wipey had Ronaldo on a leash when they came to the Lane a few seasons back, in his pocket from whistle to whistle, yet Ronaldo is lauded as some kind of wizard and, despite being a consistantly reliable defender, Lee was knocked for being too lightweight/too short/not smart enough/not suited to the English game on a regular basis.

Ronaldo has skills but has no passion. He can skip around like swan lake all day, but as said above, there's no love or commitment, just a robotic focus on achieving. Reckon he's ever, ever heard the phrase "it's not the winning, it's the taking part", or do you think his parents, coaches and managers, since his twelfth birthday, have been all Ricky Bobby - "If you're not first, you're last!" mentality?

Messi has a passion to play football and it shows. He's more fluid, tougher, quicker to turn and doesn't have the cocky approach that the lady-boy possesses. And he does it all with a big fat grin on his face.

 

[Vecellio]

Dani Alves had him in his pocket second leg of the recent Barca-Madrid cup match.
I think he's got passion or drive or whatnot since he obviously works very hard (Fergie often said this) but i do feel he's basically an athletic type player who has honed his tricks impeccably..yet despite this his improvisation/innate ability and natural dribbling is not even close to Messi.
He also doesn't really have that good of a football brain i don't think (though i suppose he's not a number 10 so this may be a bit moot).
And i have never seen him destroy a great team. He's destroyed plenty of lower tier teams (I know heaps of people say that, but it's so true) but there has never been a George Best vs Benfica type game has there?

So overall i would rate him as a very very good player but not the second best in the world. Iniesta and Xavi along with Messi i would far rather have in my team. I would rate him on a par with Robben (Robben has more natural ability imo but Ronaldo is more prolific goal wise).

 

[theShiznit]

Messi is different gravy, has so much time in seemingly tight situations or full paced attacks.
and all of his tricks are borne out of necessity, that to me is natural flair, the instinctive off the cuff type of trick, the majority (if not all) of Ronnie's 'tricks' are premeditated. and pretty obvious, the stupid amount of step-overs with absolutely no body swerve is pointless, Waddle made those step overs work with no pace.

He is a player with little flair but soo much pace and power that it covers a lot of his faults. Adel Taarabt has more natural flair than Ronaldo, but is shit slow.

the hit and hope free-kicks are also a joke, without the joke tricks he is just a (very good) shift and shoot merchant.

 

[Vecellio]

Some guy over on Barca forums posted a while back about how the real Ronaldo's stepovers were awesome...he would almost hypnotize defenders 'i'm gonna go i'm gonna go', then BAM and he was away and past them because they had no clue exactly which was gonna be the real moment he would move the ball away. He would just bamboozle them. Now that is the real point of a stepover..create doubt and confusion in a defenders mind.
In comparison Cristiano's are a lot more predictable. I can't be bothered to find the post but it was spot on imo.

 

[Rout-Ledge]

Wipey had Ronaldo on a leash when they came to the Lane a few seasons back, in his pocket from whistle to whistle, yet Ronaldo is lauded as some kind of wizard and, despite being a consistantly reliable defender, Lee was knocked for being too lightweight/too short/not smart enough/not suited to the English game on a regular basis.

Ronaldo has skills but has no passion. He can skip around like swan lake all day, but as said above, there's no love or commitment, just a robotic focus on achieving. Reckon he's ever, ever heard the phrase "it's not the winning, it's the taking part", or do you think his parents, coaches and managers, since his twelfth birthday, have been all Ricky Bobby - "If you're not first, you're last!" mentality?

Messi has a passion to play football and it shows. He's more fluid, tougher, quicker to turn and doesn't have the cocky approach that the lady-boy possesses. And he does it all with a big fat grin on his face.

And yet he's by some distance the second best player on the planet...and has the record for most goals ever scored in the Spanish league and he achieved during Messi's prime years no less. Astonishing player, whether you like him or not.

 

[C0YS]

And yet he's by some distance the second best player on the planet...and has the record for most goals ever scored in the Spanish league and he achieved during Messi's prime years no less. Astonishing player, whether you like him or not.

tbf he only broke Messi's record because real madrid having already lost the championship did the only thing they could to get one over Barca. At one point they cared more about making Ronaldo break this record then win games. Before they started doing this Messi was ahead in goals scored that season.

The truth is when Ronaldo looses his pace, and physical aspects he will become a lot less effective. If Messi lost that be could play a Xavi like role and still be a massive success.

 

[ethanedwards]

And yet he's by some distance the second best player on the planet...and has the record for most goals ever scored in the Spanish league and he achieved during Messi's prime years no less. Astonishing player, whether you like him or not.

His scoring record is phenomenal,truly fabulous skills with feet and head.
Robben does not come close. Some people cannot overcome their prejudices.

 

[Rout-Ledge]

tbf he only broke Messi's record because real madrid having already lost the championship did the only thing they could to get one over Barca. At one point they cared more about making Ronaldo break this record then win games. Before they started doing this Messi was ahead in goals scored that season.

The truth is when Ronaldo looses his pace, and physical aspects he will become a lot less effective. If Messi lost that be could play a Xavi like role and still be a massive success.

As I said, he is second to Messi, no doubt. But I would say that in a weird way because he's reached his prime at the same time as Messi he's actually underrated by many. He's unbelievably consistently brilliant.

 

[Rout-Ledge]

Some guy over on Barca forums posted a while back about how the real Ronaldo's stepovers were awesome...he would almost hypnotize defenders 'i'm gonna go i'm gonna go', then BAM and he was away and past them because they had no clue exactly which was gonna be the real moment he would move the ball away. He would just bamboozle them. Now that is the real point of a stepover..create doubt and confusion in a defenders mind.
In comparison Cristiano's are a lot more predictable. I can't be bothered to find the post but it was spot on imo.

A perfect critique of C.Ronaldo circa 2004/05

 

[C0YS]

As I said, he is second to Messi, no doubt. But I would say that in a weird way because he's reached his prime at the same time as Messi he's actually underrated by many. He's unbelievably consistently brilliant.

I do believe he is the second best player in the world. But I can't help but think if he wasn't so darn selfish he could even be better.

 

[jurgen]

So, Ronaldo practices his tricks rather than being naturally gifted in the same way, but displays no passion for the game? Despite practicing, according to that doc also, his tricks to such a degree that they come as second nature.. like any great player.

He's a tit, but the idea he has no passion for football like Messi is such utter utter guff. As they say, the man plays 50+ games a year and is at basically a goal a game for Madrid. He's wound me up more than almost any player bar a few in the Premiership but lets not pretend this guy doesn't live and breathe football as much as Messi. The fact he is a physical beast relative to Messi isn't something to bash him with, he has evolved as a footballer through discipline and dedication to the game. Don't you wish some of our players we've had for four or five years would have developed as much as Ronaldo did? Players who never used to use their heads becoming a huge aerial threat, or building themselves up in the right way so they have acceleration but are hard to knock off the ball? Or taking free kicks in a different way to the norm so its harder to read? We honestly could do with some of our lot working as hard as he has to make the best of their gifts.. so even if people don't like him as a pure footballer in the same way as Messi, and think he's a tasteless ladyboy (I certainly don't subscribe to his fashion choices).. I really don't think you can doubt his passion for football.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

So, Ronaldo practices his tricks rather than being naturally gifted in the same way, but displays no passion for the game? Despite practicing, according to that doc also, his tricks to such a degree that they come as second nature.. like any great player.

He's a tit, but the idea he has no passion for football like Messi is such utter utter guff. As they say, the man plays 50+ games a year and is at basically a goal a game for Madrid. He's wound me up more than almost any player bar a few in the Premiership but lets not pretend this guy doesn't live and breathe football as much as Messi. The fact he is a physical beast relative to Messi isn't something to bash him with, he has evolved as a footballer through discipline and dedication to the game. Don't you wish some of our players we've had for four or five years would have developed as much as Ronaldo did? Players who never used to use their heads becoming a huge aerial threat, or building themselves up in the right way so they have acceleration but are hard to knock off the ball? Or taking free kicks in a different way to the norm so its harder to read? We honestly could do with some of our lot working as hard as he has to make the best of their gifts.. so even if people don't like him as a pure footballer in the same way as Messi, and think he's a tasteless ladyboy (I certainly don't subscribe to his fashion choices).. I really don't think you can doubt his passion for football.

I don't disagree that he's supremely talented, but it's the way he plays. He could score triple figures in a season, the fact that many of those will be a result of him going to ground, rather than staying on his feet and making his own opportunities like Messi tends to do on a far more regular basis, it takes all the spirit out of it.

He's a bit young, but he's a modern day cad. He needs to grow a thin handlebar moustache and ocassionally tie a damsel to a train track, before wringing his palms and running away. No sportsmanship whatsoever, just a hell bent desire to win, at all costs.

Call me old fashioned, but that's just not cricket, old bean.

 

[Vecellio]

hmm i dunno i think Ronaldo has been one of the Madrid players who hasn't carried on as much as some others in the recent classicos..

Anyway Robben could be a similar level player imo. Never gonna be as prolific a scorer but skill wise he is as good. He tears it up in the german league (still a very good league). His problem is he's always been injured too much.

Ascribing greatness just by goals is weird though. (By this logic Clive Allen is one of the greatest to ever play the game.) He has performed excellently but the teams at United and Madrid were/are pretty much set up to service him. It just depends what you value in football. (For me Iniesta is overall comfortably a better footballer than Ronaldo, although the position and role is so different it's a weird comparison i admit..)

I just wanna address the 'predujices' thing: It's not prejudice, most people here admit he is excellent but before i would call someone 'The second best player in the world' i would want to have some example games in which he destroyed a great team. No-one has really given me an example of where this player has destroyed a great team.
Where are all these games?

 

[nowayjose]

He is the Ivan Drago to Messis Rocky I suppose.

 

[tototoner]

He is a modest bloke as well

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...Fans-boo-me-because-Im-rich-and-handsome.html

COCKY Cristiano Ronaldo reckons he is booed by fans because he is "rich" and "handsome".

The Real Madrid star was given a hostile reception by Dinamo Zagreb supporters in the Champions League last night.
Ronaldo was roundly booed and whistled during the Group D opener in Croatia.


And he said: "I think that because I am rich, handsome and a great player people are envious of me.
"I don't have any other explanation."
Ronaldo, 26, was also the target of some tasty challenges, one of which drew blood on his right ankle and required several stitches.


He was unhappy with referee Svein Oddvar Moen and he believes top players are not getting enough protection.
Ronaldo added: "We are very happy with three points we took but I'm not so satisfied with the refereeing.


"I hope we never have this referee again. People talk of fair-play, of protecting good players but I never get any of that. I don't understand a thing.
"I'm sad because I hear referees saying they will protect skilful players but while some are untouchable it seems I can be mauled."

 

[$hoguN]

He probably got booed for being a cheating ****, which is exactly what he is.

Anyway, the best story about Ronaldo was on A League of Their Own. Where they pulled out a corker of a story about the something Messi had said in an interview. During their chat, a recent interview with Ronaldo was brought up where he arrogantly said to a journalist "I believe I was put on this Earth by the footballing God to shows the World how to play beautiful football", when asked for his thoughts on this Messi replied "I don't remember sending him".