Cristiano Ronaldo

I realize I am probably still a little bitter over how things finished yesterday. But is there anyone who still rates Ronaldo as one of the best players in the world? I understand he scores a lot of goals, but when you see him time and time again give a completely anonymous performance in a big game I struggle to come up with arguments for him. The contrast is even more stark when you see him compared to Messi, Iniesta, Alexis, etc.

Anyone want to stick up for CR96?

never rated him as the 2nd best player in the world

i wouldn`t want him for bayern, its good to have an goals scoring type in your team, but a player which tends to monopolize in every area on the pitch (hes the most useless freekick taker on planet, he wastes so many opportunities with stupid shots, hes shot/goal ratio is probably the worst from all world class footballers) thats not good for a team

I'll be happy to have him back at Man United

But for the fact he was able to outjump Essien, he will always be a big game bottler. He's a player who will win you league games. He wants to score goals for himself. That remains his biggest motivation. Wanting to be a superstar, that it turns out bad now & again that he will be seen as a poseur.

Ronaldo has always been a bit of a fraud. He's scores plenty of goals, but is that a surprise when he monopolises the final ball at every club he has played in? The end game with Ronaldo more often than is he gets the ball and he shoots. The fact he also takes all free kicks is infuriating, because he's crap at them. The question has to be asked though why managers like Fergie and Mourinho allow him to stamp such an authority in these situations. I guess they recognise his will to score can and should be an asset, but more often than not he ends up looking particularly silly when playing the very best.

Ronaldo a flat track bully? Almost certainly.

Will never hold a candle to the real Ronaldo, who would consistently destroy the very best in the biggest games week in, week out.

never rated him anyway

Noah und der Bale wrote:Ronaldo has always been a bit of a fraud. He's scores plenty of goals, but is that a surprise when he monopolises the final ball at every club he has played in? The end game with Ronaldo more often than is he gets the ball and he shoots. The fact he also takes all free kicks is infuriating, because he's crap at them. The question has to be asked though why managers like Fergie and Mourinho allow him to stamp such an authority in these situations. I guess they recognise his will to score can and should be an asset, but more often than not he ends up looking particularly silly when playing the very best.

Ronaldo a flat track bully? Almost certainly.

Will never hold a candle to the real Ronaldo, who would consistently destroy the very best in the biggest games week in, week out.

Just seen that this season he is 0 for 32 direct free kicks in la liga.

Beyond that though, his crossing ain't that good, he can't dribble anyone, I've never seen him make a through pass. He is good at doing 4 stepovers and then making a backwards heal pass to Marcelo...

Does this mean that after Messi, RVP is the best?

Would Madrid fans swap Ronaldo for RVP?

After Messi? You've changed Fey.

My favourite Ronaldo season was the one before he scored 30 goals for United. Actually played as part of the team, and did unpredictable things. Now he's just dull to watch at the best of times, and poor in important games due to his infatuation of proving himself a better player than Messi.

Jaime wrote:

Noah und der Bale wrote:Ronaldo has always been a bit of a fraud. He's scores plenty of goals, but is that a surprise when he monopolises the final ball at every club he has played in? The end game with Ronaldo more often than is he gets the ball and he shoots. The fact he also takes all free kicks is infuriating, because he's crap at them. The question has to be asked though why managers like Fergie and Mourinho allow him to stamp such an authority in these situations. I guess they recognise his will to score can and should be an asset, but more often than not he ends up looking particularly silly when playing the very best.

Ronaldo a flat track bully? Almost certainly.

Will never hold a candle to the real Ronaldo, who would consistently destroy the very best in the biggest games week in, week out.

Just seen that this season he is 0 for 32 direct free kicks in la liga.

Beyond that though, his crossing ain't that good, he can't dribble anyone, I've never seen him make a through pass. He is good at doing 4 stepovers and then making a backwards heal pass to Marcelo...

This is what I was going to write as well. Perhaps his game doesn't require it, but many argue that he is a complete footballer, and even though Messi is better, he isn't complete. I don't understand why people have to strain so much to accommodate C. Ronaldo. He hasn't really really done it for Portugal either.

Hlebagone wrote:After Messi? You've changed Fey.

My favourite Ronaldo season was the one before he scored 30 goals for United. Actually played as part of the team, and did unpredictable things. Now he's just dull to watch at the best of times, and poor in important games due to his infatuation of proving himself a better player than Messi.

the balance of the Madrid team on Saturday was horrible for the last half hour, Cronaldo, Kaka, Benzema and Higuain all wanting to own the same space on the edge of the area, and just when you thought it couldn't get more congested Marcelo decides that rather than provide some width in the acres of space down the left, he wants to join the rest in the centre to make sure they're not talking about how shit he is defensively.

I'll stick up for Ronaldo, he's still very good but he's a false 7. He'd be awesome if he played for Barcelona instead of Fabregas. The most frustrating player for me was Marcelo, Mourinho should have done something about him.

To me CR was never as good as Messi, or even the old Kaka of Milan. But I guess the criticism he is getting now is also overboard, he is still an excellent player and among the best on the planet. Scores a lot of goals, and brings intensity into the game.

Last weekend he looked switched off, that happens.

People finally starting to see the light

bluenine wrote:To me CR was never as good as Messi, or even the old Kaka of Milan. But I guess the criticism he is getting now is also overboard, he is still an excellent player and among the best on the planet. Scores a lot of goals, and brings intensity into the game.

Last weekend he looked switched off, that happens.

I am curious to know what you mean by this exactly.

He's meaning the face gestures that he puts on almost telepathically when the cameras are pointing towards him.

I only rate him for the 06-7 season. Even then he was the second best player at ManU after Scholes and the 3rd best player in the league after Drogba. After that, he's just been a very athletic merger of Lampard a RVN.

His toe-poke is so hit/miss. His knuckle ball free-kicks are almost always miss.

Noah und der Bale wrote:The fact he also takes all free kicks is infuriating, because he's crap at them.

I bet Mendes had it put into his contract. The Portuguese clan controls Real Madrid.

Alonso must hate him,he is much better than Cronaldo at free kicks.

0 goals in 32 attempts is a disgrace,how long before Madrid fans start booing him if his free kicks continue to hit he wall/fly over the bar?

It's hardly a strong defence, but his free kick stats are surely worse than they should be because of his tendency to take them from stupid and inappropriate positions, and to use his punting technique in situations where it is unlikely to succeed.

I do think he's one of the most gifted players in the game (including physical aspects of course), and he's demonstrated his ability to acquire skills through application. Passing doesn't seem to interest him much, but his ability to play sharp and well-weighted balls on the counterattack is a big asset (even if he only acquired that knack on the assumption that by doing so he could collect a return pass and shoot).

A shame that his selfishness limits him - it's a case of a player with the capacity to do a lot of things developing himself into a single purpose footballer. Would still improve a good number of big teams.