comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Wetherby White (U6810)
posted 12 seconds ago
Remember bits of Italia 90, Maradona was still superb, but way past his best.
Messi, very similar style. But look how many games he’s played, I doubt we’ll ever see better.
Went to watch Barca in 2014 and my word he was sublime.
Messi for me
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Messi was in the greatest club side ever that also featured some incredible players like Xavi and Iniesta to name a few. With Pep as manager.
By comparison Maradona went to a poor Napoli side that weren't worth a bean and he turned them into title winners. Something that's never happened before or since at Napoli.
So I like to turn this argument on it's head and ask would Messi have single handedly been able to turn Napoli into serial winners from serial losers if he'd gone to Napoli in 1984 instead of Maradona?
I have serious doubts and don't think there's another player who could have done that quite frankly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the flip side to this though, Barca hadn't won a single trophy in 2 years prior to Pep building the team around 21 year old Messi, and they then won 3 league titles and 2 CL's in 3 years including a treble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This,you could confidently build a team around Messi as you know what you'd be getting.With Maradona you would get individual brilliance,but couldn't build a team around him due to him being so unpredictable
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 13 minutes ago
You’d have to pick Messi as he is proven to work and be suited really well to this era. There’s a question mark as to whether Maradona would be able to upscale his quality to a different style of football.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t think you would ever have to question if the true greats would be able to do this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yep. Think the bigger question is around professionalism and temperament. It’s an awful lot of money 21 year old footballers get nowadays and a lot of spare time, Maradonas vices might have come to the fore a lot sooner had he been around now.
comment by Colemanballs-جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي (U22246)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Wetherby White (U6810)
posted 12 seconds ago
Remember bits of Italia 90, Maradona was still superb, but way past his best.
Messi, very similar style. But look how many games he’s played, I doubt we’ll ever see better.
Went to watch Barca in 2014 and my word he was sublime.
Messi for me
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Messi was in the greatest club side ever that also featured some incredible players like Xavi and Iniesta to name a few. With Pep as manager.
By comparison Maradona went to a poor Napoli side that weren't worth a bean and he turned them into title winners. Something that's never happened before or since at Napoli.
So I like to turn this argument on it's head and ask would Messi have single handedly been able to turn Napoli into serial winners from serial losers if he'd gone to Napoli in 1984 instead of Maradona?
I have serious doubts and don't think there's another player who could have done that quite frankly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the flip side to this though, Barca hadn't won a single trophy in 2 years prior to Pep building the team around 21 year old Messi, and they then won 3 league titles and 2 CL's in 3 years including a treble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This,you could confidently build a team around Messi as you know what you'd be getting.With Maradona you would get individual brilliance,but couldn't build a team around him due to him being so unpredictable
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maradona wasnt unpredictabull at Napoli, he was v consistant
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 13 minutes ago
You’d have to pick Messi as he is proven to work and be suited really well to this era. There’s a question mark as to whether Maradona would be able to upscale his quality to a different style of football.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t think you would ever have to question if the true greats would be able to do this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think you can, what Maradona faced differently was completely different to what it was today and his exceptional 1v1 dribbling skills may have less of an effect as he wouldn't play as many parked buses for example.
However I meant more from a durability point of view, as I said Messi has managed 60 games a season for 15 seasons at the highest level. Maradona's career was not only shorter but also he rarely would manage more than 40 games in a season.
comment by #4zA accide cchiu a lengua ca a spata - 🇮🇹🇺🇦 (U22472)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Colemanballs-جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي (U22246)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Wetherby White (U6810)
posted 12 seconds ago
Remember bits of Italia 90, Maradona was still superb, but way past his best.
Messi, very similar style. But look how many games he’s played, I doubt we’ll ever see better.
Went to watch Barca in 2014 and my word he was sublime.
Messi for me
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Messi was in the greatest club side ever that also featured some incredible players like Xavi and Iniesta to name a few. With Pep as manager.
By comparison Maradona went to a poor Napoli side that weren't worth a bean and he turned them into title winners. Something that's never happened before or since at Napoli.
So I like to turn this argument on it's head and ask would Messi have single handedly been able to turn Napoli into serial winners from serial losers if he'd gone to Napoli in 1984 instead of Maradona?
I have serious doubts and don't think there's another player who could have done that quite frankly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the flip side to this though, Barca hadn't won a single trophy in 2 years prior to Pep building the team around 21 year old Messi, and they then won 3 league titles and 2 CL's in 3 years including a treble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This,you could confidently build a team around Messi as you know what you'd be getting.With Maradona you would get individual brilliance,but couldn't build a team around him due to him being so unpredictable
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maradona wasnt unpredictabull at Napoli, he was v consistant
----------------------------------------------------------------------
7 seasons at Napoli and 188 appearances says he wasn't that consistent when it came down to playing.
My opinion, having seen them play, Messi would be third on my list of signings.
Maradona first and Ronaldhino second and Messi third.
As far as I know advertising and sponsors was the reason Ronaldhino took his eye off the ball, no pun intended but he was phenomenal.
As for George Best, there seems to be a narrative around him that has become accepted. I've spoken with people who knew and played in the UTD team with him and he was a brilliant trainer and not a drinker. He liked his ladies but he was a half a shandy the whole night lad. Lou Macari reckons Doc selling him is what turned him into the drinker and a mess. Don't know if true tbh but as told in conversation
The team built around Messi was the greatest ever because it was built around Messi. I remember switching Barca games off when he got subbed as they lacked any sort of cutting edge when he wasn't on the pitch. There were exceptions but generally they were pretty boring and ineffective.
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 13 minutes ago
You’d have to pick Messi as he is proven to work and be suited really well to this era. There’s a question mark as to whether Maradona would be able to upscale his quality to a different style of football.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t think you would ever have to question if the true greats would be able to do this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think you can, what Maradona faced differently was completely different to what it was today and his exceptional 1v1 dribbling skills may have less of an effect as he wouldn't play as many parked buses for example.
However I meant more from a durability point of view, as I said Messi has managed 60 games a season for 15 seasons at the highest level. Maradona's career was not only shorter but also he rarely would manage more than 40 games in a season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Talent is talent. George Best would have still had the same ability he had at 21 if he was 21 today.
But your talent will be more effective in certain gamestates than others
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
I think at 21 Messi was much better than Diego.
But Diego arguably hit a peak fractionally higher than Messi. That 2-game stretch vs England and Belgium at the 86 World Cup is probably the highest level any pro footballer has ever reached.
In terms of career value, you can’t argue with 7 Golden Balls (tied 1st all-time; with Pele), 6 European Golden Shoes (1st all-time), 11 league championships etc.
But what I do know is that Maradona would have won a World Cup with this Argentina team over the last 16 years.
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 6 minutes ago
But your talent will be more effective in certain gamestates than others
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Will it? How do you know?
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 3 minutes ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fat Ronaldo 100% at that age. Phenomenal
At 21, Maradona was tarimg it up at Boca Jrs.
He had not yet git hepitightus ore had his leg broked ore bean introduced too co-Kane
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
comment by Bobby Dazzler (U1449)
posted 39 minutes ago
Be interesting to see how many years Messi’s career would be cut short by if he was regularly being kicked from one end of a football field to another, and I don’t mean the trips which normally send him sprawling, I mean the attempted leg breakers which were so common before tackling was outlawed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I've watched Argentina's matches against England, Belgium and West Germany from the '86 World Cup and didn't see so many of these leg breakers. Yes, tackling is more heavily penalized today, but there are far too many exaggerations about all the leg breaking tackles Maradona was jumping over in every match.
comment by Franko Cantona 🏆 for ego only (U22187)
posted 44 seconds ago
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Those are human years though. In Rooney years he was 28 at human age 16. He's 62 now
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 4 seconds ago
comment by Franko Cantona 🏆 for ego only (U22187)
posted 44 seconds ago
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Those are human years though. In Rooney years he was 28 at human age 16. He's 62 now
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Could possibly be true
comment by Franko Cantona 🏆 for ego only (U22187)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I saw Messi in his teens at Barca every week. He was still comfortably better than a teenage Rooney.
And jeez....time really does fly. Even though I've followed Messi's career pretty closely since he was 17, never realized the guy has hit 35.
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta OUT!!! (U7482)
posted 24 seconds ago
comment by Franko Cantona 🏆 for ego only (U22187)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I saw Messi in his teens at Barca every week. He was still comfortably better than a teenage Rooney.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe you didn’t see the teenage Rooney he was like a Tasmanian Devil just unplayable from my recollection it took Messi a while to establish himself at Barca
comment by Colemanballs-جيش الدفاع الإسرا�... (U22246)
posted 17 minutes ago
comment by #4zA accide cchiu a lengua ca a spata - 🇮🇹🇺🇦 (U22472)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Colemanballs-جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي (U22246)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Wetherby White (U6810)
posted 12 seconds ago
Remember bits of Italia 90, Maradona was still superb, but way past his best.
Messi, very similar style. But look how many games he’s played, I doubt we’ll ever see better.
Went to watch Barca in 2014 and my word he was sublime.
Messi for me
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Messi was in the greatest club side ever that also featured some incredible players like Xavi and Iniesta to name a few. With Pep as manager.
By comparison Maradona went to a poor Napoli side that weren't worth a bean and he turned them into title winners. Something that's never happened before or since at Napoli.
So I like to turn this argument on it's head and ask would Messi have single handedly been able to turn Napoli into serial winners from serial losers if he'd gone to Napoli in 1984 instead of Maradona?
I have serious doubts and don't think there's another player who could have done that quite frankly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the flip side to this though, Barca hadn't won a single trophy in 2 years prior to Pep building the team around 21 year old Messi, and they then won 3 league titles and 2 CL's in 3 years including a treble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This,you could confidently build a team around Messi as you know what you'd be getting.With Maradona you would get individual brilliance,but couldn't build a team around him due to him being so unpredictable
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maradona wasnt unpredictabull at Napoli, he was v consistant
----------------------------------------------------------------------
7 seasons at Napoli and 188 appearances says he wasn't that consistent when it came down to playing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretty sure we're not talking about appearances and rather how consistent he was when he played which was consistently very high.
Also put Maradona in Pep's Barca side and he would have been ridiculous with all those fantastic players around him.
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta OUT!!! (U7482)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Bobby Dazzler (U1449)
posted 39 minutes ago
Be interesting to see how many years Messi’s career would be cut short by if he was regularly being kicked from one end of a football field to another, and I don’t mean the trips which normally send him sprawling, I mean the attempted leg breakers which were so common before tackling was outlawed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I've watched Argentina's matches against England, Belgium and West Germany from the '86 World Cup and didn't see so many of these leg breakers. Yes, tackling is more heavily penalized today, but there are far too many exaggerations about all the leg breaking tackles Maradona was jumping over in every match.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So because you never saw it in 3 games it wasn’t happening?
To think this article was born out of stumbling across a quora question on whether or not today's fighter jets would help beat the fighter planes of WW2
Incidentally there were a few that gave very detailed accounts about how today's fighter planes would not benefit the RAF in the Battle of Britain, even against the German planes of their time......
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 6 minutes ago
But your talent will be more effective in certain gamestates than others
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Will it? How do you know?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Because it’s obvious and this is well documented even now. Using a player like Son as an example he is one of the best in the world during counter attacks but relatively ineffective vs a parked bus (different game state).
Football now compared to 35 years ago is much more tactical with players having more specific roles. Back then the game was more stretched and more individual. Pitches were different. Sports technology was different. The rules were different.
I’ve always believed that the best players in their era were the best because they were suited to the football culture of that era on top of their talent. Obviously it would translate but they may not be as effective.
Sign in if you want to comment
21 year old Messi or 21 year old Maradona..
Page 3 of 7
6 | 7
posted on 1/8/22
comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Wetherby White (U6810)
posted 12 seconds ago
Remember bits of Italia 90, Maradona was still superb, but way past his best.
Messi, very similar style. But look how many games he’s played, I doubt we’ll ever see better.
Went to watch Barca in 2014 and my word he was sublime.
Messi for me
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Messi was in the greatest club side ever that also featured some incredible players like Xavi and Iniesta to name a few. With Pep as manager.
By comparison Maradona went to a poor Napoli side that weren't worth a bean and he turned them into title winners. Something that's never happened before or since at Napoli.
So I like to turn this argument on it's head and ask would Messi have single handedly been able to turn Napoli into serial winners from serial losers if he'd gone to Napoli in 1984 instead of Maradona?
I have serious doubts and don't think there's another player who could have done that quite frankly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the flip side to this though, Barca hadn't won a single trophy in 2 years prior to Pep building the team around 21 year old Messi, and they then won 3 league titles and 2 CL's in 3 years including a treble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This,you could confidently build a team around Messi as you know what you'd be getting.With Maradona you would get individual brilliance,but couldn't build a team around him due to him being so unpredictable
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 13 minutes ago
You’d have to pick Messi as he is proven to work and be suited really well to this era. There’s a question mark as to whether Maradona would be able to upscale his quality to a different style of football.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t think you would ever have to question if the true greats would be able to do this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yep. Think the bigger question is around professionalism and temperament. It’s an awful lot of money 21 year old footballers get nowadays and a lot of spare time, Maradonas vices might have come to the fore a lot sooner had he been around now.
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Colemanballs-جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي (U22246)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Wetherby White (U6810)
posted 12 seconds ago
Remember bits of Italia 90, Maradona was still superb, but way past his best.
Messi, very similar style. But look how many games he’s played, I doubt we’ll ever see better.
Went to watch Barca in 2014 and my word he was sublime.
Messi for me
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Messi was in the greatest club side ever that also featured some incredible players like Xavi and Iniesta to name a few. With Pep as manager.
By comparison Maradona went to a poor Napoli side that weren't worth a bean and he turned them into title winners. Something that's never happened before or since at Napoli.
So I like to turn this argument on it's head and ask would Messi have single handedly been able to turn Napoli into serial winners from serial losers if he'd gone to Napoli in 1984 instead of Maradona?
I have serious doubts and don't think there's another player who could have done that quite frankly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the flip side to this though, Barca hadn't won a single trophy in 2 years prior to Pep building the team around 21 year old Messi, and they then won 3 league titles and 2 CL's in 3 years including a treble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This,you could confidently build a team around Messi as you know what you'd be getting.With Maradona you would get individual brilliance,but couldn't build a team around him due to him being so unpredictable
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maradona wasnt unpredictabull at Napoli, he was v consistant
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 13 minutes ago
You’d have to pick Messi as he is proven to work and be suited really well to this era. There’s a question mark as to whether Maradona would be able to upscale his quality to a different style of football.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t think you would ever have to question if the true greats would be able to do this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think you can, what Maradona faced differently was completely different to what it was today and his exceptional 1v1 dribbling skills may have less of an effect as he wouldn't play as many parked buses for example.
However I meant more from a durability point of view, as I said Messi has managed 60 games a season for 15 seasons at the highest level. Maradona's career was not only shorter but also he rarely would manage more than 40 games in a season.
posted on 1/8/22
comment by #4zA accide cchiu a lengua ca a spata - 🇮🇹🇺🇦 (U22472)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Colemanballs-جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي (U22246)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Wetherby White (U6810)
posted 12 seconds ago
Remember bits of Italia 90, Maradona was still superb, but way past his best.
Messi, very similar style. But look how many games he’s played, I doubt we’ll ever see better.
Went to watch Barca in 2014 and my word he was sublime.
Messi for me
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Messi was in the greatest club side ever that also featured some incredible players like Xavi and Iniesta to name a few. With Pep as manager.
By comparison Maradona went to a poor Napoli side that weren't worth a bean and he turned them into title winners. Something that's never happened before or since at Napoli.
So I like to turn this argument on it's head and ask would Messi have single handedly been able to turn Napoli into serial winners from serial losers if he'd gone to Napoli in 1984 instead of Maradona?
I have serious doubts and don't think there's another player who could have done that quite frankly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the flip side to this though, Barca hadn't won a single trophy in 2 years prior to Pep building the team around 21 year old Messi, and they then won 3 league titles and 2 CL's in 3 years including a treble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This,you could confidently build a team around Messi as you know what you'd be getting.With Maradona you would get individual brilliance,but couldn't build a team around him due to him being so unpredictable
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maradona wasnt unpredictabull at Napoli, he was v consistant
----------------------------------------------------------------------
7 seasons at Napoli and 188 appearances says he wasn't that consistent when it came down to playing.
posted on 1/8/22
My opinion, having seen them play, Messi would be third on my list of signings.
Maradona first and Ronaldhino second and Messi third.
As far as I know advertising and sponsors was the reason Ronaldhino took his eye off the ball, no pun intended but he was phenomenal.
As for George Best, there seems to be a narrative around him that has become accepted. I've spoken with people who knew and played in the UTD team with him and he was a brilliant trainer and not a drinker. He liked his ladies but he was a half a shandy the whole night lad. Lou Macari reckons Doc selling him is what turned him into the drinker and a mess. Don't know if true tbh but as told in conversation
posted on 1/8/22
The team built around Messi was the greatest ever because it was built around Messi. I remember switching Barca games off when he got subbed as they lacked any sort of cutting edge when he wasn't on the pitch. There were exceptions but generally they were pretty boring and ineffective.
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 13 minutes ago
You’d have to pick Messi as he is proven to work and be suited really well to this era. There’s a question mark as to whether Maradona would be able to upscale his quality to a different style of football.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don’t think you would ever have to question if the true greats would be able to do this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think you can, what Maradona faced differently was completely different to what it was today and his exceptional 1v1 dribbling skills may have less of an effect as he wouldn't play as many parked buses for example.
However I meant more from a durability point of view, as I said Messi has managed 60 games a season for 15 seasons at the highest level. Maradona's career was not only shorter but also he rarely would manage more than 40 games in a season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Talent is talent. George Best would have still had the same ability he had at 21 if he was 21 today.
posted on 1/8/22
But your talent will be more effective in certain gamestates than others
posted on 1/8/22
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
posted on 1/8/22
I think at 21 Messi was much better than Diego.
But Diego arguably hit a peak fractionally higher than Messi. That 2-game stretch vs England and Belgium at the 86 World Cup is probably the highest level any pro footballer has ever reached.
In terms of career value, you can’t argue with 7 Golden Balls (tied 1st all-time; with Pele), 6 European Golden Shoes (1st all-time), 11 league championships etc.
But what I do know is that Maradona would have won a World Cup with this Argentina team over the last 16 years.
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 6 minutes ago
But your talent will be more effective in certain gamestates than others
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Will it? How do you know?
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 3 minutes ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fat Ronaldo 100% at that age. Phenomenal
posted on 1/8/22
At 21, Maradona was tarimg it up at Boca Jrs.
He had not yet git hepitightus ore had his leg broked ore bean introduced too co-Kane
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Bobby Dazzler (U1449)
posted 39 minutes ago
Be interesting to see how many years Messi’s career would be cut short by if he was regularly being kicked from one end of a football field to another, and I don’t mean the trips which normally send him sprawling, I mean the attempted leg breakers which were so common before tackling was outlawed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I've watched Argentina's matches against England, Belgium and West Germany from the '86 World Cup and didn't see so many of these leg breakers. Yes, tackling is more heavily penalized today, but there are far too many exaggerations about all the leg breaking tackles Maradona was jumping over in every match.
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Franko Cantona 🏆 for ego only (U22187)
posted 44 seconds ago
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Those are human years though. In Rooney years he was 28 at human age 16. He's 62 now
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 4 seconds ago
comment by Franko Cantona 🏆 for ego only (U22187)
posted 44 seconds ago
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Those are human years though. In Rooney years he was 28 at human age 16. He's 62 now
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Could possibly be true
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Franko Cantona 🏆 for ego only (U22187)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I saw Messi in his teens at Barca every week. He was still comfortably better than a teenage Rooney.
posted on 1/8/22
And jeez....time really does fly. Even though I've followed Messi's career pretty closely since he was 17, never realized the guy has hit 35.
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta OUT!!! (U7482)
posted 24 seconds ago
comment by Franko Cantona 🏆 for ego only (U22187)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Brian Easton (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Here's a good one. How about 21 year old Ronaldo vs 21 year old C.Ronaldo? Although I imagine that one is a bit more clear cut at 21
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Rooney at 21 was as good as anybody at 16 he was better than anybody at that age, best teenage player I have ever seen
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I saw Messi in his teens at Barca every week. He was still comfortably better than a teenage Rooney.
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Maybe you didn’t see the teenage Rooney he was like a Tasmanian Devil just unplayable from my recollection it took Messi a while to establish himself at Barca
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Colemanballs-جيش الدفاع الإسرا�... (U22246)
posted 17 minutes ago
comment by #4zA accide cchiu a lengua ca a spata - 🇮🇹🇺🇦 (U22472)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Colemanballs-جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي (U22246)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Wetherby White (U6810)
posted 12 seconds ago
Remember bits of Italia 90, Maradona was still superb, but way past his best.
Messi, very similar style. But look how many games he’s played, I doubt we’ll ever see better.
Went to watch Barca in 2014 and my word he was sublime.
Messi for me
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Messi was in the greatest club side ever that also featured some incredible players like Xavi and Iniesta to name a few. With Pep as manager.
By comparison Maradona went to a poor Napoli side that weren't worth a bean and he turned them into title winners. Something that's never happened before or since at Napoli.
So I like to turn this argument on it's head and ask would Messi have single handedly been able to turn Napoli into serial winners from serial losers if he'd gone to Napoli in 1984 instead of Maradona?
I have serious doubts and don't think there's another player who could have done that quite frankly.
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On the flip side to this though, Barca hadn't won a single trophy in 2 years prior to Pep building the team around 21 year old Messi, and they then won 3 league titles and 2 CL's in 3 years including a treble.
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This,you could confidently build a team around Messi as you know what you'd be getting.With Maradona you would get individual brilliance,but couldn't build a team around him due to him being so unpredictable
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Maradona wasnt unpredictabull at Napoli, he was v consistant
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7 seasons at Napoli and 188 appearances says he wasn't that consistent when it came down to playing.
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Pretty sure we're not talking about appearances and rather how consistent he was when he played which was consistently very high.
Also put Maradona in Pep's Barca side and he would have been ridiculous with all those fantastic players around him.
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta OUT!!! (U7482)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Bobby Dazzler (U1449)
posted 39 minutes ago
Be interesting to see how many years Messi’s career would be cut short by if he was regularly being kicked from one end of a football field to another, and I don’t mean the trips which normally send him sprawling, I mean the attempted leg breakers which were so common before tackling was outlawed
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I've watched Argentina's matches against England, Belgium and West Germany from the '86 World Cup and didn't see so many of these leg breakers. Yes, tackling is more heavily penalized today, but there are far too many exaggerations about all the leg breaking tackles Maradona was jumping over in every match.
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So because you never saw it in 3 games it wasn’t happening?
posted on 1/8/22
To think this article was born out of stumbling across a quora question on whether or not today's fighter jets would help beat the fighter planes of WW2
Incidentally there were a few that gave very detailed accounts about how today's fighter planes would not benefit the RAF in the Battle of Britain, even against the German planes of their time......
posted on 1/8/22
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 6 minutes ago
But your talent will be more effective in certain gamestates than others
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Will it? How do you know?
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Because it’s obvious and this is well documented even now. Using a player like Son as an example he is one of the best in the world during counter attacks but relatively ineffective vs a parked bus (different game state).
Football now compared to 35 years ago is much more tactical with players having more specific roles. Back then the game was more stretched and more individual. Pitches were different. Sports technology was different. The rules were different.
I’ve always believed that the best players in their era were the best because they were suited to the football culture of that era on top of their talent. Obviously it would translate but they may not be as effective.
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