Ronaldo v Ronaldo: who was the better Ronaldo?

Ronaldo v Ronaldo: who was better?

  • Brazilian Ronaldo

    Votes: 370 54.7%
  • Portuguese Ronaldo

    Votes: 308 45.5%

  • Total voters
    677
The fashionable answer would be Brazilian.

The only correct answer is Cristiano though, just look at the relative records the guy is an absolute colossus of the game.
read the question again mate, it was who was the better player not who's won more trophies, I'd also say 2 world cups trumphs whatever cr7 has won
 
Tricky but having seen R9, CR7 and messi all running at defenders, the last one you would want to face would be R9. He was frighteningly good!

CR7 the GOAT though as his records and achievements speak for themselves ahead of anybody else.
you serious? r9 in his prime and without the injuries is better than a peak cr7 and messi by some distance, oh and how many world cups has cr7 won?
 
read the question again mate, it was who was the better player not who's won more trophies, I'd also say 2 world cups trumphs whatever cr7 has won

Never played a single minute in 94 mind. Many would say Portugal winning France 2016 was a bigger achievement than Brazil winning Japan 2002, certainly a bigger surprise.
 
For stats and how long hes been at the top it's hard to argue against Cristiano.

However

I maintain Brazilian ronaldo is the best centre forward I have ever seen and but for injury he would be talked about along with pele Maradona messi as the best ever.
 
It depends on how you define the criteria for 'better'.

To pick one for a game, peak Brazilian. To sign one for his full career, Portuguese.

The former's talent with the latter's dedication would be frightening.
 
The Brazilian has a World Cup winners medal and until he was surpassed by Klosse was the all time leading goalscorer in the history of that tournament.

Doesn’t that speak for itself when compared with his Portuguese counterpart?
Not really, other than that one plays for a much more successful national team than the other!

Don't get me wrong, i love the original Ronaldo but it's almost impossible to compare them because the Portuguese one improved with age whereas the Brazilian one peaked at about 21 due to injuries.
 
I think when you look at career achievements, the Portugese one wins easy. If I had one game, both at their prime, I'd choose the Brazilian one. He was absolutely immense and unplayable on his day.

First reply nails it as usual.

Cristiano has had the better career. El Fenomeno was the better player at his peak (which only lasted about 3 years before his knee was destroyed).

I'd include Messi in that as well. El Fenomeno up until about 21/22 was hitting numbers and accolades that were utterly incredible and have never been seen again since then. Mbappe might be somewhere close to his numbers but he is playing in a one team league at PSG.
 
Brazilian ronaldo for me. Him and Zidane are my 2 favourite players of all time outwith Rangers.
Ronaldo gets the plaudits for the old Trafford hat trick but just keep a close eye on Zidane in that game. Don’t even know if Zidane had pace or he just made it looks so easy if you judge him on that clip alone.
you serious? r9 in his prime and without the injuries is better than a peak cr7 and messi by some distance, oh and how many world cups has cr7 won?
yes I’m serious, do you even know who R9 is?
 
Never played a single minute in 94 mind. Many would say Portugal winning France 2016 was a bigger achievement than Brazil winning Japan 2002, certainly a bigger surprise.
how many minutes did cr7 play in the 2016 euro final? as a player a peak r9 is better then a peak cr7, Brazil went to shit in the 98 final without r9 in the final, yet portugal managed just fine when cr7 went off at 20 odd minutes
 
Ronaldo gets the plaudits for the old Trafford hat trick but just keep a close eye on Zidane in that game. Don’t even know if Zidane had pace or he just made it looks so easy if you judge him on that clip alone.

yes I’m serious, do you even know who R9 is?
wtf are you on about?
 
R9 was an icon at the time, an unbelievable player to watch, physically one of the strongest players i have ever seen. Not many players win a world cup twice.

But in a straight shootout it's Cristiano for me. The man at 35 is closing in on 750+ career goals. It's unreal.
 
how many minutes did cr7 play in the 2016 euro final? as a player a peak r9 is better then a peak cr7, Brazil went to shit in the 98 final without r9 in the final, yet portugal managed just fine when cr7 went off at 20 odd minutes

Aye there is always that argument about the final - which is pretty weak to be fair and France were poor in it as well but he played a huge role in getting them to get that final. The Croatia match for example they would have been well beaten if it wasn’t for the threat he was constantly, can remember watching it in a Pub in Paris (I backed Croatia) and when they broke in the last minutes for the goal I knew they would bloody score.
 
Not really, other than that one plays for a much more successful national team than the other!

Don't get me wrong, i love the original Ronaldo but it's almost impossible to compare them because the Portuguese one improved with age whereas the Brazilian one peaked at about 21 due to injuries.

I have the suspicion that many of those who rate Cristiano Ronaldo so highly equate goalscoring with the sign of greatness.

Don’t get me wrong, it plays a huge part, which is why defenders don’t tend to feature a lot on GOAT lists, but I always feel there needs to be more than goals alone to acquire that accolade.

Prersonally I’d take a mesmerising solo goal, which the Brazilian produced a glut of in his career, over ten ordinary strikes every day of the week.

For me that’s the sign of real greatness - a player that other professional footballers can barely lay a glove on, who makes it look like an adult playing against a bunch of school kids.

It’s always been about god given natural talent for me and the Brazilian wins hands down in my book, although there’s no denying the Portuguese lad is a phenomenal player in his own right and one who has deservedly won the Ballon D’or several times.
 
"If Ronaldo never had his injuries" is really just another form of "if my auntie had balls".
Completely agree. The injuries definitely affected him but there are also a lot of players that peaked very early in their careers, he could easily have been one of them
 
I've voted for Portugal Ronaldo who is the better player when all taken into consideration. When all things considered there is an argument for him being the goat.

At their absolute best I'd say Brazilian Ronaldo was better.
 
Aye there is always that argument about the final - which is pretty weak to be fair and France were poor in it as well but he played a huge role in getting them to get that final. The Croatia match for example they would have been well beaten if it wasn’t for the threat he was constantly, can remember watching it in a Pub in Paris (I backed Croatia) and when they broke in the last minutes for the goal I knew they would bloody score.
why is it weak? you're the 1 who implied r9 did nowt to deserve his world cup medal in 94 so surely the same logic should apply to cr7, from memory cr7 was bang average at those euros over all
 
Completely agree. The injuries definitely affected him but there are also a lot of players that peaked very early in their careers, he could easily have been one of them
We all saw how talented Michael Mols was, he could easily have gone down as one of our all time greats.

It's similar to that for me.
He's one of the best footballers I've ever seen in a Rangers shirt, it doesn't make him a Rangers great though.
 
People are saying that because Messi doesn't have a WC to his name, he can't be considered the greatest ever.

Surely with R9 then, he beats the Portuguese Ronaldo all ends up with TWO World Cups compared to a Euro Championship where R7 didn't play for 85 minutes of the final?

As it is, I've never seen a player like R9 and doubt I ever will again. Like Lomu coming in to rugby, this was a phenomenon.

For someone with that build to be so quick, have such quick feet and just generally look like you'd die if he ran in to you at full pelt and score the goals he did was beyond anything we'd seen.
 
It has to be Cristiano, he has been one of the best 2 players on the planet for over a decade and smashed all sorts of records. With R9 it is more what he could have been without that knee injury, he was unplayable on his day. But knee injury or not, i still don't think he would have went on to have the numbers Messi and C.Ronaldo have achieved as the other 2 have the attitude and dedication that is unmatched by anything ever seen before.

For me Ronaldinho had more natural skill and ability with a ball than all 3 of the above, but lacked the attitude needed to be a top pro for a sustained period of time.
 
why is it weak? you're the 1 who implied r9 did nowt to deserve his world cup medal in 94 so surely the same logic should apply to cr7, from memory cr7 was bang average at those euros over all

Because they had to reach the final and he played a big part in that, it wasn’t a one off match winning France 2016, your own opinion that he was average throughout - I never felt that at all.

Be very surprised if Ronaldo himself thinks he played a key part in Brazil winning the World Cup in 1994 when he never played a minute there (the whole Tournament you know, not just the final) - do you think he played a bigger part in 94 than the other one did in Portugal winning France 2016?
 
It has to be Cristiano, he has been one of the best 2 players on the planet for over a decade and smashed all sorts of records. With R9 it is more what he could have been without that knee injury, he was unplayable on his day. But knee injury or not, i still don't think he would have went on to have the numbers Messi and C.Ronaldo have achieved as the other 2 have the attitude and dedication that is unmatched by anything ever seen before.

For me Ronaldinho had more natural skill and ability with a ball than all 3 of the above, but lacked the attitude needed to be a top pro for a sustained period of time.

Ronaldinho completely turned Barcelona, when you look at who was playing for Real Madrid in that period the way Barcelona took over was amazing really.
 
Never played a single minute in 94 mind. Many would say Portugal winning France 2016 was a bigger achievement than Brazil winning Japan 2002, certainly a bigger surprise.

Brazil had a sensational side in 2002, but Ronaldo was the star of the show scoring 8 times including two in the final and he went into that tournament with a lot to prove.

Compare that with Cristiano Ronaldo’s best effort with Portugal in 2016 when, with all eyes on him, he only managed a couple of goals all tournament then hobbled off after twenty minutes of the final which his teammates went on to win without him.

I think a big sign of true greatness is being able to deliver on the biggest stage when everyone’s expecting you to.
 
Based purely on ability it's R9 - that's not up for debate. R9, even when decimated with injuries, had more talent than Christina Ronaldo.

In fact, let's be honest , Christina Ronaldo isn't even the top 20 players of all time when it comes to pure ability, hence why no-body outsider former coaches and team-mates ever pick him over Messi.

However, because Christina has played in some excellent teams and had a very good career, I understand why some pick him over R9. The Instagram generation loves those stupid celebrations and ridiculous free kick posing.
 
Brazil had a sensational side in 2002, but Ronaldo was the star of the show scoring 8 times including two in the final and he went into that tournament with a lot to prove.

Compare that with Cristiano Ronaldo’s best effort with Portugal in 2016 when, with all eyes on him, he only managed a couple of goals all tournament then hobbled off after twenty minutes of the final which his teammates went on to win without him.

I think a big sign of true greatness is being able to deliver on the biggest stage when everyone’s expecting you to.

Always going to come down to goals at the end of the day with what most people remember. Ronaldo at the Euros was a constant threat that meant teams were always wary of him, meant who they played approached the match very different. Brazil at World Cup different kettle of fish, they were big favs at the last 4 and rightly so and proved they were far better - was not a good final was it, Germany were poor. I think Brazil would have won that World Cup without Ronaldo myself, their hardest match was England.
 
Brazil had a sensational side in 2002, but Ronaldo was the star of the show scoring 8 times including two in the final and he went into that tournament with a lot to prove.

Compare that with Cristiano Ronaldo’s best effort with Portugal in 2016 when, with all eyes on him, he only managed a couple of goals all tournament then hobbled off after twenty minutes of the final which his teammates went on to win without him.

I think a big sign of true greatness is being able to deliver on the biggest stage when everyone’s expecting you to.
I do agree to a point, can't even debate that R9 was one of the best ever, but one is a superstar in a team full of great players, and one is the only superstar in an average team and the wrong side of 30 years of age. Hard to make a direct comparison within these games. France made a rip roaring kunt of it and Portugal should never have won in a million years anyway.
 
read the question again mate, it was who was the better player not who's won more trophies, I'd also say 2 world cups trumphs whatever cr7 has won

The two things are directly linked. Cristiano has played more games, scored more goals (including per game) and won everywhere he’s been at the pinnacle of football. The records, which are the best indicator of ability are nowhere close.
 
Because they had to reach the final and he played a big part in that, it wasn’t a one off match winning France 2016, your own opinion that he was average throughout - I never felt that at all.

Be very surprised if Ronaldo himself thinks he played a key part in Brazil winning the World Cup in 1994 when he never played a minute there (the whole Tournament you know, not just the final) - do you think he played a bigger part in 94 than the other one did in Portugal winning France 2016?
I'd say cr7 did more in the euros than r9 did in 94 by a baw hair, as cr7 was pretty mince in that tournament, you seem to be judging on what the ronaldos have won rather than the way they play, on a pure footballing sense and at their peak, r9 is the better player in evey way
 
if you watch this from 3:15, this is the match from 2016 v Croatia. Ronaldo is back helping defend in the final minutes of injury time (they really should have lost this) but starts the move off and then nigh on finishes it (should have scored really), fitness incredible really.

 
I'd say cr7 did more in the euros than r9 did in 94 by a baw hair, as cr7 was pretty mince in that tournament, you seem to be judging on what the ronaldos have won rather than the way they play, on a pure footballing sense and at their peak, r9 is the better player in evey way

You do know Ronaldo never played a minute at USA 94 don’t you? That’s a fact that, you seemed to think he played in it! I actually think the Brazilian one was a better player at peak but overall feel the Portugal one was/is more important to the teams he played in.
 
The two things are directly linked. Cristiano has played more games, scored more goals (including per game) and won everywhere he’s been at the pinnacle of football. The records, which are the best indicator of ability are nowhere close.
it's linked but not the only metric they should be measured by, if cr7 was so good then where's his world cup medals? how far did cr7 ever get in the world cup? a peak r9 can do everything a peak cr7 can do, but r9 did it better and with more flair, oh and he was one of the main reasons brazil won the 2002 world cup
 
it's linked but not the only metric they should be measured by, if cr7 was so good then where's his world cup medals? how far did cr7 ever get in the world cup? a peak r9 can do everything a peak cr7 can do, but r9 did it better and with more flair, oh and he was one of the main reasons brazil won the 2002 world cup

international football cannot be a fair barometer, it’s reliant on country of birth. Club football though is a measure of ability for sure, best players play for the best teams... and ignore trophies, Cristiano ahead on every metric.
 
You do know Ronaldo never played a minute at USA 94 don’t you? That’s a fact that, you seemed to think he played in it! I actually think the Brazilian one was a better player at peak but overall feel the Portugal one was/is more important to the teams he played in.
I knew he did not play in 94 but he's still got a medal, my point being him not playing at all contributed as much as cr7 did in the euros, that's how mince he was at that tournament
 
I knew he did not play in 94 but he's still got a medal, my point being him not playing at all contributed as much as cr7 did in the euros, that's how mince he was at that tournament

Haha, aye the two goals against Hungary in the final Group match when Portugal were bloody awful which meant they went through and ended up winning the Euros were sod all!
 
Brazil Ronaldo played Man Unt off the pitch back in the late 1990's but CR7 has done that to a few teams over a longer spell so for me both up there but CR7 wins hands down for me

Early 2000s it was. Scored a hat-trick and was applauded off the park by the United fans, something that doesn't happen often. I think it was around the time Beckham went to Madrid (just before or just after).
 
Early 2000s it was. Scored a hat-trick and was applauded off the park by the United fans, something that doesn't happen often. I think it was around the time Beckham went to Madrid (just before or just after).

Was 2003 wasn’t it, Real won League that season but didn’t again till 2007. Amazing with who was there.
 
international football cannot be a fair barometer, it’s reliant on country of birth. Club football though is a measure of ability for sure, best players play for the best teams... and ignore trophies, Cristiano ahead on every metric.
yer cause the teams that cr7 played for don't ever splash the dough and buy the best palyers around to play with him??? ignore skill, speed, flair and general footballing dynamism, then yer cr7 is the better player
 
  • Like
Reactions: KL2
Just voted on what I felt when watching either of them. Ronaldo was something no-one had really seen before I believe, he was built like a British style centre forward, quicker than everyone else at that moment & could finish from anywhere.

Cristiano Ronaldo's stats are ridiculous, whether a team played for him or not. He was a skinny sand dancing winger in 2003, from 2006 with Utd he became a complete forward. He didn't really score at his current rate 'til about 2007/08. But goals scored & trophies won can't be the deciding factor for me, or we'd be saying Gerd Muller was in the top 10 of all time.

Where would we have Cruyff, M Laudrup, Platini, Zico, Zidane, Baggio in a top 5 or 10 of all time. Who's goal scoring stats are no where near that of either Ronald's or Messi.
 
Overall Cristiano but the real Ronaldo in his prime was one of the greatest players to ever play the game. I would never tire of watching him.
 
Back
Top