Best Footballer Ever

Give all those listed at the top the modern equipment, boots and pitches and they would thrive.
Give Messi and Ronaldo the old tattie fields, medicine balls and the absolute hatchet men that Pele and Maradona faced and they would crumble.
For me that makes Maradona, Pele, Crutff and Best etc much better than Ronaldo and Messi.
Even Messi himself has said Diego was better.
Brilliant. Absolute bollocks but still brilliant.
 
It’s Maradona by a nose ahead of Pele

Both unbelievable talents who were booted up and down the muddy pitches and still produced the best football ever. Winning World Cups. Dragging teams to title wins almost single handedly.

The pampered poncing ponies on today’s manicured pitches are good, but not even close to these two
Yeah, the teams Pele played in were shite. Did he single handedly win them the world cup in '62 from the stands?
 
Coming back to this off the back of that Argentina game there. How absurd is it that old guys think Messi needs to win a WC to prove something when he’s doing what he does and his teammates can’t finish to save themselves. Shades of Higuain who bottled sitters in 3 different cup finals.
 
Its rubbish that i never got to experience maradona or pele "live" as youtube they are a great watch. However, i got to experience watching R9, Zidane, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and even Henry who deserves a mention.

Its different watching them live, being part of the match and witnessing greatness.

I remember watching Ronaldinho do his latest trick then be out in the garden the next day practicing it.....only to then go to football training and be told to "be more direct". Literally got the enjoyment of football coached out of me.
 
Brilliant. Absolute bollocks but

Give all those listed at the top the modern equipment, boots and pitches and they would thrive.
Give Messi and Ronaldo the old tattie fields, medicine balls and the absolute hatchet men that Pele and Maradona faced and they would crumble.
For me that makes Maradona, Pele, Crutff and Best etc much better than Ronaldo and Messi.
Even Messi himself has said Diego

Give all those listed at the top the modern equipment, boots and pitches and they would thrive.
Give Messi and Ronaldo the old tattie fields, medicine balls and the absolute hatchet men that Pele and Maradona faced and they would crumble.
For me that makes Maradona, Pele, Crutff and Best etc much better than Ronaldo and Messi.
Even Messi himself has said Diego was better.
The flip side of that is how would Maradona and Pele compete against the super fit athletes of todays game?
 
I know it’s not technically Rangers related, but often wondered who was the best footballer ever?
How would Pele, Puskas, Cruyff, Best etc. play on todays manicured lawns with the advances in footwear, kit, balls etc. Turn on head, how would Ronaldo 1 & 2, Messi, Neymar etc. play on the tattie fields with pit boots, pigs bladders and cotton tops, getting clobbered every 10 minutes. To me, that’s why Pele was and will ever be the best ever. Thoughts?
For Rangers - Cooper

For all time - Maradona
 
Most "entertaining" for me would be Ronaldinho. Nobody else I have seen since has came close imo.
Reluctant to pick the "best" as so many players could take the title of as many adjectives as you'd care to throw about.
I'd agree with Ronaldinho being most entertaining. He could do things most others couldn't and wouldn't even think of or attempt.
I don't think that question could ever be answered. Depends on what era, tactical defending, pitch quality, fitness standards, player winning everything possible, teammates at the time, etc etc.
I'm 40 years old so my favourites of my lifetime-Ronaldinho, Fat Ronaldo, Zidane, Gazza , Pirlo, Van Basten.....
 
I'd agree with Ronaldinho being most entertaining. He could do things most others couldn't and wouldn't even think of or attempt.
I don't think that question could ever be answered. Depends on what era, tactical defending, pitch quality, fitness standards, player winning everything possible, teammates at the time, etc etc.
I'm 40 years old so my favourites of my lifetime-Ronaldinho, Fat Ronaldo, Zidane, Gazza , Pirlo, Van Basten.....
And a certain McCoist. Probably could have scored consistently as a number 9 with 2 up ,any team in Europe in the 90s
 
If anyone wants to read the truth about Maradona’s career, and not the often romanticised version where he carries teams on his back, then you should read this link.


Anyway the question should forever be ‘who’s the greatest player not called Lionel Messi’, and let people debate that. Messi is the greatest player of all time - it’s not even close.
 
Most "entertaining" for me would be Ronaldinho. Nobody else I have seen since has came close imo.
Reluctant to pick the "best" as so many players could take the title of as many adjectives as you'd care to throw about.
Coming on to post exactly the same.

The best player, for me, is the player I’ve enjoyed watching most - and that is Ronaldinho closely followed by Zidane.
 
Cruijff was far more all round footballer than Messi. Messi never defends. Cruiff did everything. Pele, Crujiff Maradona on a different planet Messi George Best heading the reserves.
Probably because he’s not a defender, that’s just a hunch though.

If you asked Barca fans who their greatest ever player was the majority wouldn’t be vouching for Cruyff
 
Probably because he’s not a defender, that’s just a hunch though.

If you asked Barca fans who their greatest ever player was the majority wouldn’t be vouching for Cruyff
Ha ha that is why they call their stadium the Lionel Messi Stadium. :))
 
For longevity, career honours and our access to judging them, that narrows it down to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

And for me, Messi is on another level to Ronaldo, who was transformed into a great goalscorer and focal point of a team, but Messi is the playmaker and someone who is the complete package: his assists records are outstanding, as is his dribbling and his goal/honours list is greater too.

I like the Ronaldinho shout but he only really had 3/4 years where he was part of that best player in the world conversation as opposed to Messi’s 15-16 years.
 
Messi and Zidane are the two best I've watched. Granted, I watched Messi more consistently and closely, as I was an adult when he was in his prime. There's not much I can add to the Messi discourse that hasn't already been said countless times, a magician. Zidane was just different, elegant and yet combative. Graceful but imposing. I've not seen a player like him since.

Ronaldinho for a 3/4 year period was just ludicrous to witness. He had it all, pace, skill, control and his finishing was actually mental. He burnt the candle at both ends and ultimately his decline takes the shine off his legacy. He was still good as he aged but he wasn't an athlete and at that time the game was shifting towards being heavily skewed in favour of that attribute.

Ronaldo or R9 for clarity, was honestly incredible but his injuries ruined him. Killed the explosive pace he had. Still a world class striker but I do often wonder what would have happened if he never had those injuries. He was great in the 02 WC, it was a great redemption story but people often forget how good that Brazil team actually was. A front three of Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho just madness
 
Pele - the complete player, ahead of his time.
Won more world cups than many of the other greats mentioned. I remember his brilliance in the 1970 world cup. I was 12 years old,me and my pals used to play out all Pele's moves
 
I think Maradona was the best, and Messi probably on achievement as well as talent as no2.
I feel in most cases that the modern athlete outdoes their historic foes but again, would these players excel with better fitness etc?
 

Öcsi was magnificent but I think there's a debate to be had as to whether he was the best player from that era of Hungarians. His status at Madrid elevates him massively in the public discourse but he said as much himself. He often rued and wondered how the likes of Hidegkuti and Bozsik would have faired had they left Hungary like he did.
 
If anyone wants to read the truth about Maradona’s career, and not the often romanticised version where he carries teams on his back, then you should read this link.


Anyway the question should forever be ‘who’s the greatest player not called Lionel Messi’, and let people debate that. Messi is the greatest player of all time - it’s not even close.
Didn't bother watching your video.
My opinion of Maradona is based on me as a 10 year old watching Mexico 86.
Easily the the best player I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
 
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Zidane all week long. Won it all and could do things with the ball that can leave you dumbfounded. He was just a magician.
 
Didn't bother watching your video.
My opinion of Maradona is based on me as a 10 year old watching Mexico 86.
Easily the the best player I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
It’s not a video. It’s a detailed blog showing the facts surrounding the teams Maradona played in, and the facts around his contribution - it proved the ‘he carried teams on his back’ mantra to be false.
 
It’s not a video. It’s a detailed blog showing the facts surrounding the teams Maradona played in, and the facts around his contribution - it proved the ‘he carried teams on his back’ mantra to be false.
Oh well.
I didn't read your detailed blog either.
I've only offered an option based on what I've actually seen.
 
If anyone wants to read the truth about Maradona’s career, and not the often romanticised version where he carries teams on his back, then you should read this link.


Anyway the question should forever be ‘who’s the greatest player not called Lionel Messi’, and let people debate that. Messi is the greatest player of all time - it’s not even close.
Brilliant read thanks matey.
 
I know it’s not technically Rangers related, but often wondered who was the best footballer ever?
How would Pele, Puskas, Cruyff, Best etc. play on todays manicured lawns with the advances in footwear, kit, balls etc. Turn on head, how would Ronaldo 1 & 2, Messi, Neymar etc. play on the tattie fields with pit boots, pigs bladders and cotton tops, getting clobbered every 10 minutes. To me, that’s why Pele was and will ever be the best ever. Thoughts?
Messi for me.
 
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