Best Footballer Ever

If longevity matters then for consistent brilliance at the highest level it’s Messi.

If you only care about peak years or the World Cup it opens it up to more debate.
 
sami_rfc said:
Correct, he won Serie A and a World Cup with a team full of jobbers. Look at Messi and Ronaldo at club level and they were playing alongside the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Modric, etc.
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If you’re 36 then you’re not even old enough to have seen Maradona win either.
 
Brian_Fantana said:
I think the differences in the game of football make it an impossible question.

Could Messi play on the crap pitches getting kicked everywhere? Doubt it.
Could Maradona play 60 games a season, ghosting past proper athletes a foot taller than him? Doubt it.

I think Ronaldinho for a 2-3 year period was right up there with the best ever, he had it all. Skill, technique, pace, agility, power, explosiveness, personality. That goal against Chelsea with John Terry bouncing off him like he was a wee boy really made you realise how physically capable he was.
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Ronaldinho is the man my favourite non ranger by a mile. Absolute fucking freak with a football.
 
dt17 said:
A team full of jobbers...where do you even start with that pish?
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What I mean is Maradona practically carried the team on his own, he had a few good players around him but none you would say were anywhere near top 20 in the world at the time.
 
Took 29 posts for someone to say the correct answer, this forums hilarious at times
 
Zwingli'sSausages said:
Maradona. And it’s not even close for me. Yes, Messi and the rapey Ronaldo have won more, played more and earned more, but that’s more to do with how the game has changed. I’d like to see them face some of dirty bastards from Diego’s time.

The best ever!

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Well argued mate, you nailed it for me. Lot of great players, many who probably won’t get a mention, but Maradona sits at the very top for me.
 
sami_rfc said:
Correct, he won Serie A and a World Cup with a team full of jobbers. Look at Messi and Ronaldo at club level and they were playing alongside the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Modric, etc.
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Teams full of jobbers :confused:

I don’t know enough about the 87 Napoli team but in 89/90 had Ciro Ferrara, Zola and Careca. He also played there for 7 years and they had two title winning seasons.

The stuff about the Argentina squad is mainly European arrogance and the love of a good story. That Argentina team were good, they just mainly played in Argentina so people assume they must have been poor. Maradona was absolutely the standout but it’s ignorant to say they were a team full of jobbers.
 
knightswood_bear said:
Teams full of jobbers :confused:

I don’t know enough about the 87 Napoli team but in 89/90 had Ciro Ferrara, Zola and Careca. He also played there for 7 years and they had two title winning seasons.

The stuff about the Argentina squad is mainly European arrogance and the love of a good story. That Argentina team were good, they just mainly played in Argentina so people assume they must have been poor. Maradona was absolutely the standout but it’s ignorant to say they were a team full of jobbers.
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I went over the top with the jobber comment but he was a far superior player to anyone he played alongside.
 
sami_rfc said:
I went over the top with the jobber comment but he was a far superior player to anyone he played alongside.
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He was, he was the best player in the world on his day.

Just a pity he let himself and his club/country down by taking drugs and getting banned.

He had unbelievable moments but ultimately didn’t do it consistently enough to be in the conversation for me. Especially when you have Messi and Ronaldo who have been at the peak of football for about 15 years.
 
knightswood_bear said:
He was, he was the best player in the world on his day.

Just a pity he let himself and his club/country down by taking drugs and getting banned.

He had unbelievable moments but ultimately didn’t do it consistently enough to be in the conversation for me. Especially when you have Messi and Ronaldo who have been at the peak of football for about 15 years.
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Part of the mystique about Maradona was that he didn't even look like a football player (his weight), if you watch the documentary about him he was into everything, drugs, mafia links, dodgy dealings.
 
sami_rfc said:
Part of the mystique about Maradona was that he didn't even look like a football player (his weight), if you watch the documentary about him he was into everything, drugs, mafia links, dodgy dealings.
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Right, but that’s more about his character than being the best footballer of all time.

He’s definitely one of the greatest characters the game has ever seen, however it could be argued that is also what cost him more success in his football career.
 
dt17 said:
Ridiculous.
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Really well thought out and engaging reply there mate :D

I’ll take the bait though. Why’s it ridiculous? You don’t think Messi is the best player of his generation? Now seems to be the universal opinion…
 
sami_rfc said:
Correct, he won Serie A and a World Cup with a team full of players who were a level below him. Look at Messi and Ronaldo at club level and they were playing alongside the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Modric, etc.
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Post 229 mate. Enjoy
 
sami_rfc said:
I went over the top with the jobber comment but he was a far superior player to anyone he played alongside.
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Ah well that’s it then…. Just be the best player in the team and that’s that, the bestest evererer… :rolleyes:
 
See all you daft rangers da’s that argue “maradona is the best”, not only are you wrong, but you’re so fkn wrong it’s cringe.

Guys like Sounness and linekar (who actually played against maradona) even say messi is better..

Just quietly accept that your nostalgia and down right desire to believe a guy you have a misguided and mystique, and ultimately I’ll-informed opinion of is in fact not the greatest ever.

Let go of your hazey memories and accept, that pretty much every professional involved in football, be it a manager or player etc, that isn’t a teammate of of CR7, will all say Messi is the greatest, ever.

To put it in a such a way that those of u argue against Messi being the greatest, ask this…

Absolutely everyone now compares any past great or current great to Messi…. Yet any detractors will compare Messi to another.

Is it messi or cr7

Is it messi or maradona

Accept, even if u don’t want to, u now live in a world were if u want to have a football argument about who is the greatest, you’ll argue their achievements AGAINST Messi’s.

He’s the best.

Yes u look back and like how ronaldhino looked. Yes, u old yins who seen Diego play once every 4 years on ur grainy TVs growing up and are adamant he’s the best. Yes, you who fantasise about R9 not getting them injuries believe he would’ve been better. Yes, u culture merchants will fawn over zidanes elegance… truth is tho, they didn’t, they weren’t, they aren’t…
 
johnto said:
See all you daft rangers da’s that argue “maradona is the best”, not only are you wrong, but you’re so fkn wrong it’s cringe.

Guys like Sounness and linekar (who actually played against maradona) even say messi is better..

Just quietly accept that your nostalgia and down right desire to believe a guy you have a misguided and mystique, and ultimately I’ll-informed opinion of is in fact not the greatest ever.

Let go of your hazey memories and accept, that pretty much every professional involved in football, be it a manager or player etc, that isn’t a teammate of of CR7, will all say Messi is the greatest, ever.

To put it in a such a way that those of u argue against Messi being the greatest, ask this…

Absolutely everyone now compares any past great or current great to Messi…. Yet any detractors will compare Messi to another.

Is it messi or cr7

Is it messi or maradona

Accept, even if u don’t want to, u now live in a world were if u want to have a football argument about who is the greatest, you’ll argue their achievements AGAINST Messi’s.

He’s the best.

Yes u look back and like how ronaldhino looked. Yes, u old yins who seen Diego play once every 4 years on ur grainy TVs growing up and are adamant he’s the best. Yes, you who fantasise about R9 not getting them injuries believe he would’ve been better. Yes, u culture merchants will fawn over zidanes elegance… truth is tho, they didn’t, they weren’t, they aren’t…
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Are you 12?

Let go of your console controller, engage your brain, put the bottle of prime down and get back to school to work on your spelling and grammar.

What a riddy your post is....
 
Portoblue said:
Are you 12?

Let go of your console controller, engage your brain, put the bottle of prime down and get back to school to work on your spelling and grammar.

What a riddy your post is....
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No mate not 12, but thanks for countering absolutely any point within my post. Wit a guy u are :rolleyes:
 
Pele. Over 600 goals for his club in a league that produced 3 world cup winning sides in which he himself played in.
77 goals in 92 appearances for Brazil. Truly incredible.
 
Not a single compelling argument exists to say that it isn't Messi or C Ronaldo, which is why people resort to things like "but pitches were worse back in 't day" or "bad tackles". Messi has been brutalised over the course of his career, he's just too strong to let it affect him. Either that, or the players can't get anywhere near him.

There isn't an accolade that these two haven't surpassed compared to every other footballer in history. Frankly there isn't even enough to separate them so for me it just comes down to personal preference, to which I say Messi. No other footballer is capable of making you forget that football is a team sport than Messi.
 
knightswood_bear said:
He was, he was the best player in the world on his day.

Just a pity he let himself and his club/country down by taking drugs and getting banned.

He had unbelievable moments but ultimately didn’t do it consistently enough to be in the conversation for me. Especially when you have Messi and Ronaldo who have been at the peak of football for about 15 years.
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I blame the incredible pressures of looking after his family, fame and the Naples Mafia getting their claws into him. For his drug use. Have you watched the documentary?
 
Boddah said:
I blame the incredible pressures of looking after his family, fame and the Naples Mafia getting their claws into him. For his drug use. Have you watched the documentary?
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I didn’t see the documentary but read a bit about it at the time. I’m sure he was already on a bad path prior to joining Napoli, an ideal candidate for the mafia to sink their claws into.

I think I remember him saying that he could have been so much better without the addictions and how he treated his body.

His story is ultimately a sad one, despite the amazing highs.
 
Greatest footballer Georgie best .. could have been the greatest Norman whiteside,, best player I’ve seen in the flesh michel platini….
 
It's Maradona imo although I was a little young to properly remember him at his absolute peak.

For more modern day (players I've actually seen a lot of) I'd go with Zidane. I remember an article in 442 years ago on the Real Madrid Galacticos. Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Zidane and Figo were interviewed. I think it was RC who said 'the only person who didn't say Zidane was the best, was Zidane'. Quite the accolade in that company.

Anyone remember the thread on here about a decade ago when a lad argued blind for a couple of hours that ZZ was 'overrated'? :D
 
Crown_Defender said:
It's Maradona imo although I was a little young to properly remember him at his absolute peak.

For more modern day (players I've actually seen a lot of) I'd go with Zidane. I remember an article in 442 years ago on the Real Madrid Galacticos. Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Zidane and Figo were interviewed. I think it was RC who said 'the only person who didn't say Zidane was the best, was Zidane'. Quite the accolade in that company.

Anyone remember the thread on here about a decade ago when a lad argued blind for a couple of hours that ZZ was 'overrated'? :D
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We will look back at people who routinely say the same about Messi and C Ronaldo with a similar level of ridicule.

Zidane was an absolute joy to watch, although I think Iniesta probably just pushes him out for the best midfielder of the last 30 years or so imo.
 
knightswood_bear said:
We will look back at people who routinely say the same about Messi and C Ronaldo with a similar level of ridicule.

Zidane was an absolute joy to watch, although I think Iniesta probably just pushes him out for the best midfielder of the last 30 years or so imo.
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Immense as well, obviously.

I'd say Zidane offered more of a goal threat than him though.

Fwiw both Messi and Ronaldo will rightly take their place amongst the all time greats. Amazing players.
 
Crown_Defender said:
Immense as well, obviously.

I'd say Zidane offered more of a goal threat than him though.

Fwiw both Messi and Ronaldo will rightly take their place amongst the all time greats. Amazing players.
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Yeah, I honestly wouldn’t argue with anyone who said the preferred Zidane and I probably go between them myself when recalling their careers.

We have really been able to witness some amazing players these last few decades.
 
knightswood_bear said:
Yeah, I honestly wouldn’t argue with anyone who said the preferred Zidane and I probably go between them myself when recalling their careers.

We have really been able to witness some amazing players these last few decades.
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Definitely mate, that really was a golden era imo. I just don't get excited with players in the same way now. Barely even watch 'elite' level anymore truth be told. Bunch of jumped up, self centred, entitled, cheating wee fannies.
 
Crown_Defender said:
Definitely mate, that really was a golden era imo. I just don't get excited with players in the same way now. Barely even watch 'elite' level anymore truth be told. Bunch of jumped up, self centred, entitled, cheating wee fannies.
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Aye, I sound like a grumpy old man when I watch these days, time wasting and diving absolutely kill my enjoyment watching as a neutral.

In saying that I think the refs have largely been good during this World Cup at not buying guys going down at the slightest bit of contact.
 
knightswood_bear said:
Aye, I sound like a grumpy old man when I watch these days, time wasting and diving absolutely kill my enjoyment watching as a neutral.

In saying that I think the refs have largely been good during this World Cup at not buying guys going down at the slightest bit of contact.
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Same for me. Feigning injury is a much much bigger problem than diving now, particularly with the introduction of VAR. It's part of the rules and needs to be enforced imo.
 
Crown_Defender said:
It's Maradona imo although I was a little young to properly remember him at his absolute peak.

For more modern day (players I've actually seen a lot of) I'd go with Zidane. I remember an article in 442 years ago on the Real Madrid Galacticos. Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Zidane and Figo were interviewed. I think it was RC who said 'the only person who didn't say Zidane was the best, was Zidane'. Quite the accolade in that company.

Anyone remember the thread on here about a decade ago when a lad argued blind for a couple of hours that ZZ was 'overrated'? :D
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Zidane says the best he played with was R9 and that's when Ronaldo was running about wae nae legs.
 
Quite a lot of debate about how long various players held their peaks for. What decisions players took off the park will obviously have an impact, but more importantly the longevity of any of these players will reflect the era in which they played. With the refereeing becoming much more attacker-friendly since the late 1990s, and especially so in the last 15 years, players should be able to sustain their physical peaks for longer.

It was more challenging to avoid permanent physical damage in previous eras. Pele was injured in 1962 and then kicked out of the 1966 World Cup. By the late 1960s and early 1970s he had incurred so much abuse he no longer had the same explosive athletic ability, for all his briliance at Mexico '70.

Maradona was already the best player in the world at 19 when, in 45 games in 1980, he scored 43 goals and had 20 assists. But he spent the rest of the decade getting kicked to bits. Fouled a record 36 times at the 1982 World Cup, he had his ankle broken by Goikoetxea in 1983 at just 22. He was fouled 53 times in the 1986 World Cup and by the late 1980s and at the 1990 World Cup he had to wear a boot a size bigger due to the swelling in his ankle. Even then he was fouled 50 times at Italia '90 (to give this figure some context, Messi was fouled 18 times at the 2014 WC, the most of any of his WCs).

Van Basten was the same. For the same reasons as Maradona he had problems with his ankle by 23-24 that never left him - ruined his only shot at the World Cup - and had to retire at the peak of his powers at 28.

Careers just aren't curtailed in the same way in the last couple of decades.
 
Jazzman said:
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?
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Good point re the boots, state of the pitches etc...A shame we don't have much if any footage of guys like Alan Morton at his peak.

For me its either Messi or Maradona and will go for Messi due to his longevity and although maybe not quite as sharp still the main man in the Argentine team.
 
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