Sheriff

The only thing Zidane does better is the ability to look like a ballerina on the ball. That makes him more comparable to Iniesta than Messi.

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Who ever said they were similar players?

It's great you hold Messi and Ronaldo in such high regard. They are wonderful footballers.

Without the right support though they start to look mortal. Without that base behind them they don't look half the player. That base was Zidane

Of course players who score the goals are going to be generally higher regarded, especially if it is in the current game. That's just the way of the world. We had Spurs fans saying Gareth Bale was a better player than Gazza (pre-cruciate) recently for example.

Another example

A lot of Arsenal fans would name Bergkamp as their best player of the PL era. Most non-Arsenal fans would pick Henry because of the devastating amount of goals he scored/created

Lampard picked Zidane as the best he has played against in an interview today. Just saying

I always think it's really a case of 'favourites' rather than 'best', as it's entirely subjective. The fact that more people 'think' someone's better than someone else doesn't make it an objective assessment. This is even more true when judging players who perform different roles for their sides, and much more when they hail from different eras.

For example, someone who holds defending in higher regard might well consider Baresi to have been a 'better' player than Gullit for example. This is neither right nor wrong, it's just a question of that person's preferences being geared towards certain aspects of the game.

Me, I tend to lean towards attacking midfielders and 'organisers' than forwards because I've always felt their job's much harder. I used to play as a striker myself - a modestly handy one -, but that only came about because I didn't have all of the attributes necessary to fill a midfield role.

Me, I tend to lean towards
attacking midfielders and
'organisers' than forwards
because I've always felt their
job's much harder. I used to play
as a striker myself - a modestly
handy one -, but that only came
about because I didn't have all of
the attributes necessary to fill a
midfield role.
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I lean towards the greatest forwards myself. They are charged with making things happen at the point of highest resistance in the pitch. In my lifetime, fat Ronaldo, Messi and C. Ronaldo are the greatest for me. What Messi does on a weekly basis is harder than what Zidane does for me. There are times I think Messi is so brilliant and so freakishly consistent that people become desensitized to the brilliance they come to expect. I remember a goal last season where Suarez brilliantly controlled with his chest and rounded the keeper to score and the media and fans were raving and purring. That's a goal that would be routine for Messi and he scores a similar or better goal like every 3 or so weeks. Even 2 maybe.

I would also rate what Ronaldo does week in, week out higher and more difficult than what Iniesta or Ozil do.

Without the right support
though they start to look mortal.
Without that base behind them
they don't look half the player.
That base was Zidane
Of course players who score the
goals are going to be generally
higher regarded, especially if it is
in the current game.
---------------

Messi and Ronaldo are forwards looking to make things happen up the pitch. Of course they need support. Do you expect them to collect the ball from their keeper, dribble through the entire opposition and score? You make it sound like Zidane played for and carried Stoke and San Marino. The guy played for Juve, Madrid and France with superstar mates. You play well as a midfielder, given the right platform by your team mates the same way forwards need service.

In the Messi/CR debate I'll always lean towards Messi, not because of statistics, but because I think there are more dimensions to his game. Some of the goals he sets up for his team mates are beyond anything CR could even imagine, let along execute.

As far as pure striking capabilities go, I'd go for Ronaldo Naz.

Btw, your above description of what one cannot expect from CR & Messi is what I've often heard Di Stefano used to do - not the dribbling bit, but dropping back into defence and starting off moves he'd often get on the end of at the opposite end. Shame it was A lot of this of course might simply be old-timers waxing lyrical, but it's a pity I never got to watch him so as to judge for myself.

IOAG
talking of another Madrid legend

my grandad went to the England vs Hungary game in 1953 at wembley when Hungary won 6-3 he has maintained ever since that Ferenc Puskas is the greatest player he's ever seen

Yeah, Puskas is another Madrid legend, definitely. Hard to say why from a distance, but Di Stefano's held in higher esteem in Madrid perhaps because career at Madrid was that much longer.

110 COMMENTS?!!!

wow yes, need to make more of these types of articles on the Arsenal board.

thanks to all who participated, this wouldn't have been a success without you.

love all my fans.

112!

Love you very much IOAG. Always a regular in these types of articles of mine. Keep up the good work my brother.

One day an article of mine will have over 200 comments!!!

You deserve it Sainty , the huge effort you put into writing them is so vastly underrated.

Fantastic article, Saint.