to many Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time no not Cristiano Ronaldo but the original Brazilian Ronaldo of phomo neither before nor since has another player managed to replicate what Ronaldo was an anomaly but for some reason he doesn't really feature within the greatest of alltime conversation which is dominated by maradon Messi Cristiano Ronaldo and Pelle but why is that why is it so hard to understand how good he really was an obvious point to start with Ronaldo's career didn't run parallel to any of the other players in that conversation Pelle and
meridon dominated earlier eras Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo arrived later after Ronaldo's Prime had long gone side-by-side comparisons are not possible and his abilities cannot be properly contextualized another problem is more abstract and arises from how unusual he was as a player much of his appeal lay in his uniqueness and how for many what he did on the pitch was new when his reputation began to grow in Europe first with PSV and then later at Barcelona and Beyond his playing style compromised elements that many had never seen before in a single footballer Ronaldo was physically imposing
very broad shouldered but he was also extremely quick very agile and highly skillful in a way that few others were and which seemed to defy his body type he was a prolific goal scorer yes but he was also a spectacle a unicorn long before such terminology existed a classic example is Barcelona manager Bobby robson's famous disbelieving reaction to Ronaldo's wonder goal against compostella in 1995 it was the response of someone who' just seen something new and had watched the parameters of what he thought was possible being redrawn but how can that be Quantified and explained
to a modern audience Ronaldo can never be put back in that particular moment in time before the game had evolved with the aid of Greater commercialization more advanced training techniques and super Superior preparation instead his impact is more anecdotal his career ended well before the analytics boom so his contribution can't even be described with anything more detailed than the most basic statistics it leaves him dependent upon witness statements from those who watched him live even if that does prove highly compelling testimony ronaldino described him as his hero growing up so did lonel Messi saying that
he was the best Striker I've ever seen he was so fast he could score from nothing and could shoot the ball better than anyone tiar enri said that Ronaldo did things nobody had seen before Clarence sorf called him the best player I've ever seen in my career and perhaps the most pertinent point was made by Zlatan Ibrahimovic who remarked that there was nobody like him no one has influenced both football and the players who emerged as Ronaldo an influence is important to Ronaldo's Legacy he inspired a whole generation of players becoming one of the first
Elite goal scorers to play from deep and among just a few who could contribute to a very high standard outside of the box in his own era his gold tallies were broadly comparable to players like Alan sheerer Patrick cver and Gabriel batuta and predecessors such as risto stov and Romario and yet very obviously he had greater Dimensions as a player Ronaldo also spawned imitators hundreds of future players would mimic his traits his success redrew the boundaries of his own position destroying the expectation that a forward belonged solely in the box or that they shouldn't try
to beat the Defenders 40 or 50 yards from goal now he was not the first player to do those things but arguably he was the first to exhibit those abilities all at the same time and so consistently and crucially he did so at a time when football from different leagues was beginning to be broadcast across the world far more regularly allowing his influence to stretch even further so timing was very important for Ronaldo but then so strangely was his Misfortune Ronaldo moved to PSV when he was 18 in the Four Seasons after his arrival encompassing
Spells at Barcelona and Inter Milan he was prolific everywhere he went regardless of the league and irrespective of its defensive standards he scored goals in great number but in 1999 he suffered the first of two serious knee injuries in consecutive Seasons costing him almost two whole years of his career during his mid-20s prime now like any great player who suffers injury young there is a sense that Ronaldo would have achieved an impossibly high standard during that period and not unreasonably he had been FIFA well Player of the Year in 1996 and 19 1997 he won
the Balon door in 1998 and won the best player award at the 1998 World Cup when that kind of Ascension is interrupted by injury fans imaginations tend to fill the gaps and garnish the players Legend Ronaldo returned to win the 2002 World Cup with Brazil and top score in the tournament once again he claimed the Balon door and that he managed that feat in spite of injuries which might have ended his career he's also very seductive and in some eyes worth more than whatever he may have won in the period when he was absent but
it's the same problem particularly after an era during which Messi and the other Ronaldo demonstrated their success so literally with Goal records Trophies by the dozens and unprecedented hold over the game's top individual prizes what metrics can be used to make Ronaldo's case his balons or worth aren't asterisk or inscribed differently in recognition of what he overcame they can't be and yet because they're not their literal tonnage doesn't really tell the whole story but most of all given the limitations and the nature of what happens in sport when time passes how good Ronaldo really was
is so elusive because it depends upon subjective interpretations of what a great player really is what's more important trophies or impact longevity or spectacle Impact versus performance the importance of a career versus what it meant at the time and these will always be questions without proper answers if you like this video please consider subscribing to the channel the athletic is home to some of the world's best sports journalists including journalists dedicated to each Premier League team so every fan gets the coverage they deserve not just the big clubs and you can try it for free
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