Heskey was the best for me, followed by Thierry Henry and then gerrard. Ronaldo wouldn't make my top 10 in a million years
Hard to put any rational argument forwards against Ronaldo being the best. Only player to win the Ballon D'Or and WPOTY whilst playing in the PL. Also in the top three in Ballon D'Or and WPOTY for each of his last three seasons. Definitely the best in terms of quality, tho' not the greatest in terms of impact.
That by itself showed it was a jokey remark. Stevie Me cannot be mentioned in the same sentence as CR7. #noteventop50
Ronaldo may not have had the longevity of others but in terms of how good he was at his peak in the Premier League, he was head and shoulders above any other player to play in the PL. The season he scored 31 league goals, winning the golden boot, and then winning the CL golden boot as we'll is something the likes of Thierry Henry could never of achieved. Henry had a pretty average goals scoring record in Europe for a so called superstar. He also went to the 2nd biggest club in Spain, and was only ever a bit part player at best for Barca. Ronaldo on the other hand went to the biggest side in Spain Real Madrid and is now the greatest player to have ever played for them. Van Nistlerooy was also a far better player than most of those players, the likes of Henry wasn't in his class, and to even have Bergkamp or Zola on that list is laughable. Both players booted out of Serie A which was the top league at the time, as they weren't good enough. There goal scoring record in the prem is embarrassing for a so called pair of top strikers. 1 in 4 Zola and 1 in 5 Bergkamp. Compare that to Van Nistlerooy who was a 3 times CL golden boot winner, and a player who scored more goals than any other player across the whole of Europe between 2000-2010 winning an award for being the top scorer for a whole decade, and you really have to laugh at the inclusion of those 2 over him. I don't even think Zola was even good enough to play for a club in the CL, never mind win the golden boot in it. Zola and Bergkamp wouldn't have even got a kick at Real Madrid never mind be the main man like Van Nistlerooy was
I agree and have said for some time that Ronaldo was the best I've seen in the P.L. Just don't think there is the need to belittle and slag off P.L and club legends like Zola and Bergkamp, who were both less effective than Ronaldo but much more of a joy to watch. Neither were strikers either so to compare them to a goal hanger like RVN is ridiculous.
I have tried explaining this to that numpty a gajillion times. RVN was an out and out goal scorer, serving no other purpose than to be in the right place at the right time to receive a pass and tap the ball into the net, like Lineker or Diego Costa. There's nothing wrong with that, those kind of instinctive strikers are worth their weight in gold (look at the difference its made to Chelsea, swapping El Burro with Costa). Zola and Bergkamp were completely different players, they could run with the ball, beat players, had excellent vision and range of passing and other things that made up for their less than impressive goal stats. The reason Ronaldo is the best player in the world right now? Because he is a very rare case of a player who has BOTH these attributes. He can run with the ball, he can pass, he can beat players, he assists by the truck load AND he has a natural goal scorers instinct. He is a complete player.
I will slag both off all day long, especially when they are placed so highly in an all time greats list. In what way where they more of a joy to watch than Ronaldo? Ronaldo was superior to both in every way possible. As far as RVN is concerned it is an absolute disgrace that he is not on that list, yet 2 average strikers like Zola and Bergkamp are. I don't really understand the goal hanger comment, what is wrong with being one of those? Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in football, this is why goal scorers sell for the most, and sides are scrambling around on transfer deadline day trying to get one in. RVN was the best goalscorer of his generation, no other goal scorer is even worth comparing, and I include Henry in that, who was a regular CL and big game bottler. Zola and Bergkamp where still forwards whatever way you want to dress it up, and there strike rate is bang average. Zola especially as at least Bergkamp done it for Holland, Zola on the other hand was a disaster for Italy, that's why he rarely got a cap later in his career. The only reason you guys got him was because he was nothing special, as Chelsea at the time where nothing more than a top half PL team. If he was any good he'd of gone to a top European side and played CL football. Yeah he scored some great goals, but he was never consistently a top class player. To even have him in that list and not include RVN the main man for 2 massive CL sides throughout his career is laughable
I don't think Chelsea are in any position to have a pop at the appearance of any striker, when they have the Elephant man up front for them this year
The fact you keep calling Zola a striker somewhat negates any opinion you have. Sad really as there are some good points in there amongst the dross. If you don't love watching players like Zola and Bergkamp then you may as well stop watching football. RVN was a brilliant player but plenty of people look for more than stats and see merit in what a player brings in an enjoyment kind of way. In every generation you'll get dozens of players who can stick it in the onion bag but far less who are a genuine geniuses and ajoy to watch every week. As Bo said, that's why Ronaldo and Messi are special, cos they have both.
A survey by usurv.. well that's settled then isn't it Ronaldo had one blinding season scoring 31 goals, a very good season and a better than average season and 3 very average seasons while he was developing, this survey is influenced by what he has done since leaving. He's the biggest star to have played in the PL but there are others that constributed more, like GIggs or Shearer and Henry. Heck Keane has done more to land more PL titles and promote United's image(by winning titles) than Ronaldo. Actually, I reckon Becks is the biggerst star to have played the PL not Ronaldo, Ronaldo is the player with greatest ability, but a lot of that ability came after he left
He literally knows nothing about football. Not one thing. He's like United's version of Astro. What happened to just enjoying watching a player play football? If you preferred watching Van Nistelrooy to Zola or Bergkamp I think there's something wrong upstairs. Cantona best I've seen in the PL. Don't think many will agree but I could've watched him play football all day long, similarly with Zola.
