After he'd obliterated everything in his path in this league... if Rodgers had any idea how to organise a defence, they'd have walked to that league title.
Messi's getting all this grief for retiring and it is a bit weak, but its not beyond Ronaldo to have a strop and do the same when Portugal get knocked out of the Euros. He's on the verge of a tantrum every time the camera's on him as it is.
But Ronaldo only has Jonny Clubfoot, Wayne the 3 legged donkey, Dwight Bongeye and Maddie McCann in his team. Plus some drunk portugese sailors. Nee wonder he gets pissed off.
He was given a note from his 3 yr old daughter before game and reporter asked him what it said - told him to basically kneb out - it's private - thus his priorities are right -family first
That's his business and that's fair enough, but you say all round class, well all round class players don't hit the deck and cheat like Bale does frequently. You don't catch Messi doing that, you do catch Ronaldo doing it, but Messi is a tax cheat, Suarez is a racist biter, Ronaldo is an ego, Bale is a diver... there's no perfect player, none of them ooze class, but they're all talented but Bale is the least of the four, and others are better also.
All opinions mate but feel his human quality edges it imooc . ... oh and his impact in the Euro's is another big factor - the others all play regularly in far bigger international teams. Saying that had Giggs and Best been from a top international country - pure class
A horrible penalty miss just after Vidal had missed for Chile. Obviously Messi was not happy losing the final but he's only 29 and still at the top of his game. As the Relic says he was crowded out, Chile had 3 men around him as soon as he got the ball. The whole game was spoiled by the most petulant ref I've ever seen, he sent off Marcelo Diaz for two yellow cards after 29 minutes and gave Marcos Rojo a straight red to even things up but missed at least 3 horrible Argentinian raking tackles. Messi tells the ref to send him off Anyway Chile won it in the end Chi Chi Chi, Le Le Le, viva Chile! please log in to view this image
To be fair Messi looks devastated. At least it shows he cares. Nothing wrong with retiring at his age, Scholes retired at around 29 I think and he had his excuses, but Messi's announcement is poor and I suspect that he wishes that he sat on it for a few weeks rather than blurt it out like a spoilt, but obviously gutted and emotional, brat. Wouldn't surprise me if he changes his mind over the coming weeks and cite his emotional distress as a result of making a rash decision.
To be honest the most entertainment out of these Euros I have been enjoying is the way that the tv directors are insisting on showing Ronaldos reactions to every single moment throughout his games. I particularly enjoyed this little beauty! It wouldn't surprise me that when/if Portugal get knocked out there will still be a camera following him about in his home just for a close up reaction of his nostril hairs when the cup winning goal hits the back of the net.
It seems that Messi gets a lot of grief from within his homeland, which might explain his decision. I wasn't aware of this. http://www.skysports.com/football/n...e-examines-lionel-messis-argentina-retirement
To be fair to him, I wish someone in an England shirt cared as much as he obviously does. But he's got such a scowly, sulky face and his expressions are so much like a spoilt 3 year old that I can imagine the toys flying out the pram and him flouncing off and leaving the rest of the Portugal team in the lurch.
Ronaldo gets grief for being selfish but I don't think he's been selfish enough for Portugal this tournament. He has been given a position up front and doesn't come deep to look for it as much as he could as he's sticking to his allocated role - it must be massively frustrating then when he's watching his team struggle and (mostly) fail to get the ball to him. His comments after the Iceland game were pathetic but he cares, I'd prefer to see those reactions to conceding than a shrug of the shoulders and a "well I'll get longer on the beach then", he's a winner from top to toe. Messi has some absolute class around him in the Argentina team, without him they'll have to make do with Aguero (who is better than Bale!), Di Maria, Higuan, etc. They'll be alright I reckon. Messi, never had him down as a quitter but to get to the final of the last three major tournaments and give up? That should keep spurring you on, they're going to be in the mix in 2018 and 2020 and he's going to have quit on them. I was never comfortable with Shearer quitting at 30 and think he should have been playing alongside Owen in the 2002 World Cup rather than Emile Heskey but at least following Euro 2000 he could argue that the team could do any worse...
Having watched messi at the last world cup, he was far too greedy in some of the games and in the final he was definitely hogging the ball and the final act of the game where he wasted the free kick at the end trying to beat Neuer from 30 yards or something when he should have crossed it in summed it up To be fair to Messi, Higuain has ****ed it for him in 3 finals where he's missed a sitter in every final. Aguero normally turns up to a tournament only half fit. Also you can hardly call the Argentinian squad much better than the Portuguese one. Whilst you can name all world class strikers in argentinian squad, their width in terms of wingers and defence is normally suspect and the coach always compensates for this. Tevez, Mascherano, Aguero, Di Maria and Messi have been the class players. Then you have some solid ones like Higuan and Zabaleta, cambiasso. Both messi and Ronaldo have been world class and unfortunately haven't had the luck or teams required to pull their teams through to be winners at international level. As for Ronaldo not being greedy enough this tournament? from what i can see they don't have a striker up front but if they did, it would be nani who seems to be playing further forward. Ronaldo has had more shots than anyone this tournament, by a considerable mark. For a team that has been fairly negative in all of its game bar maybe the hungary match, he sure has racked up a lot of shots for a non greedy player!
You can certainly call the Argentina squad much better than the Portuguese one. Rojo, Otamendi, Garay, Mascherano, Zabaleta, Lavezzi, Gaitan, Di Maria, Banega, Pastore, Lamela, Dybala, Higuain, Aguero and Messi... A top GK is really all they are missing.
If we are talking about todays squad i would say they arent to far apart. Zabaleta is old and past it (better than any of the rbs of past when in prime), rojo is barely a defender, pepe is as elite as otamendi, fonte is better than garay (who was great before leaving for russia) again mascherano is not that midfielder general anymore, pastore is good but doesnt get into the psg or argentinian team. In fact the last 10 names you mention are pretty much strikers or acms except di maria and at a push lavezzi so all of them cant play which is the point of this unbalanced argentine team. The portuguese midfield are all great solid players who are worth millions, carvalho, sanchez, moutinho, danilo. Quaresma and nani are hit and miss but are decent and jiao mario and andre gomes (touted big money move) are also as good as the others you mention.
