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Poll: Who is the football/soccer G.O.A.T (greatest of all time)?

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by NIGHTBRINGER, Feb 10, 2022.

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Who is the best football/soccer player of all time?

  1. Diego Maradona

  2. Lionel Messi

  3. Cristiano Ronaldo

  4. Pele

  5. Other (specify below)

Results are only viewable after voting.
  1. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    Not sure how much traction this will get (a sports poll on a warhammer forum), but here goes.

    The question is simple, who is the best footballer of all time? Use whatever criteria you feel is most appropriate to answer the question! (I leave it open-ended on purpose)

    maxresdefault.jpg
     
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  2. Imrahil
    Slann

    Imrahil Thirtheenth Spawning

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    Dennis Bergkamp :cool:

    Grrr, Imrahil
     
  3. Lizards of Renown
    Slann

    Lizards of Renown Herald of Creation

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    Messi. For me there is no question.
     
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  4. Aginor
    Slann

    Aginor Fifth Spawning Staff Member

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    I am not the biggest fan of football, but IMO it is CR7.
    He's the more complete sportsman compared to Messi IMO. Messi might be the king of dribbling, have more goals/game and a few things more, but from my (limited) experience watching them play it seems that CR7 is the better team leader. He has a huge impact on the whole team in addition to his individual strengths. The difference between his teams (like for example the Portugese national team) without him and his team with him playing is huge.

    Both Messi and CR7 are stellar and outshine even the best footballers of old time like Pele.
    Pele, Beckenbauer (fun fact: both have said about each other that they were the best players they ever faced) or other icons like Cruyff or Maradona were awesome in their time, but I am fairly sure that they wouldn't stand a chance in today's football.
     
  5. Scalenex
    Slann

    Scalenex Keeper of the Indexes Staff Member

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    Pele is the only one of these guys I heard of, but I'm not going to vote because I don't know much about soccer.
     
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  6. Vedras
    Chameleon Skink

    Vedras Well-Known Member

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    I'm afraid football isn't something I've ever been interested in. I don't know who any of these guys are :(
     
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  7. Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl
    Slann

    Lord Agragax of Lunaxoatl Eleventh Spawning

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    I vote Pele, because Messi and Ronaldo are from the overpaid primadonna era (i.e. today) and Maradona was a cheat (a handball is a handball, none of this 'Hand of the Christian God' rubbish).
     
  8. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    My only doubt was Pele or Maradona.
    Yes, Messi and Ronaldo may have superior skills, being able to show amazing ball control at a speed unparalled by the old football, but we're not talking about mere skills.

    Messi could probably be the best of all of them, but he has never been a true team leader, and he failed some decisive matches.

    Ronaldo is much more a leader, but he's also for sure a manager of himself before anything else. He may be a leader, but he is not "loved" by his teammates.

    Pele, from a human standpoint, is the best of them all. He is not only a giant, but he's a perfect example of sportmanship. I think he's the best of all times.

    Maradona, from a certain pov, is the worst one. Bad sportmanship and awful man... but his skills are legendary and he is the best team leader of all these four. When he was playing in italy, his team mates have always been at his side, even when he was no more playing with them, despite everything. That tells a lot.
     
  9. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    I'm so glad he played for Inter f.c..

    Dennis_Bergkamp_-_FC_Inter_-_Coppa_UEFA_1993-94.jpg
     
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  10. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    First off... my choice is Messi. That said, they are all exceptionally talented players, and none of this is meant to disparage any of them.

    There are many ways to tackle the question of who is the GOAT. Everyone will choose different criteria and weight factors differently. I left the question deliberately open-ended to avoid skewing the results. Do we consider the eras in which they played, and if so, how? How do we weigh team achievement and how do we tackle the level of teammates they got to play with and the level of opposition they played against? What about the quality of equipment? Medical advances? Venues?... and so on.

    I chose to consider this question through the lens of who is the absolute best player, as opposed to the best relative to their time (although my choice would still not waiver, but the gap would get smaller). With that in mind, I believe that right away we can eliminate Pele and Maradona from the mix. The sport has evolved, and the general level of skill has greatly improved. If you put Messi or Ronaldo back in the time of the other two, they would absolutely dominate. Pele's highlights in particular really starts to show its age. The game was so much slower and the defenders were of a significantly reduced level of quality. That's the simple evolution of the sport, especially across such a large time frame.

    So that leaves us with Messi versus Ronaldo.

    [​IMG]

    Goals - draw: Both are exquisite goal scorers; the very best. Ronaldo has a few more career goals (while playing in more games), but Messi can create more with less.

    Dribbling - Messi wins: Messi is the single most effective dribbler the game has ever seen. There may be guys with fancier moves, but no one who is more effective in game. He can dance around multiple high level defenders as if they were pylons.

    Aerial abilities - Ronaldo wins: Messi is simply too small, while Ronaldo is absolutely world class in the air. Ronaldo's jumping ability is outstanding.

    Passing/Playmaking - Messi Wins: Messi is a magician when it comes to playmaking and Ronaldo doesn't even come close to him. Ronaldo also has the tendency to be a more selfish player on the field.

    Team achievement - Messi wins (slightly): Trophy-wise Ronaldo has done a bit better internationally while Messi has the edge in terms of club level hardware. That said, there are many external factors at play and when we couple that with how close they are in this category, one can easily consider it a wash.

    Individual Awards - Messi wins - The Ballon D'or is the biggest one, and Messi's 7 is simply numerically superior to Ronaldo's 5

    Expert opinion (professional players, coaches, analysts/commentators) - Messi Wins - when this very same question is presented to these people, a significantly greater number of them tend to go with Messi.

    X-factor (the beautiful game) - Messi wins - Some things simply can't be captured within the confines of statistics or in trophies raised or championships won. The true beauty of the game of football has to be seen and experienced; numbers on a page are simply blind to them. Ronaldo has given the world many spectacular moments that inspire awe, acclaim and respect in equal measure. He embodies human potential at seemingly its very peak, but Messi throughout his career has risen to the level of superhuman. Achieving levels of play that one might only expect from a scripted movie character or within a Playstation game. He marvels and defies what is deemed possible with his every step. Don't believe me? Look up both his and Ronaldo's 50 best goals across their careers. Both are spectacular, but they are not on the same level. There is world class and then there is Messi class; a population of 1.


    This is a bit older, but I'm sharing it for its poetic value:

     
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  11. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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  12. Killer Angel
    Slann

    Killer Angel Prophet of the Stars Staff Member

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    Maradona of course don't deserve to win because of the lack of sportmanship, but i would like to point a notable thing in his favor.
    In Italy he played for Napoli F..,
    Napoli is a 96 years old team. In all his history, it won 2 italian championship and one UEFA cup... all of them with Maradona. before Maradona, nothing. After Maradona, nothing.

    Tells something.
     
  13. Imrahil
    Slann

    Imrahil Thirtheenth Spawning

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    Team thought they could win it because they had Maradona so they played accordingly.
    Mindset goes a long way ;)

    Grrr, Imrahil
     
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  14. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    Having one of the greatest offensive players of all time goes a long way too! :p
     
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  15. Imrahil
    Slann

    Imrahil Thirtheenth Spawning

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    For sure!! I didn't say it made no difference having him as part of the team :p

    Grrr, Imrahil
     
  16. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    Because I've had drunk friends who thought they could take a UFC champion in a fight. They really believed it, but mind set or not, my money would be on the UFC champ. :D
     
  17. Lizards of Renown
    Slann

    Lizards of Renown Herald of Creation

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    True.

    But the guy who wins the UFC, out of an array of pretty mean and talented fighters, is going to be the one with the biggest intention and push. Not the least reason for which is this is also going to have been the guy who has been pushing himself through all the training to constantly improve and excel.

    Mindset plays a large part of any fighting competition.

    And as Vince says:

    download.jpg

    Not really relevant, but I love the quote. :)
     
  18. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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    Debate over. :cool:

    upload_2022-12-18_13-43-54.png





    It was the one accolade that had eluded him in his career. Had.



    Messi also becomes the first player to win the Golden Ball (awarded to the best player of the World Cup tournament) TWICE!
     
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  19. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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  20. NIGHTBRINGER
    Slann

    NIGHTBRINGER Second Spawning

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