Comparison 1960 - 2011 (Pele)
There is no doubt that Brazilian striker Pelé was the best player of the 1960s. Pelé and Maradona are the two players that are always mentioned when the common question is asked, 'Who was the best player that ever lived?' Pele is usually the answer. So what was Pele like? Pelé was a natural goalscorer, the Santos forward was รางวัลยูเวนตุส and his combination of dribbling and balance was unstoppable for defenders. His ability to outrun defenders at such speed and maintain that balance afforded him many opportunities to score goals, which most likely Pelé would emphatically score. Pelé had technique, the passing ability of a central midfield master, the engine of a marathon runner and the power of a steam train. His statistics are sensational, 1,281 goals in 1,363 games.
No one can live up to Pele's name; Manchester United's George Best in the 70s was a similar type of player to Pelé, but he was more of a winger than a forward. In the modern era, few have been compared to Pelé, but none have lived up to the reputation of Brazil's Pelé. AC Milan's Alexandre Pato was considered to be the Pelé of this era, but he has yet to show phenomenal form to even label him one of the best forwards today, let alone ever lived. Manchester United's Wayne Rooney is the closest of this decade that we've compared to Pele. Rooney has the same power and physique as Pele, the same ability to pick a 70-yard cross-field ball, and the same vision and technique. England striker Rooney does not have the same pace as Pele, which is compounded by the factor that Rooney does not outperform players with skill and style.
Wayne Rooney has scored goals you don't think were possible with the impressive volley against Newcastle and the recent potential goal of the season over the head against rivals Manchester City. Pelé scored impressive goals in the 1960s and '70s for Santos and Brazil, a goal' almost 'that would have been one of the greatest goals of all time. The mannequin of him against Uruguay that left the goalkeeper for dead when the ball went one way and Pelé the other way, but his shot off balance and at a tight angle went wide.
Comparison 1970 - 2011 (Johann Cruyff)
Johann Cruyff was part of the Ajax team that inherited the philosophy of "total football" introduced by Dutch coach Rinul Michels. The style of play of former Barcelona and Ajax leader Johann Cruyff was influenced by the total footballing approach that he put into his game. His natural position was as a center forward, but due to the tactical way the Ajax team played the game, he wandered around and ended up playing on the wing and central midfield most of the time. The Dutch forward spent the middle of the 1970s in Barcelona for Rinus Michels, where he was crowned European Footballer of the Year on his stint at Barcelona in consecutive years.
Cruyff was dubbed the 'Pythagoras in Boots' due to his ability to choose passes from seemingly impossible angles. Not only did he have an eye for a pass, but he had tremendous speed and his ability to accelerate away from defenders, which was aided by the 'Cruyff turn' named after the Dutch master and is still a turn associated with football. 40 years later.
I don't think any forward can grace Cruyff's ability to play multiple positions to maximum effect, so I chose a playmaker and speed trader who would appreciate Cruyff's technical and physical attributes in his game, Ryan Giggs. Both players in their prime had the ability to outmaneuver players with style and tremendous pace creating scoring opportunities. Giggs isn't as prolific as Cruyff as a finisher, but Giggs certainly lives up to the play-making skills that Cruyff possessed. Ryan Giggs at the best of his time was lightening over 5-10 yards and could maintain such a terrifying pace for 40-50 yards that he shared with Cruyff.
However, since soccer has changed a lot over the years since Cruyff's successful days at Ajax and Barcelona, the style of play has changed and there aren't many similar types of players of Cruyff's caliber who can play. naturally to the front and back deeper and still be extremely effective.
Comparison 1980 - 2011 (Diego Maradona)
Maradona or Messi? There is no doubt that from today's game, Lionel Messi is the closest candidate, if not potential, to surpass Maradona's ability as a footballer. Former Barcelona striker Diego Maradona, along with Pelé, is one of the best players to grace this planet.
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