Yesterday I made a thread where I argued that football has turned to shit during the last decade. It improved tactically and in terms of speed, stamina and strength, but went down drastically in terms of skill.
Also 99% of today's players are mediocre robots with only few exceptional players. Back then many teams had squads full of legends and magicians. Back then many players had their own unique style, now most players play the same, boring, physical, robotic football. It's like watching CPU controlled FIFA team in real life.
I got attacked by a bunch of idiots with "muh nostalgia" posts, saying that football actually improved. Now, after Italy - Sweden I dare you to say that to me again.
Watching football in 2016 if you grew up watching it in the 20th century and just after the turn of the century, is like watching that girl you love get fat and ugly.
>>68577903
nigga you nostalgic
Agreed
Especially Brazil, it's sad
Ronaldo > Ronaldinho > Rivaldo > Roberto Carlos > Kaka > Adriano > Juninho
>>68577903
You're right. There are very few exceptional players who can play in a special way. Even Neymar plays poorly. I remember this game where he kept passing the ball to the opponents because he couldn't aim properly. Shit player who can only play in a shitty league. Even Messi can't do shit when he's playing for Argentina.
I suggest you watch Payet. He's the only one who never disappoints.
>>68577903
Grandpa plz
>>68578155
Millenial pls
tfw all the hue talents are now drug addicts or shot
the brazillian squad back in the day had that "joga bonito" atittude, but with the modernization of the game, they had to become more tactical than skillful, look at neymar when he was playing for Santos and now, he doesn't drible that much because he had to learn new things, like defending (same happened to tsuu when he went to MU). In southern american football, contrary to european, they don't care much about defending, that's why you see games like Venezuela vs Mexico being more entertaining than Germany vs Polonia.
Srsly if you watch the brazillian or argentinian championship you'll see what i'm talking about
>>68578155
did you watch the game? how many long passes were so inacurate they went out of field? build-up play from both sides was simply amateurish. how many times both teams were passing the ball back to defence instead of taking a risk with some inspired pass or solo run?
They only thing that they were good at was slamming into opponents with their bodies. I mean, it's football not rugby.
The reason this sport is so popular is magic. Solo runs, dribbling, long shots, magical midfielders controlling the game, brilliant passes etc. All this is almost completely lost today. If football always was this shit and boring it would never get so popular.
>>68578392
What do you think of Payet? Isn't he amazing?
>>68578052
Payet is lovely, but he would have been benched in France 2001. Maybe competing with Micoud or Dhorasoo for a place on the bench.
>>68577903
This. Inb4 underage memers say it's only nostalgia. This Euro is dreadful.
Cristiano Ronaldo barely shoots on target against Iceland (a country with 100 players), Martial gets rekt by Albania, mighty Germany does nothing against Poland, the impressive Zlatan struggles to do anything, etc. And that's the best of the best.
Compare with what Nedved or Van Nistelrooy did at the Euro 2004.
I agree. Look at championships like World cup 1998, Euro 2000, World Cup 2002. So many players who were legends.
Today almost all squads are made up by literally whos who won't be remembered.
It will never be the same again
>>68577903
You have to understand that 95% of /sp/ started to watch football no earlier than 2010.
>>68578463
Payet would get into any team.
He's better than Zidane.
>>68578463
>Cristiano Ronaldo
>Martial
>Zlatan
>the best of the best
Embarassing.
The lack of self-awareness in these threads is really funny.
>>68578368
neymar never even got close to winng the brazilian league, they were mid-table. Most of the shows you see on youtube he did at santos were against Bragantino, Ituano, Mogi Mirim & cia, from São Paulo state league.
>>68578463
>martial
>the best of the best
>>68578506
>Today almost all squads are made up by literally whos who won't be remembered.
Let's look at the finals of the tournaments you mentioned and look at some of the players who started those games
>Guivar'ch
>Junion Baiano
>Roque Junior
>Kleberson
>Marco Bode
>Jens Jeremies
>Marco Delvecchio
Nostalgia is a beautiful thing that makes you remember Ronaldo and Zidane but forget Guivarc'h and Roque Junior
>>68578656
Júnior Baiano is a legend, m8, stfu
I think the problem at club level is too many elite players play in the same teams, so some get overshadowed and can't properly build up their own legend.
15 years ago you had world class players spread out among Real, Barca, Valencia, Inter, Milan, Juve, Roma, Lazio, Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Bayern, Leverkusen and a few others
Completely agree its unwatchable ...just rough play after rough play,every two seconds tehre is someone on the ground making the same moves everyone else does
>holds face
>rolls around
>>68578741
I'd say they are overrated. Look at Payet. He plays with Pogba, Griezmann and Martial, but he's more popular than any other French player has ever been since 2006.
>>68578656
well, 2002 WC was ruined by referees, that's why Germany, Turkey and Korea made it to 1/2. Italy, Spain, Portugal and France were refballed. Most people forget about France and make fun of them for not making it out of group stage and not scoring a goal but don't remember ref fucked them over in Uruguay game. They should have won that, also Senegal should have lost to Denmark but the ref cancelled Tomassons goal for some reason.
I'm still so fucking mad about that tournament, it could have been and should have been as good as 1998.
>>68577903
It's a natural process for everything that get's so successful, friend, like music or even science. The "girl" is not ugly, she's just being conducted by a new different generation with different needs. But I think the football is better, although it's harder to stand out or to to innovate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xuP1SnmxpA
>>68577903
I feel ya, bro. Modern football is all about calculations. Null risk, no passion, bus parking, strenght>technique, multi-culti players dont feel love for their own country.
great combination of cherry-picking and >muh nostalgia
football has gotten more tactical and defensive because winning is put above everything else but that doesn't mean good football has died out
if you want high scoring games go see your local amateurs but please stay the fuck away from /sp/ you disgusting pleb
>>68578554
>Payet better than Zidane
No need to answer.
>>68578635
Martial's transfer price suggests he's among the best of all time.
Why would MU spend 80 million for a meme player, if talent was so abundant nowadays?
>>68578656
The problem is that all teams are now full of Guivarc'hs and Klebersons (with a modern preparation), at the very best.
Guivarc'h would now be sold to Real Madrid (the team of Chicharito) for 65 million euros.
>>68578867
Music has only gotten better, pleb.
>>68579038
>Martial's transfer price suggests he's among the best of all time.
>Why would MU spend 80 million for a meme player, if talent was so abundant nowadays?
Are you retarded ?
If you can rely on the transfer fee to assess the quality of the player, it would mean for instance that Kante is utter shit
>>68579064
so...? just as I said then, dusty tea drinker.
>>68579038
Zidane didn't deliver like Payet is doing.
I literally heard the same thing arround 2005, "early 90's players were way better" and now we see 2005 and remember:
>Wew we had Ronaldinho, Zidane, Raul, Gerrard, Kaka, Henry, Figo, Nedved, Puyol, Ballack, Shevchenko, Deco"
And it's true, it was a great generation but back then it was underrated.
Probably same will happen with this generation, nowadays we compare it to the previous ones, but in few years we'll remember "15 years ago we had Iniesta, Neymar, C.Ronaldo, Bale, Messi, Suarez, Muller, Neuer... what do we have now?"
What i'm missing is creativity, and I blame media and social-networks, back then if some player wasted a chance, he would just try again, now if a player misses a goal, someone will make 20 videos of how shit that player is (see Torres). So players now tend to be more cautious and only shoot when necessary.
are you expecting a different outcome today?
fuck off
>>68579306
9,5/10 post
I didn't give you 10 because you didn't mention Payet.
>>68579122
It was ironic. But show me who MU is now hiring... yes, Zlatan the 34-year-old choker!
Really inspiring to see all this fresh talent rejuvenating the biggest clubs!
>>68579171
>Zidane
>scored in two WC finals
>"not delivering"
M8...
>>68578852
Yes I use to think this aswell about the WC 2002. Henry shouldn't have got a red card and Trezeguet had a goal that wasn't offside.
Also a shame with the golden goal rule during these years.
>>68578656
yeah but along with those literally whos there were also some legends. Now the only legend is messi, and people try to hype up cronaldo, but he's no better than beckham or figo
Kek.This generation is way better than the one before.Iniesta pisses on any player of the previous generation minus Ronaldinho, and Messi is way better than anyone of the previous generation.Nostalgiafags dont know shit
I think the real question is: has technique surpassed the talent?
>>68579458
Scoring isn't enough.
I expect many chances created from a playmaker.
>>68579568
Cristiano Ronaldo is (at least was in 07-12) better than any 90s/00s player other than young Ronaldo and maybe prime Ronaldinho
>>68579306
And apart from the first-class players? Few talent.
In the early 2000, even more obscure players like Hagi, Boban or Okocha were really good. Today they would play at Chelsea and be stars like Hazard (he's on the same level).
>>68577903
>>68579641
>"only few exceptional players" in OP
>lists 2 players "no ur wrong, this generation is the best ever"
retard
>>68579641
You sound like a 13yo.
>>68579706
You must be at least 18 to post on 4chan.
>>68577903
I totally agree with you.
The first big tournament I remember was WC Mexico 86. It was a completely different game. These Euros so far have been the dullest competition since South Africa 2010.
>>68579037
>football has gotten more tactical and defensive because winning is put above everything else
when has it not being about winning? lol
also i'm willing to bet there's more goals scored today than any other period post-1980
Messi, Ronaldo, Robben, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Bale, Luis Suarez, Ramos, Pique, Ribery, Neymar, Godin, Boateng, Rooney, Modric, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Dani Alves, Eto'o, Drogba, Muller, Neuer, De Gea, Benzema, Yaya Toure, Lewandowski, van Persie, Sneijder, Vidal etc
I guarantee you that in 15 years we'll be hearing opinions that this generation is the best ever and the 2030 players do not even compare
>>68579781
Xavi or C.Ronaldo,shit on every meme from the last generation.Take into account that meme players like Kaka or Owen won a Ballon d'or.This just shows how crappy that generation really was. 10 years ago barely any player scored more than 30 goals a season.In this generation with better defenders, players like Cristiano,Messi or Sarez, can achieve that goal just playing the league competition.Nostalgiafags are just pathetc, that overrate players like Zidane or Roberto Carlos.
>>68579719
>Today they would play at Chelsea and be stars
That's just an assumption and we'll never know.
>Hazard
He's shit, so yes, but even Isco would probably be Chelsea's star too.
Also:
>Hagi
>Boban
>Obscure
>>68579827
People told me the same thing when I said in September that Payet was world class.
It's okay if you have no argument. At least you're proving me right by replying the same way as those people.
Payet is better than Zidane
>>68579719
m8 Owen won a fucking Ballon d'or.The old generation was fucking lame.
>>68580027
well now you're just pretending
>>68580086
>Owen
>good
pick one
>>68580026
Drogba, Eto'o, Xavi etc. were from that generation 10 years ago idiot, they're finished now and yet you list them as if they're top stars of 2016 football...
>>68580027
>kaka
>meme player
how many players today can score goals like his second against Man Utd at Old Trafford in 2007? or that solo run against Brazil in 2006?
>>68580082
Raul, Totti or Kahn should have won in 2001, that doesn't change a thing though. Owen and Ballack were the most overrated players of that era, kinda like Hazard and Pogba are now
>>68580122
I'm not saying he deserved that Ballon d'or, but he was quite good in his prime, and so was Kaká when he carried Milan to a CL
>>68580149
>Cherry picking much
Kek.Pathetic.Kaka was a fucking meme.So were Zidane or RC.If Iniesta was borne in that generation he would have won 4 ballon d'ors.
>>68580220
>he was quite good in his prime
Even Lamezema is better than memowen ever was.And Kaka was just bonr in a weak ass generation, when Messi or Cristiano came, he became a living joke
>>68580149
>Drogba, Eto'o, Xavi etc. were from that generation 10 years ago idiot, they're finished now and yet you list them as if they're top stars of 2016 football...
Then you're comparing one year (2016) to an entire era (98-06). Which makes you a dumb nostalgiababby. Nothing new.
>>68580231
>kaka
>meme
>zidane
>meme
Well, it was a nice thread while it lasted, goodbye everbody
>tfw I try to make a point but some retard acts like a retard but shares your point.
>>68577903
Completely agree. Just look at Messi and Ronaldo's dominance of the Ballon D'Or over the past ten years. There's a total lack of world class players these days.
>>68580201
That era was nothing compare to the one that came later.C.Ronaldo and Messi are GOAT contenders, players like Iniesta or Xavi, shit on anyone of that generation.Just take into account that a huge overrated meme like RC was taken seriously.What a fucking joke
>>68580382
Zidane would not win a single Ballon d'Or if he played at the same time as Messi and Ronaldo
>>68580334
Kaka was a fucking joke that shows how lame that era was.When the newplayers came, he became a living joke.Zidane was irregular as fuck, and barely did anything, other than a random play every 60 minutes.If Zidane was currently alive he wouldnt even be a top 3 midfielder
>>68580440
What's with underageds thinking Zidane was shit?
>>68580382
>Messi and Ronaldo's
2 of the GOAT contenders in the same generation.What a fucking surprise.The older generation just has Ronaldinho on the same level as those 2.The rest of the players were living memes
>>68580498
>strawman
He wasn't, he was just nowhere near as good as Messi or Ronaldo
>>68580321
you honestly don't think that 2006-2016 era was a lot worse than 1996-2006?
Also I'm not only talking about skill but also about how entertaining the games were. You can't argue against THAT, surely? Football was a lot more fun to watch back then. The switch from 4-4-2 and 4-1-2-1-2 to 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 tactics was a disaster in terms of producing entertaining games.
>>68580537
Messi > Zidane > Ronaldo, my man.
>>68579306
>literally heard the same thing arround 2005, "early 90's players were way better"
i never heard it. people rated hose players pretty high
>be opee
>get told yesterday
>make the same shit thread again
>expect another result
>>68580383
I'd like to remind you that Xavi was 26 years old in 2006 and actually played during that era. He was nowhere near best midfielders of that time.
Also explain why guys like Pirlo, Totti, Del Piero and Toni were playing great at 30+ against this supposedly superior generation?
>>68580606
>Zidane
>Better than any top 10 player of this gen
Kek.Iniesta is just a better version of him, let alone Ronaldo that is a Goat contender.ZIdane is an overrated piece of shit, that was irregular as fuck.
>>68580539
Depends on what do you consider entertaining. Entertainment is subjective.
>>68580723
Because Xavi's prime came later.Some players have theri primes at different ages, and more technical and tactical players tend to play better at an older age.Cannavaro was totally stomped by players like Messi, and Kaka faded away when the new generation came.
>>68577903
more money=less passion
>>68580026
>>I guarantee you that in 15 years we'll be hearing opinions that this generation is the best ever and the 2030 players do not even compare
I'll be 40 in 2030 and still nothing will compare with 1998.
>>68580539
Maybe it was more entertaining because you were a child and it was more new to you?
Nostalgia baby little shit
>>68580818
plus minor team now don't stand a chance against stronger team due to the money gap and they have to defend all the game , so tactic become more important than fantasy and skill
>>68577903
I agree with you OP. Modern players are drama whores, no real playing like back in the day.
Probably the ones attacking you were underage bitches who grew up watching this shit.
>>68580734
>shits on Zidane
>shits on RC
>faps to Messi and Iniesta
You're a hardcore Barca fan, aren't you?
>>68580749
I consider games like 1999 and 2005 CL finals to be entertaining. I consider games between Man Utd and Real Madrid at Old Trafford in 2000 and 2003 entertaining. I consider Juve vs Man Utd semifinal in 1999 entertaining.
Last game that epic at this level of competition was Man Utd vs Milan at OT in 2007. 9 years ago.
>>68580919
>what is Atletico vs Bayern 2016
>>68580723
Most of the current highest rated players in the world are over 30. Just shows how mediocre the upcoming generation is.
I can't speak for other countries but Brazil's problem is really simple: our football is run by agents. Talent doesn't amount to anything nowadays, nobody cares if you're a genius that appears only once every 50 years if you don't have money or the right contacts. Most of our young players buy their way into the clubs and since 99% of them are shit it shows both in our football and in our NT.
The talent pool isn't the problem when there's 200 million people to choose from and nearly all of them consider football the only sport worth playing.
>>68580857
no you fucking idiot, if the first tournament I ever watched as a kid was as bad as 2010 WC or Euro 2016 so far then I would never fall in love with this sport instead concluding that it's boring, overhyped, disgusting shit, which it currently is.
>>68577903
Same goes for basketball.
I miss the based 2000s
Players like kobr, iverson, Shaw, t Mac etc.
Fuck Lebum and Stephanie Curry
>>68580619
I heard many times
>"Sure, those players are quite good but players like Koeman, Baresi V. Basten, Romario, Stoichkov, Laudrup would make them look like kids".
Or:
>Ronaldinho wouldn't dribble like that against 80's defenders
Each generation had great players and they evolve as the game does.
>>68580440
The current Ballon d'Or that is all about stats? You're right. The old Ballon d'Or though he would have. The UEFA POTY, which is basically the same award as the old Ballon d'Or other than the name, Iniesta and Ribery won over Messi and Ronaldo in 2012 and 2013.
>>68581135
Or that with better fitness levels than ever experience trumps youth
>>68577903
Except brasil a lot squads are a lot better.
Argentina has one of the best teams of all time. 10 years ago their team was shit.
It maybe look like this because there isnt a team currently dominating like brasil did in its golden years.
I do remember teams like italy in the 90s and they were overrated by todays standards.
>>68580919
No, I actually am a real player, and as I have seen both players on live in the stadium I can tell you that C.Ronaldo shits on any old galactico, and that Iniesta shits on Zidane.Zidane was irregular as fuck, and only people that just watch his highlights consider him a GOAT contender, as they ignore most of his crappy matches.
>>68580919
>Turkey's entire 2008 Euro run
>Inter-Barcelona CL semi 2010
>City-QPR league decider 2012
>Chelsea-Barcelona CL semi 2012
>BVB-Real Madrid CL semi 2013
>Barcelona-Bayern CL semi 2015
>Leicester's 2016 title run
etc etc
>mfw America has been filling it's team with the roughest, fastest, most robotic players and least skilled players for years
>mfw we're ahead of the curve
>>68581249
>The UEFA POTY, which is basically the same award as the old Ballon d'Or other than the name
Where did this meme come from? It gives voting rights to completely different people than the old Ballon d'Or and has much fewer voters than Ballon d'Or used to.
>>68581271
Argentina has only attack, no defence and midfield apart from Mascherano. Back then they had world-class defenders like Ayala, they had Riquelme as playmaker etc.
>>68577944
>>68577903
it's not about nostalgism, it is a matter of evolution.
in the 90s/early 2000s there was the ongoing evolution towards a more fast and athletic sport, but there was still the need for classy players who were so GOAT they didn't need to run.
in 1998 WC there was Matthaus, Valderrama and Gheorge Hagi but also the real Ronaldo, Henry and Okocha.
it had it all
>>68580026
Rating Müller among the top players is just sad. The guy is inferior (skills and goals per game ratio) to Trezeguet who wasn't even top 20 back then, benched with France, etc.
And a lot of the players you listed are from the previous generation, or even retired.
>>68580065
Payet is 29 and he played for meme clubs all his career, also scored 5 times for France.
At his age, Zidane won a World Cup, a Euro, some league titles (Serie A), and was on his way to Real Madrid from Juventus.
Fucking hell.
>>68581369
good games, but not even close to epic levels of those I listed
>>68581459
>Riquelme
A meme by today standards, and I fucking loved the guy, but even Messi is a better playmaker than he ever was.
>>68581302
>Zidane was irregular as fuck
Iniesta also had this against him.
It's easy to be consistent when your team dominates every game. A few years ago most people had written off Iniesta as one of the worlds top players, and that's because Barcelona were going through a bit of a lull and Iniesta was playing shit. As soon as Barca became dominant again Iniesta got good again. He's a stacked team babby.
>>68581459
Biglia and mascherano are good, the defence is fairly mediocre at club level but they work well together. They had the best defence at the world cup
>>68581555
>comparing goals per game ratio of a striker to an attacking midfielder/winger
shiggy
>>68578656
>shitting on Delvecchio
i'll fucking kill you you cess cleaner
>>68577903
> went down drastically in terms of skill.
not at all, on the contrary, it has improved in some aspects.
>>68581586
>He's a stacked team babby
Zidane's teams were the best in the world at that time. Juve were literally the reigning CL winners when he joined them.
>>68581586
>Iniesta also had this against him.
Dont even compare m8.Iniesta usually performs a 7/10 in his matches, and when the teams need him he just plays flawless matches.Zidane barely had any presence in some matches.If you take a regular match of him, and you will see him do little to nothing.
>>68580811
Xavi was as good then as in 2010. It's just the tiki taka style suited him perfectly. Prime example of a system babby.
>>68579568
you are the defition of someone blinded by nostalgia
>messi is the only legend nowadays
that's seriously cringeworthy.
>>68577903
There were shit games back in the day mate. Ypu just forgot about them.
Germany spain 2010.
Bayern borrussia cl final
Messi >>> any player ever except maybe maradonna
>>68581704
He's the Giroud of the 98-02 era (and a worse version of him too). Do you remember how people used to shit on Capello for starting him instead of Montella? Literally the same shit Wenger is getting now
>>68580734
Iniesta is a poor mans Laudrup
>Ronaldo that is a Goat contender
KEK
He's in the Gerd Muller tier. One of the best goalscorers for sure, but not even in the top 20 players of all time.
>>68577944
Renmenmber when Real NMadrid just bought up all the world star yayays? Also nmy key is broken so it keeps outputting nm.
>>68581727
Xavi was tiki taka.
>>68581149
This is true, but has always been the case IMO.
Now the average player is just more athletic, but frankly spoiled and less skilled. So the overall quality is lower.
Why doesn't someone just sit by the goal and wait for someone to pass it to them?
>>68579719
>this nostalgia blindness.
some literal who's would be stars on chelsea
they wouldn't
>>68579719
>hagi
>boban
>obscure players
dude tell me what kinda drugs you're using, I want to try it as well
Here OP. Watch some Golden Age action.
https://youtu.be/u4Y8kw91XMg
>>68581720
Like i said, it's easy to look consistent when you hardly even have to break a sweat. Zidane played for some great teams, but none as dominant as 09-present Barca. Also he mostly played in a 4-4-2 with Guti as midfield partner at Real, Put him in a 4-3-3 with players like Xavi and Busquets and he'd make Iniesta look Valeron tier.
>>68581786
>Iniesta is a poor mans Laudrup
No wonder that Englel has been so pathetic all this years, when people are so uneducated.Laudrup has nothing on Iniesta,and if we even touch things like defending or preassuring, he would look like an Amateur player compared to Andres
>>68581837
>hagi
>literal who
13 year old detected
>>68577903
Start watching Copa Libertadores and/or Copa America.
>>68581879
>this bias
Iniesta is the slow manlet version of Laudrup. There's literally nothing he does better than Michael.
>>68580149
Yes,they were from the old generation.
but you think that doesnt happen when people talk about the old generations too ?
that all supports his point
you are all just nostalgic
>>68581898
>>68581923
I love you guys
>>68581836
His name is Mario Gotze.
>>68577903
>judging the standard of world football on one game of Italy vs Sweden
what are you doing m8
>>68581877
>Also he mostly played in a 4-4-2 with Guti as midfield partner at Real, Put him in a 4-3-3 with players like Xavi and Busquets and he'd make Iniesta look Valeron tier.
He played next to Makelele and Deschamps for most of his career, literally top 5 DMs of all time. And he had Raul, Ronaldo, Figo, Del Piero, Inzaghi etc in front of him
>>68581877
Sure thing fella.Teams were built around Zidane to make him confortable, and he barely delivered.He played in one of the best Real teams in history, and one of the top 5 NTs in history.Most of the time he did nothing.He showed on the big matches though.Iniesta carried Spain with Xavi, to one of the best NT runs in history, with barely any oposition for 8 years.
>>68581898
dude you don`t know hagi ?
>>68581923
LAudrup couldnt defend as much as Iniesta, let alone pressure like Iniesta does.He played in a generation of weak players, so he shined.Iniesta played in the best generation ever, and outshined almost anyone except Messi and Ronaldo
>>68582022
>8 years
more like 4, 2008-2012, coincidentally that's also the period when Xavi was good. Literally 4 years out of 17 during senior career, and some people consider him one of the best midfielders of all time. Shocking.
Old cunt here. Watchinf football since the late 80s
Peak Barca w/ messis, xavi etc and peak spain are the best club and national teams i have seen.
Heyncks bayern are next.
true, current generation is faster, stronger and boring as fuck
half of matches look like chess combined with trenchwar
>>68582120
>more like 4, 2008-2012, coincidentally that's also the period when Xavi was good. Literally 4 years out of 17 during senior career, and some people consider him one of the best midfielders of all time. Shocking.
Show me a mildfielder that had as much control of the game as Xavi did.
Protip:You cant. In the Euro 2008, he just proved to a team full of nostalgia memes,like Ballack,How superior he was compared to his meme generation
>>68582274
Pirlo
>>68581271
wat
>>68582222
>Bu- but I saw a 5 minutes highlight video of Zidane, your opinion is discarded
>>68582342
Pirlo never controlled a game like Xavi did.He is great though, and probably one of the best passers in history
>>68582274
no matter how good he was during those 4 years the fact still remains that he was brilliant only for 4 years out of 17 possible during his senior career in Europe. Before 2008 he was mediocre and after 2012 he was slowing the game down so much that he was actually sabotaging Barca and Spain
>>68582222
Correct post, quads confirm.
Barcelona, Spain or Bayern would DEMOLISH any 90s/early 00s team
>>68582446
>no matter how good he was during those 4 years the fact still remains that he was brilliant only for 4 years out of 17 possible during his senior career in Europe. Before 2008 he was mediocre and after 2012 he was slowing the game down so much that he was actually sabotaging Barca and Spain
Shit logic.Most players just had a couple of good years,and some of the nostalgia players mentioned even had fewer good years than Xavi. And Barça was still doing fine after 2012, he was just not as good.
>>68581271
>Argentina has one of the best teams of all time. 10 years ago their team was shit.
2006 Argentina > Messi + 10 friends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82EQ3Hl_ZSA
>>68582246
>half of matches look like chess combined with trenchwar
This might be the most accurate description of modern football I've read.
When I was a kid I didn't like sports. I hated PE in school. But I started watching football and loved it because there was something magical about it. It wasn't as dumb and physical as other sports, there was something sublte, sublime there. At it's best it was more like art than a sport.
Now it's exactly the type of sport I hated as a kid. Dumb, physical, devoid of imagination, spark, magic and art. Just 22 robots running around, slamming into each other, sometimes lying on the ground faking an injury.
Like I said, more often than not it's like watching CPU controlled FIFA team in real life. Just the same robotic, boring game over and over again.
>Euro 2004
>Zidane, Henry, Vieira, Pires, Figo, Deco, Carvalho, young Ronaldo, Raul, Scholes, young Rooney, Beckham, Gerrard, Terry, Lampard, Cannavaro, Totti, Nesta, Pirlo, Del Piero, Larsson, Ljungberg, Zlatan, Nedved, Rosicky, Kahn, Ballack, Klose, van der Sar, Stam, van Nistelrooy, Robben, Seedorf, Cocu, Kluivert
>Euro 2016
>fossilized Ronaldo, fossilized Rooney, Kompany, Alba, Pogba, Bayol, Muller, Lewandowski, Kane, Vardy, Hazard, Greaseman, Neuer, Hamsik, Iniesta, Modric, de Bruyne, Ozil, Zlatan, Chiellini
That's a pretty significant dropoff in talent.
>>68582578
>muh passing against a team managed by someone who went full retard
People here romanticize that shitty team too much
>>68580498
I have no fucking idea.
Zidane and Ronaldo were my idols growing up, so was Raúl.
Cristiano and Messi are really good, but they seem like robots, they miss the magic the 90' early 00 generation had.
>>68582787
>18 year old Rooney and Donaldo were unironically one of the best players at Euro 2004
says a lot
>>68582878
they were better then than they are now, Cristiano scores a lot of goals but is almost completely useless on the pitch. He's like fucking Inzaghi playing on the wing now.
>>68582854
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STVSQG2KhE4
>>68578368
That's why we care more about Libertadores then Copa america/WC
>>68582422
>>68582022
>>68581879
stop shitposting anytime now
>>68582878
I'd say the best player in 2004 was Milan Baros who completely disappeared afterwards.
>>68583153
It was Traianos Dellas
>>68577960
Kaka > Roberto Carlos.
Otherwise, true.
>>68582971
>they were better
>>68583222
you mean Zagorakis
>>68577903
I wouldn't say football decreased in terms of skill but it surely increased a lot in terms of tactics and training. In todays football you have to be schematic in order to matter. You have to be able to play with covered eyes, scheme after scheme after scheme. There is no room for spontaneity and improvisation anymore. They last huge clash between those two philosophies of football was Brazil-Germany at the World Cup and we all know how it ended.
So all teams basically turned into Italy now. Defence above all. And you don't need that much of a skill when you have tactics. That means all teams are much much more equal to each other than before. So we have Portugal drawing with Iceland, Germany drawing with Poland, Spain struggling with Czech Republic and England struggling with Wales. And it's not even that big of a sensation anymore.
Also, coaches understand now that possesion is a meme and a negative stat. It doesn't matter how much you hold the bal, only what do you do with it.
>>68583290
Rooney 2004-2006 was better than afterwards, he seemed like he would develop into completely different type of player, unfortunately Fergie sacrificed him for Ronaldo. He was literally Dirk Kuyt of Man Utd during 2006-2009 and he never recovered from that.
>>68583329
>So all teams basically turned into Italy now. Defence above all. And you don't need that much of a skill when you have tactics. That means all teams are much much more equal to each other than before. So we have Portugal drawing with Iceland, Germany drawing with Poland, Spain struggling with Czech Republic and England struggling with Wales. And it's not even that big of a sensation anymore.
That has always happened
>>68578463
>Compare with what Nedved or Van Nistelrooy did at the Euro 2004.
Milan Baros and Wayne Rooney.
>>68581837
>>68581855
First post says Hagi and Boban are literal whos.
Second post ridicules me for saying they were more obscure than the usual superstars.
Please try to make sense.
>>68582222
Nice quads, but what about teams that aren't the absolute best?
Do you find today's Brazil, France, Italy, England, Netherlands are better than their 2000-2004 counterpart?
>>68578852
How did Turkey benefit from bad reffing? If anything, they got robbed against Brazil the first match.
>>68583427
Rooney was just outshined by better players.When he took the lead later, he did fine at MAn Utd,but they were stomped by Barcelona.I really dont see young Rooney to be better than his mid 20s version
>>68583076
What exactly is the difference between the two? How Are both the championships o South America?
>>68581837
>Okocha
>Hagi
>literal whos
kill yourself, faggot.
>>68583735
For give me I'm a dumbass one is country one is club
>>68583613
what I meant was that if not for referees France would probably advance from their group instead of Senegal despite losing the first game, and I think they would beat Turkey in quarter finals. They only made it to the semis because they played against Japan and Senegal. Germany only made it to the final because they played Paraguay, USA (needed referees help to beat them) and Korea. Korea only made it to the semis because, well we all know why.
If not for referees then 2002 semi finals would probably be Brazil vs France and Spain vs Italy (Italy was robbed in the group stages already with 3 disallowed goals, if not for that they would have a different route to 1/2 and would miss Spain in 1/4)
>>68579568
Not being better than Figo doesn't mean you're bad.
>>68579713
>Zidane
>Rivaldo
>Romario
>Henry
>Shevchenko
Off the top of my head.
>>68580027
Honestly, Kaka at his best was pretty damn close to Messi if not more dangerous due to being strong and fast.
>>68578368
South Korea WC's Brazil was so nice
>>68580027
And watch young Owen in 98 if you want to know why he was considered the way he was.
>>68580296
He got injured you cocksuzcking piece of shit. He was arguably more devastating than both.
>>68584369
>Kaka at his best was pretty damn close to Messi if not more dangerous due to being strong and fast.
That's it. Nostalgiafagging has gone way too far. I might as well claim that the current generation is the best ever and say that Arjen Robben is better than Ronaldo.
>>68580383
CR9 is no GOAT contender and Roberto Carlos may have been overrated, but so is Dani Alves. Nobody cares.
Ronaldinho is in my opinion the player who retains the essence of football more than any other player, at least in the modern era. Whilst he didn't bring the ruthless, consistent efficiency of Messi or Ronaldo, he brought joy and genius into to every game, the likes of which I've never seen before or since. The Ronaldinhos of the world are becoming more rare, and the the distinction between a simple "athlete" and footballer is becoming more blurred. Someone like Kyle Walker is emblematic of the modern game, an uncreative, banal player who happens to be a magnificent athlete, who can run fast and hard. The days of languid no.10s are gone, and that's sad. Magic has become sacrificed to efficiency.
>>68583329
>They last huge clash between those two philosophies of football was Brazil-Germany at the World Cup and we all know how it ended.
Brazil these days have no clear philosophy. Historically they represent the joy and samba style football, but nowadays they are utterly mediocre and ugly to watch. They got beat by Germany because they're shit, not because they're tied to any particular brand of football.
>>68580440
Honestly, behead people that insult Zidane.
Watch the match between him and Brazil where he embarrasses a starstudded team in the midfield.
pep is the messiah of exciting top level football
>>68580811
Kaka got injured. Only Messi has a CHANCE of being more destructive than he was.
>>68585447
20 year old Messi overtook prime Kaka way before he got injured.
Teenage Messi = Prime Kaka
>>68577903
True..those brats doesn't have any passion, they don't play for a nation, but for their image and for money, and they don't play as a team, just as individual robots
>>68581271
90s Italy had Roberto Baggio.
>>68585558
2007 Kaka was way, way better than 2007 Messi
>>68585758
And 2008 Messi was already better than Kaka.
>>68581582
No he isn't. He's nowhere on Messi's level but if there's one thing he could do, it's playmaking.
>>68577903
Agreed
Same for nba honestly
>>68585845
>Kaka has one shitty season
>that somehow means Kaka was shit
If Kaka doesn't get hurt, Ronaldo doesn't get mentioned and Messi actually has stiff competition.
>>68584369
>>68584469
>>68584711
>>68584979
>>68585447
>Nostalgiafags believe this crap
>>68585972
Kaka was trashed, that was totally overshined when the new generation came.
>>68585972
Kaka got hurt in 2010, when he was already 29. Messi already had 3 straight seasons of being way better than him at that point.
It's not even nostalgia at this point, it's full blown dementia. Comparing Kaka to Messi is like comparing George Weah to Ronaldo
>>68584858
Dude, Kaka was an absolute machine. He had the pace and general technique of Messi, with less dribbling skill in tight areas, more distance shooting and much more strength.
His perfromance against Man U in 2007 Old Trafford was juggernaut like.
>>68586162
Kaka in 2007 is not far off from Messi and he is easily better than Ronaldo. Maybe he wasn't consistent, but I would rather have my opposing team have 3 Ronaldos than one Kaka playing well.
>>68585195
>Brazil these days have no clear philosophy
Not true, most people here still keep the same mentality from a decade ago, which is completely ignoring the tactical side while making up for it with skill alone. This is also the reason why the national team is struggling so much. It's a group of average players, so they can't magically turn a match around with one or two plays. As soon as they go up against a well organized team it usually ends up bad
>>68582222
>assembling the best players in one team
>that means the current era as a whole is better
KEK
>>68579064
Work on that reading comprehension Nigel.
Completely agree with you
I am a Chelsea fan, and i have to admit, it's because of Mourinho, Guardiola and Greece in 2004 that football has turned into such a shitfest
Mou and Greece led to teams not caring about beautiful football anymore, but about grinding out the results, a 1-0 scored no matter how, then grind the 1-0 out till full time with time wasting and defensive football
Guardiola discourages players from shining individually because of his tiki taka which discourages dribbling, taking long shots, or scoring amazing solo goals.
I'm telling you, if Pogba, Hazard, Bale, Rodriguez, Neymar played in the 90's they would have been GOATs
>>68587579
>Guardiola discourages players from shining individually because of his tiki taka which discourages dribbling, taking long shots, or scoring amazing solo goals.
simply typing "messi solo goal" into youtube search completely destroys your point
>>68577903
>now most players play the same, boring, physical, robotic football. It's like watching CPU controlled FIFA team in real life.
Oh man you just spoke directly to my soul
Agree with the rest of your post btw
Nowadays Football is taught in schools back in the day it was taught in the streets
That era is never coming back unfortunately
The true football has been replaced by this plastic shit
Better deal with it
>>68577960
>Ronaldo > Rivaldo > Cafu > Roberto Carlos > Ronaldinho=Kaka > Juninho
FTFY
>>68578852
>it could have been and should have been as good as 1998.
As far as quality of play goes it was
Shame about the corruption though...especially since now Japan doesn't have a chance to ever host a World Cup again and I will never get to watch comfy World Cup games at 9AM anymore...fucking goddammit
>>68579306
>early 90's players were way better
They were tho
But those players were great
What the fuck are Gerrard and Puyol doing in that list tho?
Replace them with Rui Costa and Nesta
>>68583609
Boban was not obscure you shitter
He was one of the best midfielders of the 90s and started on Capello's Milan which reached 3 back-to-back European Finals and dominated Serie A for most of the early 90s
>>68580082
Ballon D'or is a meme award
Anyone who knows shit about football should know this by now
>>68580026
>I guarantee you that in 15 years we'll be hearing opinions that this generation is the best ever
Yes by the Twitter Generation
And I'll be there to smack the fuck out of them and tell them they're wrong
>>68586346
But Brazil have been playing with proper defensive players for a while now.
Do Brazil even have any creative cms?
>>68580027
Xavi is a meme
CR7 is a faggot
Ballon D'or is irrelevant
>>68580027
>In this generation with better defenders
Did you seriously just say that
Can we please ban underage faggots?
Thank you
>>68580231
Shut the fuck up you underage
Messhit and CRGay could have never done what Kaka did in 2007
>>68580334
Underage Spaniards who started watching football in 2008 ruin everything
>>68580383
Look you fucking nigger
Nesta at the age of 36 owned the overrated fuck out of the overrated garbage that is Messhit over 4 games back in 2012
He owned him so bad Messhit needed fake penalties to score
Nesta at 22 couldn't contain R9 who was playing in a much weaker Inter at the time
Now do us a favor and kill yourself you underage cancer
>>68580498
They're cancerous underagefags who think their generation is the best when in fact it's shit
>>68580811
>Because Xavi's prime came later
It came after Zidane reitred and after Dinho stopped giving a fuck
What a fucking coincidence
Give me a fucking break
As society deteriorates, so do its athletes and sports.
Payet and Modric only good players on euro 2016
>>68582274
>Show me a mildfielder that had as much control of the game as Xavi did.
Zidane
And he didn't need a gayass Tiki-Taka system tailor made for him
>>68582578
That Argentina was so fun to watch
I still maintain that if Pekerman didn't sub out Riquelme vs Germany they would have gone further and maybe won it
When I see Argentina nowadays they put me to sleep...especially in 2010 when they had Diego as coach that was so retarded
>>68582971
>comparing this faggot to based SuperPippo
>>68579713
He's not even the best Portuguese player of the last 2 decades you retarded underage
Rui Costa and Figo take a shit all over this faggot
>>68590133
>Forgetting Vardy
>>68589917
Somebody has to put these underage memers in their place
>>68589084
Didn't say that Boban was obscure, just that he was more obscure than Zidane, Beckham, Henry, Ronaldinho or Ronaldo for the general public. Today, only the old guys like us seem to remember him.
Today he would be a top 5 player, bought by Manchester City for 85 millions, and much more famous.
