Real Madrid 2014-15: Ronaldo and 10 other guys

Status
Not open for further replies.

bosox4283

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Mar 2, 2004
4,673
Philadelphia
Real Madrid has an insatiable appetite for success. After winning La Copa del Rey (que aburrido...) and the team's 10th Champions League title (por fin!), Real Madrid has opened its wallet for another round of immense spending. Maybe finishing 3rd in La Liga stings.
 
In a smart piece of business, Real Madrid has signed Toni Kroos for 25M euros or so. Kroos is immensely talented and forecasts to be an important piece of the team for a number of years. 
 
The move, though, is only possible because Real Madrid can spend so much money. Last year, the team signed Illarramendi from Real Sociedad for 33M euros with the idea that Illarramendi would be groomed to be Xabi Alonso's replacement. Furthermore, Real Madrid still has Sami Khedira under contract, although there are rumors he'll be shipped to England for a transfer fee that nearly equals the cost of Kroos.
 
In a bit of a confusing move, Real Madrid is allegedly on the verge of signing Keylor Navas, 27, the fantastic Costa Rican keeper. Casillas, 33, and Lopez, 32, aren't getting any younger, so it makes sense for RM to poach Navas from Levante. Navas may be a bargain for 10M euros, but that price is just a fraction of what RM will spend this off-season.
 
Any day this week, Real Madrid is set to announce the signing of James, the 22-year-old Colombian winger who was the sensation of this World Cup. I suppose that Real Madrid had to one-up Barcelona again: last year, Real Madrid landed Bale after Barcelona signs Neymar; this year, Real Madrid will acquire James after Barca nabs Suarez. The price tap will be, more or less, 80M euros.
 
The word is that Di Maria wants out, and that James will take Di Maria's spot on the roster. Isco, another player RM picked up last year for 30M euros, seems set to be the first guy off the bench. 
 

Zososoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 30, 2009
9,209
South of North
I read that Di Maria is already out, to PSG (was up on espnfc earlier, can't find the link now because that site is trash). But, my question is how does RM lineup? Xabi, Modric, Khedira, Kroos, Ozil, James, Bale, CRonaldo, Benzema?? How do you get combinations of these players on the field and have (presumably at least 3) defenders and a keeper? 
 

Zomp

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Aug 28, 2006
13,942
The Slums of Shaolin
I don't think there is any question the front 4 will be James flanked by Ronaldo and Bale, then 2 of Kroos, Alonso, Khedira, and Modric behind them.  With Khedira looking like he's on his way out, it doesn't seem as bad as you think.  Against better teams, I'd expect Ancelotti to drop either James or Benzema and add the third midfielder.
 
Ozil went to Arsenal last year...he even played for them and everything...
 

bosox4283

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Mar 2, 2004
4,673
Philadelphia
Maybe something like this?
 
-----------------Navas------------------
Carvajal--Ramos--Pepe--Marcelo
----------Kroos------Modric-----------
----------------James-------------------
Bale----------Benzema------Ronaldo
 
Bench:
(1) Alonso (MF)
(2) Isco (FW) 
(3) Varane (DF)
(4) Coentrao (DF)
(5) Arbeloa (DF)
(6) Illaramendi (MF)
(7) Jese (FW, when he recovers from his torn ACL)
 

Zososoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 30, 2009
9,209
South of North
Zomp said:
I don't think there is any question the front 4 will be James flanked by Ronaldo and Bale, then 2 of Kroos, Alonso, Khedira, and Modric behind them.  With Khedira looking like he's on his way out, it doesn't seem as bad as you think.  Against better teams, I'd expect Ancelotti to drop either James or Benzema and add the third midfielder.
 
Ozil went to Arsenal last year...he even played for them and everything...
 
Uber fail on my part.
 

Billy R Ford

douchebag q momfingerer
SoSH Member
Feb 10, 2010
876
Northeastern
bosox4283 said:
Maybe something like this?
 
-----------------Navas------------------
Carvajal--Ramos--Pepe--Marcelo
----------Kroos------Modric-----------
----------------James-------------------
Bale----------Benzema------Ronaldo
 
This is what I was thinking might happen too, but honestly there isn't nearly enough defense in that midfield. Modric and Kroos, to my knowledge, have always been paired with a more defensive player alongside them or behind them. Modric had Scott Parker alongside him at Spurs, and with Madrid he's had Khedira or Alonso behind him. Croatia struggled this summer when they paired Modric with Rakitic in the pivots of a 4-2-3-1.
 
Kroos is an even more attacking player: at Bayer Leverkusen he typically played left midfield in a 4-4-2, with two of Arturo Vidal, Lars Bender, or Stefan Reinartz providing cover in the center. At Bayern Munich he's always had Lahm, Martinez, or even Schweinsteiger (playing a more defensive role) lined up behind him or alongside him, and with Germany, Lahm/Schweinsteiger/Khedira.
 
The latest rumors I've read have Khedira staying. I think they need him (or Illaramendi) to give some steel to the midfield; even Ancellotti's Milan team's of the mid-2000s had Gattuso to do the dirty work.
 
Dec 10, 2012
6,943
It feels like December 2005 to me. A knife through the heart.
 
The soccer transfer system is tough on a fan. If you're a fan of Monaco, it's got to be excruciating, even with the fee.
 

OilCanMDS

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 29, 2007
453
Washington, DC
Billy R Ford said:
 
This is what I was thinking might happen too, but honestly there isn't nearly enough defense in that midfield. Modric and Kroos, to my knowledge, have always been paired with a more defensive player alongside them or behind them. Modric had Scott Parker alongside him at Spurs, and with Madrid he's had Khedira or Alonso behind him. Croatia struggled this summer when they paired Modric with Rakitic in the pivots of a 4-2-3-1.
 
Kroos is an even more attacking player: at Bayer Leverkusen he typically played left midfield in a 4-4-2, with two of Arturo Vidal, Lars Bender, or Stefan Reinartz providing cover in the center. At Bayern Munich he's always had Lahm, Martinez, or even Schweinsteiger (playing a more defensive role) lined up behind him or alongside him, and with Germany, Lahm/Schweinsteiger/Khedira.
 
The latest rumors I've read have Khedira staying. I think they need him (or Illaramendi) to give some steel to the midfield; even Ancellotti's Milan team's of the mid-2000s had Gattuso to do the dirty work.
I completely agree with this.  The Kroos signing seemed odd because his ideal position is Modric's current position in the Real formation.  Initially, I thought it meant Real would push one of Modric or Kroos forward to di Maria's position, but James is clearly going to play that position now.  I think a MF of Modric, Kroos and James is going to provide very little cover for the back four, and Real will be really susceptible to counters if those three are on the field together. 
 

bosox4283

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Mar 2, 2004
4,673
Philadelphia
Dan to Theo to Ben said:
It feels like December 2005 to me. A knife through the heart.
 
The soccer transfer system is tough on a fan. If you're a fan of Monaco, it's got to be excruciating, even with the fee.
 
Why is it a knife through the heart? I'm interested to know.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
Billy R Ford said:
 
This is what I was thinking might happen too, but honestly there isn't nearly enough defense in that midfield. Modric and Kroos, to my knowledge, have always been paired with a more defensive player alongside them or behind them. Modric had Scott Parker alongside him at Spurs, and with Madrid he's had Khedira or Alonso behind him. Croatia struggled this summer when they paired Modric with Rakitic in the pivots of a 4-2-3-1.
 
Kroos is an even more attacking player: at Bayer Leverkusen he typically played left midfield in a 4-4-2, with two of Arturo Vidal, Lars Bender, or Stefan Reinartz providing cover in the center. At Bayern Munich he's always had Lahm, Martinez, or even Schweinsteiger (playing a more defensive role) lined up behind him or alongside him, and with Germany, Lahm/Schweinsteiger/Khedira.
 
The latest rumors I've read have Khedira staying. I think they need him (or Illaramendi) to give some steel to the midfield; even Ancellotti's Milan team's of the mid-2000s had Gattuso to do the dirty work.
 
Even beyond the issues with the midfield pivot, you just can't have four attacking players that don't really play defense in the same side.  Well, maybe you can when you're playing Elche but not when you play tougher league fixtures or European games.  They already had a big enough problem playing Ronaldo, Benzema, and Bale together against other good teams - a problem solved last year by either dropping one of those three in favor of Di Maria on the wing and three others in midfield or by keeping all three on the field but putting Di Maria at the AM position.  Adding James and selling Di Maria just adds to that previous problem while taking away the tried and true solution.
 

DLew On Roids

guilty of being sex
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 30, 2001
13,906
The Pine Street Inn
Dan to Theo to Ben said:
It feels like December 2005 to me. A knife through the heart.

The soccer transfer system is tough on a fan. If you're a fan of Monaco, it's got to be excruciating, even with the fee.
Those exist?

 

bosox4283

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Mar 2, 2004
4,673
Philadelphia
Dan to Theo to Ben said:
I fell in man-crush love with James a month ago. Real Madrid is/are the MFutbolY's
 
OK. Gracias.
 
As an Atletico fan, I share this sentiment. I'm not just being sarcastic. I'm serious. Even though Atletico won La Liga last year, I'm entering this season thinking, "How can we fix this broken league?" Sadly, Atletico's victory will probably delay the conversation about revenue sharing; then again, Spain as a country can't get out of its own way and corruption is rife, so it's not a surprise that La Liga follows the same frustrating formula.
 
Anyway, Real Madrid and Barcelona will both spend well over 100M euros while most other teams will not spend 50M euros (and I'm probably being generous with those numbers; unfortunately, very few Spanish papers try to quantify the RM/Barca advantage). This big spending comes on the heels of both teams spending about the same amount last year. 
 

bosox4283

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Mar 2, 2004
4,673
Philadelphia
How much lifting do players do during the season? 
 
Because if players do little to no weight training during the season, this means that Bale put on that much muscle during two months of summer (Champions League concluded on May 21). I know he's a professional athlete with access to the best trainers, techniques, and food, but such a dramatic change in two months is remarkable and nearly unbelievable.
 

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
What a difference a year makes under the tutelage of Spanish "conditioning experts."
 
 
Captain Wales?
 

JimBoSox9

will you be my friend?
SoSH Member
Nov 1, 2005
16,667
Mid-surburbia
Yadda yadda, photos, misleading, etc etc. I'm not saying he didn't bulk up, but in one pic he's lying on a bed and in the other he's basically flexing.
 

Schnerres

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 28, 2009
1,554
Germany
I think Real Madrid told him to add some muscle when he came over. Basically just what Ronaldo did and he (Bale) did it on his own, or had a personal trainer. It´s not as if players don´t have personal training sessions. They thought he is too skinny to be immune to injuries or tiredness and now he added 5kg of muscle over an entire year, grew his hair, is brown, looks shiny. Nothing special, i think.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
Schnerres said:
I think Real Madrid told him to add some muscle when he came over. Basically just what Ronaldo did and he (Bale) did it on his own, or had a personal trainer. It´s not as if players don´t have personal training sessions. They thought he is too skinny to be immune to injuries or tiredness and now he added 5kg of muscle over an entire year, grew his hair, is brown, looks shiny. Nothing special, i think.
 
Yeah, I agree its actually not really all that outlandish, just funny pictures.  Also, to the extent there is PED use in football, I think its much more likely to be bloodwork and drugs that increase endurance (like in cycling), not drugs that make guys ripped.
 

Schnerres

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 28, 2009
1,554
Germany
sachmoney said:
Did Ronaldo gain a lot of weight between United and Real Madrid?
When you compare 2004 and 2010, of course there´s a difference between the kid he was and the (whiny) man he got. But when you look at pictures from 2003/2004, he was already bigger or more muscular than Bale. I mean they trained 10 times per week, so they have huge legs, but Ronaldo at least had a normal torso and a biceps, contrary to the skinny skeleton Bale of 1-2 years ago :)
But Ronaldo may have added 5kg of muscle, too. He is huge today. I don´t know how to describe it better, but when you look at the early ManU days (2004 FA cup final:)

he may have had the same weight as here:

But he dropped 5kg of fat and added 5kg of muscle.
When he runs with the ball, he still looks so fast and easy-going. Of course there´s a difference of 10 years between those pics.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
Lineup for the Super Cup match against Sevilla about to start:
 
----------Benzema------------
Ronaldo---James------Bale
-------Kroos-----Modric------
Coentrao--Pepe--Ramos--Carvajal
-----------Casillas-----------------
 
They might score 10 goals.  And concede 8.
 

bosox4283

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Mar 2, 2004
4,673
Philadelphia
Ancelotti said in this most recent press conference that Di Maria has asked for a transfer. Will United or PSG sweep in at the last minute to pick him up? There have been rumors that van Gaal wants Di Maria. 
 

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
bosox4283 said:
Ancelotti said in this most recent press conference that Di Maria has asked for a transfer. Will United or PSG sweep in at the last minute to pick him up? There have been rumors that van Gaal wants Di Maria. 
 
To play left wingback? To play behind Mata, Rooney and van Persie?
 
Makes little sense but it is ManU, so who knows.
 

Zomp

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Aug 28, 2006
13,942
The Slums of Shaolin
If Di Maria came aboard we may switch to a 4-3-3, but then we'd have to leave Van Persie or the captain out.
 
BUT, Di Maria did play in a midfield 3 for Madrid last season towards the end of the season, and definitely played in the middle of the park for Argentina.  I don't think its out of the question to see him wide in a 3-5-2.  It would certainly be a tilted formation, but for a player of his quality you make it work.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
Unfortunately, Di Maria is just what United need. A dynamic attacker with pace and the ability to take men on.

One of their current big three wouldn't fit anymore in the lineup but that's life. Trying to cram those three attackers into the same lineup is the source of far too many problems anyway.

Buying Mata was a mistake. Buying Di Maria would be a no brainer.

I think he still goes to PSG though.
 

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
Buying Mata was a mistake. Buying Di Maria would be a no brainer.
 
I do not understand. Mata was fabulous in 2012-2013; conversely, until last season, Di Maria was a one-footed role player. 
 
Is this just a "new hotness" thing?
 

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
Zomp said:
Di Maria was a revelation last year in the second half.  He's deserving of the praise he's getting.
 
Ok...but that doesn't answer the question of how buying Mata was a "mistake". 
 
Unless it is about providing Chelsea and Mourinho an "out" on a player they didn't want while also paying the market rate. Because, again, Mata was a "revelation" in 2012-13 and actually put up more production than DiMaria did in his half-season. 
 

teddykgb

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
11,025
Chelmsford, MA
United had made the Van Persie thing almost make sense by dropping Rooney deeper.  Signing Mata doomed them to having a front 3 that made little sense in terms of complimenting each other.  Mata and Rooney want to be in the same space and United didn't have the rest of a supporting cast to let them all play in advanced roles without defensive responsibilities.  It's more a roster imbalance than anything else. 
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
soxfan121 said:
 
I do not understand. Mata was fabulous in 2012-2013; conversely, until last season, Di Maria was a one-footed role player. 
 
Is this just a "new hotness" thing?
Mata is a limited purely offensive player you have to build the whole team around. And a team with its two biggest stars in the 9/10 roles already was the worst possible situation in that respect.

Di Maria is a pure two way stud as a winger or, as at Real last season, as the CAM in a 4-3-3. He'd walk into any team in the world and make them better. At least any team not being micromanaged by Florentino Perez.
 

Zomp

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Aug 28, 2006
13,942
The Slums of Shaolin
soxfan121 said:
 
Ok...but that doesn't answer the question of how buying Mata was a "mistake". 
 
Unless it is about providing Chelsea and Mourinho an "out" on a player they didn't want while also paying the market rate. Because, again, Mata was a "revelation" in 2012-13 and actually put up more production than DiMaria did in his half-season. 
 
Well I don't think Mata was a mistake.  He's an excellent player the main reason we're trying the 3-5-2 is to get the big 3 (Mata, Rooney, RVP) in the same side.
 

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
OK, but they can't make Mata magically disappear without taking a massive hit financially. So while I agree DiMaria is a fabulous player...where does he fit? Not wide in a 5-3-2. Not centrally in a 4-3-3. 
 
I'm sure LVG doesn't care about supplanting an expensive asset like Mata but the Board should because there's no way they get 30M if they bury Mata on the bench (along with Kagawa), let alone 60M.
 
Seems like ManU could use their resources a bit more wisely. And even if they do bring in DiMaria, they still have gaping holes in the defense and holding midfield and wingback. 
 
EDIT: Yeah sorry Zomp...I was talking at MMS there. Your post makes sense to me.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
I would just plan to rotate RVP/Rooney/Mata in the 9/10 roles in a 4-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. There is a good chance that RVP misses a lot of games through injury anyway. Then I'd play Di Maria and Januzaj on the wings, Herrera box to box, and buy a DM to share time with Carrick. That's a team that actually has some balance.

I agree though that they've used their resources very poorly, not just since SAF left but also dating back several years.
 

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
I would just plan to rotate RVP/Rooney/Mata in the 9/10 roles in a 4-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. There is a good chance that RVP misses a lot of games through injury anyway. Then I'd play Di Maria and Januzaj on the wings, Herrera box to box, and buy a DM to share time with Carrick. That's a team that actually has some balance.

I agree though that they've used their resources very poorly, not just since SAF left but also dating back several years.
 
This is a good plan that makes Shinji Kagawa cry.
 

DLew On Roids

guilty of being sex
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 30, 2001
13,906
The Pine Street Inn
The problem with all of this is that when a Real Madrid player says he wants a transfer after fighting for a spot for a couple of years my Cynical Football Fan's Translator software spits out, "My agent got a text from a petroclub's representative and I'm picking out which color Koenigsegg I want."
 

AgentOrange

Member
SoSH Member
May 15, 2007
476
Di Maria reportedly asked for a raise from 4.5 million euros a year net to 8 million a year net. So yeah.
 

Billy R Ford

douchebag q momfingerer
SoSH Member
Feb 10, 2010
876
Northeastern
Man U could fit Rooney, van Persie, Mata, and di Maria into the same side in a 4-4-2 diamond- Rooney and RvP up top, Mata as CAM, and di Maria on one of the wings.
 
This was the system di Maria made his name in at Benfica; he played left midfield in their 4-4-2 diamond circa 2010, with Oscar Cardozo, Javier Saviola, and Pablo Aimar in front of him.
 
I would actually love it if they did this, because those Benfica teams were FANTASTIC fun to watch and one of the first teams I followed when I started streaming matches online (Ramires, David Luiz, Fabio Coentrao, and Javi Garcia also made their names for this side). Zonal Marking hailed them at the time as "the most attractice side in Europe".
 

PedroSpecialK

Comes at you like a tornado of hair and the NHL sa
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2004
27,164
Cambridge, MA
AgentOrange said:
Di Maria reportedly asked for a raise from 4.5 million euros a year net to 8 million a year net. So yeah.
Considering Real's resources they'd have to be beyond stupid to not give him that bump given Di Maria's recent performance.
 

teddykgb

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
11,025
Chelmsford, MA
Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
I would just plan to rotate RVP/Rooney/Mata in the 9/10 roles in a 4-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. There is a good chance that RVP misses a lot of games through injury anyway. Then I'd play Di Maria and Januzaj on the wings, Herrera box to box, and buy a DM to share time with Carrick. That's a team that actually has some balance.

I agree though that they've used their resources very poorly, not just since SAF left but also dating back several years.
 
That team has some balance but it's going to get murdered in the midfield if that DM they buy isn't top quality.  Carrick/other DM and Herrera isn't going to handle Chelsea's 5 and will struggle with any combo of Arsenal and City's midfield as well.
 
Billy R Ford said:
Man U could fit Rooney, van Persie, Mata, and di Maria into the same side in a 4-4-2 diamond- Rooney and RvP up top, Mata as CAM, and di Maria on one of the wings.
 
This was the system di Maria made his name in at Benfica; he played left midfield in their 4-4-2 diamond circa 2010, with Oscar Cardozo, Javier Saviola, and Pablo Aimar in front of him.
 
I would actually love it if they did this, because those Benfica teams were FANTASTIC fun to watch and one of the first teams I followed when I started streaming matches online (Ramires, David Luiz, Fabio Coentrao, and Javi Garcia also made their names for this side). Zonal Marking hailed them at the time as "the most attractice side in Europe".
 
This would be a great fit for Di Maria, but the wingers aren't wingers in a 4-4-2 diamond.  Di Maria has the work rate and ability to play in space, but I don't know that Herrera can play the other CM position in this diamond -- he seems a very central player to me and doesn't have the winger/CM hybrid stuff that is needed.  They also still don't have the DM for this formation either.
 
 
Anyway,I think a lot of this discussion started because of different valuations of Di Maria.  I think he's a tremendous player that nearly any side in the world should find a way to accomodate if they can get him, so even though I think there are problems with what was raised above, I'd hate to see Madrid sell him to United.  Ship him off to Paris so I don't have to worry about him.
 

bosox4283

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Mar 2, 2004
4,673
Philadelphia
Khedira is apparently out six to eight weeks. All of a sudden, Real Madrid's line-up looks light, and very light on players who can defend. For now, here's the situation:
 
Casillas
Carvajal-Ramos-Pepe-Marcelo
[SIZE=12.800000190734863px]James-Modric-Kroos[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12.800000190734863px]Bale-Benzema-Ronaldo[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=12.800000190734863px]Bench: Chicharito, Isco, Illaramendi[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=12.800000190734863px]When Jese recovers from his injury, he'll provide another attacking option off the bench. For now, though, this team is really, really offensive but lacks a defensive presence in the midfield. For all the money this team has, they certainly have put together a short roster this year.[/SIZE]
 

bosox4283

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Mar 2, 2004
4,673
Philadelphia
Real Madrid quickly scores three goals after falling behind 0-1 against Elche.
 
Real Madrid's second goal was the result of Marcelo taking a dive in the box. The ref believes it and awards Madrid the penalty kick.
 
At what point will the leagues start to retroactively enforce diving? I think they need to start using technology to prevent players from these tricks.
 

Zomp

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Aug 28, 2006
13,942
The Slums of Shaolin
A 3rd hat trick in 4 games for Ronaldo.  I can't find it but I think I read a stat today that said he is now tied for the most La Liga hat tricks of all time.
 
He is the best player in the world right now, and its not even close.
 

trs

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 19, 2010
526
Madrid
Zomp said:
A 3rd hat trick in 4 games for Ronaldo.  I can't find it but I think I read a stat today that said he is now tied for the most La Liga hat tricks of all time.
 
He is the best player in the world right now, and its not even close.
 
That's a pretty obvious exaggeration, and I'm sure you know it.  Ronaldo is a fantastic finisher and stronger than almost anyone on any pitch.  Re-examine your claim in a few weeks once Suarez comes back and Barcelona have their own holy triumvirate up front like Real.  Much of Ronaldo's quantitative success so far has been the result of a ridiculous lineup and ridiculous schedule.  They've hammered minnows and lost to fish have their size.
 
But yeah, he is real great, no doubt, but I think you'd find other great ones, and quite close to him if not past him, in the very same league.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.