Why Cristiano Ronaldo is NOT the greatest player in the world

OK, so here's the argument for Ronaldo being the creme de la creme of footballers all over the world:


Kudos to 101 Great Goals.

Pretty convincing, but here's few reasons why Portugal's pretty boy isn't a patch on some of the other talent around Europe.

1. Overhyped
Ronaldo turns out a decent performance against Newcastle, and the entire press begins waxing lyrical about how he could be the best player of all time. 4 words: Calm the hell down.

Sure, he scored a hat-trick and performed a few tricks, but it was by far a great hat-trick. His second was class, but the first bobbled over the keeper and the third took a deflection. If Rooney had a bit more luck he would have easily had a hat-trick also.

And in case anyone else hadn't noticed, playing well against Newcastle ain't that hard these days.

2. Diving
How can he be a role model when everytime he gets tapped in or just outside the box he falls quicker than Northern Rock's shares? What really takes the biscuit is the way Ronaldo gives the ref the big puppy dog eyes as if about to burst into tears.

A good player has the tricks and skills to create and score goals. A great player is a true role model to others in the game in every field. Does Ronaldo have honesty and integrity? It's most certainly up for debate.

3. Big Games
There's no denying the outstanding record of scoring 16 goals in 18 Premier League outings, but where is he when the big clubs come calling? Last season, he was practically invisible against AC Milan in the Champions League. He failed to perform at his usual high standards for Portugal against France in the World Cup, and against Greece in Euro 2004. And this season, he barely made a difference in the game against Liverpool on the so called 'Grand Slam Sunday'.

Good against lesser teams, but a great player would perform when the heat is on.

4. Humility
Racing against Bugatti Supercars? Diamond Earrings? ORANGE boots? You tell me that the man does not openly believe that he is the best thing ever to grace this Earth.

OK, maybe I'm exaggerating slightly, but it would still be nice for him to show some humility once in a while. Some of United colleagues are excellent examples of men with talent but plenty of modesty also (Giggs and Scholes come to mind).

5. Other Competition
So what players possess the skill of Ronaldo but the qualities above also? Well, Kaka', Ronaldinho, Rooney, Fabregas... just to name a few.

While these players may not have the tricks and skills to match the man with the world's fastest feet, they possess the qualities such as maturity, humility, integrity and the ability to carry a team that the Great Cristiano Ronaldo does not yet have.

And let's not forget the lesson in football Kaka' gave CR7 and his Man Utd teammates last year in the San Siro:



Case closed.

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Manchester United's Best Squad? Maybe... What About Worst?

Sir Alex Ferguson today remarked that his current Manchester United squad is the 'strongest he's ever had'. Quite a statement when you consider the teams of 93/94 and treble winning 98/99.

There has been plenty of debate on BBC Sport over who would make it into an all-time great Man Utd team choosing players from Fergie's reign, but what about an all-time worst squad? Here's our pick of the players who will not be looking back on their time at Old Trafford with much pleasure.

GK - Massimo Taibi
DF - Wes Brown
DF - Henning Berg
DF - Mikael Silvestre
DF - David May
MF - Jesper Blomqvist
MF - Quinton Fortune
MF - Kleberson
MF - Juan Sebastian Veron
MF - Eric Djemba-Djemba
ST - Diego Forlan

Do you agree? Is putting Silvestre and Brown in a little harsh? Do Man Utd warrant a worst ever XI, given the quality of players they've had over the years? Leave your comments below:

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EPL Goal of the Week 11

Yeah, we know Rooney and Tevez have some sort of 'telepathic', back-heeling understanding, but when it comes to strikes of the highest order, this just takes the breath away:



Take a bow, Nani. Or maybe a triple backflip with a twist if you prefer.

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Man Utd v Chelsea - the Talking Points

1. Did Mike Dean get his cards mixed up?
First things first. It should not have been a red card for Obi Mikel. Yes his studs were showing, but he got the ball and placed his foot in the ground before Evra. The Man Utd # 3 then did some crazy acrobatic front flip before writhing about on the floor, which led to Obi's red card. Another decision he got wrong was the yellow card for Joe Cole. A desperate lunge from behind that caught Cristiano Ronaldo's ankle surely meritted a sending off. Funny how these things even out.

Rooney rightly did not warrant a 2nd yellow for his 'shove' on whining Chasley Cole, and neither did Wes Brown following his tackle on Malouda (the Frenchman did his best impression of leaping salmon). It smacks of desperation that Chelsea were looking for such pathetic excuses regarding their poor performance.

2. Should Ben Haim even be playing for Chelsea?

Was at fault for the first goal after poor marking, nearly conceded a penalty against Rooney, before actually conceding a penalty against Saha.

Why Chelsea acquired his services in the first place is still beyond me. When at Bolton he was competent, but not world class. If Chelsea are going to be challenging for any silverware this season, they need to be looking further than mid-table defenders. His stray legs and eyes cost the Blues dear yesterday.

3. Was it a penalty?
Ben Haim touched Saha, who proceeded to do his best dying swan impression, thus resulting in a penalty. It was by no means a stone waller, but there was contact, and the striker wasn't about to let it go unnoticed.

4. How much trouble are Chelsea in?
Lots. They were unable to test Van der Sar once, and had Cech to thank for keeping the scoreline respectable. They lacked threat, cohesion or any sort of desire, something that will be hard to instill after the departure of the Special One. Chelsea better hope Lampard, Carvalho and Drogba are up to the task of carrying a sinking ship once they return from injury. A very ordinary performance from the 'Ordinary One'.

5. Guess what we saw...
Was that Dutch manager Marco van Basten sitting behind Abramovich during the game? Don't worry, we're professional enough to not read anything into that... honest.

6. Finally, some interesting MOTD pundits
At first, I was slightly sceptical about Marcel Desailly's punditry skills, but him and Hansen had a right old go at each other over the game. The Scot brought out his figures and claimed that Chelsea were not in title winning form. Marcel responded saying that it wasn't a full-strength side, and that it's a marathon, not a sprint. He then stared at Hansen like he was about to land an uppercut to the chin before ripping his head off. It was awesome.

Better than Alan 'yes, I agree with you Alan' Shearer, anyway.

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