Player you enjoyed watching the most?

Skylinehead

asdfgh86 wrote: »

I hear this real Ronaldo thing a lot. Cristiano Ronaldo has 369 goals in 563 games, not bad for a 'fake.'

Yeah but he's still not real Ronaldo. Everyone knows who real Ronaldo is.

kevpants

Tino Asprilla. Bandy legged, socks rolled down, chewing a toothpick whilst nutmeging the same defender twice. Not a Toon fan but i loved watching that mad ba5tard.

ollaetta

Ronaldinho for the sheer fun he brought to playing and his outrageous skill.
Romario for his making goal scoring seem effortless.
Maldini for making defending look oh-so-easy.

CSF

This real Ronaldo business is a farce when you consider that Cristiano has probably surpassed his highest level by now.

Both Ronaldos would very much belong in this thread but I'm obliged to go with Ronaldinho. Of players playing at the moment it's between Ronaldo and Aguero.

Andersonisgod

Probably not an obvious one but for me it's Xavi Hernandez. Does he jink and dance his way past 3 defenders at a time like Messi? No. Does he ghost past players with the ball as though he has no physical form like Iniesta? No. Does he produce skills that blur the lines between reality and fiction like Ronaldinho? No. Does he breeze past players as though he were floating while the oppositions feet are stuck in mud like Henry? No. So what does he do?

Xavi passes the ball. He passes it 3 yards, 5 yards, 10 yards, sometimes he will execute a perfect cross-field pass. Xavi will continuously pass the ball, like a CD that is skipping and keeps playing the same part of a tune over and over again, Xavi Hernandez can't stop passing the ball. He also can't stop moving, the man is a human homing radar, he finds space like no other. Like a human heart pumps blood, the Catalan is the epicenter of Barcelona's unique passing game, everything flows through him. Xavi sets the tempo, Xavi is the permanent spare man, Xavi is the hub.

If you take what he does in individual 2 second or 3 second clips it really doesn't look very spectacular most of the time. However take what he does over the course of a match and you will be mesmerized every time you see the great man play. If player cam still existed is gladly leave it on Xavi Hernandez for 90 minutes, there's not many players is say that about.

Honourable mentions: Messi, Iniesta, Drogba, Ozil, Kaka in his prime.

Iused2likebusts

Jan Molby looked like a darts player but one of the best passers of the ball Ive ever seen.
Robert prosinecki and jay jay okocha a trick, flick or drag back nearly everytime both of those players touched the ball.

Seans_Username

Cafu, because he had a smile on his face all the time and made football seem like great craic altogether.

Ability-wise, has to be Kaka. This video of his time at AC from 03 to 09 is majestic. He had so much ability but had he not been plagued with injuries and wasted at Real, I believe he would have gone on to become a footballing legend.

He had flair, pace, guile, a majestic touch, strength, vision, everything. He's back where he belongs and is showing some signs of his old form.

I'd like to give a long-winded, fanboy-esque essay about him but I'll just throw this here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUksQSAicrc

dceire

Paul Scholes

It was a joy to watch him pull the strings in midfield, one of the best midfielders of his generation. The greatest indictment of English international managers over the past two decades is that they seemed to marginalize one of their few truly world class players.

asdfgh86 wrote: »

I hear this real Ronaldo thing a lot. Cristiano Ronaldo has 369 goals in 563 games, not bad for a 'fake.'

I thought it was 'Fat Ronaldo'. Two fantastic players all the same.

Seans_Username

Andersonisgod wrote: »

like a CD that is skipping and keeps playing the same part of a tune over and over again, Xavi Hernandez can't stop passing the ball.

I hate skipping CDs

Skylinehead

Skylinehead wrote: »

Yeah but he's still not real Ronaldo. Everyone knows who real Ronaldo is.

http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/attachments/football-manager-2014-manager-stories/448253d1387597359-different-kind-champions-league-challenge-fat-ronaldo.png

Turtwig

Scholes, Xavi, Busquests, Gabi, Alonso.

At the moment favourite player to watch by a country mile is Iniesta. He's just magic. Suarez is probably second.

Messi's problem, as Sid Lowe described beautifully, is that his mundane is so bloody extraordinary you just expect it and it becomes somewhat monotonous. He needs to stop being magical. :pac:

Call Me Jimmy

Defo suarez absolutely fascinating to watch.

CSF

Seans_Username wrote: »

I hate skipping CDs

Yeah what the ****

Call Me Jimmy

Fat Ronaldo in the 2002 world cup was it? Even past his best but around that time for real madrid as well he was just so good.

Liam O

Ronaldinho, Zidane and Keane. All 3 are/were different enough players but had that special something about them when they were on their game that regular players seemed to lack.

Obviously Messi and Ronaldo are the players to watch nowadays. Likely to make your jaw drop at a moments notice everytime they play.

Anybody mention Kaka in his prime for AC Milan?

Alfred Borden

Zidane for me, the man was an absolute genius. Did things other players couldn't even dream if doing.

super_furry

Bergkamp. He just looked like he knew what everyone was going to do before they did it.

G.K.

Busquets, Sneijder, Suarez.

Wish I'd seen Redondo more.

messinkiapina

Ronaldinho was probably the greatest entertainer I've seen, so I'll go for him.

dd972

Pavel Nedved in the 03 CL Semi 2nd leg was like watching an entire team performance enrolled in one player, nowadays David Silva or Eden Hazard at their best are players I'd pay to watch, they don't go missing like the Hoddle's or Taarabt's of the game.

shrewdness

It would have to be Ronaldinho. I wouldn't be too fond of Barca these days but when Ronaldinho was in his peak there, I watched them as often as I could just to see him play, he was simply magic. Those few years at his best, I don't think I've ever enjoyed watching another player more. The things he did with the ball were sensational and as others have said, he always played with a smile on his face. If I could pick any player of recent times to watch live, it would have been him.

Of players currently at the top level, probably Ronaldo. In an attacking sense he's such a complete player in terms of what he can do. He can score poachers goals, put it in the top corner from 30 yds, score towering headers, beat players with his speed and skill, etc. The range of his attacking talents mean that you're not quite sure what he'll try at times. Messi is brilliant technically, at times it's like the ball is glued to his foot and nobody can get it off him, but you know what he'll do most of the time, dribble past the players, they know it too but they can't stop him. Ronaldo is a bit more unpredictable, and I enjoy that more. I'm glad I've had the chance to watch him live a few times, I hope to see Messi in the flesh at some stage too.

astonaidan

Jay Jay
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo
Zlatan

All four just have that magic that 99% players couldnt even dream of having

dd972

astonaidan wrote: »

Jay Jay
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo
Zlatan

All four just have that magic that 99% players couldnt even dream of having

Willo Flood
Paul Green
Connor Sammon
Glenn Whelan

All four just have that magic that 99% players couldn't even dream of having

Gmol

Maradona, Messi and in the flesh Suarez. The amount of closing Suarez does is frightening

Ulysses Gaze

dd972 wrote: »

Willo Flood
Paul Green
Connor Sammon
Glenn Whelan

All four just have that magic that 99% players couldn't even dream of having

Yes.

The magic to make grown men cry when they see their names in the starting 11

passremarkable

Suarez is box office
Very exciting to watch

PhlegmyMoses

Scholes (underrated and rated just enough depending on your personal preference), Ronaldinho (I remember he made a seemingly invincible Chelsea team look average), Xavi around 4 years ago, Bergkamp (Incredible technique, had he had pace he would have been up there with the very best).

Used to pretend I was Ruben Sosa when I was a kid because he was a lefty like me. And Giggs, whose longevity may harm his overall reputation. He was never a one paced, backup CM, but an absolute flyer that tore apart some of the best defences in the world when United were finding their feet in Europe in the mid to late 90s.

Smithwicks Man

Ibrahimovic for me.. Has being doing the unthinkable for a decade. So many unbelievable goals and assists. Can win a match at any moment.

D.Q

Henry. Speed, power, grace and a frighteningly accurate finisher. Always enjoyable to watch back in his prime.

Call Me Jimmy

Smithwicks Man wrote: »

Ibrahimovic for me.. Has being doing the unthinkable for a decade. So many unbelievable goals and assists. Can win a match at any moment.

Feels like I still haven't fully processed that bicycle kick against england...

shamrock55

For me it had to be john barnes, the man was poetry in motion

Kirby

I think it's important to remember that its not "Which players do you rate?" and more "which players do you enjoy watching". Some people are falling into that trap.

For me, it's Hazard. He is so skilful and dangerous every time he gets the ball. It's really fun because you know he's going to take a man on nearly every time he gets the ball. Yeah, his diving irritates me but half the league are constantly at it so I just deal with it. He really is a terrific player and Chelsea are lucky to have him.

Football is a possession game and I love that aspect of it but it doesnt get you excited the moment they get the ball. When Tom Cleverley gets the ball, you aren't on the edge of your seat. You know its going sideways.

I like watching Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez, Aguero for the same reason. You know they are going to try and make something happen. It might not always come off, but they get the ball and you think "Here we go.....".

Coleman and McGeady are the same with the Irish team. Expectation when they get the ball. I know some people expect McGeady to lose the ball....but he tries at least.

John Cherry

Gianfranco Zola,Paul Scholes,Ronaldinho and Zizou.

Y2KBOS86

Too Tough To Die wrote: »

Messi. Head and shoulders above everyone since Maradona.

Messi goalscoring, Ronaldhino everything else

Messi is not that entertaining, best player of all time maybe, but is he the most enjoyable player ever to watch?

No, not even close.

Ronaldinho, Kaka at his peak ( those runs ), are all far more entertaining.

Liam O

Y2KBOS86 wrote: »

Messi goalscoring, Ronaldhino everything else

Messi is not that entertaining, best player of all time maybe, but is he the most enjoyable player ever to watch?

No, not even close.

Ronaldinho, Kaka at his peak ( those runs ), are all far more entertaining.

Messi with the ball at his feet is mesmerising, to say anything otherwise is baffling. I don't even like him/Barca much anymore.

ElChe32

Henrik Larsson, saw him live in his prime at Celtic, and saw him in his last few weeks as a professional back in Helsingborg. Oozes class, control and his movement was 2nd to none. An incredible competitor on the pitch and a pure gent off it.

Y2KBOS86

Liam O wrote: »

Messi with the ball at his feet is mesmerising, to say anything otherwise is baffling. I don't even like him/Barca much anymore.

He is but not as mesmerising as Ronaldinho and others.

Ronaldinho gave the world wonder and awe, he had people that don't have any interest in soccer watching him, Messi has never reached those heights, to say he has is a lie.

Turtwig

?

One of so so many. Then there's assists that never happen because of a good save/poor finishing. Little spurts of brilliances at any moment. Messi's problem is that his brilliance is so normalized now we don't gasp when we see it. If it was our first viewing though we would be mesmerised!

Y2KBOS86

Kaka was my most enjoyable player to watch, his turn of speed was amazing, used to leave fast players for dust.

No one in the world like him now.Much love to Kaká.

Y2KBOS86

Jernal wrote: »

?

One of so so many. Then there's assists that never happen because of a good save/poor finishing. Little spurts of brilliances at any moment. Messi's problem is that his brilliance is so normalized now we don't gasp when we see it. If it was our first viewing though we would be mesmerised!

Ahh Jesus!

Why can't people accept that Ronaldnho and others are more entertaining than Messi?

Messi is the better player yes.

Liam O

Y2KBOS86 wrote: »

Ahh Jesus!

Why can't people accept that Ronaldnho and others are more entertaining than Messi?

Messi is the better player yes.

I would agree that Ronaldinho was more entertaining but the likes of Kaka? No. You also said Messi isn't that entertaining which I seriously can't grasp.

derfderf

The way I look at this is if I was showing somebody that had seen very little football a player, who would I pick to show them. It has to be Ronaldinho. I've never seen anybody else even attempt some of the tricks he pulls off.

Y2KBOS86

Y2KBOS86 wrote: »

Kaka was my most enjoyable player to watch, his turn of speed was amazing, used to leave fast players for dust.

No one in the world like him now.Much love to Kaká.