The Official World Cup 2018 Thread

[longballin]

It's like saying which was the gretest ever gaa forward. Totally subjective.

The greatest of the great have to have the ability to do things that no other player can do, that appear almost superhuman, that can't be coached, because they are by definition only achievable by geniuses.

There have been very few of those type of players in history.

Pele, Maradona, Messi and Ronaldinho are the four that immediately spring to mind. When each was in their prime, no other player in the world could come close to their genius.

Then you have to balance that against their achievements. George Best's ability was in the same bracket as the above four. But his achievements weren't.

Of those four, for me Maradona wins.

He had the purest ability to beat a man that has ever existed, and he performed on the greatest stage of all in a way nobody else ever had or will. He was a fantastic team player with the ability to lift those around him, he had longevity.

His peak, and his genius, was higher than anybody else's. All the above four regularly performed feats on a football pitch which were jaw-dropping. But none of them were more jaw-dropping than Maradona's.

Ranking the greatest players in GAA for me follows a similar logic. That's why I'd always rank DJ Carey above Henry Shefflin or Peter Canavan above Maurice Fitzgerald.  Carey and Canavan regularly performed feats which were jaw-dropping, and which no other player had to ability to perform. Great as Shefflin and Fitzgerald were, they didn't.

Good analysis though Pele durability, skill level, achievements and ability to perform the extradordinary were up there with Maradona. Pele won 3 World Cups and to score such a goal in a World Cup final at 17! then 12 years later hung in the air to head the ball to the net in the 1970 final. Pele had it all beating men, shot, heading ability, long career...

[Boycey]

No matter about any of them - I've rarely seen a player with a work rate like suarez. His will to win is phenomenal. He is a bit of an unsavoury character but he must be an absolute nightmare to play against.

Have to agree
Not the sort of chap you would like standing behind you if he was hungry but putting in a great shift for his country.

I often contemplate is ronaldo and Messi's performances in the World Cup compared club the absence of salary.
When you look at Suarez or Cavani your not questioning the commitment.

You're hard on Ronaldo and Messi, I have never seen any lack of commitment from either of them. Nearly 300 caps between the two of them. 

[imtommygunn]

I read a stat that in the croatia game messi covered less ground than any other outfield player in the tournament - that far - and casper schmeichel covered more ground in one of his games than messi against croatia.

How true that is i am not sure but he doesn't cover that much ground at times!

[Syferus]

No matter about any of them - I've rarely seen a player with a work rate like suarez. His will to win is phenomenal. He is a bit of an unsavoury character but he must be an absolute nightmare to play against.

Have to agree
Not the sort of chap you would like standing behind you if he was hungry but putting in a great shift for his country.

I often contemplate is ronaldo and Messi's performances in the World Cup compared club the absence of salary.
When you look at Suarez or Cavani your not questioning the commitment.

You picked out the Uraguay forward with the second best workrate there. Cavani is a better player now IMHO.

[north_antrim_hound]

No matter about any of them - I've rarely seen a player with a work rate like suarez. His will to win is phenomenal. He is a bit of an unsavoury character but he must be an absolute nightmare to play against.

Have to agree
Not the sort of chap you would like standing behind you if he was hungry but putting in a great shift for his country.

I often contemplate is ronaldo and Messi's performances in the World Cup compared club the absence of salary.
When you look at Suarez or Cavani your not questioning the commitment.

You picked out the Uraguay forward with the second best workrate there. Cavani is a better player now IMHO.

Per usual you didn't read my post
Was responding to another poster regarding Suarez and brought Cavani into my response in the same light- do always have to get it wrong.
Cavani to me is the player of the tournament to date
His calf injury might impact his performances from here on in but he has been fantastic.

[Syferus]

No matter about any of them - I've rarely seen a player with a work rate like suarez. His will to win is phenomenal. He is a bit of an unsavoury character but he must be an absolute nightmare to play against.

Have to agree
Not the sort of chap you would like standing behind you if he was hungry but putting in a great shift for his country.

I often contemplate is ronaldo and Messi's performances in the World Cup compared club the absence of salary.
When you look at Suarez or Cavani your not questioning the commitment.

You picked out the Uraguay forward with the second best workrate there. Cavani is a better player now IMHO.

Per usual you didn't read my post
Was responding to another poster regarding Suarez and brought Cavani into my response in the same light- do always have to get it wrong.
Cavani to me is the player of the tournament to date
His calf injury might impact his performances from here on in but he has been fantastic.

What a pointlessly aggressive start. I read your post well enough the first time.

[imtommygunn]

Yeah uruguay in general have a work rate that is phenomenal. Cavani was fantastic yesterday and has a great work rate. Suarez has to be the most dogged player out there but cavani probably a bit more gifted. Godin one of the hardiest out there too.

France against uruguay will be very good. Pogba was fantastic spraying it around yesterday but hard to see him get that space against uruguay. Be interesting to see how he adapts.

[imtommygunn]

Everyone is apparently getting aggressive on poor syferus nothing to do with the fact he pulls anyone up on anything they say even when they didn't say it and then gets defensive when pulled on it

Ps is there any thread you don't pollute

[gawa316]

1 Maradona
2 Messi
3 Pele
4 Ronaldo
5 Cruyff
6 Best
7 PlatinI
8 Beckenbauer
9 Gullit
10 Francis (Trevor, not Kevin)

Where's zidane? Probably the era I grew up in but he is easily in my top 5

[laoislad]

Everyone is apparently getting aggressive on poor syferus nothing to do with the fact he pulls anyone up on anything they say even when they didn't say it and then gets defensive when pulled on it

Ps is there any thread you don't pollute

His definition of what aggressive is and what my definition of aggressive is couldn't be more different.
That's snowflakes for you though I suppose....

[Syferus]

Everyone is apparently getting aggressive on poor syferus nothing to do with the fact he pulls anyone up on anything they say even when they didn't say it and then gets defensive when pulled on it

Ps is there any thread you don't pollute

Yet more nonsense. The irony of you complaining about polluting a thread when this is one of your contributions, without any relation to the topic, is lost on very few people.

[longballin]

It's like saying which was the gretest ever gaa forward. Totally subjective.

What about best ever World Cup goal?
Eder 82

https://youtu.be/jx9KMhX4lzo

Carlos Alberto 1970
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5HbmeNKino

[laoislad]

Bergkamp v Argentina is one of the great World Cup goals
https://youtu.be/XsZkCFoqSBs

Always remember this one from USA 1994
https://youtu.be/FxDNewTtlXU

[north_antrim_hound]

Everyone is apparently getting aggressive on poor syferus nothing to do with the fact he pulls anyone up on anything they say even when they didn't say it and then gets defensive when pulled on it

Ps is there any thread you don't pollute

A complete head melt
I would say as a child his mother use to tie a bone round his neck so the dog would play with him.

[Syferus]

Everyone is apparently getting aggressive on poor syferus nothing to do with the fact he pulls anyone up on anything they say even when they didn't say it and then gets defensive when pulled on it

Ps is there any thread you don't pollute

A complete head melt
I would say as a child his mother use to tie a bone round his neck so the dog would play with him.

You're just embarrassing yourself now.