Ronaldo's defence of his alleged showboating was unconvincing, bringing to mind a Harlem Globetrotter: "Those plays are just part of my way of interpreting football”.
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Why should he mount a defence of his showboating? -
Best since Best?
Doesn't make sense does it. In an article comparing him to George Best, possibly the biggest showboater to have played in England, they complain about Ronaldo doing a few stepovers. -
Best since Best?
Showboating is deeply wanky. Score another goal instead, you tossers.Comment
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Best since Best?
He's been scoring a fair few.
Admittedly this is since he has reduced his showboating from his ludicrous first season.Comment
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Best since Best?
How to deal with showboaters
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Best since Best?
A few months ago Celtic were thinking of signing the defender who commits the forearm smash in that clip, but they thought better of it in the end.
Would have liked to see him go to work on Kevin Prick Thomson with a glint of glee in his eye.Comment
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Best since Best?
Why don't they just outlaw dribbling and be done with it?
Like Liverpool.Comment
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Best since Best?
I love a bit of showboating. I watch football to be entertained (and there's not been much of that for me this season.) Considering the money it costs, I'd like to see something outstanding, a bit of cheekiness and somert a bit thrilling.
And if the only response the opposition can come up with is a slice of mild brutality.. well, that can be pretty entertaining too.Comment
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Best since Best?
A bit of showboating didn't do his excellency, Eric Cantona any harm...
Keep it up, I say (unless its against us)...Comment
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Best since Best?
I think showboating is totally unacceptable if you are a big player at a big club doing it against a little team from divisions away in a Cup game. That is smug and arrogant and utterly wanky.
Ronaldo doing it against Roma is more of a contest of equals so I wouldn't criticise him for it, though ultimately I'd prefer if efforts were expended on actually productive stuff.
It reminds me of one of the times I was most annoyed with Rangers. It was the 90/91 season and Rangers drew Valetta of Malta in the First Round of the European Cup. It was the expected walkover, I think Rangers won the home leg 8-0, however what royally pissed me off was when they won a penalty late on and for a laugh brought Chris Woods up to take it.
He hit it wide and everyone had a good laugh about it, except me. I thought it was thoroughly disrespectful to a group of part time players who were doing their best. As it worked out, Rangers got the mighty Red Star Belgrade in the next round and such was the gulf in class that they could have played their goalkeeper at centre forward for both legs and still won at a canter.Comment
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Best since Best?
His showboating's not that bad. I'd like to see how David Pizarro would cope with Kerlon...Comment
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Best since Best?
Ah yes, Kerlon...the infamous 'balancing the ball on your head and running around for a bit' trick.
I heard a while back that United were after him...
Its an ace trick though, I tried it and hurt my knee...Comment
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Best since Best?
At the other end of the scale; when I play football you get these tossers buggering around the ball, trying to beat their opponent with some bloody technique they've been practising in the mirror.
Of course you've already taken up a good position to receive the ball. This is a move you've made in order to keep the move going for the good of the team.
Then the show off keeps hold of the ball. He shapes to move one way, he shapes to move the other but then remains stationary. He pivots his left foot, he pivots his right foot but then remains stationary. He puts his foot on the ball, he turns his back, he moves the ball with the sole of boot whilst pirouetting, he's finally moving!!!
By the time he decided to move all of the defence has returned and the defender closest to the show off has deprived the show off of the ball and set up an opposition goal.
The show off tries this approach every time he gets the ball because it worked once.Comment
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Best since Best?
I've been sent a clip of Ronaldo during his filming for PES2008. He takes on one of the camera men who turns out to be better at showboating than Ronaldo! I've got no idea how to put a link up here but I'm sure you'll find it on YouTube. Alternatively, the first 10 people to pm me their e-mails can have the e-mail forwarded to them.Comment
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Best since Best?
This one?
I think the "other guy" is actually a rather well known "freestyle" specialist.Comment
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Best since Best?
Tottenham Hotspur's Billy WingroveComment
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Best since Best?
Yup ua that's the one.
"I think the "other guy" is actually a rather well known "freestyle" specialist."
Oh, right then.Comment
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Best since Best?
I think Best was the better player. He did it against some of the best club sides in Europe (remember how he destroyed Benfica single handedly?) and has actually produced the goods in Europe as well as on the domestic stage.
So, until Ronaldo annihilates Barcelona, inspires United to European glory and turns up on Wogan completely plastered...Best will still be the better player...
Nothing against Ronnie, mind. I think he's class and makes a lot of players in the Premiership look like lumbering buffoons...which is always nice.Comment
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Best since Best?
There was something stylish about the way Best moved.
Ronaldo looks a bit too flash in comparison.
On Wogan
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Best since Best?
FFS, the greatest players in the world did a bit of showboating now and then. It's what makes them great. If CRonaldo was a Brazilian playing for Real Madrid, the English press would salivate about the great player and the fantastic things he can do with a ball. But he plays in England, so he's a showboating wanker. And talentless towers of lumber are considered national treasures. Butcher. Adams. Terry.
And quite right what dalliances says about respect.Comment
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Best since Best?
I could have guessed there was something like that, but not being in the UK, I am blissfully unaware of his surrounding celebrity.Yet his exploits on the pitch often seem no more than a background to the cult of celebrity that surrounds him, the designer bags and the Hollyoaks girlfriends.Comment
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Best since Best?
I really ought to love Christiano Ronaldo. For a tired old nostalgist like me his game ticks all the right boxes: he's a winger, he's got two great feet, he dribbles beautifully and can cross superbly and does everything at pace.
But like so many Ferguson-era players (Cantona, Keane, Ince, Ferdinand) the baggage he brings makes it so difficult to even admit admiration.
I think it was the goal 'celebration' against Derby the other week that put the final nail in the coffin. That ridiculously affected counting out of the chances squandered and the prima-donnish wipe of the brow. Gestures that said to all watching "Jesus, this is only Derby we're playing! It's taken us until the last quarter of the game to score against a team who shouldn't be on the same park as me. Can you imagine the embarrassment if I hadn't bailed you out of the shit again?".
It was a huge insult to a gallant Derby effort but Ronaldo wouldn't have given that a second thought. The cameras were on him and he needed to perform.
Workady players acting like tossers are ten a penny. Who cares what Barton or Bellamy get up to? But truly gifted players compromising their talent by their behaviour?
It makes you resent them even more.Comment
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Best since Best?
Nah, come on. Ronaldo's goal celebration was him saying "Fucking hell, at last. I've wasted one-two-three-four-five chances." It wasn't demeaning in any way to Derby. It was frustration at himself.Comment
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Best since Best?
And even if it wasn't, I'm not sure that would be enough for you to group him with a pair of thunder-cunts like Bellamy and Barton.Comment
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Best since Best?
I like the way he celebrates. EIM is surely right about the celebration against Derby. I like his face when he has scored an audacious goal; he sometimes looks like he can't believe he pulled it off.
I've not seen him rocking a Messiah-complex in goal celebrations, Thierry Henry-stylee.Comment
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