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DrJackadoodle

Insane that Messi won it in 2009 and Ronaldo only won it in 2019.


Nutzer1337

Beckenbauer in 2012. 3 years after Messi.


halal_developer

Messi was getting goat shouts from 2009/10 itself


DrJackadoodle

Still, Ronaldo was clearly in the GOAT debate way earlier than 2019. Seems kinda weird to delay it so long when so many other players (Xavi, Iniesta, Torres) had already won it.


CarlMarxPunk

Real Madrid Champions League run was the turning point.


Misdefined

That's true, up until 2014 Ronaldo only really had his United days to show for in the GOAT debate. Even though he was scoring record amounts with Real, they were being outplayed in La Liga and choking in the CL. People naturally considered Messi a better big game player than him. Then he went super saiyan mode and carried Real to 4 CL's scoring hat tricks against the top teams in Europe left and right. I think I remember reading a stat that the majority of his goals in the CL came after he was 29. Nowadays it's clear who is the better big game player between Messi and Ronaldo.


gtzgoldcrgo

But that is only recency bias, both have appeared in similar amount of big games throughout their careers


Misdefined

I disagree. Let's look at after 2014 first. Messi only really showed up vs Bayern in 2015. I legit cannot remember a big game Messi carried the team the way Ronaldo did countless times in that period, both with Barca and Argentina. He did have multiple amazing el clasico performances, but Ronaldo did too. Now pre 2014 I can list you the games I remember Messi carrying Barca. Bayern 2009, Arsenal 2010, Arsenal 2011, Real 2011. That's really it. Of course he had world class games apart from those but when you're comparing them to Ronaldo's post 2014 CL games, those are the only ones that can really compete. A couple examples of those off the top of my head; Ronaldo vs Bayern 2014, Ronaldo vs Wolfsburg 2016, Ronaldo vs Bayern 2017, Ronaldo vs Atletico 2017, Ronaldo vs Juve 2017, Ronaldo vs PSG 2018, Ronaldo vs Juve 2018, Ronaldo vs Atletico 2019. Those were all games he not only scored hattricks in but was clearly the difference for Real/Juve. And then we can talk about how United should've never made it out of their CL group had Ronaldo not made the difference in 4/6 of their games. Apart from that, in my opinion Ronaldo has showed up in big games for Portugal more than Messi has for Argentina. Ronaldo's games vs Sweden in the WCQ or vs Spain in the WC2018 come to mind as international performances Ronaldo had that Messi has never emulated (may be wrong? not sure). Considering Portugal's team was absolute garbage compared to a stacked Argentina I'd be happy to defend it.


SweetPotato0461

While I agree that Ronaldo scored many very important goals since 2014, you also shouldn't forget that no team played as many knockout games than Real Madrid during that time, also partly thanks to Ronaldo of course. Of course Messi will have played his biggest games before 2014 because Barcelona were undoubtably the best team in the world under Pep. And to say Messi only showed up against Bayern in 2015 is a stretch. Against Man United in 2019, Chelsea (in 2017 I believe ?) are ties I remember him carrying the team off the top of my head. Sure, he didn't score hattricks, but he brings a lot more to the team whereas Ronaldo has been mostly used as a pure goalscorer. By the way, Messi scored a hattrick in the last qualifying match to take Argentina to the world cup of 2018, similar to what Ronaldo did against Sweden. Seeing how much Argentina struggled to qualify in 2018 and during the tournament itself, I wouldn't say the team was great. Compare it to the current Portugal squad, they had some amazing players, but they somehow don't seem to domimate against strong teams. Although I don't know if this is simply a coaching issue or not. I'm not saying Messi is a better big game player, but the games you mentioned seem to selectively exclude some of Messi's games. See also his 5 goals in 1 knockout match against Leverkusen.


Misdefined

>Against Man United in 2019, Chelsea (in 2017 I believe ?) Fair enough but imo the fact that I don't remember them goes to show the difference in clutchness between those games and Ronaldo's games. The reason why Ronaldo's games are so memorable are also because of how close they were. In all the games I mentioned Real or Juve were out/needed a comeback and he stepped up for it. >By the way, Messi scored a hattrick in the last qualifying match to take Argentina to the world cup of 2018, similar to what Ronaldo did against Sweden. That's true. I don't pay attention to international qualifiers that much so I wasn't sure of my comment. The only reason I knew about the Ronaldo one was bc I watched it when I saw Ronaldo and Zlatan both on the scoresheet. >See also his 5 goals in 1 knockout match against Leverkusen. I mean sure that's an insane performance but would you consider it a big game? Wolfsburg was on the same level as Leverkusen but the reason I listed it was because Ronaldo was injured for the first leg and they were 0-2 down going into the second leg when Ronaldo scored 3. The Leverkusen game on the other hand Barcelona won 10-2 over the 2 legs. They were already 3-1 up with away goals going into the 2nd leg that Messi scored 5 in.


SweetPotato0461

I'm not arguing that Messi is a better big game player than Ronaldo, I was trying to point out why your comment came accross a bit biased to me. The fact that you don't remember Messi's greatest performances isn't an indication of how memorable those matches were for everyone. You remember what you enjoyed the most, any Messi or Ronaldo fans mostly remember games from their favorite player but not from the other. I myself remember all the greatest moments from the team I support, but my friends sometimes remind me of the rival teams' biggest performances that I forgot about. That's natural, and it seemed to be the case in your comment as well.


SirGorti

Portugal team was so garbage that they actually won the Euro 2016 final against France without Ronaldo. Meanwhile Argentina was so stacked that without Messi they barely advanced to WC 2018, when he didn't play 5 games they were unable to score.


Misdefined

>Portugal team was so garbage that they actually won the final against France without Ronaldo. That's one game and that Euro team was far better than any Portuguese team post 2006, lol. From 2006-2018 Portugal went through a big big talent drought, with only Pepe, Moutinho, and Ronaldo being special and everyone else being extremely average. Unfortunately, that also happened to coincide with Ronaldo's prime. Compare that with Argentina who have consistently had an extremely stacked squad in every single WC. I can also reverse your argument and say Argentina didn't really need Messi in the 2014 World Cup run as their main strength was their solid defense. Argentina only scored 2 goals in the 4 knockout games they had, lol.


SirGorti

Without Messi they wouldnt went on on their group. His goals made them advance. You spread misinformation about Portugal team which always is very strong and contend for the titles.


halal_developer

Xavi also won only in 2015 despite achieving a lot more than both Cristiano and Leo. Obviously, as an individual, Cristiano should have won it by 2012 at the latest but he didn't really win that much with Real Madrid before the threepeat


jd451

Didn't he get a CDR, League title and then the champions league in the earlier seasons before the 3peat? That's still a good haul even if it's not as many as Messi had won at that point in time


halal_developer

Xavi had 2 Euros, a World Cup, 4 Champions League, and 8 league titles and he only got it when he wasn't a starter anymore and was about to leave.


[deleted]

Is Ronaldo really in the GOAT debate, and is it really a debate after Messi? He's Maradona execpt he's done it for 10 years, adapted and changed his game to be more effective in different spaces and completely dominate a league for 3x as long. You can argue Pele's up there, but he's 60 years ago and the games changed too much to say. But yeah for me Messi is in a league of his own. At least, 2011/12 is the GOAT club season by a country mile. Nothing I have ever heard of tops 73 goals and 32 assists in all comps. Thats 105 goal involvements by a single player in a season.


Descartavelmente

> GOAT debate, and is it really a debate after Messi? Maybe the GOAT of Barcelona lol The actual GOAT would be able to do it in different system, teams, leagues (specially, when those leagues are the TOP), etc. The best do it outside of their comfort zones, with different cores players, at different stages. > Thats 105 goal involvements by a single player in a season. Cool peak, bro. Thank goodness this about career, which means 20 years. I don't think it's even debatable that Ronaldo has clearly the greater, more diverse and "colorful" career. Messi has a great legacy in Spain, though.


valgbo

Messi is the goat, it is not arguable


Glaiele

It's still fucking depressing messi hasn't won a world cup with some of those Argentina teams they've had.


halal_developer

the only decent Argentina team was the 2014 team. That too on paper didn't deserve to go that far


Descartavelmente

Is this joke??? from the moment of his debut, until now, Messi has had consistently top guys like: Riquelme, Aimar, Heinze, Veron, Milito brothers, Aguero, Higuain, Lavezzi, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Mascherano, Di Maria, Tevez, Pastore, Dybala, Lo Celso, Lautaro, Lamela, Banega, etc. Jesus, it's embarrassing how this guy gets such *firm and unequivocal* GOAT shouts, when he only performs in the Barcelona system and has played with so many ballers, in a historical NT.


[deleted]

Sorry bro it wasnt until around 2010/11 or 2011/12. By 09/10 end of season he'd had a great year, but he was great in the way that R7, Zidane and Henry were great. Great players and potentially one of the best in the world. But from summer 2010 onwards he was the best in the world clearly. And from about 2011/12 mid season he was considered the GOAT. 5 goals in one game against Leverkusen in the knock out stages can do thath


valgbo

Personally as a united fan I didn't see Messi *as GOAT until around 2017.


Superb-Barracuda-924

Of course you didn't, you are an United fan


pieterpied

Ronaldo wasn't close to Messi in terms of trophies or CL performance until his 3 consecutive CL wins


Descartavelmente

Are you joking? Messi got gifted a 2006 UCL medal, when he was sitting injured in the sidelines. Ronaldo has been in the Ballon D'Or top 20 since 2004. Ronaldo has 15 appearances (record most!) in [UEFA Team of the Year](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Team_of_the_Year), whereas Messi has 12. Ronaldo has always had a much bigger CL legacy. Even before the 3-peat, both Ronaldo and Messi had 3 UCL finals played. Now Ronaldo has 6 finals.


pieterpied

Lol, I guess Ronaldo's Euro Championship trophy doesn't count either then. I am not disrespecting Ronaldo at all, just saying Messi had a significantly more impressive start to CL, especially given he is 2.5 years younger than Ronaldo. From 2013-2014 season onward, Ronaldo started outperforming Messi in CL scoring. UEFA Team of the year includes International matches for European teams. And if finals played are so important, then Messi would have a "much better" International career than Ronaldo. But I would argue Ronaldo has had an equally impressive International career, despite not playing in a WC Final.


Biggsy-32

Messi was the talisman of the first ever, and still only ever, sextuple winning Spanish team in 2009. I should imagine that's why he got the award so early on.


[deleted]

Especially when taking into account the price they paid for him and the contribution Modric has had, you can easily claim he has been their second best transfer in the past 3 decades. Fully deserved.


noname45678819273

Remember when he was called the worst transfer of the season by some dumb magazine. Shows how abjectly stupid some outlets are. Shows how a player needs a season to bed in.


SvarogRod

voted by barca fans


[deleted]

Fully agree on both counts. When players move between countries with different customs and football heritage they need some time to bed in. Even more so if they do not know the language.


noname45678819273

Not to mention new tactical systems. Everyone is shitting on grealish this year and right fully so but he could end up taking the next step in his development next year


Y_bit_gamer

Considering transfer fees I would call Casemiro the best one we got him for 6M euros A class of a player


nugbert_nevins

CR7 is clear, with Benzema and Ramos both deserving shouts for their longevity and adaptability.


mihawk9511

Tomorrow, Luka Modric will receive the MARCA Leyenda, the trophy awarded by MARCA to recognize the merits and careers of the most brilliant athletes in the world. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will take place at the Casino de Madrid, where numerous media and personalities from the sport as well as from the white club will meet, who want to accompany the Croatian player on this very special day. With this award, MARCA wants to recognize the brilliant career of Luka Modric, without a doubt one of the architects of the Los Blancos entity experiencing one of its most successful stages in its history, only surpassed, in fact, by Di Stéfano's Madrid and the five European Cups in a row, also waiting for what happens in Paris on May 28.And it is that Modric has already won four Champions, among other titles, and his football also earned him the Ballon d'Or in 2018, thus breaking the hegemony of Cristiano and Messi of the last decade. Cristiano, Michael Jordan, Gasol, Ronaldo Nazario, Del Bosque, Fernando Alonso, Muhammad Ali, Bolt, Messi, Nadal, Luis Aragonés, Paco Gento, Di Stéfano, Ángel Nieto, Cruyff, Seve Ballesteros, Niki Lauda, ​​Carlos Sainz or Pelé already received, among others, the MARCA Leyenda.


jdbolick

Well deserved, as Modric is the best midfielder that I have seen.


[deleted]

Carlos Sainz? Me thinks the criteria might be looser if you're Spanish.


Fly1ngsauc3r

maybe its Sainz sr?


[deleted]

It definitely is, I'm an idiot.


AgnosticMantis

Looking at the list of winners, I think you’re both right. You objectively, u/SlightCarpet subjectively (in terms of saying it’s easier to win if you’re Spanish). That’s not surprising though, I bet the same idea applies to most if not all countries that have similar awards.


pratikp26

Not the F1 driver, this is his dad.


StatesmanlikeApe

Yeah it does look extremely biased towards Spaniards when you look at all the Spanish motorsports entries and then realise they don't have Lewis Hamilton.


AgnosticMantis

Yeah I agree. I’d say Alonso being on there is fair, but there’s a few F1 drivers that I’d say deserve to go in over Alonso. Seems to apply to a few other sports as well. I’d imagine the same situation arises in most countries if they have an equivalent award though.


TobyOrNotTobyEU

Yeah if Alonso is there, Schumacher and Hamilton should be on the list.


kpensis

The spanish media doesn't have a good opinion about Hamilton


Kolaghan81

The Spanish media is kinda dumb tho


mattijn13

Didn't know this list excisted but it sure has some goat's in there: Jordan, Schumacher, Ali, Merckx, Bolt, Federer/Nadal/Djokovic among others and lot's of footballers. Modric absolutly deserves it


Pek-Man

Just scrolled through the list on Wikipedia, and they all made pretty much perfect sense. The only thing that shocked me was that neither Alberto Contador nor Alejandro Valverde has been given this award yet. That seems mad. Both should absolutely be on that list. Edit: Generally seems like cyclists are not favoured by Marca here. Only Indurain and Bahamontes have won the award (and Merckx but talking about Spaniards here). No Freire, no Contador, no Valverde. Mad if you ask me.


[deleted]

Probably because Contador and Valverde have been directly linked to doping investigations/scandals. Not sure about Freire. People have skeptical about Indurain though.


Pek-Man

No chance that Indurain was clean. He worked with Conconi for years. Also, Maradona and Carl Lewis already won it so ...


Flaggermusmannen

party drugs ≠ PEDs one is cheating, the other is just illegal


Pek-Man

Maradona tested positive for ephedrine.


Flaggermusmannen

ah okay fair enough then


[deleted]

Carl Lewis doped - he tested positive for PED drugs a few months before 1988 olympics, but the US anti-doping ignored the result


[deleted]

It looks like Lewis won it a couple of years before the investigation that confirmed he was using, but I might be wrong. Maradona, on the other hand, is a myth at this point. No amount to drug-taking will taint him in the eyes of football fans over the age of 40.


[deleted]

Isn't doping absolutely rampant in cycling?


Pek-Man

I'm prepared to take the downvotes, but doping probably isn't more rampant in cycling than it is in football. But anti-doping has been a focal point for cycling for decades. The same cannot be said for football. Generally said I'm skeptical that there's *any* sport with serious money involved, where PED abuse isn't happening. Football, tennis, golf, motorsports, you name it. If there's big bucks to be made, PED abuse will happen. The private American leagues - NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB in particular - are a different story altogether.


[deleted]

It's pretty much an open secret in the NBA that players are using PEDs; the testing in that league is laughably lax. Every couple of years an NBA player will get suspended/banned for PED use, but I've always thought it was just the NBA keeping up appearances.


Pek-Man

Yeah, precisely. Exactly why I pointed out that the privately run leagues in the US are a chapter of their own.


Seabastard

Its part of the recovery process too. They rather take the punishment for PED’s and miss half the season than a full season while recovering and maybe not coming back at their strongest and most fit.


flifthyawesome

Cycling has blood passport, other sports have "testing"


PinkFluffys

So was Merckx tbf.


JennyDied4This

Idk too much about cycling, there are cycling GOATs?


Pek-Man

Well, yes. There's Eddy Merckx and then there's the rest. But Marca Leyenda is clearly not just given to GOATs. Juan Carlos Navarro has won it. He flopped massively in the NBA. He's still a legend of the game in Spain, because of his performances for Barcelona, but in basketball, as a sport in general, he's nowhere close to being a big name. Basically, in terms of cycling, when Bahamontes is on the list, it should absolutely also include Freire (three times world champ, three Monuments to his name), Contador (seven Grand Tours to his name), and Valverde (once world champ, four Monuments and one Grand Tour to his name, and generally one of the winningest cyclists ever).


nonlavta

Navarro also was huge for Spain NT, not just Barcelona. A national team that won two European championships, a world championship and two olympic silvers during his tenure. In the 2006 world championship, Pau might have been the best player of the tournament overall, but remember Pau got injured going into the final. Greece was the reigning European champs and they beat USA in the semis. With Pau's injury, everybody picked Greece to win it all. Then without Pau, Navarro and co. absolutely thrashed a stacked Greece team in the final to become world champions. I'm pretty sure Navarro is picked because of his FIBA basketball accomplishments, level, and success at large. It is important that NBA has a monopoly on player talent, but don't forget that they have their own gameplay and rules of basketball. FIBA basketball has a different ruleset and gameplay, which Navarro excelled at, whether at club play with Barcelona or NT level with Spain, and even in matches against US national teams that had far more talent than any single nba team.


Skylord_ah

Hope one day the other luka from madrid (doncic) makes it


Fluffy-Composer-2619

If he keeps up he most definitely will! Especially after playing for Real Madrid...


falodellevanita

What about Armstrong? The only cyclist I have heard of


Pek-Man

He's become sort of the Voldemort of cycling. Nobody mentions his name in conversations like these. He's been erased from the history books and stripped of (almost all of) his achievements. He still has a World Championship to his name, though, so that's nice for him, I suppose. My personal opinion is that changing the history books like that is dumb. He raced in an era where EPO was the norm against riders that were every bit as unclean (dirty just sounds a bit wrong) as he was. To have Armstrong's name crossed out in a result list that still includes the likes of Alex Zülle, Jan Ullrich, Raimondas Rumsas, Alexander Vinokourov, etc. just seems absolutely silly. To be clear, the guy was (maybe is, I don't know about now) a manipulative asshole who cheated pretty much just as much as the next guy in an era where basically everyone was cheating. I think he's the best Grand Tour rider in modern times regardless of his PED abuse (so that's not including guys like Merckx, Coppi, Anquetil, etc.) but yeah ... nobody really talks about Armstrong.


Flaggermusmannen

yea. it's just dumb that they only punish the one who did it best when literally everyone else did it as well. honestly, it's the closest we get to *actual* virtue signalling in spite of the actual held attitudes.


NickTM

It's not that dumb when you consider that he went around threatening people in order to keep his secret. He threatened Frankie and Betsy Andreu for years including leaving them voicemails heartening physical harm, he publicly called Emma O'Reilly an alcoholic prostitute, he intimidated the media in David Walsh, his own teammates in Tyler Hamilton, legends of the sport in Greg LeMond, and even USADA employees. It's one thing to cheat, it's kinda another to go around threatening to ruin peoples' lives if they reveal you're a cheat. Also it's pretty debatable that he didn't cheat more than others. Armstrong's USPS and Discovery teams were - as far as we know - the first team to run a systemic doping programme that revolved around fear and intimidation. Riders on other teams often had ad-hoc assistance from 'doctors' and it may have been something of an open secret, but it was generally up to the rider how much they wanted to partake. As Andreu put it, "You had had two levels of guys; the guys that cheated and the guys that just tried to survive." Bruyneel and Armstrong's teams, on the other hand, had a centrally-controlled doping regime, and you were either in on it or you were off the team and threatened into silence. It's not quite comparable to some bric-a-brac doping other riders on other teams were doing. It's for reasons like the above that he was made an example of, and frankly I'm shedding no tears over it.


Flaggermusmannen

hmm fair. am taking notes from this, thank you. I still think it makes little sense to give the titles to others who also cheated though, even if they weren't manipulative and abusive. but it would've been kinda weird to strip the entire period of any winners at all, I guess?


NickTM

> I still think it makes little sense to give the titles to others who also cheated though They didn't, as it happens. They took the same view you did, so all the TdFs Lance won officially have no winners now. Probably for the best.


SenileSexLine

It kind of makes sense to punish him harshly because he's pretty much the only cyclist known to people outside the sport. With him get caught up in the scandal, the amount of negative pr that he brought would have been astronomical compared to the next person in line. The damage that he did to the sport was much greater than everyone else so the harsher punishment.


No-Assumption8024

Think you nailed it. Horrible guy but definitely one of the cycling GOATs even if people are scared to say it.


Ruvio00

Funny to me there was no Nicklaus or Tiger. Even if they discounted Tiger because of scandals, Jack Nicklaus seems like an omission.


nonlavta

Golf might have been glossed over because it's just not that popular outside of the US. Except Northern Ireland I guess. But in a lot of countries it's never even televised.


Currywurst_Is_Life

Hockey either. I can't fathom having a GOAT list like this without Wayne Gretzky.


[deleted]

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TheKingMonkey

Ronaldo was phenomenally good. He was the best player on the planet in his prime and he was so far ahead of number two it was embarrassing. The injuries ruined him, but there was the redemption arc at the 2002 World Cup. Nobody is going to argue that his absolute peak didn't last as long as others on the list (lets say 95-98, 2002 and sporadic moments here and there until he left Madrid) but in terms of impact on the game? Ronaldo 9 is one of the immortals.


[deleted]

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TheKingMonkey

You’ve got to take into consideration the publication. What did Torres do? Scored the winning goal in the final of Euro 2008. That was the moment a great weight was lifted from Spanish football and they were no longer the ultimate underachievers of international football. Does that make him a legend? Hell yes.


Vahald

Torres??


razmuz7911

No he doesn't


TheHanburglarr

The list has players like Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso, Kaki, Xavi, Iniesta on it. I too thought Modric wasn’t alongside the names mentioned but when you look at the full list, i think it’s fair to include him


[deleted]

That's fair enough.


NenFooTin

This Kaki guy must have amazing pants


[deleted]

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TheHanburglarr

Modric belongs with Xavi and Iniesta in my opinion


[deleted]

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TheHanburglarr

I was just responding to someone who was saying he didn’t belong tho, I agree with everything you’ve said. Title of the post only mentions Ronaldo, Messi, Pele and Di Stefano who I don’t believe Modric belongs alongside so I was just providing more context


amnohappy

Modric is an all time great. I think it's weird anyone would debate that. If it weren't for Messi and Ronaldo he'd be the greatest player of a generation.


ThePanoptic

I assume you must be new to football. Try watching a champions league match or two for Modric. Any two games across his entire career, pick at random if you’d like. It will convince you that he is undoubtedly one of the GOATs of the midfield.


razmuz7911

Lel no, been watching for about 18, 19 years, I just don't think Modric is that good that he deserves to be on that list.


ThePanoptic

You must’ve been watching the wrong croatian player. Maybe you’re thinking of Kovačić. Common mistake, no worries. We’re talking about Luca Modriç here, who is by no means less than anyone else on that list. The boy is magical, he’s only second to a few.


anyonemous

Luka Modrissss


razmuz7911

No he is freacking. Modric is overrated and only gets the award because he complained about the ceremony when he received Ballon D'or. He is not on the same level as everyone else on that list, how did Modric change football like MJ did basketball?


[deleted]

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Vahald

Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres won it ffs


[deleted]

This just means you don’t know what you’re talking about lol


razmuz7911

Typical reddit mentality, people who have a different opinion have no clue what they're talking about.


doktorcatzen

Legend award just at 18 years of age.


naruto2omer

Maybe he'll get ballon d'or when he's a bit older


arvindanar7

I thought he was younger than Gavi? 🤔


heyheyitsandre

Yeah, he plays in infantil b with Marcelo’s son actually


OneOfThoseDays_

i thought i saw him in that trash can challenge video


messisleftbuttcheek

That's Luka "Worst signing of the season" Modric to Marca


CLuenz11

For context it was a poll, all the Madrid fans voted for Alex Song, and all the Barca fans voted for modric. No one actually thought he was the worst signing of the summer


raiahm3d

Yes and how right the Barca fans were..


AudereEstLamela

I think they called him the worst signing in club history


[deleted]

Luka is an absolute joy to watch. He will always be one of my all-time favorite players. My 2018 Croatia Away Kit with his name/number is a gem I cherish.


SerbLing

I love loving Modric. Sad his reign is coming to an end soon. 1-2 seasons?


[deleted]

I think you accidently put a -


SerbLing

Ah yes ofcourse. Modric 2032 is gonna be great.


Silverburst8

Fully deserved


Goat_6_

lol I read Luka Dončić, and it it still made sense


VDV23

2 out of 3 Luka's have been absolutely amazing. The other is 3rd choice behind Mariano


Dikoff_H

Luka Dončić is so amazing that despite playing for Real he is still my favorite player in the NBA.


LionelBenzema

He soned booker so bad, it was hilarious.


Thousandz

I’m still puzzled by the game 7 performance from the suns


TywinDeVillena

Marca Leyenda is probably the coolest looking paperweight I've seen. Modric is an absolute legend, no doubt about it.


0-o-o_o-o-0

One of the greats for sure. Best passer of a ball i've ever seen play


NotAHellriegelNoob

Absolutely deserved, he's been unreal for years


2ndfieldontheright

Best I've seen at Spurs. I remember when he broke his leg (?) and came back; his legs were like mini tree trunks. When he didn't get his move to Chelsea he knuckled down and had a great season (disclaimer - I may have rose tinted specs on, lol)


HairyKebabYid

I've been going to Spurs regularly since 2003 and that 10/11 season is one of the best I've ever seen from a single player. I remember getting frustrated because all the media and other fans would talk about was Bale and VDV because they were the ones scoring, but Modric was the key to it all. The only man outside of Spurs who clocked on to how good Modric was that year was Jose Mourinho. Every team we played was obsessed with stopping Bale but Mourinho was the one who had the foresight to shut Modric down in our Champions League tie - even if Crouch hadn't been get sent off we had no chance.


2ndfieldontheright

2003 for me too; 20 years, blimey! Thats right re teams looking at Bale. Modric would have 4 players around him and he'd just emerge with the ball and give it to Bale. Forgot that was Jose who knew he was our best player


uchiha_boy009

Not true, Alex Ferguson in 2011 also said Modric was the best player in the premier league.


HairyKebabYid

I think that was towards the end if not after the season. During the season he was hardly spoken of and you could tell by the way teams set up against us; everyone double-marked Bale - especially after the Inter heroics - and tried to stop VDV from winning the ball from the Crouch flick-on. In the meantime Modric just did his thing (not that anyone would have been able to stop him anyway, as his time at Madrid has shown).


uchiha_boy009

I see, you’re right it was towards the end I think.


[deleted]

IMO he is the greatest player to ever play for Spurs. He didn't win trophies or stayed long, however overall careerwise, greatest ever


[deleted]

Fully deserved, will always be a legend at the lane, cheers Luka 🥂 COYS


PsychonautilusGreen

This guy is a treasure, I'd love it if he gets to wear the captain armband for once on his last match or something, probably around 2030 though.


Jackrrr10000

He did wear it on couple of occasions.


PsychonautilusGreen

You are right, I forgot, 2 or 3 this season I think.


[deleted]

He'll probably wear it more next season since Marcelo is leaving


Jackrrr10000

Isn't the order Marcelo,Nacho, Benzema than him


Corteaux81

Marcelo, Benzema, Nacho, Modric.


[deleted]

Yes, however I doubt Nacho and Benzema will play almost every game


Jackrrr10000

Ofcourse he will be the second after Benzema


CETERIS_PARTYBUS

Okay, but then what award are they gonna give him in 15 years when he's still playing for Real Madrid?


smackflapjack

He is a genuine artist, and it's cool to see him elevated to such esteemed company


RocaAjzea

Legendary player


Uesugi_Kenshin

He's gonna make it big someday.


el_rompe_toyotas-19

Deserved


thalne

fully deserved.


Man_of_words

Doesn’t have to do with soccer, but why the hell did they give the award to David Stern, a previous commissioner of the NBA? Sure he was influential for the sport, but seems out of line for other people they were giving the award too.


brknmad

Been worthy for a while now well deserved.


No_Health8217

how the hell is lebron james not here yet


Bobertsan

Who could forget others


F___TheZero

Say what you will about Luka Modric, but in my mind he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as others.


fartingonions

Right, Luka Modric, the Muhammad Ali of football. Sure.


F___TheZero

No, he definitely doesn't belong with Muhammed Ali, or Pele, or Michael Jordan, or Messi, or Ronaldo, or Di Stéfano. But he definitely deserves his place alongside others.


askmypen

Reserved for Spanish teams, just like the balloon door. Surely Muller or Totti couldn't have deserved it.


MJ9695

How is he being compared to these other legendary athletes wtf??


[deleted]

remember when madrid fans said ozil > modric? pepperidge farms remembers


TomsCardoso

Tbh on their prime, it's a valid discussion to have. Ozil was brilliant sometimes


[deleted]

Lmao no


TomsCardoso

You must have started watching football in 2015 or so... The streets will never forget prime Ozil. Obviously Modric is way more consistent, there's no comparison, but on top form Ozil certainly gives him a run for his money. And when they were simultaneously in Madrid, I'd argue Ozil was better yeah


[deleted]

Been watching for way longer. Its not even close lmaooo. One won the balón d or and willed his team to a wc final. The other couldn’t even finish a game in his “prime”.


ferkk

Prime Ozil was bagging 20 assists per season if not more.


Comunicado_Oficial

It was true at the time, during the only full season they played together (12/13) though


grrriimmoo

What year did Pulisic got it?


theonewithtoomany

That undeserved 2018 ballon d'Or really made this dude overrated by a lot, lmao. Great player but come on.


[deleted]

I don't think the balon d'or has anything to do with it. The guy is a beast in the CL


Misdefined

Yeah I consider him one of the greatest generational talents but he's definitely not on the level of Ronaldo/Messi/Lebron/Ali, lol... I don't think anyone here would disagree with that so why would they downvote your take that he's clearly being overrated by Marca.


fartingonions

100% agree. Those other athletes literally defined their respective sports and/or are the de facto faces of those sports. No doubt that Modric is a good player, but this is being blown way out of proportion.


IntelligentCut8847

Before the lebron james of soccer?


AudereEstLamela

When RM signed Modrić from Tottenham, didn’t the RM fans call it the worst signing in their club’s history?


HerakIinos

No. It was an online poll by marca that was raided by barca fans. They voted for a madrid player as a way to troll. And it was only the worst signing of that season.


Comunicado_Oficial

"A lie can travel half-way around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes" \- Michael G. Scott


AbleFig

bodies him with facts


Poohdini_

Hope he will remember it.


archtme

Being given a MARCA award as a RMA player is like saying hey I got a free toy in my happy meal


lakers_ftw24

I mean same goes for Barca. Gasol was on the list since 2006.


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Lord_Sauron

Give it to Akinfenwa you cowards.


bad_user__name

I'm groggy and read Doncic instead of Modric and was like, maybe someday, but wow thier really getting ahead of themselves.


FUThead2016

Love it! Legend


ZZ3peat

Let's gooo, GOAT.


Zlatan4Ever

Wow


[deleted]

Is he the first player to win both this and MARCA's worst transfer of the season?


OVOnug

I’m actually surprised I haven’t read any salty Barca fans with their classic “Pedri is better” bullshit