Got to agree, it was f*cking pathetic all night, he really annoys me so much whenever he plays in big games. I have no problem with the penalty miss, anyone could have done that but it was his overall attitude, every time he'd lose the ball he started crying, flailing his arms about and complaining to his team mates, he constantly lost the ball yet never once tracked back either. I know thats not in his nature but its a Champions League semi final and players need to step up and do whats required. There was one incident in the first half when Tevez lost the ball, Barca broke forward & Eto'o got through on goal but who was back to make a last ditch tackle...Carlos Tevez. I know thats being extremely critical of Ronaldo after the season he's had but if he wants to be classed as one of the greatest players of all time then he needs to show it in the big games.

I was proved right about all the Messi lovers, Ronaldo has scored over 60 goals in a year and has performed against big teams like Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Roma and Lyon. He's top scorer in the Champions League also which is supposed to be the biggest club competition in the world, is that not a big stage? All that and Messi gives an above average against Man United and he's suddenly better then Ronaldo ? Don't make me laugh. Ronaldo will dominate Barca next week. Iniesta = diver.

have you finished licking his ar$e. ronaldo is the best player in the world but he doesnt do it on the big stage as much as messi does. messi scored three against real madrid last year, played great against Chelsea a few times and was best player the other night. they are just about the biggest games hes played in. while ronaldo has went missing in the manchester derbies this season. i thought ronaldo only had 40 goals (still loads) this season?? wheres 60 come from??
and how can you call iniesta a diver when ronaldo does the same,

Well, ive tried debating with you several times in the past but with no real luck but ill give it one more go. Basically, what im saying is that Ronaldo has had a great season, nobody on the planet can deny that. 40 odd goals in a single season is an unbelievable achievement at any level. But to even mention his name at this stage as the best player ever is extremely ignorant, disrespectful to many past players and just laughable really. If he keeps up this sort of scoring record for another five or six seasons then he might deserve a mention but I still think he needs to add more to his game regardless.

Its not his performances that I or many others that complain about him have a problem with, he consistently scores in the Premiership and in Europe but its his attitude on and off the pitch as well as all the overblown hype he receives thats the problem and the main reason people are turned off him. As I explained above, take last night as an example, fair enough the whole team were poor going forward but he just cried and moaned like a little girl all night. Rooney and Tevez were poor going forward as well but were constantly helping out at the back and closing down Barca while Ronaldo was on his knees crying in the other half.

Despite this pathetic performance he still gets most of the media attention the next day, fair enough a lot of it was because of the penalty miss but there was plenty more than that in the papers and on Sky Sports. Paul Scholes had a great game, never gave away the ball and won it back more than any other player and even got special praise from Fergie after the game but still its Ronaldo that gets all the special attention. Hes a great selling point for Sky Sports as well so theyre afraid to criticise him, Souness at least gave out about his behaviour but it was nothing compared to Dunphy and Giles on RTE. People just swallow up all this hype and are blinded by his many faults.

You can say that im being overly critical of him but if he wants to seriously be considered as a great player then he should have to reach exceptionally high standards and become a model professional. Look at people like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and to use a comparable example - Paul Scholes, theyre all great players but also have real class and professionalism.

In short, yes hes one of the best in the world right now but a million miles from the greatest ever

Great post Conal

Could not agree more remember how good ronaldhino used to be as well as players like weah.....not to say ronaldhino wont be great once more.... all it takes is a dip in form or a couple of niggling injuries to through ronaldo off balance.....also agreed his attitude is deplorable slapping his thighs at every opportunity, i dont understand he is a born athlete so why does'nt he just get up and help the team. CRYING BIIITTCH

how fast lots of you judge him pathetic just because of the match at 'nou camp'?.. even if he managed to score with the pk.. i doubt there'd be nice words written about him either.. enough is enough..



this's getting more ridiculous as he's always compared to everyone that plays better or less better than him.. i wouldn't say anything bad about messi as from what i saw in the match.. he's one of good players in his team.. but to keep him in the state of comparison against everyone's laughable.. first they both play in different leagues.. mind you.. where's barca stuck in the la liga table at the moment?.. wouldn't you care to consider it too?.. and why the heck would you blame fergie for his attitude?.. it's such a nonsense that he's got to be responsible for everything.. he's set his own rules for the players and as you can see.. he won't feel bad to give punishment to those who break them..

flipper this is the 'how far is ronaldo off being the best ever' thread. Therefore we have to compare him with players from different leagues and different generations. The reason we are comparing him with messi in this game is because this game was arguably ronaldos and messi's biggest game they have played in. And just like everyone says ronaldo didnt play like anyone that can be compared with past greats. No one can say ronaldo is special, but he has a long way to go to be compared with others...

Differerent generations? Can you compare Pele to Ronaldo? I sure cant i aint old enough "22" to have seen him play. So what generation do we compare him to? Like Maradona how many people seen him play and remember it?

eh?
For anyone to say ronaldo is GREATEST EVER! he has to be compared to pele and other greats. you cant just compare him with players of the last 10years and come out with the statement saying he is greatest ever. are you kidding me?

Can YOU say pele is better than Ronaldo if you have only ever seen we bits on tv of pele?

yes i can. look at all the records pele has. ronaldo has only been playing special for one year. and plus i could name a few better then ronaldo that i have seen play.

ok wait he has these records pele. well done to him.

But my question is have YOU ever seen pele play?

Seedorf has the most Champions Leagues medals with 4 different clubs. Pele did not do this

thats like sayin... neville has won more league titles then ronaldo
we all know whos better.

2 different players and positions. Cant compare in my opinion

Wait a minute. It dosnet matter if anyone here hasnt seen Pele play. We've seen much better players than Ronaldo over the last 10-15 years. Zidane,Romario,Ronldo(Brazil)Maldini,Hagi etc... I'm sure Ronaldo wouldnt even make it into the top 100 players of all time never mind being the best of all time.

Football is a team game. Seedorf winning the Champions League with four different clubs merely shows he is good enough to be in the very best sides... but then so were the other 10 players.

I hate it when people use medals to compare players.

I kind of see what you're saying G, but have you ever seen Seedorf play?

Like Seedorf, like Ronaldo, like Pele, like a lot of world class players you and I have probably only seen them play on TV apart from possibly the odd game.

So you can compare players, to a degree anyway, from different era's.

Ronaldo's a great player, but until he influences a major tournament like Pele, Maradona and a few others did, then he can't be mentioned in the same bracket in my opinion.

I have seen Seedorf play more times than Pele. But that was not my point. He said what pele has won yet i have said seedorf has done more but dosnt make him a better player.

Can You tho compare Pele to Ronaldo? I have seen pele on videos. im only 22.

Interesting comments one and all. So to discuss is Ronaldo a great player? The answer of course he is. Is he the greatest player ever? The ansewr quite simply is no. Potentially he could be if he were to perform in the same vein for the next 6 or 7 years as thats what it would take. The true test would be just what legacy he leaves after he has long finished playing. Players such as Eusebio, Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Weah, Zico, Revellino, Puskas, Van Basten, Charlton (Bobby), Moore (Bobby), Platini, Zidane, Maldini, Di Stefano. There aare plenty more that could go in this list so my aplogies to anyone offended by my omissions, but i think those in the know would catch my drift.

These players left a legacy to be remembered for all time and would be classed as great in any era of the beautiful game. I suggest that those not familiar with any of the above names do a little research that im sure will leave them with a better definition of the term greatest. Ronaldo, not even close at this point im afraid.