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Today’s Football 2021/22 Season

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Chris O'Connor said:
Tbh it's world cup finals tournament that matters far more and Ronaldo does score some great goals even in recent memory.

Up until very recently indeed Messi had won nothing at all with Argentina then. Tbh with Covid etc I'm not sure how much kudos should be given to even his recent win.
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Ronaldo is undoubtedly an all-time great. However, if we are to look closely at his goalscoring record that is now in the news, the truth is he has never scored in the knockout stages of the World Cup, the ultimate business end of international football. This is not a big deal, but when your World Cup goals have come against Iran, North Korea, Ghana, and Morocco - save a sensational hat-trick in a group game with a genuine powerhouse, Spain - and the media are heralding your record as something truly extraordinary, then I think we need to look a little bit more behind the headlines and admit that the vast majority of the great man's goals have come against relative minnows in an era where there are more minnows in international football than ever before, or in qualification matches which have become ever-more meaningless. They still have to be scored, of course, and he deserves every credit. But he's no Gerd Müller, Pele, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Ronaldo or Zinedine Zidane in the big World Cup match scoring stakes - all of whom scored in World Cup semi-finals and finals, sometimes in multiples.They did play for Brazil, Germany, and France, though, so they were always likely to be present more often at the business end. I suppose all I'm saying is that Ronaldo's new record is not really required evidence in determining his greatness. We know he's great.

As for Messi, winning the Copa America against Brazil in Brazil - COVID or no COVID - is likely the crowning glory of a stellar career. Unless he gets a record seventh Ballon D'Or, of course, which is quite likely according to the bookies. Two wonderful players.
 
Drico said:
Argentina won the Copa America this summer with Messi - and made a World Cup final with him. Great player, Ronaldo, but his all-time international goalscoring record is for the birds, really. He doesn't have many goals in World Cup knockout rounds.
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He's got about 50 goals against Latvia and Malta. It's a great achievement still but proper context is needed.
 

Toast said:
Aye, looks like he was scoffing too much Italian food whist at Juve.
Proper let himself go. Shame.

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Obviously I can see why that comment i made looks a bit misplaced. However throughout the whole game he was poor until the final few minutes. Yes he did the most important thing and scored to win the game. But he was up against a very average Ireland side.

I think it's a concern for Man Utd that again him and Bruno Fernandes lined up in a struggling team as when Bruno came off it was on the back of Ireland missing a sitter to go two goals up. Ronaldo too often was coming deep to start attacks and that was to the detriment of Bruno because Ronaldo would keep losing it or do a sloppy piece of play.

Solskjaer will need to ensure that Ronaldo doesn't do this for Man Utd but I would imagine he probably will and that will be to the detriment of their best player in the last 2 and a half seasons.

Finally I actually feel Ronaldo is the best player ever, so I am not anti Ronaldo. But clearly he is not the player he was, yes he will have glimpses of magic still. But I just can't see him being the all action striker Man Utd need. He will be more like what Ibrahimovic offered for a few seasons. Which wasn't particularly what they need or are looking for.
 
England have a very tough game tonight. Will be interested to see the starting 11. Wouldn’t mind seeing Grealish and Bellingham start
 

He's got about 15 months to the World Cup to relax with the Phillips and Rice combo. Grealish in the XI. It took 3 City games to change the perception.
 
Billy Dean said:
England have a very tough game tonight. Will be interested to see the starting 11. Wouldn’t mind seeing Grealish and Bellingham start
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You got half your wish. ;)

To be fair, I'm not against playing 2 DMs in the tougher away games.

How has Bellingham started the German season?
 

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