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The Footie Thread

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Hobbit said:
Ronaldo; why did he leave Utd in 2009? Utd were, arguably, the best in Europe at that time. Was the Prem too hard for him? He scored significantly more goals per game at Madrid than he did for Utd… Did Utd’s dressing room contain too many stars compared to Madrid’s?

Maybe the Madrid move was a cultural thing for him but I thought it was a backward step.
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Seriously? I do think the Prem is the toughest league (as in the worst teams are better than the worst teams in the other leagues) but Real Madrid and Barca will always be two of the biggest clubs in the world that all the top players want to play for. He won four Champions Leagues there. The increase in goals can be attributed to a couple of things. He played right midfield in a 4-4-2 for most of his United career, especially for the first few years when he was very young and hadn't fully developed into his prime yet. When he went to Madrid he was now in his prime, plus he started playing left wing in a 4-3-3, so more advanced, able to cut inside and shoot at will rather than being asked to put crosses in in the 4-4-2 system.
 
Hobbit said:
Portugal isn’t Spain, and for a number of reasons the Portuguese don’t always get on with Spain. There’s an outstanding issue over sovereignty on the Portuguese Spanish border that the UN have long since ruled on which Spain has chosen to ignore.

He obviously preferred Real Madrid but in footballing terms, at that time, I felt it was a backward step.
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You are right. But I don't know what football he watched while growing up. In Portugal, would they be more inclined to watch La Liga or Premier League? Did he grow up watching the Gallactico's like Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, etc rather than watching Yorke, Cole, Giggs, etc?

I guess exposure to football is very different in each nation. Always felt Scandanavian countries lean more towards broadcasting PL, so a lot from there seem to gravitate to England.

Besides, when Ronaldo was growing up, Utd won Champions League once. I assume Real Madrid were more successful in Europe? As much as it would pain me to say it, I'd have to be extremely blinkered to say Madrid was a backward step. They were giants, and them and Barcelona were the scariest sides to play against for me
 
Swango1980 said:
You are right. But I don't know what football he watched while growing up. In Portugal, would they be more inclined to watch La Liga or Premier League? Did he grow up watching the Gallactico's like Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, etc rather than watching Yorke, Cole, Giggs, etc?

I guess exposure to football is very different in each nation. Always felt Scandanavian countries lean more towards broadcasting PL, so a lot from there seem to gravitate to England.

Besides, when Ronaldo was growing up, Utd won Champions League once. I assume Real Madrid were more successful in Europe? As much as it would pain me to say it, I'd have to be extremely blinkered to say Madrid was a backward step. They were giants, and them and Barcelona were the scariest sides to play against for me
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RM have won the Champion’s League loads of times but… prior to them winning in ‘98, their previous win was ‘66. Then it was ‘00 & ‘02, then ‘14. They’ve dominated in Spain, along with Barcelona. I ‘get’ the hype, especially for players from the Iberian peninsula. As I said, I just thought it was an odd move. I guess I’d equate it, to a lesser extent, with Shearer’s desire to play for Newcastle even though they weren’t pulling up trees at that time - more an emotional choice.
 
Hobbit said:
RM have won the Champion’s League loads of times but… prior to them winning in ‘98, their previous win was ‘66. Then it was ‘00 & ‘02, then ‘14. They’ve dominated in Spain, along with Barcelona. I ‘get’ the hype, especially for players from the Iberian peninsula. As I said, I just thought it was an odd move. I guess I’d equate it, to a lesser extent, with Shearer’s desire to play for Newcastle even though they weren’t pulling up trees at that time - more an emotional choice.
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I think it also helped having funding from the Spanish banks
 
Hobbit said:
RM have won the Champion’s League loads of times but… prior to them winning in ‘98, their previous win was ‘66. Then it was ‘00 & ‘02, then ‘14. They’ve dominated in Spain, along with Barcelona. I ‘get’ the hype, especially for players from the Iberian peninsula. As I said, I just thought it was an odd move. I guess I’d equate it, to a lesser extent, with Shearer’s desire to play for Newcastle even though they weren’t pulling up trees at that time - more an emotional choice.
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Not sure I'd have put Real Madrid in same bracket, to any extent, at Newcastle :) . I believe Real won Champions League 3 times in and around Ronaldo's early teenage years, which could have had an impression on him.

Had he stayed at United, maybe some would gave compared that to Le Tissier staying at Southampton, yikes :D
 
Hobbit said:
RM have won the Champion’s League loads of times but… prior to them winning in ‘98, their previous win was ‘66. Then it was ‘00 & ‘02, then ‘14. They’ve dominated in Spain, along with Barcelona. I ‘get’ the hype, especially for players from the Iberian peninsula. As I said, I just thought it was an odd move. I guess I’d equate it, to a lesser extent, with Shearer’s desire to play for Newcastle even though they weren’t pulling up trees at that time - more an emotional choice.
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Nah sorry but I disagree,just look at the players that signed for them before Ronaldo.
Figo,R9,Beckham……
Like I said they’re the pinnacle.
 
Hobbit said:
RM have won the Champion’s League loads of times but… prior to them winning in ‘98, their previous win was ‘66. Then it was ‘00 & ‘02, then ‘14. They’ve dominated in Spain, along with Barcelona. I ‘get’ the hype, especially for players from the Iberian peninsula. As I said, I just thought it was an odd move. I guess I’d equate it, to a lesser extent, with Shearer’s desire to play for Newcastle even though they weren’t pulling up trees at that time - more an emotional choice.
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Real Madrid are the “pre eminent” club in world football

They are the number one , they were the first big European Super Cup and it continued for years

Even during their quieter periods of the 70’s and 80’s they still picked up the best players

And then in the 90’s when players moved more often they started the Galacticos - It was all about winning the European Cup for them - managers were fired if they only won the league

After they got the likes of Figo , Zidane , Real Ronaldo etc they then started a new bunch with Bale , Ronaldo , Benzema etc

And now it’s Mbappe , Vinicius , Elder etc

They are the biggest most successful club in the world and footballers throughout history have dreamt of playing there
 
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