Ronaldinho Player of the decade

[TwinTowers]

http://www.soccerway.com/news/2009/December/11/messi-player-of-the-year-ronaldinho-player-of-the-decade/


Messi Player of the Year, Ronaldinho Player of the Decade

10 December 2009
http://static.soccerway.com/photo_dynamic/orig/250/relative/12426798000.jpg Ronaldinho was chosen Player of the Decade by British magazine World Soccer

(GSM) - AC Milan’s Ronaldinho has been named World Player of the Decade by prestigious British magazine World Soccer.
The same magazine picked Barcelona’s Lionel Messi as their Player of the Year.

Former winners of the Player of the Year award, which has been active since 1982, are: Cristiano Ronaldo,Kaka, Fabio Cannavaro, Ronaldinho, Pavel Nedved, Ronaldo, Michael Owen, Luis Figo, Rivaldo, Zineddine Zidane, Gianluca Vialli, Paolo Maldini, Roberto Baggio, Marco van Basten, Jean-Pierre Papin, Lothar Matthaus, Ruud Gullit, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Zico and Paolo Rossi.

Ronaldinho won World Player of the Decade ahead of Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile Barcelona won the Team of the Year Award while Messi won the World Player award. Messi, winner of the 2009 Ballon d'Or, is the first Argentine to win World Soccer's World Player award since Diego Maradona in 1986.

Messi won the award ahead of his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta.After just one season in charge of Barcelona, Pep Guardiola received the award for Manager of the Year while former Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath came in second place and Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson came in third.

[resistanze]

Where the hell is Henry?

[quentin_compson]

There's no way in hell Messi and C. Ronaldo are at 2 and 3 if you think about the player of the decade.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i thought zidane was still relevant from 00-04.....he had one of the best peak performances when he signed to real madrid and they started to collect alot of trophy wear when he was at the helm

[lefty]

Well, this is a joke

[TwinTowers]

Totally agree, CR and Messi do not deserve to be included

[sonic21]

Only two great seasons and he's the best player this decade?

Zidane and Ronaldo were more consistent, and Zidane lasted longer.

He's the true POTD.

[resistanze]

Zidane has a good case, since he was relevant up until the last World Cup. Ronaldo IMO was too injured and did a lot of his damage in the later half the of 90s. CRonaldo and Messi probably should be somewhere between 5-8.

For it's between Zidane and Henry, with my bias to Henry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Henry#Career_statistics

[Brazil]

what a joke !

[makedamnsure]

Where the hell is Henry?

My initial reaction as well.

[Johnny RIngo]

Ronaldinho? Pffff. Way overrated. This should have gone to Zidane or Henry.

[mystargtr34]

Horrible list. Its like they completely disregard the first half of the decade. It is tough to make the list though, because how many years has each player been at their best.... no list is likely to be the same, and no one will agree with all the lists...

But here's mine... feel free to critisize :lol

1. Ronaldinho (Dominant from 2004-2007)
2. Henry (Dominant from 2002-2006)
3. Zidane (Dominant from 2000-2004)
4. Kaka (Dominant from 2007-2009)
5. Cristiano Ronaldo (Dominant from 2007-2009)
6. Ronaldo (Dominant from 2000-2004)
7. Messi (Dominant from 2007-2009)

I rate Ronaldinho number 1 because i think he had the highest peak of any player this decade, except for maybe Zidane (but that was only for 2 years in this decade)... and he was the clear cut number 1 player for a good 3 years. The others have only been the best for a 1 or 2 year period. Kaka in 2007, Ronaldo in 2008 and Messi in 2009.

[mystargtr34]

Zidane and Ronaldo would probably 1. and 2. if it were all time, for these players on the list, but both played alot of their peak before 2000, especially Ronaldo, so they get punished.

[MB20]

Ronaldo would have won EASILY is his knees had been healthy.
He is the most talented player of the last decade. Too bad injuries didn´t let us enjoy his game more.

[mountainballer]

I give it to Zidane and IMO it's not even close.

even without his greatest title (the 1998 world cup), he still delivered more than any other player in this decade. (european championship 2000, champions league 2002, Spanish league 2003, world cup finals 2006, world player of the year 2000, 2003, european player of the year 2002)

and as great as Henry was, if he is high on the list, you can also make a case for Raul, van Nistelroy and maybe even del Piero.
(Henry as player of the decade would be as much a joke as Ronaldinho)

[DAF86]

Horrible list. Its like they completely disregard the first half of the decade. It is tough to make the list though, because how many years has each player been at their best.... no list is likely to be the same, and no one will agree with all the lists...

But here's mine... feel free to critisize :lol

1. Ronaldinho (Dominant from 2004-2007)
2. Henry (Dominant from 2002-2006)
3. Zidane (Dominant from 2000-2004)
4. Kaka (Dominant from 2007-2009)
5. Cristiano Ronaldo (Dominant from 2007-2009)
6. Ronaldo (Dominant from 2000-2004)
7. Messi (Dominant from 2007-2009)

I rate Ronaldinho number 1 because i think he had the highest peak of any player this decade, except for maybe Zidane (but that was only for 2 years in this decade)... and he was the clear cut number 1 player for a good 3 years. The others have only been the best for a 1 or 2 year period. Kaka in 2007, Ronaldo in 2008 and Messi in 2009.

Ok, then.

Why do you have C.Ronaldo over Messi if you think that both of them have been dominant from 2007 to 2009? Please tell me that you don't think that CR's peak was higer than Messi's, 'cause that's just crazy. I think nobody's peak was higher than Messi's last season.

Oh and Kaka has been dominant for a longer period than that.

I agree with the ones saying that Ronaldinho shouldn't have won this award, I think it should have been given to either Zidane or Ronaldo. And I don't consider Henry on this one 'cause even though he has been an elite player for almost all the decade he has never trully been the best player in the world at any moment of it.

[mystargtr34]

Ok, then.

Why do you have C.Ronaldo over Messi if you think that both of them have been dominant from 2007 to 2009? Please tell me that you don't think that CR's peak was higer than Messi's, 'cause that's just crazy. I think nobody's peak was higher than Messi's last season.

Oh and Kaka has been dominant for a longer period than that.

I agree with the ones saying that Ronaldinho shouldn't have won this award, I think it should have been given to either Zidane or Ronaldo. And I don't consider Henry on this one 'cause even though he has been an elite player for almost all the decade he has never trully been the best player in the world at any moment of it.

First of all, i had no idea why i only put Kaka from 2007 to 2009. I must have left the years when i switched names :lol. It was ment to be 2005-2009.

About Messi and Ronaldo... the main reason Cristiano Ronaldo is above him is because he has been at the top for longer - and the only reason for that is because he is two and a half years older. Messi's peak was every bit as good as Ronaldo's, if not better, so even though they have been dominant for a similar period of time... Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the best players in the Premier League since about 2004-2005. So Ronaldo was very good (not World Class) for about two years longer than Messi, who cracked the Barca first team in 2006-2007.

Why do you think Brazilian Ronaldo should get the award? His real peak was between 1996-2000. He had a great 2002 World Cup, and a few 20 goal seasons with Madrid, but hes missing 4 of his best years, which puts him way down the list IMO. Like i said earlier, if we were comparing the 7 guys on my list in terms of all time ranking, Ronaldo could very well be number 1 (probably number 2 behind Zidane).... but i think from 2000 to 2009, he wasnt top 2.

[DAF86]

Why do you think Brazilian Ronaldo should get the award? His real peak was between 1996-2000. He had a great 2002 World Cup, and a few 20 goal seasons with Madrid, but hes missing 4 of his best years, which puts him way down the list IMO. Like i said earlier, if we were comparing the 7 guys on my list in terms of all time ranking, Ronaldo could very well be number 1 (probably number 2 behind Zidane).... but i think from 2000 to 2009, he wasnt top 2.

That world cup performance alone should be enough to put him in the top 2, even though I agree: most of his best years came before 2000.

The thing is, there hasn't been a player that clearly dominated the decade: Ronaldinho was great but only for a couple of years, Messi and CR are too young and Kaka and Henry (probably the two most consistent players of this decade) had the lowest peaks of all the players involved on this discussion.
That's why I think Zidane and Ronaldo with a great world cup performance each (Ronaldo in 2002 and Zidane in 2006) plus a couple of good seasons have done enough to be consider the top 2 players of this decade.

[resistanze]

Henry not winning Ballon D'Or /World Player of the year probably hurts him. But he was the runner-up for World Player of the Year in consecutive years (losing to Zidane and Ronaldinho), top 3 for Ballon d'or twice, Lead Arensal to the first undefeated season in the EPL over a century. Also a 2-time finalist for CL, winning once. He needs to be in the top 3 IMO.

[mountainballer]

it's not only a question about titles (or finals), it's also about the role a player played when a title was won.
Zidane was THE MAN whenever his teams won whatever title. without his performances neither france wins EC 2000, nor they make the WC finals 2006, nor did Real win the CL 2002.
he was that good.

Ronaldinho was this man only in the CL 2006. (the WC 2002 was Ronaldos performance in the first place and Rivaldo in the 2nd and Roberto Carlos in the 3rd.)

Henry? ok, great in the PL for some years, but he was always in the shadow of Zidane with the French team and in the CL he even chocked several times when it really counted. and on the 2009 Barca team he really wasn't a crucial factor any more.
Henry is great, but would you want Dirk be in the top 3 in a player of the decade ranking? Henry deserves to be on a top 10 list, no doubt. top 3? no!

[resistanze]

Well if Dirk lead his team to an undefeated season and won a championship...then yes I would put him in the top 3. Henry was no slouch last year, he scored 26 goals (12 assists). As stacked as Barca is, to call him not crucial part of their run last year is laughable.

Who is above Henry this decade on your list?

[Brazil]

Zidane is THE player of the decade even if rightly you don't consider the 98 world cup: palmares, fame, drama, playing skills etc etc
We will remember Zidane as one of the greatest of all time not the case of Ronaldinho idem for Henry.

[mountainballer]

Well if Dirk lead his team to an undefeated season and won a championship...then yes I would put him in the top 3. Henry was no slouch last year, he scored 26 goals (12 assists). As stacked as Barca is, to call him not crucial part of their run last year is laughable.

Who is above Henry this decade on your list?

Zidane, Ronaldo, C.Ronaldo, Figo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Raul, Kaka

and btw. 26 goals is a very nice number. but the 2009 Barca team was a historic goal machine. did you check the numbers of Messi and Eto'o? you didn't.
the crucial players for Barca were Messi, Eto'o, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Alves. Henry was a quality role player. not more. barca wouldn't have been less successful without him.

[resistanze]

Zidane, Ronaldo, C.Ronaldo, Figo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Raul, Kaka

and btw. 26 goals is a very nice number. but the 2009 Barca team was a historic goal machine. did you check the numbers of Messi and Eto'o? you didn't.
the crucial players for Barca were Messi, Eto'o, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Alves. Henry was a quality role player. not more. barca wouldn't have been less successful without him.

Figo? Raul? Rivaldo? This decade? Gimme a break, you must not like Henry. I know how much Eto'o and Messi scored last season. Henry, even past his prime, was 6th in La Liga. I never claimed he had a better scoring season than Messi or Eto'o. How do you determine Barca wouldn't have been as without Alves, but not Henry?

[mountainballer]

Figo? Raul? Rivaldo? This decade? Gimme a break, you must not like Henry. I know how much Eto'o and Messi scored last season. Henry, even past his prime, was 6th in La Liga. I never claimed he had a better scoring season than Messi or Eto'o. How do you determine Barca wouldn't have been as without Alves, but not Henry?

oh, almost missed this one.
first off, let's go back to the start of this little discussion. you claimed, that player of the decade should be either Zidane or Henry and your bias to Henry. right? right.
so Henry is your player of the decade.
my position is, that Henry deserves to be on a top 10 list, IMO somewhere between 6 and 10.
that's not because I dislike him (in fact I have always been a fan of his game), it's because I don't want to make some ridiculous claims.
I mentioned a group of players, who all delivered comparable like Henry in this decade, if not better.
you ridicule the naming of Raul, Rivaldo and Figo and almost act if if they had retired in 1990
well, sorry sir, but if you want to contest such a discussion, you should at least have some basic knowledge about soccer.
last time I checked this decade was from 2000 to 2009.

Raul?
well, his best years were 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003. hm, 4 of his best 5 seasons in this decade.....
he scored 197 of his 321 goals in this decade.
you make a case for Henry because of his scoring numbers and some titles.
well, Raul has scored as well, won more titles and is the all time scoring leader of either the Champions league, the Spanish national team and Real Madrid, the most successful club in the history of soccer.
again, this does not mean I think Raul would deserve player of the decade honors. this just means, if Henry is in any such discussion, Raul would need to be included either.

Figo?
why not? he won the Ballon d'Or 2000 and World Player of the Year in 2001.
2000 was his best year and 2001-2004 were as good or better as his Barca years in the 90s.
you can't leave him from a list, when you have Henry on the list.
(btw. in this decade he also has won 6 domestic league titles in Spain and Italy. before 2000 he had won 2)

Rivaldo?
yes, his career really broke down after 2003 (some might say 2002) and yes, his likely best year was 1999 (scoringwise it was 2001), but still, if people include CR or Messi, who have 2 or 3 big years on their books, the 3 very strong seasons of Rivaldo (00, 01 and 02) should be considered either.(he was as important for the 2002 world championship as Ronaldo)
and btw. Rivaldo is a player I really don't like!

[resistanze]

oh, almost missed this one.
first off, let's go back to the start of this little discussion. you claimed, that player of the decade should be either Zidane or Henry and your bias to Henry. right? right. so Henry is your player of the decade. my position is, that Henry deserves to be on a top 10 list, IMO somewhere between 6 and 10. that's not because I dislike him (in fact I have always been a fan of his game), it's because I don't want to make some ridiculous claims.
I mentioned a group of players, who all delivered comparable like Henry in this decade, if not better. you ridicule the naming of Raul, Rivaldo and Figo and almost act if if they had retired in 1990 well, sorry sir, but if you want to contest such a discussion, you should at least have some basic knowledge about soccer. last time I checked this decade was from 2000 to 2009.Los Galácticos Let's lay out Henry's accomplishments and compare him to the people you mentioned and hopefully I can apply some basic soccer knowledge to this discussion.

Henry
273 goals this decade
4X Top Scorer in FA Premier League (1X 2nd place)
2X EPL League Champion (including undefeated season)
1X CL Champion (1X CL Finalist)
2X Runner-up for World Player of the Year


Raul?
well, his best years were 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003. hm, 4 of his best 5 seasons in this decade.....
he scored 197 of his 321 goals in this decade.
you make a case for Henry because of his scoring numbers and some titles.
well, Raul has scored as well, won more titles and is the all time scoring leader of either the Champions league, the Spanish national team and Real Madrid, the most successful club in the history of soccer.
again, this does not mean I think Raul would deserve player of the decade honors. this just means, if Henry is in any such discussion, Raul would need to be included either.Raul
1X top scorer in La Liga
4X La Liga Champion
2x CL Champion
1X 3rd place World Player of the Year

All time scoring leader of either the Champions league? Sahres this honor with Filipo Inzaghi (who we both wouldn't consider in this debate), so I'm not sure how relevant that is to player of the decade. Nevertheless, still impressive. But, he's not above Henry this decade.

Most successful club in La Liga history? Irrelevant to player of the decade discussion.

It's also ironic you downplay Henry's achievements by claiming he was on a stacked team, then mention the years in which Raul played on Los Galácticos. Was he not a role player, then?

Figo?
why not? he won the Ballon d'Or 2000 and World Player of the Year in 2001.
2000 was his best year and 2001-2004 were as good or better as his Barca years in the 90s.
you can't leave him from a list, when you have Henry on the list.
(btw. in this decade he also has won 6 domestic league titles in Spain and Italy. before 2000 he had won 2)
You seem to put heavy weight on winning player of the year, which is fine as it's your opinion. I'm surprised you didn't add Cannavaro to the list above Henry. The question isn't whether this guys would make my top 10, it's if I would put these guys over Henry. Personally, I would not. But Figo had some good years early this decade and a world player honor so this is your best case over Henry.


Rivaldo?
yes, his career really broke down after 2003 (some might say 2002) and yes, his likely best year was 1999 (scoringwise it was 2001), but still, if people include CR or Messi, who have 2 or 3 big years on their books, the 3 very strong seasons of Rivaldo (00, 01 and 02) should be considered either.(he was as important for the 2002 world championship as Ronaldo)
and btw. Rivaldo is a player I really don't like!

Yes, I don't agree with CR or Messi that high, so I see your point. However, I think both still are higher than Rivaldo for this decade. Even so, you chose all three to be above Henry this decade. I don't see how Rivaldo can go over Henry. 3 strong seasons? More like 1.5, 2 max. Pretty sure he had injury woes. Definitely not enough to be ranked over Henry.

I have no problem with these players being mentioned in the discussion. But I asked you who you would rank above Henry, and you said these three. I don't agree.