Xavi Is the greatest midfielder of all time. [Archive]

apalisoc_9

07-15-2021, 01:11 AM

Absolutely revolutionized soccer. No way tiki taka Barca and Spain would even be possible without xavi. Think about this for a second, can you name a player that is more influential to the kind of tactics a team plays?

It’s no coincidence that Spain was so dominant when he played.

The most under appreciated superstar in football.

Top 10 best footballer of all time. And he’s doing a great job coaching in Qatar.

Spurtacular

07-15-2021, 03:18 AM

Luke Shaw is GOAT midfielder, tbh.

FrostKing

07-15-2021, 03:30 AM

Michael Ballack could do it all

Bynumite

07-15-2021, 08:24 PM

Not a coincidence that Lionel Harden's career took a nose dive after Xavi's retirement.

GAustex

07-15-2021, 09:17 PM

Paired with Inestia was something

pgardn

07-15-2021, 09:52 PM

Luke Shaw is GOAT midfielder, tbh.

Luke Shaw is not a midfielder.

Spurtacular

07-15-2021, 10:53 PM

Luke Shaw is not a midfielder.

Wingers are midfielders.

Shaw is a hybrid midfielder / defender, admittedly.

Spurtacular

07-15-2021, 10:57 PM

Paired with Inestia was something

Hated that thirty passes stuff. Glad they got too old, tbh.

Unfortunate that the next generation of Spanish players embraced the style; but it is starting to fade.

GAustex

07-15-2021, 11:03 PM

Hated that thirty passes stuff. Glad they got too old, tbh.
Unfortunate that the next generation of Spanish players embraced the style; but it is starting to fade.
Im not so judgmental.
I was amazed a bunch of midgets could dominate. It was very impressive. Maddening but impressive.

Spurtacular

07-15-2021, 11:08 PM

Im not so judgmental.
I was amazed a bunch of midgets could dominate. It was very impressive. Maddening but impressive.

Both playing along side Messi for club made them that much more formidable too.

They were like GS Warriors at first. The football world didn't have an immediate answer.

Thankfully, sanity was restored.

Spurtacular

07-15-2021, 11:12 PM

Michael Ballack could do it all

For his generation, maybe. Beckham too.

Spurtacular

07-15-2021, 11:21 PM

Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Ozil, Kroos, Muller were The Machine.

Amuseddaysleeper

07-16-2021, 07:38 AM

Not a coincidence that Lionel Harden's career took a nose dive after Xavi's retirement.

Same with Penaldo harden after Modric. Who fully dserved 2018 Ballon Dor. Meanwhile Messi is getting his 7th ballon d'or this year while Ronaldo can't even get into a Euro starting Xi, in a tourney where Patrick Schick dominates :lmao

Bynumite

07-16-2021, 07:47 AM

Same with Penaldo harden after Modric. Who fully dserved 2018 Ballon Dor. Meanwhile Messi is getting his 7th ballon d'or this year while Ronaldo can't even get into a Euro starting Xi, in a tourney where Patrick Schick dominates :lmao

Ronaldo without Modric dominated the best domestic league in the world, the best Lionel Harden could do without Xavi and Iniesta was win a mickey mouse bubble ring :lol

Ronaldo has been finished for the past 10 seasons. Modric deserved his ballon d'or. As usual, your takes are just absolutely awful and you keep showing that you don't know shit about shit :lol

Amuseddaysleeper

07-16-2021, 07:53 AM

Ronaldo without Modric dominated the best domestic league in the world, the best Lionel Harden could do without Xavi and Iniesta was win a mickey mouse bubble ring :lol

Ronaldo has been finished for the past 10 seasons. Modric deserved his ballon d'or. As usual, your takes are just absolutely awful and you keep showing that you don't know shit about shit :lol

Ronaldo without Modric had the GOAT manager, we’ve seen what he’s like without an elite manager and Eder has to bail him out because his body can’t hold up.

Messi dominates a tournament with Neymar while Ronaldo is outshined by danish scrubs :lmao :lmao

No penalty no party for Ronaldo

Amuseddaysleeper

07-16-2021, 07:55 AM

Ronaldo without Modric dominated the best domestic league in the world, the best Lionel Harden could do without Xavi and Iniesta was win a mickey mouse bubble ring :lol

Ronaldo has been finished for the past 10 seasons. Modric deserved his ballon d'or. As usual, your takes are just absolutely awful and you keep showing that you don't know shit about shit :lol

You’re the moron calling Messi Lionel harden despite the fact that everyone and their mother sees Messi as the better footballer. Modric still takes his team to CL finals while Ronaldo takes his teams to their lowest point after 9 years of winning the Mickey Mouse league.

The fact that you seriously think Ronaldo is better than Messi, a one dimensional player in Ronaldo shows how little you know. Compare how many footballers pick Messi over Ronaldo. But sure, we have the mighty bynumite with his shit takes on a washed up past it Ronaldo :lmao

Amuseddaysleeper

07-16-2021, 07:56 AM

lefty

07-16-2021, 07:59 AM

ElNono

07-16-2021, 12:15 PM

Xavi was great, no need to hate on him, but there were plenty of great midfielders before him like Falcão, Dunga or Alemão....

lefty

07-16-2021, 12:31 PM

lol at Alemao, he wasn't that great

Falcao was underrated tbh

GAustex

07-16-2021, 01:13 PM

Who was that midfielder from Uruguay?

Phenomanul

07-16-2021, 03:49 PM

Jorge "El Mágico" Gonzalez

The Wizard from El Salvador

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bevXDhugAfo

Phenomanul

07-16-2021, 03:55 PM

El Mágico was Diego Armando Maradona's favorite player...

DAF86

07-16-2021, 04:24 PM

El Mágico was Diego Armando Maradona's favorite player...

Bochini was Maradona's favourite player, tbh.

FrostKing

07-16-2021, 05:29 PM

For his generation, maybe. Beckham too.
Ballack was elite defender. Basically a taller Schweinsteiger. Guided those weak German teams to 2002 Finale and '06 extra time defeat in the Semis

Would be UCL champion if not for Terry slipping. Michael controlled the MF just wasn't a goal scorer.

Phenomanul

07-16-2021, 06:36 PM

Bochini was Maradona's favourite player, tbh.

You are likely correct and I misspoke. What I meant to say was that Maradona was often quoted as saying that he attempted to emulate "El Mágico's" style of play. He was certainly a fan of Gonzalez's game and wanted to pair up with him while he was with FC Barcelona (unfortunately, Gonzalez's night life kept him from reaching greater heights). That is high praise coming from Diego, no matter how you slice it.

lefty

07-16-2021, 07:11 PM

Bochini was Maradona's favourite player, tbh.

I thought Rivellino was Maradona’s idol

Phenomanul

07-16-2021, 07:12 PM

Ran into this gem...

This wonderful, eye-pleasing, free-flowing style is no longer Brazil's dominant strength...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL7_7hW_cYs

lefty

07-16-2021, 07:13 PM

I miss Brazil when they had their football identity

RIP identity :cry

I had the chance to see Ronaldinho in person, the man has such a presence

Spurtacular

07-16-2021, 07:41 PM

We all know the subtext of this thread:

Ronaldo worshiper: Messi needed Xavi.
Messi worshiper counter: Xavi just one of many.

Spurtacular

07-16-2021, 08:56 PM

Who was that midfielder from Uruguay?

Back in the day? Forlan?

GAustex

07-16-2021, 08:59 PM

Back in the day? Forlan?
I don’t watch enough but I recall him being viewed highly

lefty

07-16-2021, 10:31 PM

Forlan was forward, wasn’t he?

And their best MF was Francescoli

Anyway, congratulations, DAF86 is pissed now

Spurtacular

07-16-2021, 10:53 PM

Forlan was forward, wasn’t he?

And their best MF was Francescoli

Anyway, congratulations, DAF86 (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=11102) is pissed now

Attacking mid / striker hybrid. IMO

A bit like how Messi is currently playing; but he didn't tend to drop back nearly as much either; so, striker I guess enough if you want to eliminate him from consideration.

Often Cavani, Suarez tended to play higher up on the pitch though.

140

07-17-2021, 05:52 PM

Ran into this gem...

This wonderful, eye-pleasing, free-flowing style is no longer Brazil's dominant strength...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL7_7hW_cYs

I miss Brazil when they had their football identity

RIP identity :cry

I had the chance to see Ronaldinho in person, the man has such a presence

It all went to shit when in the late 00s they decided they needed to copy european teams instead of embracing what made them unique and great. A decade and change later and here we are with a generation of players who have been neutered creatively and technically but hey at least they are marginally better tactically!!!

Spurtacular

07-17-2021, 07:57 PM

It all went to shit when in the late 00s they decided they needed to copy european teams instead of embracing what made them unique and great. A decade and change later and here we are with a generation of players who have been neutered creatively and technically but hey at least they are marginally better tactically!!!

The rest the world had been revering their showboating too much. Brazilians knew that it was coming to an end. They still had talent but lacked discipline regardless of tactics.

DAF86

07-17-2021, 11:07 PM

Forlan was forward, wasn’t he?

And their best MF was Francescoli

Anyway, congratulations, DAF86 is pissed now

Francescoli was a forward.

American Citizen

07-18-2021, 12:21 AM

Ran into this gem...

This wonderful, eye-pleasing, free-flowing style is no longer Brazil's dominant strength...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL7_7hW_cYs

Dat second goal by Argentina the kind of goal that Brazil wished they were scoring though.

pgardn

07-18-2021, 09:49 AM

Dat second goal by Argentina the kind of goal that Brazil wished they were scoring though.

And derp feels he has to switch screen names for a comment...

what a twisted soul... why... just post it under your go to.

lefty

07-18-2021, 10:18 AM

Francescoli was a forward.

Was he?

I thought he was playing behind strikers when he was with Marseille

lefty

07-18-2021, 10:21 AM

The rest the world had been revering their showboating too much. Brazilians knew that it was coming to an end. They still had talent but lacked discipline regardless of tactics.

It wasn’t lack of discipline
As 140 said it was the europeanization of the game, more and more Brazilian players signing for euro clubs at s very young age.
Also, brazilian stars up until the mid 90s played during their primes in Brazil, and the ones playing in Europe in the 90s weren’t necessarily playing for the biggest Euro clubs.
That started to change in the mid 90s

ElNono

07-18-2021, 03:48 PM

Don't forget De Paul, tbh

lefty

07-18-2021, 04:30 PM

And never forget about Fernando Redondo

What an elegant midfielder

DAF86

07-18-2021, 07:25 PM

Was he?

I thought he was playing behind strikers when he was with Marseille

He might have played there a bit, but in River he played always as a striker.

lefty

07-18-2021, 07:49 PM

He might have played there a bit, but in River he played always as a striker.
Ah ok

ElNono

07-18-2021, 11:32 PM

And never forget about Fernando Redondo

What an elegant midfielder

He was great. To think he missed a world cup because he didn't want to cut his hair...

Spurtacular

07-19-2021, 07:22 AM

It wasn’t lack of discipline
As 140 said it was the europeanization of the game, more and more Brazilian players signing for euro clubs at s very young age.
Also, brazilian stars up until the mid 90s played during their primes in Brazil, and the ones playing in Europe in the 90s weren’t necessarily playing for the biggest Euro clubs.
That started to change in the mid 90s

Could that mess with team chemistry in theory? Sure. But again, I think Brazilians were overachieving and that was coming to an end.