Who’s the GOAT?

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Bobby Charlton wasnt even a defender Goat, get a clue please.

Got the Charlton's confused didn't you?

 

[TheBigIguana]

But Franco Baresi was the GOAT defender.

So it would be a pointless exercise.

VVD lad.

I'm trying to figure out who the best defender I've seen is and honestly I have no idea. Maybe Ramos?

 

[Goat]

VVD lad.

I'm trying to figure out who the best defender I've seen is and honestly I have no idea. Maybe Ramos?

Nobody else stands out recently like.

I mean as a defender Ramos is a bit, dunno, erratic at times, but hes the whole package, snide 10000, scores goals and volleys people, what more can you ask for.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Nobody else stands out recently like.

I mean as a defender Ramos is a bit, dunno, erratic at times, but hes the whole package, snide 10000, scores goals and volleys people, what more can you ask for.

Puyol maybe?

 

[TheBigIguana]

Nobody else stands out recently like.

I mean as a defender Ramos is a bit, dunno, erratic at times, but hes the whole package, snide 10000, scores goals and volleys people, what more can you ask for.

I caught the tail end of Vidic and Terry I guess. It isn't exactly a golden era for defense. Chiellini was good but they never did it in the CL really.

 

[Sharpies volley]

Claudio Gentile wasn't bad. Not many got past him by fair or foul means.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

VVD lad.

I'm trying to figure out who the best defender I've seen is and honestly I have no idea. Maybe Ramos?

Rio Ferdinand comes to mind for me

 

[TheBigIguana]

Rio Ferdinand comes to mind for me

Yes forgot Rio, only really caught the end of his career too when he was getting roasted by Bale but in that spell around 08 and 09 he was still great.

 

[ChesterBlue]

Brazilian Ronaldo in his peak was the best I’ve seen by a fair distance. Absolutely unbelievable player, just a shame about his injuries

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Yes forgot Rio, only really caught the end of his career too when he was getting roasted by Bale but in that spell around 08 and 09 he was still great.

I'm old enough to remember the famed Arsenal Back Four featuring the likes of Adams and Keown

When he was "on" Tony Adams was imperious

Natural leader to go along with his defensive skills too

 

[TheBigIguana]

I'm old enough to remember the famed Arsenal Back Four featuring the likes of Adams and Keown

When he was "on" Tony Adams was imperious

Natural leader to go along with his defensive skills too

I'm definitely not old enough for that, but I imagine on the whole defending was better in the 90s.

 

[toffee82]

VVD lad.

I'm trying to figure out who the best defender I've seen is and honestly I have no idea. Maybe Ramos?

If someone twisted my arm I'd probably agree.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Your pick says more about what you value than anything else.

Pele had incredible longevity and style. Maradona did it in an era when defenders could get away with murder, but the resulting injuries and cocaine cut his career short. Messi has been absolutely dominant on the best team of the era, but his performances for Argentina were very up and down. Cristiano Ronaldo has won a lot of things and scored a lot of goals, but doesn't do all the stuff the other contenders do.

There's a lot of other players that can be discussed. Two that I don't think have been mentioned are Beckenbauer and Yashin, who revolutionized entire positions. Then there's Cruyff, who like Pele was at the forefront of revolutionizing the entire game.

The more I think about it, the more I lean Maradona for the uphill sled and the individual dominance in an era where the deck was stacked against him. The existence of so many great attacking players in Messi and Ronaldo's era argues against them if you want to make a stats-based case.

Pele's certainly a worthy choice, but you could argue that his domestic accomplishments are not that significant and that he was blessed with a wealth of surrounding talent in the international game. If character is taken into account, Maradona's defects on that score push Pele over the top without a doubt.

If you're making a "stats-based case" though, in Maradonna's era you had the likes of Zico, Platini, Matthaus, Hagi, and Laudrup who were in similar positions and had similar stats, with the likes of Scifo and Stojkovic not a million miles behind. Indeed if you're talking stats and honours then Platini and Matthaus achieved more. It was an era of many very good players in that position.

Contrast that with the 2010s, where Messi and Ronaldo were top scorers with 369 goals and 335 respectively. The next best player was Edinson Cavani with just 223! Messi also registered more assists in the decade than any other player too.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

But Franco Baresi was the GOAT defender.

So it would be a pointless exercise.

Maldini was better than Baresi. Just saying like.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Maldini was better than Baresi. Just saying like.

Costacurta was always my personal favourite

Goodnes was that Italian side great!