Temptation
Well-known member
Where's Dybala?!!!Vamos!
soul24rage
Senior Member
Injured
DonAK
President of FC Barcelona
Who would he start for?
Temptation
Well-known member
KingLeo10
Senior Member
Also, Di Maria should go down as the greatest pure winger (like he played his whole career there) of the last 15 years
Was MoTM in CL final 14
Terrorized France in WC final win
Winning Copa America goal v Brazil
Terrorized France in the WC they became champions
Has showed up for so many big CL games
Him and Messi are the best Batman - Robin duo in recent football history
Was MoTM in CL final 14
Terrorized France in WC final win
Winning Copa America goal v Brazil
Terrorized France in the WC they became champions
Has showed up for so many big CL games
Him and Messi are the best Batman - Robin duo in recent football history
Temptation
Well-known member
He'll always be remembered as one of the greatest big game players ever but the best winger thing gets tricky because both Messi and Ronaldo are officially listed as wingers. These days that's what it means in Football: LW/RW=Wingers. They all play the same position ADM plays in.
ADM while fantastic, was never the main man ever because he never dominated throughout entire seasons/majority of it. He was always a Robin. The greatest wingers were more of a Batman. The main man thing does count in these conversations.
Here's a list of wingers(LW/RW) in recent times generally rated higher than Angel:
Messi
Ronaldo
Salah
Bale
Neymar
Robben
Ribery
Hazard
All these players can be termed as better individuals with a better CV as the main man in their respective teams.
At their peak these players were dominant throughout seasons unlike ADM who turned up for the biggest games but never dominated for a considerable time period. ADM is similar to Drogba in that regard. Big game merchants who lacked that consistency throughout the entire campaigns.
PS: Zero bias here because I love ADM. More so after what he(and his wife) did at United. Have made my thoughts clear on him before and it has always been overwhelmingly positive.
KingLeo10
Senior Member
That’s a reasonable take but if we are going by main man, that list narrows down to the obvious two plus Salah and Hazard
Salah has a good argument because of consistency. Hazard was literally a clown in the CL so big minus points for that
Robbery had each other. Bale and Neymar great but overshadowed by the big two when played as wingers
ADM had his big moments in his career but let's not forget how incredibly frustrating he used to be. Bad decision like shooting from weird angles and not knowing when to pass/dribble. Think he lacks consistency to be up there at the top. Of all those players, over the course of a season I wouldn't pick ADM if I had a free choice. Very chaotic player who on a good day is devastating.
Never been the main man either. But could complete the main man very well even in different setups.
Never been the main man either. But could complete the main man very well even in different setups.
Temptation
Well-known member
We rate players based on the combination of a number of factors. It's not necessarily based on a definite binary and objective outlook. You'd rather build your team around certain individuals.
So let's take a look at these players:
Hazard and Neymar were essentially Mini Messis in their peak. Both were comfortably top 5 players on the planet in their peak. They could do stuff ADM simply couldn't. Hazard made some of the best PL defenses look clueless and dribbled past multiple players with his individual brilliance all season. Neymar was fantastic in his pomp. The last goal Neymar scored for Barca was in a preseason game against Juventus. That goal was basically a Prime Messi goal. I don't think anyone can argue ADM is as talented as Neymar and Hazard who were just superstars at their best.
Bale was a mini Ronaldo. Bale was very complete as a player, could do everything on a Football pitch and was a top 10 player in the world in his peak. He's one of the most clutch players of his generation just like ADM is. What Bale did for Wales is so underrated. He made them dream big. On his day, Bale was absolutely unplayable and decided games by himself. Remember that last season at Tottenham? Man was shooting from anywhere and everywhere on the pitch and scoring. Actually, even in a one off CL final game, I'm taking Bale over Di Maria. Bale just had some superhuman performances in big finals. Both me and you know that coz the lad scored wondergoals against both our clubs in finals.
Robbery did have each other but even on an individual level, they were better? Both of them suffered from injuries but whenever they were fit they consistently terrorized defenses in Europe. Robben in his peak was an absolute force of nature and unstoppable. Remember what he did to Ramos in the 2014 WC? Robben was known as a bottler after that 1 on 1 against Casillas in the WC final. But he got over it and scored the winner in a CL final. There was a time in the early 2010's when people considered Robben as the 3rd best player itw. Ribery was a genuine B D or candidate and many people felt he should have won it. He was immense in that treble season and has had a long legendary career. His dribbling ability and creativity was elite throughout.
I'm gonna be blunt here. These guys are just better players than ADM. Maybe ADM is more clutch than most of them but based on overall careers, these players still have the upper hand. ADM was never really a top 10 player itw. He was world class while these guys were elite. All these guys peaked higher.
I'll conclude this post with a very relevant Football analogy. Drogba is one of the most clutch players ever(look at his record in finals and big games). But Henry was still the better player overall despite lacking in big games and no one will ever try to argue that.
soul24rage
Senior Member
The greatest pure winger of the last 15 years.
Hope you bow out with a bang.
Hope you bow out with a bang.
Fati_Future_BallonDor
Well-known member
I remember when Di maria was the most hated argentinia player because he played like a headless chicken 🤣
But in terms of big matches this dude is definitely argentinia's best man
In WC14 after his injury argentinia scored 0 goals
In Wc18 scored a 30m goal against France
In Copa final 2021 scored the only goal
In Wc 22 scored a goal and made Dembele to a legend (pen)
For Real madrid insane in big matches
Best player in 19/20 when PSG reached cl final and terrific against Bayern in 2021
Probably the second best big game player of this generation.
There is only one guy i would pick over Di Maria and that is......golden-noodle Ronaldo
But in terms of big matches this dude is definitely argentinia's best man
In WC14 after his injury argentinia scored 0 goals
In Wc18 scored a 30m goal against France
In Copa final 2021 scored the only goal
In Wc 22 scored a goal and made Dembele to a legend (pen)
For Real madrid insane in big matches
Best player in 19/20 when PSG reached cl final and terrific against Bayern in 2021
Probably the second best big game player of this generation.
There is only one guy i would pick over Di Maria and that is......golden-noodle Ronaldo
KingLeo10
Senior Member
His 13/14 season is very underrated. He was the difference maker in the Clasicos that season and set up Bale's winning header for La Decima.
I think he had like 40-50 G+A that season.
KingLeo10
Senior Member
Probably the second best big game player of this generation.
There is only one guy i would pick over Di Maria and that is......golden-noodle Ronaldo
You mean the guy who's shit his pants in the WC KOs and sometimes gotten eliminated in the group stages?Cry more
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