Pele: Modern soccer short on greats

[OneManGang]

Lots of good players and across the board players are better. But truly special attacking players, the game is lacking.

And it's gonna keep being this way. Kids aren't playing the game in the streets, parks, or any unstructured manner anymore. They are getting coached from jump now. A lot of young talent aren't having that time to develop their own style and way off playing, like the generations before.

And you can see it in the game. Players are more fit, probably more tactically aware and all that coach speak mumbo gumbo, but dynamism isn't there as much.

I actually agree with this. Players are learning the game in academies. The special players are usually the ones playing in the streets and unorganized during their formative years.

 

[So UnThotful]

Pele the same dude Who named El Hadji Diouf in his top 50 strikers and left out Henrik Larrson

 

[#1 pick]

No. No it hasn't.

I honestly liked the early 2000s more but this game is more athletic and soccer IQ than the 2000.

 

[#1 pick]

Soccer like all sports other than Football has far less individual freedom then it had 20 years ago. The game is more fit and smart.

 

[BlackManLiveFromLondon]

Neg pending for denying the greatness of the King of Manchester

After Ronaldo left he put the team on his back

 

[#1 pick]

Plenty of Kids are playing in the streets but now you have to have money to even have a shot. Clubs have been taking kids off the streets for free and taking chances on them hoping they produce a superstar. What happens when that kid doesnt live up to expectations? That club just spent a bunch of money and resources and didn't get any money in return. Think about how many players it's happened to. Clubs need the money regardless of talent nowadays and it is killing youth soccer. Kids in the US aren't even aloud to head a ball in a game till age 13. The US has moved into an Academy system meaning they play less games and train more. They also have tournaments called showcases where the youth teams play four games and go home without having a 1st 2nd or 3rd place winner. I truly think US soccer will fall on its face come the next World Cup and we'll have to remodel our whole system again.

America soccer was killed by the failed Freddy adu, Jozy Altidore era. They didn't live up to expectations set them back 10 years

 

[Premeditated]

I am beyond sick of old fukks in EVERY sport hating on the current generation. Pele in today's game wouldn't even make a NASL team. Ol' senile ass nikka.

nah

 

[Premeditated]

anyways he's right
Messi, cr7 and Neymar are the only generational talents in this era.

the only other youngsters besides Neymar that possesses crazy talent like that are Dembele, Martial and Pogba.
maybe Gotze before he turned
edit:forgot Ibra

 

[Premeditated]

Disagree. Defending is better now more than ever, but players like Dybala, Aguero, Douglas Costa, Robben, Ribiery, etc are all still special.

you're confusing world class(some of the once you listed aren't wc yet) with generation player

 

[NSSVO]

This nikka stay hating on Neymar

He's gonna break all his records. Probably because Neymar doesn't embrace his African heritage

 

[William F. Russell]

Ibra isn't Godly? Rooney wasn't at one point? What Higuin has been doing in Naples is nothing short of amazing. That's just rambling off strikers.

Ibrahimovic is a savage and is aging like wine. He's a great of this era.

Rooney hasn't been world-class for the past 3 years. He's a slightly above-average striker on an albatross of a salary. Not a great.

Higuain, although a very good player, isn't world-class. This became obvious when he missed so many goal-scoring opportunities for Argentina in elimination matches during the last World Cup.

When you cease attacking the messenger, one realizes that his message is 100% valid.

 

[NSSVO]

Ibrahimovic is a savage and is aging like wine. He's a great of this era.

Rooney hasn't been world-class for the past 3 years. He's a slightly above-average striker on an albatross of a salary. Not a great.

Higuain, although a very good player, isn't world-class. This became obvious when he missed so many goal-scoring opportunities for Argentina in elimination matches during the last World Cup.

When you cease attacking the messenger, one realizes that his message is 100% valid.

Rooney was though, are we just going off year 2016? That's unfair. If Higuain gets punished for Argentina's mishaps so does Messi. Higuain would start on almost EVERY team in the world. Pele has always said reckless things, and this is no different.

 

[William F. Russell]

Rooney was though, are we just going off year 2016? That's unfair. If Higuain gets punished for Argentina's mishaps so does Messi. Higuain would start on almost EVERY team in the world. Pele has always said reckless things, and this is no different.

1. Rooney was world class until 2012. He's still a useful player but he's definitely regressed/stopped improving. I can think of 10 other strikers in Europe who are better than him at this point.

2. Higuain still isn't world-class. Otherwise, he'd be at a bigger club. And, for the record, I do hold World Cup 2014 against Messi.

 

[NSSVO]

1. Rooney was world class until 2012. He's still a useful player but he's definitely regressed/stopped improving. I can think of 10 other strikers in Europe who are better than him at this point.

2. Higuain still isn't world-class. Otherwise, he'd be at a bigger club. And, for the record, I do hold World Cup 2014 against Messi.

You see the price tag Napoli's owner put on him? He just left Madrid a couple of years ago, and Napoli is a big club in Italy. May not get the headlines over here, but they were in the lead for months. To say he isn't world-class due to him being under contract or the owner's price tag is arguing for argument sake.

 

[William F. Russell]

You see the price tag Napoli's owner put on him? He just left Madrid a couple of years ago, and Napoli is a big club in Italy. May not get the headlines over here, but they were in the lead for months. To say he isn't world-class due to him being under contract or the owner's price tag is arguing for argument sake.

Miss the forest for the tree, breh

my main point is that Higuain is not a world-class player a la Messi, Cristiano, Neymar...never mind prime Ronaldinho, Henry, Eto'o, Kaka. main reason: he's not clutch nor efficient striker. sure he racks up goals in Serie A but he wastes too many chances. moreover he benefits largely from playing with very good players...he's never been the de facto best striker in Europe