The Beautiful Game - Who's the Greatest?
Very nice article about Ronaldinho on IHT, comparing him to Pele. Worth a read if you have a minute:
httpx://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/sports/worldcupcohen/
An extract:
"Ronaldinho is now the best-known, most-feared footballer around. When he gets the ball a hush descends. Anything can happen: an opponent left gaping; a defense-splitting pass of perfect weight and unlikely vision; a shot of outrageous precision. All executed with a playful whimsy, as if genius were the most natural thing in the world. Ronaldinho has just helped his club, Barcelona, to its second consecutive Spanish League title, and to a European Champions League triumph over Arsenal. He was the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, and also won the Golden Ball award for best European player last year. Recognition is coming thick and fast.
...
The question of whether Pele can be equalled has come up before, of course. Maradona often seemed close, especially during Argentina's 1986 World Cup victory in Mexico. Brazil's Zico (now managing Japan) was mentioned for a while in the same breath as the maestro. But the world's judgment in the end was: nope, not quite, nice try. Comparisons across the years, in any sport, are difficult. Is Roger Federer greater than Rod Laver or Bjorn Borg? How would Mike Tyson have fared in the ring against Joe Louis? And what about Michael Schumacher racing against another Brazilian, Emerson Fittipaldi? Go figure.
..."
06/03/02006 3:02 PM
