An Open Letter; The GOAT

Those that known me personally know how passionate I can be when debating things related to the beautiful game. I have been watching the game since around 6 years old, with the colourful jersey of the Mexican goalkeeper Jorge Campos capturing my attention on an evening in late June 1994.

My Mother’s favourite player was John Aldridge and she was following his Ireland side. This was my first introduction to the world cup, besides the excessive marketing on TV and the hand clapper toy McDonald’s would give away with Happy Meals that entire summer. For that moment I was a Mexico fan and was investigating all the permutations of them advancing from a Group E which also contained Italy.

Prior to this Serie A was what I had watched occasionally as my Step Father was an avid AC Milan fan, and would rave on about Silvio Berlusconi bringing these 3 Dutch men to the San Siro, it sounded like something out of the book of Matthew and was all too prophetic for me. Meanwhile there was this diminutive character with a long ponytail bending in free-kicks from range for Juventus. The name was Roberto Baggio and he was injured late in the 93/94 season leaving an opening for another diminutive striker by the name of Alessandro Del Piero to stake his claim.

So you can imagine my excitement when tuning in to Italy vs Norway at Half time and seeing no Roberto Baggio and then hearing he had been substituted in the 22^nd minute. This would increase the chances of my Mexico team coming out of the group. As the story would unfold all 3 teams (Mexico, Ireland and Italy) would progress and Italy would go onto to lose in the finals with the Divine Ponytail Roberto Baggio missing a crucial Penalty in the shootout.

Without getting too caught up in the nostalgia the 1994 World Cup heralded so many early memories; Diego Maradona’s outrageous celebration and subsequent exile from the tournament;  the sublime touch and finish from Bergkamp vs Brazil; Hagi’s long distance goal; Hristo Stoichkov free kick vs the Germans. One thing was definitely apparent the players wearing that number 10 shirt were worth their weight in Gold. A theme that’s has been pretty consistent no matter how far back into the annals you want to travel: Pele, Maradona, Platini, Zidane probably the most synonymous with wearing it. 

Fast forward to the present day and the use of technology changing not only how the game is played slightly with the use VAR, for better or for worst, in addition you now have more access than ever to Live Coverage. Social Media has also given us a direct insight to what the modern day footballer thinks and how they live their life off the field.

We can talk about the changes and how money pumped in to the game has affected it in a number of ways, but that argument is for another day. I would like to focus on a constant debate and something that can divide the opinions of every fan from the most enthusiastic to the more casual ones.

The GOAT

When speaking of GOAT in other sports the arguments are less compelling due the lack of genuine candidates. Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Muhammad Ali all tick all the relevant criteria in regards what makes you GOAT.

Before fully engaging in a debate over who is the GOAT you need to outline what credentials you need to have to be considered. Are you one of those that will compare based on the stand out player from each generation and then deduce from there. Or are you throwing everyone in the pot and comparing CVs. In my opinion there is no fair way to do it.

Pele played on poor pitches, with rock hard pig skin balls, compared to the carpet like surfaces in the modern game and these super light balls that move around viciously without the sweetest of striking. Players from back in the day also had very little protection from referees. Lesser opponent’s tactics would often be to exterminate the best player with robust challenges that would never be allowed today.

Contrasting arguments can be made to the physical demands of the modern game. Players are required to play a lot more games and the pace of the game can be a lot more frenetic due to subtle rule changes such as passing back to the Goalkeeper. Historically teams would be more cautious in the latter phases of games and would literally protect leads by playing back to the goalkeeper at almost every opportunity.

Either way you want to look at it the candidates usually never stray too far from the following list of names:

Pele 

Maradona

Ronaldo

Zidane 

Cristano Ronaldo

Messi 

As this is written from my person perspective I will be as objective as possible and the aim isn't to convince anyone of anything but simple try to offer some clarity on it. Immediately due to age I am probably not 100% qualified to speak on those that operated before my time, but I will still give my thoughts as concise as I can.

Pele

In his 20 plus year career he transcended the game like no other. His infectious style of play, coupled both technical ability and great physical attributes, saw him lead Brazil to 3 World Cups, The only player to do so. Pele scored over 1000 career goals although over half were in non-competitive games. The only down side to his legacy was the fact that he never played in Europe at club level , despite having a better Goals Per Game when facing European teams (make of that what you will). However from his introduction to the world at 17 he was a man that thrived on the big stage and scored in every major final he appeared in including multiple world cup finals over a 12 year period. He also hold the record for number of World Cup Assists which is a statistic that has become more prominent in recent years. Overall Pele is immortalised in Football history and innovated the game like no other, setting the blueprint for the modern game and being a model of consistent excellence. 

Maradonna 

The most divisive of the players listed, but like him or loathe him you cannot deny the genius of Diego Maradona. A five minute period during the Quarter finals of the 1986 World Cup perfectly encapsulates what he's all about; The Hand of God showed the worst of Maradona, but 5 mins later he scored the "Goal of the century" and the very best of him. Maradona had a 20 year career but the very best version of himself was only on display for a 4 year window from 1986-1990. He led Argentina to World Cup Glory in 1986 and the two Serie A champions for an unfancied Napoli side with very little quality help in both instances. A true number 10 in the most conventional sense so detractors looking highlight the lack of goals compared to others on the list, may need to pump their brakes a little. He was the sole creator and attacking inspiration in most of the teams he played in, and was relied on to provide the killer passes as well create chances for himself. A lack of self-discipline would however plague Maradona and he was unable to perform to levels achieved during his peak for a prolonged number of years. However at his peak simply a magician and capable of changes football matches at his whim. 

Ronaldo

A personal favourite for those who were introduced to Football during the mid-90’s. Ronaldo was the preeminent star football had been longing for after the demise of Diego Maradona. He travelled to Europe at 18, already with the experience of lifting a World Cup. The mantra was quite clear for the young striker and he would soon become the best player in the world winning consecutive World Player of the year awards in 1996 & 1997. Heading into the 1998 World Cup the stage was set for him to catapult himself into Pele & Maradona type status. However that one evening in Paris meant there was a slight delay on his destiny. Ronaldo was blisteringly quick and could embarrass players with his silky skills. The first player of his kind in regards to being able to encompass all facets of occupying a defence single handed. At 21 there was no telling how far his ceiling was but a number of serious knee injuries derailed his career somewhat. The World Cup triumph in 2002 acted as a form of redemption, but all fans of the game know that we were robbed of seeing him at his full capability. Ronaldo still went on to have a fantastic career at both club and international level and will definitely go down as the best out and out striker in the history of the game scoring over 400 goals in just over 600 games.

Zidane

Entering the 1998 World Cup very few people knew about the talents of Zinedine Zidane, however by the end of the tournament his name would be on everyone's lips. He scored the opening two goals in the World Cup final making up for some indifferent performances leading up to the final. in the year following Zidane emerged as one of the most naturally gifted players ever. He played the game with a unique grace and poise which was rare for someone of his stature. Never shy of the big moments Zidane's goal in the 2002 Champions League final epitomised his technical ability. His game was primarily based around goals or assists but he influenced his team’s style of play and could find space in a wardrobe. If you were going to critique Zidane his ability to dominant games would be the major area to question. He would drift in and out and sometimes could be on the periphery of the action. On the whole he sublime technician and played vital roles in International and club successes. Zidane is also on the short list of players to win 3 World Player of the Year Awards.

Cristiano Ronaldo

In terms of goal scoring CR7 has proven to be a machine. Either Foot or in the Air he is one of the most prolific scorers the game has ever produced. His record of 50 plus goal in 7 consecutive seasons is testament to this, along with a whole host of other scoring records. It is difficult to predict a drop in the number of goals because he has dedicated himself to being in peak physical condition and the adjustments he has made to his game sees him no longer operating in wide areas as much. Something that I feel people don’t give him enough credit for in my opinion. You have to have more than just a great physique to perform consistently at the level that he has done for as long as he has done. He has transformed from an out and out winger to a genuine centre forward, while still managing to win on the biggest stage, as proven with the 3 back to back Champions’ league wins and Portugal's triumph in 2016. Even though he was a shadow of his best in the summer of 2016 his mere presence would extract the very best out of those around him. Something that I personally would criticise is his selfishness, but you can argue that trait drives him to continued excellence. On the contrary when things are not going his way and a team is very well drilled defensively CR7 doesn't really offer much else to a team in terms of creativity, but when you've scored over 600 career goals in multiple leagues can you really argue.

Messi  

Have I saved the best till last? Or have I simply presented them in chronological order? We will start with the negatives; He has not produced the goods in an Argentina shirt! Minus Olympic Gold in 2008 Messi has appeared in 4 major finals including the 2014 World Cup and not lifted a trophy. On the other hand his Barcelona allies Xavi and Iniesta both have won major trophies at international level. So is Messi just a player who has benefited off the back of other great players? or can he legitimately stake his own claim to being one of the best players ever?  If you are going to completely rubbish his international career then yes! I would argue that dragging his team to finals in 2014 and shouldering the burden of a nation despite of a lack of cohesiveness in terms of tactical approach should be counted. In reality if Gonzalo Higuian takes one of the many chances Messi created then he would have his coveted World Cup, but he didn't and it will continue to elude him. When taking into consideration all the factors I would personally lean on Messi topping the pile, but that is just a personal preference. If he was just a system player then he would not have been able to continue producing under different managers and varying attacking players. He unlike CR7 has elevated the game of other players around him to similar standard (Neymar & Luis Suarez) I rate consistently highly when rating a player and in terms of overall level of performances, goals and assists aside Lionel Messi has very off days. He is integral to the way his teams play and still manages to produce moments of magic on a week to week basis. 5 Balon D'or wins, 9 La Liga  trophies, 4 Champions Leagues, and he has gone stride for stride with CR7 in terms of goal scoring despite being 5ft 6 and very one footed. 

Summary

This summer's world cup probably offers both Cristano Ronaldo and Leo Messi their last realistic attempts at winning the World Cup and by the looks Argentina may not exit the group phases, meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 4 goals for a very efficient  Portugal. In light of whatever the outcome of this summer World Cup, I would like to think that despite both being the only players on the list not triumphing at a World Cup, that we can appreciate them separating themselves in an age where the demands of the game sees most people struggle to improve on a season to season basis let alone attain the stratospheric heights they have both attained over the past 10 plus years.

I hope you enjoyed,