Marquee
1.2K
·
8.2K
·
over 16 years

Carlos Alberto and Revillino are a couple of other rare and notable exceptions.

Phoenix Academy
360
·
470
·
over 6 years

el grapadura wrote:

That's a bit overly dramatic from Queiroz. The fact is, and has been for probably at least 60 years, that the best players in the world tend to play for European clubs, regardless of where they had been born (with at least one very notable, but also very rare, exception). Europe has always had the best infastructure - that's not a surprise, it is by far the richest area where football has been highly popular the longest. But the reality is that others, and particularly African countries, have benefitted from their players utilising that infrastructure, which has led CAF to being the thrid best confederation in terms of the number of teams that are very comptetive at international level. And the fact is that the gap between UEFA and CONMEBOL on the one, and the rest on the other side, has significantly shrunk in the last 40 years.

I'm also not sure that the fact that only 2 non-UEFA/CONMEBOL sides made the Round of 16 in the World Cup means much. European sides, especially middling ones, tend to do better in European World Cups than non-European World Cups. For example, put the teams from Group E in this World Cup into a tournament hosted in Mexico and Brazil, and Costa Rica probably does a lot better, and Switzerland probably not quite as well. Add to that that African sides didn't produce the numbers progressing forward they usually do (partly to do with bad luck - Morocco was probably the unluckiest team in the competition, Nigeria was knocked out by a late Argentina goal, Senegal on the fair play rule), and that USA managed to mess up their qualifying so you ended up with Panama there, and the picture is probably a lot less bleak than it may look. 

Morocco were desperately unlucky not to go through; played out of their skins in the games I saw.

I have noticed commentators saying "so and so is off to play in China next season". I don't know anything about Chinese football but maybe it is in the rise?

LG
Legend
5.5K
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23K
·
over 16 years

Cant embed  from my phone so everyone search youtube - Eric Cantona Neymar. He rips him a new one perfectly. 

WeeNix
760
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750
·
over 9 years

Lonegunmen wrote:

Cant embed  from my phone so everyone search youtube - Eric Cantona Neymar. He rips him a new one perfectly. 

I have one area of sympathy for Neymar. I have watched him from his early days back in Brazil and his ability, footwork, control, first touch, movement etc etc are just beautiful to watch, so much to love there. He seems to go through periods of acting like a Twit. The area I have sympathy for him is how often he gets fouled and its something thats been a problem in the sport for as long as I can remember, so many of his type of player get systematically nailed all the time, I remember teams fouling Maradona and doing it where players would take turns so that no one got sent off. There was one game where every player in a team except the goalkeeper got booked for fouling him. Neymar gets hacked and fouled more than anyone and there are games when he simply deals with it and lots of games where the theatrics kick and he dives or overplays it. I do wonder if he sometimes gets tired of it and that triggers his Twitish behaviour.

I just wish that refs would protect these types of player more, we might just see less of the stupidity. Pele had it, Best had it, Maradona had it, Messi gets it but Neymar can at times be the worst at dealing with it but sometimes just gets on with playing.  Add in the hype and publicity and that for some people haircuts trigger hatred and we end up with a player who's ability gets forgotten and his being a knob is what gets remembered. 

Marquee
2.1K
·
6.4K
·
over 14 years

Mehhhh It has happened to every "star" player forever.  Players receive plenty of protection within the laws of the game as it is. It is a game of fractions and short of outlawing any form of contact or tackling not really sure what more can be done? 

WeeNix
760
·
750
·
over 9 years

sthn.jeff wrote:

Mehhhh It has happened to every "star" player forever.  Players receive plenty of protection within the laws of the game as it is. It is a game of fractions and short of outlawing any form of contact or tackling not really sure what more can be done? 

Mehhh

If a player is getting hammered then the laws need be applied. Plenty of protection? Look at the stats on how often he gets nailed, sweet fudge all protection there. No need to  outlaw any form of contact just apply the laws consistently.

Fudge off with your Mehhh answer, thought that sort of lame weak response had died years ago.

Marquee
2.1K
·
6.4K
·
over 14 years

AlfStamp wrote:

sthn.jeff wrote:

Mehhhh It has happened to every "star" player forever.  Players receive plenty of protection within the laws of the game as it is. It is a game of fractions and short of outlawing any form of contact or tackling not really sure what more can be done? 

Mehhh

If a player is getting hammered then the laws need be applied. Plenty of protection? Look at the stats on how often he gets nailed, sweet fudge all protection there. No need to  outlaw any form of contact just apply the laws consistently.

Fudge off with your Mehhh answer, thought that sort of lame weak response had died years ago.

Don't be a dick. I said players receive plenty of protection within the laws of the game.  It is up to the referees to give the protection through the tools they have at their disposal now. 
Starting XI
2.3K
·
3.1K
·
over 11 years

sthn.jeff wrote:

AlfStamp wrote:

sthn.jeff wrote:

Mehhhh It has happened to every "star" player forever.  Players receive plenty of protection within the laws of the game as it is. It is a game of fractions and short of outlawing any form of contact or tackling not really sure what more can be done? 

Mehhh

If a player is getting hammered then the laws need be applied. Plenty of protection? Look at the stats on how often he gets nailed, sweet fudge all protection there. No need to  outlaw any form of contact just apply the laws consistently.

Fudge off with your Mehhh answer, thought that sort of lame weak response had died years ago.

Don't be a dick. I said players receive plenty of protection within the laws of the game.  It is up to the referees to give the protection through the tools they have at their disposal now. 

He get's fouled a lot, but he also acts over dramatic to a lot, to make fouls look worse. If he would roll and cry less he would got more respect for his footballing skills.

What ever the football standards are in this world cup, knock out stages are surely entertaining.

Starting XI
1.8K
·
4.1K
·
about 17 years

AlfStamp wrote:

Lonegunmen wrote:

Cant embed  from my phone so everyone search youtube - Eric Cantona Neymar. He rips him a new one perfectly. 

I have one area of sympathy for Neymar. I have watched him from his early days back in Brazil and his ability, footwork, control, first touch, movement etc etc are just beautiful to watch, so much to love there. He seems to go through periods of acting like a Twit. The area I have sympathy for him is how often he gets fouled and its something thats been a problem in the sport for as long as I can remember, so many of his type of player get systematically nailed all the time, I remember teams fouling Maradona and doing it where players would take turns so that no one got sent off. There was one game where every player in a team except the goalkeeper got booked for fouling him. Neymar gets hacked and fouled more than anyone and there are games when he simply deals with it and lots of games where the theatrics kick and he dives or overplays it. I do wonder if he sometimes gets tired of it and that triggers his Twitish behaviour.

I just wish that refs would protect these types of player more, we might just see less of the stupidity. Pele had it, Best had it, Maradona had it, Messi gets it but Neymar can at times be the worst at dealing with it but sometimes just gets on with playing.  Add in the hype and publicity and that for some people haircuts trigger hatred and we end up with a player who's ability gets forgotten and his being a knob is what gets remembered. 

Oh harden up Alf. Colin Meads played a test match with three broken legs and no arms.

Starting XI
99
·
3.7K
·
over 14 years

Bias point of view here but Hazard gets fouled a huge amount every game in the EPL and hes one of the best at just getting up and playing on with little or no complaint or theatrics etc.

Phoenix Academy
360
·
470
·
over 6 years

Downey26 wrote:

Bias point of view here but Hazard gets fouled a huge amount every game in the EPL and hes one of the best at just getting up and playing on with little or no complaint or theatrics etc.

I know, and isn't it so refreshing to witness. The fact we are congratulating someone on not being a drama queen is a bit of a sad indictment on the state of some of our big time players 

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