The great Johan Cruyff is known for his football philosophy. He did and said things that redefined football. In this article, I'll be bringing out three famous quotes by the legendary Cruyff. You'll understand why I'm doing it, while you keep on reading. "When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball 3 minutes on average. So, the most important thing is: what do you do during those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball. That is what determines whether you’re a good player or not" - Johan Cruyff

Yes, in a football match, a player only holds the ball for an average of 3 minutes. In most cases, its less than that. It is more than that in few exceptional cases. Modern football fans believe that those 3 minutes define you as a player. But that is 100% wrong. Yes, most players are amazing with the ball. They have skill and technique on the ball but the end product? Not quite there. What defines you as a player, is what you do without the ball. The positioning, supporting, fast thinking, dropping back etc.

Why am I telling you all this? Because most people undermine what Cristiano Ronaldo does on a football pitch. Messi is a great dribbler. Probably the best dribbler the world has ever seen. When he plays, you can 'see' him play. Difference with Ronaldo is, you don't see him play. All we see is, he was silent throughout the match and he got a tap in. Oh, another tap in by Ronaldo. Little does an untrained eye understand what goes before a tap in. The overlapping runs, the positioning, exploiting spaces, the body feints and dummies to shrug off defenders, the ability to get into shooting positions with a few players marking him; the ability to judge where the ball will end up while a move is still being started; the mental ability to judge the trajectory of theball. Ronaldo hardly looks at the ball before heading it. He exactly knows where the ball is by looking at how it was kicked. His main concern is shrugging off the defender and making the perfect leap. His awareness of the game is at 110%. These are qualities that sets him apart from every other player in the world.

Ronaldo, is the best off the ball player in the world. But these qualities of him are heavily undermined, mainly by this meme culture and rival hate. Unless a video was made analyzing Ronaldo's movement and thinking in a match, no one notices what he does on the pitch. (Do watch Managing Madrid's video on Ronaldo's movement) This is also why Ronaldo performs the same way in every team regardless of his teammates. His off the ball movement always remains the same. Messi's effectiveness however, changes in Argentina. And that's due to his teammates not having the same chemistry with him as his Barca teammates. For a possession based footballer, team chemistry is a must have. The best player doesn't necessarily mean, the best player on the ball: which is easily Messi. This is the misconception that most Cules and some Madridistas have. As much as Messi is a football genius, Ronaldo is too. He is effective just as much against weaker teams and even more than Messi in big games due to his off the ball ability. This is why he scores in almost every big game. While most people see him as a lucky footballer who happens to have good teammates and who happens to be in the right place in the right time, professional footballers, managers and analysts see what Ronaldo does without the ball which makes him so lethal. This is why even an aging Ronaldo is one of the two most intimidating players in the world.


"Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring." - Johan Cruyff.

If dribbling and skill on the ball was what mattered in football, Ricardo Quaresma would be the best player of Portugal. Is he though? Absolutely not, as he lacks the end result. While Leo has a great end result, questions need to be asked about how effective he was against the big teams. Except the Real Madrid match, in every other game, though he showed great quality on the ball, the end result was not quite there. But Ronaldo, had results. His way of football is different to Messi's. He's a counter attacking footballer. Messi is a possession based footballer. Ronaldo doesn't need the ball much to show his quality. He gets the ball a few times, and he delivers. The quality and the results were both there.

And finally, I'll end this long article with another famous Cruyff quote. "Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is." - Johan Cruyff.


This is why Ronaldo is different. You don't understand what he does on the pitch. His way of thinking is simple and effective. What's the point of a football match? You score more goals to win the match. This is what he does with a lot of panache. Ronaldo gets into the matches in short, simple periods, and destroys opponents. As in the Juventus match, quoting Ronaldo himself, 'One chance, bang.' A million dribbles and through balls don't win you a match. (Obviously it does in some cases, but that's not the context here) What a player does without the ball defines him as a footballer. And the truth is, while Messi is the best with the ball, Ronaldo is the best without it. What Messi does with the ball, Ronaldo does without it. Who you prefer, depends on you. But one thing you need to understand is, they're on the same level, with just two completely different approaches to the game. This year's Ballon D'or hence, will be won by Ronaldo, as it was him who won more. And he indeed, is the deserving winner. So if you kept questioning what makes Ronaldo special, I hope this article helped you understand what Ronaldo is. Please don't insult a player, if you don't understand what his strengths are. Because after all, you and I know nothing compared to the greatest football philosopher, the late Johan Cruyff.



P. S - The reason I used Messi in this article is because he's the only player that is equal to Cristiano. Explaining this was much easier using Messi and his style to compare with. No hate on Leo here. I have great respect for him.

nice one bro , his body structure alone literally shows his passion and enthusiasm towards football



CR7 for life!


#positivevibes

The on;y thing i can agree to is the fact that Ronaldo is the best off the ball player. Messi on the other hand doesn't need to be off the ball anything because he's an all rounded players and if he isn't dribbling to score goals, he creates chances for his team mates to score goals. That for me is an exceptional player. if you like speak grammar from now till next year, Messi is miles ahead of Ronaldo in almost every facet of the round leather game.

Nice one op.

Afam4eva:
The on;y thing i can agree to is the fact that Ronaldo is the best off the ball player. Messi on the other hand doesn't need to be off the ball anything because he's an all rounded players and if he isn't dribbling to score goals, he creates chances for his team mates to score goals. That for me is an exceptional player. if you like speak grammar from now till next year, Messi is miles ahead of Ronaldo in almost every facet of the round leather game.

The post is not about who is better between the two. It is meant to open people's eyes to the off the ball things Ronaldo does that makes him as special as those who are better with the ball.

Lexxyla:


The post is not about who is better between the two. It is meant to open people's eyes to the off the ball things Ronaldo does that makes him as special as those who are better with the ball.

We know all these tactics. Whenever people talk about what Ronaldo can do, they're indirectly trying to compare him to messi. I think it's a known fact that Ronaldo has grown to become an off the ball player ever since he moved to Real Madrid from Man U. No need beating a dead horse.

Don't let your love for a certain player blind you from noticing the strength of others.

Did you write this post yourself?

Lexxyla:
Don't let your love for a certain player blind you from noticing the strength of others.

Did you write this post yourself?

Lexxyla:
The great Johan Cruyff is known for his football philosophy. He did and said things that redefined football. In this article, I'll be bringing out three famous quotes by the legendary Cruyff. You'll understand why I'm doing it, while you keep on reading. "When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball 3 minutes on average. So, the most important thing is: what do you do during those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball. That is what determines whether you’re a good player or not" - Johan Cruyff

Yes, in a football match, a player only holds the ball for an average of 3 minutes. In most cases, its less than that. It is more than that in few exceptional cases. Modern football fans believe that those 3 minutes define you as a player. But that is 100% wrong. Yes, most players are amazing with the ball. They have skill and technique on the ball but the end product? Not quite there. What defines you as a player, is what you do without the ball. The positioning, supporting, fast thinking, dropping back etc.

Why am I telling you all this? Because most people undermine what Cristiano Ronaldo does on a football pitch. Messi is a great dribbler. Probably the best dribbler the world has ever seen. When he plays, you can 'see' him play. Difference with Ronaldo is, you don't see him play. All we see is, he was silent throughout the match and he got a tap in. Oh, another tap in by Ronaldo. Little does an untrained eye understand what goes before a tap in. The overlapping runs, the positioning, exploiting spaces, the body feints and dummies to shrug off defenders, the ability to get into shooting positions with a few players marking him; the ability to judge where the ball will end up while a move is still being started; the mental ability to judge the trajectory of theball. Ronaldo hardly looks at the ball before heading it. He exactly knows where the ball is by looking at how it was kicked. His main concern is shrugging off the defender and making the perfect leap. His awareness of the game is at 110%. These are qualities that sets him apart from every other player in the world.

Ronaldo, is the best off the ball player in the world. But these qualities of him are heavily undermined, mainly by this meme culture and rival hate. Unless a video was made analyzing Ronaldo's movement and thinking in a match, no one notices what he does on the pitch. (Do watch Managing Madrid's video on Ronaldo's movement) This is also why Ronaldo performs the same way in every team regardless of his teammates. His off the ball movement always remains the same. Messi's effectiveness however, changes in Argentina. And that's due to his teammates not having the same chemistry with him as his Barca teammates. For a possession based footballer, team chemistry is a must have. The best player doesn't necessarily mean, the best player on the ball: which is easily Messi. This is the misconception that most Cules and some Madridistas have. As much as Messi is a football genius, Ronaldo is too. He is effective just as much against weaker teams and even more than Messi in big games due to his off the ball ability. This is why he scores in almost every big game. While most people see him as a lucky footballer who happens to have good teammates and who happens to be in the right place in the right time, professional footballers, managers and analysts see what Ronaldo does without the ball which makes him so lethal. This is why even an aging Ronaldo is one of the two most intimidating players in the world.


"Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring." - Johan Cruyff.

If dribbling and skill on the ball was what mattered in football, Ricardo Quaresma would be the best player of Portugal. Is he though? Absolutely not, as he lacks the end result. While Leo has a great end result, questions need to be asked about how effective he was against the big teams. Except the Real Madrid match, in every other game, though he showed great quality on the ball, the end result was not quite there. But Ronaldo, had results. His way of football is different to Messi's. He's a counter attacking footballer. Messi is a possession based footballer. Ronaldo doesn't need the ball much to show his quality. He gets the ball a few times, and he delivers. The quality and the results were both there.

And finally, I'll end this long article with another famous Cruyff quote. "Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is." - Johan Cruyff.


This is why Ronaldo is different. You don't understand what he does on the pitch. His way of thinking is simple and effective. What's the point of a football match? You score more goals to win the match. This is what he does with a lot of panache. Ronaldo gets into the matches in short, simple periods, and destroys opponents. As in the Juventus match, quoting Ronaldo himself, 'One chance, bang.' A million dribbles and through balls don't win you a match. (Obviously it does in some cases, but that's not the context here) What a player does without the ball defines him as a footballer. And the truth is, while Messi is the best with the ball, Ronaldo is the best without it. What Messi does with the ball, Ronaldo does without it. Who you prefer, depends on you. But one thing you need to understand is, they're on the same level, with just two completely different approaches to the game. This year's Ballon D'or hence, will be won by Ronaldo, as it was him who won more. And he indeed, is the deserving winner. So if you kept questioning what makes Ronaldo special, I hope this article helped you understand what Ronaldo is. Please don't insult a player, if you don't understand what his strengths are. Because after all, you and I know nothing compared to the greatest football philosopher, the late Johan Cruyff.



P. S - The reason I used Messi in this article is because he's the only player that is equal to Cristiano. Explaining this was much easier using Messi and his style to compare with. No hate on Leo here. I have great respect for him.

magical messi

Cr7 the tactical magician.
Nobody knows how he's always available to score the goals.
Now I know

googlelove:
Did you write this post yourself?

Yes sir.

Why did u ask?

Lexxyla:


Yes sir.

Why did u ask?

I enjoyed the read. Are you open to writing for a football site?

googlelove:
I enjoyed the read. Are you open to writing for a football site?

I am. A little bit of information about the site might help.

Lexxyla:


I am. A little bit of information about the site might help.

shoot me an email ASAP. teenquezt@gmail.
com. will takeoff from there.

An interesting read absolutely, but i still think it's a tad too biased also...Messi is great both on and off the ball....

I saw a part of this pieces which is brainless.Messi is Argentina highest goal scorer and assist maker in their history.He he as effective playing for Barca as for Argentina.The difference is in trophies and its just a matter of luck.Messi has guided Argentina to 3 finals in the last 3 competition and have not lost a match in 90mins yet didn't win a trophy.My dear its just I'll luck that happens in life.Messi record for club and country are astonishing and eclipse that of Ronaldo.Did I say Luck? yes,what was ronaldo impact in the Euro final vs France? Portugal won and ronaldo shared in the glory.Glory hunters! Maradona was great Pele greater Messi greatest.Where do Ronaldo rank? yes he his still amongst the great but certainly not 3,2 or 1

There is just something abt ronaldo....I can't tink of...d guy is just just...just shut up and watch ororo do wat he does best.HELP HIS TEAM.

gibzzhd:
I saw a part of this pieces which is brainless.Messi is Argentina highest goal scorer and assist maker in their history.He he as effective playing for Barca as for Argentina.The difference is in trophies and its just a matter of luck.Messi has guided Argentina to 3 finals in the last 3 competition and have not lost a match in 90mins yet didn't win a trophy.My dear its just I'll luck that happens in life.Messi record for club and country are astonishing and eclipse that of Ronaldo.Did I say Luck? yes,what was ronaldo impact in the Euro final vs France? Portugal won and ronaldo shared in the glory.Glory hunters! Maradona was great Pele greater Messi greatest.Where do Ronaldo rank? yes he his still amongst the great but certainly not 3,2 or 1

I want to believe that you didn't read the article to the end. You might also want to stop reading as a fanboy


Leo is a great footballer in all aspect and deserving of all he has acheived in the game for Club and Country but the aim of the article is to show the effectiveness of Cristiano as an off the ball footballer.

In order to justify some assertions in the article, Leo is used as a tool for comparative analysis as he is the only player that can be compared to Cristiano in the Modern era.

Lexxyla:




I want to believe that you didn't read the article to the end. You might also want to stop reading as a fanboy


Leo is a great footballer in all aspect and deserving of all he has acheived in the game for Club and Country but the aim of the article is to show the effectiveness of Cristiano as an off the ball footballer.

In order to justify some assertions in the article, Leo is used as a tool for comparative analysis as he is the only player that can be compared to Cristiano in the Modern era.

And you did not write the article as a fanboy? Why bring up the part aboutbhim winning a fifth ballon dor?

Fantastic article.

cr7 is just too good as a scorer at his age, I just like that guy even if he doesn't score he makes assist, although messi is equally good but I rate ronaldo higher.

Lexxyla:


I am. A little bit of information about the site might help.

paste your phone number so I can call you.

googlelove:
paste your phone number so I can call you.

Mods and their wahala