SEE YOU! A brand spanking new modern fitba thread 2025-2026

Before next week's edition of them losing to Sunderland is released:

 

Tough on Liverpool but marginally deserved, especially unimpressed with their midfield..Chelsea looked more potent than what I suspect other teams will show them to be. Salah badly needs a goal, his radar is way off.

 

Liverpool becoming a bit of a punchline now.

 

Rte remains riddled by bitter United fans

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/202...he-hero-as-chelsea-shatter-liverpool-late-on/

 

Totally random, but what would you gents' top 5 Brazilians of all time list be?

Mine would be:

1. Pele: Obviously.
2. R9
3. Zico
4. Garrincha
5. Romario

 

Miss Bum Bum

 

Controversial Take:- Pele is ordinary today.

 

That just reminded me of the time Richarlison wore his own Brasil jersey to watch Brasil's women play in their WC.

 

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/MHkqqz9lkEo

 

I think we have to cheat and make 5 a tie to include Ronaldinho

 

Pele gets contained in the modern era. He's just a fast black guy feasting off undernourished stiff bums in the 1950s and 1970s.

Came to England in 66 and left in a wheelchair.

Forget him. He's taken on mythic status of Tony Ayala proportions.

All of the others are proven entities in far more competitive environments.

 

Soccer is the inverse of Boxing.

Marciano probably batters any 185lb fighter on Earth today.

Sweden of 1958 are just a collection of fat balding oafs.

 

I think individuals were just as skillful back in say the 60s but tactics were a joke. The only things subject to pressing were the half time oranges

See tbh, even watching football in the 90s looks amateur hour vs now

 

After weeks of protest the board agreed to a follow up meeting with the fan groups. Basically 'dunno what you're complaining about, the clubs run great, we're best in class". This is gonna be a grim, rancourous season, win or lose. Needz moar firebombings

 

I'm of the school of thinking that the truly greats would adjust to any era.

Pele was a talented and skilled as anyone to kick a ball. He also had a modern footballers physique. Hard for me to believe he'd be average in any era.

 

He wouldn't be "average" of course ...he'd just be contained. He'd be doing well to get 30 goals a season. Who did he play against as a club player?

 

We'll never know, but I suspect he'd struggle with modern defensive schemes to start, but would adjust. He was an extremely high IQ player. Its not like he was only physical talent and skill. The brain was there as well.

After an adjustment period, yes I think he'd progress to be one of the best in the world, currently.

If there's two guys from the 60s who looked and played like modern guys, in terms of skill, pace, and physique, it's Pele and Eusebio.

 

What I'm trying to say in 3 words is: Class is permanent.

 

Two strikers perhaps but I'd put Bobby Moore in there who was way ahead of his time (his teammate Jack Charlton was the standard of the era, basically big and rough) and Jimmie Greaves who would be a good striker today.

 

Yeah definitely agreed on Greaves. I've watched a lot of his highlights. He's a class striker in any era.

 

I feel like you could drop Cruyff naked like Kyle Reese into a modern teams warm up and he'd go straight out and play pretty well

Celtic had a guy called Bobby Lennox who would definitely thrive, he had top end pace, power, technique in any era

 

Cruyff and Pele are the two most obvious excels in any era guys from the pre-80s.

How about Best? Would he dominate or would be out getting drunk with Jack Grealish all the time?

 

You kinda wonder about all the maverick talents in today's game all the up to maradona,there's way less space for that in every sense

 

Conversely I kinda suspect that 40 years ago Grealish might be the absolute stand out, superstar English player

 

I think Maradona is an exception to that observation, but I do think it applies to a lot of the mavericks from the 70-90s English league, such as stan bowles, gascoigne etc., even Best, they would struggle in the more tactical and technical present where there is less time and space. Agree that Cruyff would be just fine. Strikers are different, the very best of the past would probably still be very good because of timing and instinct, and clinical finishing. Greaves, Rush, Van Basten etc....they would still be a class apart.

 

Lol. The 2020s are a binfire

 

Aye, there's still a wide open niche for a pure predatory 9, even if theyd have to get fitter and press more. The 'wander about chilling then dribble' niche is fully extinct though

 

Add Romario to that list of strikers who'd still be elite today.

 

Yeah Pele would still be a beast today. He'd have to adapt to the modern game but he was such an other worldly talent there's no way he wouldn't have been a standout. Agreed on Cruyff too.

 

Back to Pele being a beast today: There really aren't any categories where Messi has a huge edge over Pele. I think Messi's a better dribbler, but even there not by a huge margin.

Pele was a more explosive athlete than Messi and physically stronger. And like Messi he far more than just a goal scorer; he was a terrific playmaker.

He'd be fine.