Post: #4126

^ What a totally unnecessary barb. Best get my beard wax and casio watch then pal.

Two of the most acclaimed and decorated midfielders ever... yep, what a totally left field choice.

Post: #4127

(08-20-2019 12:01 PM)perros Wrote:  ^^^^

I'm not sure if its exclusively just culture though.

Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Central American countries have strong soccer cultures and traditions and it doesn't necessarily correlate to winning a world cup.

Portugal, strong soccer culture, never won a world cup.

Spain, strong soccer culture and barely won it in 2010.

If you ask me, I think its corruption and the powers that be want mainly Western European countries to win and all resources are geared towards that.

Kudos to Perros for stimulating this lively debate complete with hipster insults.

@Rocha - I still want to see Paulo Futre somehow cloned and picked for a modern Portuguese side.

Post: #4128

(08-21-2019 06:11 AM)Bienvenuto Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 12:01 PM)perros Wrote:  ^^^^

I'm not sure if its exclusively just culture though.

Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Central American countries have strong soccer cultures and traditions and it doesn't necessarily correlate to winning a world cup.

Portugal, strong soccer culture, never won a world cup.

Spain, strong soccer culture and barely won it in 2010.

If you ask me, I think its corruption and the powers that be want mainly Western European countries to win and all resources are geared towards that.

Kudos to Perros for stimulating this lively debate complete with hipster insults.

@Rocha - I still want to see Paulo Futre somehow cloned and picked for a modern Portuguese side.

Ah Futre...he was virtually unstoppable...every time the ball got to his feet and he started moving those arms up and down...the defender already knew that would be impossible to stop that freight train...What a legend and what a character too...there will be no other like him.

Post: #4129

Joao Felix looks like the next big thing. He's been incredible so far with Atletico.

Post: #4130

It's a shame Johan Cruijff never won the world cup. I'm not sure I agree on The Netherlands being a choker nation, but one thing I do know is that Cruijff is arguably the most influental person in modern football despite never winning the most prestigious trophy there is.

Dennis Bergkamp, Frank de Boer, Wim Jonk, Ronald Koeman, Ruud Gullit, Pep Guardiola, Xavi Hernandez, I could go on.

All of them point to Cruijff as their biggest influence throughout their careers and to this day, you can see Cruijff's philosophy everywhere, not just at Ajax and Barcelona.

He has influenced several generations of players and trainers and has changed the way football is played. His philosophy is still trickling down from generation to generation, being perfected along the way by the likes of Guardiola.

Post: #4131

(08-21-2019 07:23 AM)Rocha Wrote:  

(08-21-2019 06:11 AM)Bienvenuto Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 12:01 PM)perros Wrote:  ^^^^

I'm not sure if its exclusively just culture though.

Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Central American countries have strong soccer cultures and traditions and it doesn't necessarily correlate to winning a world cup.

Portugal, strong soccer culture, never won a world cup.

Spain, strong soccer culture and barely won it in 2010.

If you ask me, I think its corruption and the powers that be want mainly Western European countries to win and all resources are geared towards that.

Kudos to Perros for stimulating this lively debate complete with hipster insults.

@Rocha - I still want to see Paulo Futre somehow cloned and picked for a modern Portuguese side.

Ah Futre...he was virtually unstoppable...every time the ball got to his feet and he started moving those arms up and down...the defender already knew that would be impossible to stop that freight train...What a legend and what a character too...there will be no other like him.

He was close to win the ballon d'or but a Benfica portuguese journalist who happened to be in the voting decided to go with Gullit instead. Lost for that vote.

Post: #4132

As I've mentioned above, Cruijff might be the reason why Holland never won the WC in 74 and 78, although of course he is also one of the main reasons they got there in the first place in '74. Like many other super talented players, guys like Stoichkov, Keane, Hagi, Cantona, he was a bit of a head case, and prone to cliqueish leadership, alienating the core talent from Ajax' archrival club PSV, which was a powerhouse of its own in the 1970s.

I think he was a lot more influential as a mythical sports hero, he had tons of charisma on the field, than really being directly responsible for changing the game. After he retired, world football went through a long dreadful, defensive dominated phase in the 1980s and early 90s, until the game modernised recently and became more balanced/offensive.

Post: #4133

Maradona to me is the greatest of all time.

Post: #4134

(08-22-2019 09:09 AM)911 Wrote:  As I've mentioned above, Cruijff might be the reason why Holland never won the WC in 74 and 78, although of course he is also one of the main reasons they got there in the first place in '74. Like many other super talented players, guys like Stoichkov, Keane, Hagi, Cantona, he was a bit of a head case, and prone to cliqueish leadership, alienating the core talent from Ajax' archrival club PSV, which was a powerhouse of its own in the 1970s.

I think he was a lot more influential as a mythical sports hero, he had tons of charisma on the field, than really being directly responsible for changing the game. After he retired, world football went through a long dreadful, defensive dominated phase in the 1980s and early 90s, until the game modernised recently and became more balanced/offensive.

Cruijf retirement to me has nothing to do with appearance of more defensive minded teams in the late 80s...the reasoning for that was the rise of the grear AC Milan of Arrigo Sacchi, with the 3 dutch guys plus Baresi, Maldini, Tassotti, Anccelotii...

Post: #4135

Yeah I did not mean to imply any kind of causality between Cruijff' retirement and the game going into a rut, it was just a matter of timing. Football went through a dreadful defensive phase, it was so bad they had to change the rules (goalkeeper backpasses, 3 points for wins instead of 2).

Post: #4136

Canada 2 - USA 0.

USA will never do well in World soccer and they certainly won't win a World Cup.

Post: #4137

< Never say never - when the US looks like Brazil, then who knows....

Post: #4138

How many world cups has Mexico won? 100 million Norteños aren't going to get it done...

Post: #4139

< True - more Africans needed so that American Africans can beat the French Africans.

Post: #4140

(10-18-2019 11:22 AM)Simeon_Strangelight Wrote:  < True - more Africans needed so that American Africans can beat the French Africans.

This is the Football thread or the Migrant Invasion thread?

Post: #4141

@911

Neither will 350 million Yanks.

@Zelcorpion

It won't be in my lifetime, never means never.

The fact that you have to bring Africans into the argument, shows what a sad pathetic human being you are.

Post: #4142

< I never blame the young boys playing and obviously African-Americans are Americans first. Even the French or British boys growing up there likely see themselves more British and French which is fine. We can argue about national representation or the like but that is frankly a different argument.

As for the US - yeah - the genetics likely won't shift to that degree unless NFL, baseball and possible most of the NBA collapses and all the talent goes mainly into soccer. Then yes - then it might be possible for the US to become nr. 1 if soccer was the most popular sport by far - highly highly highly unlikely. The influx south of the border might increase the popularity a bit, but that would take generations.

Post: #4143

I'm done with this forum.

I will be back to laugh some more when America doesn't make the next World Cup.

Let's not forget they have spent billions on their programs and grassroots projects.

So all your theories are pointless.

Post: #4144

(10-19-2019 01:14 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  I'm done with this forum.

I will be back to laugh some more when America doesn't make the next World Cup.

Let's not forget they have spent billions on their programs and grassroots projects.

So all your theories are pointless.

Man, all the quality members are being driven away.

Sorry to see you go Rudebwoy.

Liked your posts over the years.

Post: #4145

Thanks dude!

Post: #4146

(08-21-2019 07:23 PM)Labienus Wrote:  Joao Felix looks like the next big thing. He's been incredible so far with Atletico.

Major flop...total waste of money.

Jorge Mendes can sell even his mother to a big club...

Post: #4147

(10-19-2019 04:24 PM)Rocha Wrote:  

(08-21-2019 07:23 PM)Labienus Wrote:  Joao Felix looks like the next big thing. He's been incredible so far with Atletico.

Major flop...total waste of money.

Jorge Mendes can sell even his mother to a big club...

He's been poor since my comment.

I still think he'll be a great player.

The other major young talent to watch is Kai Havertz at Bayer Leverkusen. That guy has everything.

Post: #4148

The kid has skills, I'm a fan.

Atletico are supposed to get Cavani next year, I rate him.

Post: #4149

Politics aside , I am always happy when I see a new nation entering the final phase of a major continental (or World) competition.
It seems that through the playoffs of Nations League group D we will have a new team in the now 24-teams competition for the Euro2020. Either North Macedonia , Kosovo or Georgia.

Through the normal qualifying groups , we probably will see Finland as a new nation. Unless mistaken they have never made it to a big competition.

Post: #4150

I also like to see a new nation in a final phase, but with 24 teams in the Euro and the 48 in the World Cup (after Qatar) it's not the same thing as before. In the Euro roughly half of the UEFA members(55) will qualify. I mean it's just not as epic as before. They're going to kill what was special about these competitions with these moronic enlargements.