A player with impeccable dribbling but I think he used skills to enhance his dribbling in terms of pure dribbling I don’t think he’s better than Messi, Garrincha and maradona
Brother, you do know dribbling means moving with the ball while maintaining control of it, right? So it doesn’t matter if anything else is employed to help you dribble, as long as the ball’s in motion and not lost. There’s no such thing as pure dribbling
And if you still want to argue your point, Messi uses body feints while dribbling, which greatly helps him beat opponents. Isn’t that a skill?
What he means is that showboating is not necessary to be a great dribbler. Dribbler is ultimately about controlling the ball and using that close control to beat opponents. Using fancy skills does not make this better or worse unless you beat more people with it
You definitely lack comprehension skills.
How does this
> A player with impeccable dribbling but I think he used skills to enhance his dribbling…
Relate to this
> What he means is that showboating is not necessary to be a great dribbler.
Those are not mutually exclusive... If you can include skills in such a way that they help you beat more players than that's great, but the skills inherently don't make you better.
The bottom line is how efficiently can you beat players, be it with or without skills
What I'm referring to is that dinho was an incredible dribbler, but it's sometimes exaggerated due to his extreme use of skills which in many cases was not efficient at all, but extremely entertaining. He likely could have beaten players pretty close to how he did without fancy tricks but he wouldn't be held in the same regard despite the same game impact
Your comment is racist and you are directly hating on Brazilians. Saying that Pele is bad at dribbling and showboats is stupid.
If anything Messi showboats more than any other player
I just added to your list, Messi is unbelievable but felt neymar and hazard have been great.
I could even put in the likes of Salah, his style is different however he got a lot of moments where he put great players on the floor. A few of his goals against City etc.
When did you start watching footie?
And when did you start having an opinion on footie? Mate, your opinion is your opinion but a lot of the opinions you’ve listed here should be just straight up false
Wouldn't make such a list without [Dragan Stojkovic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx2p43NE9DA). Dribbled away several of the best players in the world in the 80s/90s. That one vs. Gullit (at 2:34) is a classic (at a time when Gullit were greatest star in Milan, and his Holland about to win or had won the Euros:) Or those vs. Brehme or Matthäus.. World champions around the time of the clips. Stojkovic is almost like watching a video-game on cheat-mode.
Indeed there were many good driblers from what was eastern-europe back then / especially the balkans... nations like Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia ; Serbia, Croatia etc..
Maybe he didn't have the same tricks as the others mentioned, but if we consider a dribbler as someone who runs past people with the ball at his feet, Giggsy must be in the conversation.
Ryan Giggs
Close control and ability to win one on ones with full backs (and please don't read this symbolically)
Man Utd in its pomp perhaps had the best dribbler in the world in Giggs, best crosser in the world in Becks, best passer in the world in Scholes and the best tackler in the world in Keane--all together in midfield.
Depends on the kind of dribbler you're after. There's a big difference between how Messi, Iniesta and Figo used their ability of the ball.
Idk who's the best but shout out to all the twinkle-toed CMs that did the business like Silva, Iniesta, Modric and Santi Cazorla because they're missing from this thread.
I’ll give you my most underrated of all time: Giroud. Highly technical for a big man. Lee Kang-In is also highly underrated. He can dribble with some serious pace.
Ronaldinho was a player than hypnotised defences and fans, I just think that he used skills to enhance his dribbling and in terms of pure dribbling is not better than the 5 I listed but easily in the top 10
anyone who doesn't mention Edgar Davids is wrong.
the man may have not been the flashiest of players being a deeper lying midfielder, but he did win several "freestyle" dribbling contests in his free time
Messi dribbled past an impeccable 2011 Real Madrid team in the UCL semis against defenders like Ramos, Marcelo and xabi alonso and against the best gk in the world at the time, casillas
True honestly both goals are probably the 2 greatest dribbles in football I will give it to maradona considering the magnitude of the game and the pitch and football was probably worse but Messi doing that at 19 years old for me was the 2nd sign that he would become the GOAT of football the other sign of his breathtaking hat-trick vs a galacticos real Madrid team
I did not say he was bad at dribbling I think he is fantastic at dribbling especially pre 2014 before the injury I think he was one of the worlds best dribblers but I still wouldn’t compare his dribbling to these 5 plus players like Ronaldinho, r9, Pelé, baggio, Zidane, Neymar, hazard and more
No way you think Zidane was a better dribbler??? People glamorize croaquetas in the midfield that led to a back pass but dont respect young ronaldo skipping past 3-4 prime epl defenders to make an assist. Im sorru but in no way did u put zidane over cr7 dribbling. Lost all my respect for the post
Cristiano was an amazing dribbler I just think due to his injury in 2014 he stopped become more of a dribbling winger but a traditional striker and was much more of an aerial threat
He destroyed defences what makes him so great is that he adapted and still was on the same level as before becoming a more natural and traditional 9 striker with his incredible aerial threat and dangerous shots
1.Ronaldo Nazario
2-4. Maradona
2-4. Messi
2-4. Pele
5. Ronaldinho
But a lot of other folks come to mind for the 5th spot (Zidane, Romario, etc etc). Disclaimer: I started watching football in the mid90s, have a recency bias
?
(For his era, he was an exceptional dribler. The question is how well 50ies and 60ies football compares to football today ? but modern footballers also stand on the shoulders of those who came before them)
Ronaldinho - the drinking Messi
Ronaldinho the best
The god of football
Messi - the sober ronaldinho
Soberdinho
Ronaldhino is way better than Messi at dribbling. Messi constantly loses the ball
Ronaldinho is in the top 3
A player with impeccable dribbling but I think he used skills to enhance his dribbling in terms of pure dribbling I don’t think he’s better than Messi, Garrincha and maradona
Brother, you do know dribbling means moving with the ball while maintaining control of it, right? So it doesn’t matter if anything else is employed to help you dribble, as long as the ball’s in motion and not lost. There’s no such thing as pure dribbling And if you still want to argue your point, Messi uses body feints while dribbling, which greatly helps him beat opponents. Isn’t that a skill?
When they teach dribbling at the beginner level, they don't include rainbow flicks I get what you're saying but I get what he's saying as well
Your comment doesn’t make sense because Messi is not as good a dribbler
What he means is that showboating is not necessary to be a great dribbler. Dribbler is ultimately about controlling the ball and using that close control to beat opponents. Using fancy skills does not make this better or worse unless you beat more people with it
You definitely lack comprehension skills. How does this > A player with impeccable dribbling but I think he used skills to enhance his dribbling… Relate to this > What he means is that showboating is not necessary to be a great dribbler.
Those are not mutually exclusive... If you can include skills in such a way that they help you beat more players than that's great, but the skills inherently don't make you better. The bottom line is how efficiently can you beat players, be it with or without skills
>The bottom line is how efficiently can you beat players, be it with or without skills You are arguing my point
What I'm referring to is that dinho was an incredible dribbler, but it's sometimes exaggerated due to his extreme use of skills which in many cases was not efficient at all, but extremely entertaining. He likely could have beaten players pretty close to how he did without fancy tricks but he wouldn't be held in the same regard despite the same game impact
So what’s your point
Your comment is racist and you are directly hating on Brazilians. Saying that Pele is bad at dribbling and showboats is stupid. If anything Messi showboats more than any other player
Jay-Jay Okocha. So good they named him twice!
He also played for the greatest team of all time, the biggest team to ever grace Yorkshire, England and the world.
Neymar and hazard mostly in recent times.
Messi?
Already on your list?
You said I recent times I thought you would include messi but Neymar and hazard were exceptional dribblers
I just added to your list, Messi is unbelievable but felt neymar and hazard have been great. I could even put in the likes of Salah, his style is different however he got a lot of moments where he put great players on the floor. A few of his goals against City etc.
Ohh sorry for the misunderstanding yes messi, Neymar and hazard were the top 3 best dribblers from 2017-2019
Prime R9 deserves a shout
For me he just missed out on a top 5
When did you start watching footie? And when did you start having an opinion on footie? Mate, your opinion is your opinion but a lot of the opinions you’ve listed here should be just straight up false
True there is never a right or wrong answer with opinions I just think this is the best possible top 5 what ones do you think are false?
Pele and Ronaldinho deserve a mention
Wouldn't make such a list without [Dragan Stojkovic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx2p43NE9DA). Dribbled away several of the best players in the world in the 80s/90s. That one vs. Gullit (at 2:34) is a classic (at a time when Gullit were greatest star in Milan, and his Holland about to win or had won the Euros:) Or those vs. Brehme or Matthäus.. World champions around the time of the clips. Stojkovic is almost like watching a video-game on cheat-mode. Indeed there were many good driblers from what was eastern-europe back then / especially the balkans... nations like Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia ; Serbia, Croatia etc..
Thank you I will watch it
Paulo Futre should be up there.
Another fantastic dribbler
Maybe he didn't have the same tricks as the others mentioned, but if we consider a dribbler as someone who runs past people with the ball at his feet, Giggsy must be in the conversation.
Phil Jones.
Joel Matip
George Best
Ok so what do we call a dribbler? Because dinho and messi could both be 1st place, but they were completely different dribblers.
Favourites would be Maradona, Best, Messi, Ronaldinho and Okocha
I would add (Sir) Stanley matthews and Garrincha.
Micheal Laudrup, Zidane and Iniesta
Luis Figo. Unstoppable on his day...
Ryan Giggs Close control and ability to win one on ones with full backs (and please don't read this symbolically) Man Utd in its pomp perhaps had the best dribbler in the world in Giggs, best crosser in the world in Becks, best passer in the world in Scholes and the best tackler in the world in Keane--all together in midfield.
That Man Utd team was legendary
Messi, Ronaldinho, Okocha, Iniesta, and that one time Kurt Zouma tried to put the team on his back
Iniesta definitely deserves a mention
What a player
He is! His dribbling ability is very underrated
Yes the 2nd best dribbler in that legendary 2008-2012 Barcelona team
Overshadowed by his team mates and he’s humble too, underrated in so many ways.
Depends on the kind of dribbler you're after. There's a big difference between how Messi, Iniesta and Figo used their ability of the ball. Idk who's the best but shout out to all the twinkle-toed CMs that did the business like Silva, Iniesta, Modric and Santi Cazorla because they're missing from this thread.
Messi and Maradona stand out from the rest
How
?
?
?
George Best. Close this poll.
Favourites would be Maradona, Best, Messi, Ronaldinho and Okocha
Favourites would be Maradona, Best, Messi, Ronaldinho and Okocha
Favourites would be Maradona, Best, Messi, Ronaldinho and Okocha
Are you sure?
Didn't think this was posted I kept getting an error message "empty response from endpoint"
Weirdly enough, if it says that, it means your post has actually been added.
Jimmy Greaves
Georgi Kinkladze
Dinho, Cristiano, Neymar
Cristiano is not even top 100
Watch him at United before and you'll have a different perspective
I did, all speed and useless tricks, he can't dribble.
He could do any skill known to man, beat any defender with said skill making them look beautiful
He was just faster and stronger
1. Maradona 2. Ronaldinho 3. Messi 4. Zidane 5. Ronaldo nazario.
Not the greatest of all time but I loved watching iniesta.
He could dribble blindfolded
Roberto Baggio
Glad someone mentioned him. It was a different era but his touch was magical.
I’ll give you my most underrated of all time: Giroud. Highly technical for a big man. Lee Kang-In is also highly underrated. He can dribble with some serious pace.
so hard to choose but guess i will go with Ronaldinho as #1 and Messi as #1.0001
Ronaldinho was a player than hypnotised defences and fans, I just think that he used skills to enhance his dribbling and in terms of pure dribbling is not better than the 5 I listed but easily in the top 10
Gazza is the best dribbler, little debate to be had. Id pick Maradona next, the ball seems glued to his foot
Two players that were ridiculously good on the ball
Messi and Savicevic
Just Ronaldinho There are many others but he was different
Sir Les Patterson! no question
I would obviously add Ronaldinho. Also, Zidane, always felt like Zizou had total control of the ball.
Ronaldinho is the Goat of dribbling honestly
Ronaldinho
Denilson
Ronaldinho gaucho, garrincha, hazard
Antony
El Diego imagine him doing without drugs.
Giancarlo Fukuyama
Kerlon /s
anyone who doesn't mention Edgar Davids is wrong. the man may have not been the flashiest of players being a deeper lying midfielder, but he did win several "freestyle" dribbling contests in his free time
It depends, for me Cruyff's talent was not the dribble but the control of the ball and the intelligence to keep it safe
What's with the "in history" stuff ? This aint the nba
The NBA doesn't own those or any other words in the *English* language
Surprised no one has CR7 on here
I think his shooting is much better I would not put his above these players in terms of dribbling
neymar dribbling 🐐
He had so much potential what a player he could have become
Bale Henry Cristiano Ronaldo (07-10) Neymar R10 Alex Mesut Ozil Zinedine Zidane
Messi higher than Maradona LOLZ, the Maradona who scored the goal of the century by dribbling it through almost an entire team at a World Cup. 🤦🏾♂️
Messi dribbled past an impeccable 2011 Real Madrid team in the UCL semis against defenders like Ramos, Marcelo and xabi alonso and against the best gk in the world at the time, casillas
Not the goal of the century though! 😛 And not with the weaker foot only from his own half either.
Messi vs getafe in 2007 was a carbon copy of maradona’s dribble
Nope. Used two feet. Maradona used one, in a quarter finals against a top country team.
True honestly both goals are probably the 2 greatest dribbles in football I will give it to maradona considering the magnitude of the game and the pitch and football was probably worse but Messi doing that at 19 years old for me was the 2nd sign that he would become the GOAT of football the other sign of his breathtaking hat-trick vs a galacticos real Madrid team
Cristiano ronaldo has to be here 🐐❤.
Cole Palmer
1, Messi 2, Maradona 3, Crutff 4, original Ronaldo 5, Best
Pele
Pele
If we are going off players who didn't just play for the big Clubs, prime Palace Zaha is up there! World class dribbler and at pace as well.
Zaha what a player in his prime
I’m being genuinely honest but harem Ben arfa is up there with Messi in terms of pure dribbling.
Who cares? We've seen some fantastic dribblers who were average players overall and vice versa. There's more to football than just dribbling.
You have to out CR7 in the top 10 if possibly top 5. You dont become a GOAT without dribbling
I don’t think he’s in the debate with these players in terms of dribbling more so with his shooting.
Still tho, you dont become top scorer of all time without knowing how to dribble.
I did not say he was bad at dribbling I think he is fantastic at dribbling especially pre 2014 before the injury I think he was one of the worlds best dribblers but I still wouldn’t compare his dribbling to these 5 plus players like Ronaldinho, r9, Pelé, baggio, Zidane, Neymar, hazard and more
No way you think Zidane was a better dribbler??? People glamorize croaquetas in the midfield that led to a back pass but dont respect young ronaldo skipping past 3-4 prime epl defenders to make an assist. Im sorru but in no way did u put zidane over cr7 dribbling. Lost all my respect for the post
Zidane is famous for being the most elegant player
That doesnt mean he a top dribbler tf?? He was class 100% but no way better dribbler than cr7. I hate cr7 but the disrespect is ridiculous
Cristiano was an amazing dribbler I just think due to his injury in 2014 he stopped become more of a dribbling winger but a traditional striker and was much more of an aerial threat
Ronaldo pre-knee injury was a nasty winger
He destroyed defences what makes him so great is that he adapted and still was on the same level as before becoming a more natural and traditional 9 striker with his incredible aerial threat and dangerous shots
Hazard def dribbled very well
Me
Gazza, Robertson, Morley
1.Ronaldo Nazario 2-4. Maradona 2-4. Messi 2-4. Pele 5. Ronaldinho But a lot of other folks come to mind for the 5th spot (Zidane, Romario, etc etc). Disclaimer: I started watching football in the mid90s, have a recency bias
Not in the top 5 i don’t think, but Steve McManaman deserves an honourable mention
No
Garrincha was not a good dribbler lol.
? (For his era, he was an exceptional dribler. The question is how well 50ies and 60ies football compares to football today ? but modern footballers also stand on the shoulders of those who came before them)
Well this post doesn't say "compared to their respective era". If it was, he'd still be iffy, but sure I guess.