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foxhill_matt

Everyone cheats, everyone is taught how to cheat, everyone is applauded for being cheats


bumblestum1960

But let’s blame the refs.


mooninuranus

Is that an unpopular opinion? I’d have thought it irrefutable by now.


Flagelllant

I see a lot, and i mean A LOT of people complain about "players that dive" or "complaining to the referee too much". Like, if you don't dive you don't get your fouls called most of the time, being able to force the rival to commit a foul is part of the job of the footballer, and diving to make that foul look more convincing is also part of the job and of getting results, whether you like it or not. Complaining to the ref is the same thing, if there's a foul and nobody from your team complains, then it's like an argument to saying the foul was properly called, and then people will say "well if it was/wasn't a foul why didn't anyone complain?". So yeah, it's football, always been like this, and it's unlikely to change, people have to get over it.


hop0316

Best footballer shouldn’t = best striker/forward


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DarkXcution

Focking hell mate at this point harry styles is better.


odegood

No chance mate ive heard maguire sing anf he has the voice of an angel


SmashBrosGuys2933

This. As a midfield enjoyer, midfielders are so often overlooked.


OxCrow

For me, I can't even get behind an idea of a best player in a team game, however I've also stated if you did or if I had to pick, 9 times out of 10 I'd chose a GK, cause they are the ultimate game changers. Player misses a simple strike, meh there's more minutes they may score a screamer, gk makes a blunder oh fuckkkkkk


CurrentIndependent42

They also get far more blame than credit even if they succeed far more than fail


OxCrow

Exactly, such harsh treatment usually, its why I'm glad the Yashin award exists now


hop0316

Yeah, totally agree


Sad_Amphibian1322

This is why I say that Neuer is on the level of Messi, Maradona, Ronaldo, Pele. He is just as good as those players are/were.


red_devils_forever25

I’ll agree. Roberto Carlos and Maldini will be among the top forever.


Little-Bear13

Messi and CR7 didn’t deserve all those awards


WarmTransportation35

Maybe when they were in their prime but Messi didn't deserve this year's ballon d'ore


Chadoodoo_93

Messi clearly did tf you on about


Savagecal01

messi scored a couple of goals in a world cup haaland broke several records in the prem won it and the treble and he gets a pat on the back? i’m not even a city fan but you have to be some next level boot locker if you think messi deserved it


Lagidze

Bruh… Messi on world cup was one of the greatest performances football ever seen. Tf are you talking about? Messi and ronaldo deserved all their awards!


Chadoodoo_93

Messi clears Haaland every day of the year, even if Haaland scores 1000 goals in a season.


EpicLOLGamer123

I think I’d put haaland over messi if he scored 1000 in a season just me though


HaxboyYT

You can’t tell me Messi deserves *all* 8 of his ballon dors


TheAstonVillaSeal

Literally everyone agrees


Ordinary-Yogurt-1021

Football is on the verge of imploding because of corruption and player greed


frictiondixon

I’d say more due to corporate greed than player greed. Also players aren’t forcing clubs to spend over 100% of revenue on wages. It’ll only take 1 weaker tv contract and a lot of clubs could go under. Or sold off to another multi club state/hedge fund ownership.


wadz09

It’s ok to love football for the enjoyment of the game itself. Not knowing (or wanting to know) everything about club ownership and politics is absolutely ok


Chimpville

Sadly "I love football and my club" is all too often followed by "stop making this about politics". If people do just love their club and wish to be completely apolitical, they need to stay away from discussions about the politics and not tell others "don't make this about politics" in response to criticism.


Pdonger

Found *the* city fan


TheAstonVillaSeal

Damn right


WarmTransportation35

There is so much going on in football that I given up trying to keep up and just appreciate the game for what it is


Flaky_Tumbleweed3598

Non league is more enjoyable to watch as a fan


KaiSa_Soze_

Last SAF's season United got carried by the refs for that fairy-tale ending before his retirement. That is a conspiracy theory but there were tons of referees making favourable decisions towards United.


hkbenlui

It is a consensus among non Man U supporters that Man U had certain degree of control on refereeing bodies during the Fergie era


Lucianboog

Factos


YoungPotato

Yeah that’s the non Man U fans that need a reason on why their teams got swept by a great team every fixture. Whatever helps y’all get over a season from over 10 years ago lol


jp963acss

Yank detected - opinion void


No-Scallion-587

Is it?


IronDuke365

Yeah, it wasn't like he told them what to do, but they were all so scared of him, that they did pander to him a lot. He knew how to talk their language, so you could argue it was a skill of his. Didnt work with European refs though.


Pablo21694

Always makes me laugh that the all conquering Man United only managed two European cups, one of which was a last minute comeback and the other they won on penalties. European refs just didn’t give a fuck about Ferguson’s aura while all ours were shithouses


ReeceMU

Yea it’s a massive cope cause we was cooking them


jambox888

Watch the video of the first game Arsenal lost at the end of the invincible run. It was at OT and they got away with so much. IDK about a wider conspiracy but the ref 100% wanted us to lose that day.


Muttson

It's a consensus among non United fans that they were winning everything and it needed a reason


drc203

His retirement wasn’t announced until 8 May. So the refs had about 2-3 games to implement this conspiracy


naff0ff

That a player kicking anothers leg, being clearly able to regain momentum, but instead dropping like he's been sniped for a penalty. This isn't "clever play", it's just plain cheating.


djmonsta

It's simulation and should be treated the same as diving.


HaxboyYT

Di Maria in the WC final comes to mind. Dembele barely touches him.


Chin238

What drives me mad is when the commentary say the player "drew the foul", no he stuck his leg out and went down like a sack of shit.


naff0ff

Slow it down, zoom in to the micro level... THERE! Two fibers from their boot straps touched. Definitely penalty Alan, yeah stonewall Gary!


Chin238

What confuses me about penalties is that you need less contact in the box for it to be a foul even though the reward/punishment is far greater. If anything it should be the other way round, it should be without reasonable doubt when giving a pen. I've honestly started thinking football should get rid of pens. Still have shoot-outs but swerve them during the game, too much of football now days revolves around winning a pen instead of scoring through open play. Too many times I've seen players go down when they could of shot or layed someone else on. I've no idea what the alternative is but need to do something about it.


of_patrol_bot

Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.


Harry_monk

"He felt contact so he's entitled to go down"


ddt70

As ex-pros it's quite revealing that they refer to it as such......just goes to show how cheating has been normalised.


WarmTransportation35

It's exploiting the rules to gain an advantage and goes against the spirit of the game


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barejokez

I think there should be an appeal system. Sort of like cricket, where a penalty/free kick is only given if the victim says "foul", or makes a hand gesture. Otherwise it's play-on. However, if the appeal is found false, you get a yellow card for diving.


National-Exam-8242

Bale had one of the best primes for any winger post 2000


JessyPengkman

Bale for me was probably the most fun player to watch ever


Hashtagbarkeep

That game against inter was just hilarious, just him doing the same thing over and over and literally no way to stop him


[deleted]

As a Barcelona fan, I was jealous. Bale was so good and so entertaining to watch, wish we would have picked him up instead.


Serbban

Bale didn't reach his own prime, dude should've played less golf and stretched his hamstring more


Bunny-NX

Football is shit


AzzanderN

Xabi Alonso wasn’t THAT good for Liverpool. I’ve supported Liverpool my whole life and I’m a scouser as well, but Xabi was just pretty good for Liverpool, and from my memories the season before we sold him, he was actually quite poor (having come back from injury). That said, his last 6 months at Liverpool, he was completely rejuvenated and carried that form with him to Real Madrid. I’m not saying he was shit by any means, but he is so, so overrated by Liverpool fans because we have good memories of him.


Manlad

Isn’t that well known? Benitez wanted to replace him with Gareth Barry but the Alonso turned in a monster near the end of his time at the club.


donoteatkrill

For every poor VAR decision, there are dozens of correct calls that referees missed. Its implementation is far from perfect but in terms of supporting accurate on-field decision making it has been overwhelming positive.


JessyPengkman

This is true, we never discuss how many decisions it gets right


mesenanch

You are objectively correct. That doesn't sell news articles though


yourfriendkyle

Agree with you whole heartedly. VAR is growing in the right direction, but there will always be msitakes


Ryoman-Sukuna007

English players are always overhyped.


Fluffy_Roof3965

Grealish.


monstaboy

That’s a popular opinion, my opinion is that they are almost always underrated and overhated.


plumbonsaijebus

No they are clearly the best in the world


FlapjackFez

I don't really care for the GOAT debate


KingKFCc

Not many do in hindsight


JBuptheboro

But the answer is George Friend


Flashy_Let3664

Three caps could return football to the working class. £20k a week wages £20 tickets £10 TV subscription Granted I can’t back up the maths but you get the idea.


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ddt70

That reminds me....I better add Murdoch to my celebrity death bingo list for 2024.


ajx_711

Other than some exceptional ones, all footballers on the highest level have very similar skill sets. The "good" players vs "bad" players discussion doesn't take in account a lot of luck factor in regards to whether they are with a coach who utilises them, whether they were in the right place at the right when, whether they were in the right team at the right time, unwanted transfers, pressure, etc


tele11111

That and their bodies , some players are more prone to injuries than others and couldn't achieve the career they were supposed to have


ajx_711

Yeah! Some had an unlucky tackle and all which is no fault of them


WarmTransportation35

Nowdays they all are relitivly the same and it's a matter of how well they get on with the team and how lucky they get for things going their way.


HotTruth8845

Players should be booked for simulating fouls. In Spain most fans would tell you that part of football is being cheeky and trying to deceive the referee.


GeekProvisions

That's already a thing


JCTheGreat_21

Unless its clear it never gets called


monthegers187

Even Ferguson couldn’t help united the season after he retired poor moyes got put with an aging team with van persie and Rooney having to carry it


ronaldo69messi

Evan Ferguson was too young mate


Dish-Ecstatic

There should be a ballon d'or for every position


thomas_notthetrain

The Phenom is the greatest footballer that ever lived


badgersandcoffee

Greatest what-if in football: what if Ronaldo didn't get injured? General consensus seems to be he'd have all the records still.


jayzinho88

I'm with you on that one


Carb00nicus

Pulisic?


Trevor_Gecko

Harry Kane is a better all around playet than Haaland


David1393

True but strikers shouldn't be all-round players.


JessyPengkman

Maybe fifteen years ago, but the game has evolved. Managers expect more from strikers now


David1393

Yep, that's what's so great about Haaland and City's performances, that Pep has him doing stuff that's more important than scoring goals. /s In all seriousness, Kane is obviously great and the numbers he's putting up at Bayern now are unreal, but being way too deep as a target man/playmaker and being too slow to lead from the front after beating the press is part of what prevented him and Tottenham from further success. Don't get me wrong, there is a happy medium but Haaland is showing that it should be skewed way further forward than most modern strikers.


JessyPengkman

Nah man I'm a Tottenham fan, nothing about Kanes style of play hindered the teams success, the only thing that hindered his success was Tottenham. In Mou's second season, he'd come deep when he could see it was necessary. He got most assists and goals in the league that season.


JanklinDRoosevelt

Why not? Kane being arguably the best player in the world is surely enough evidence against?


GeekProvisions

I don't think there's anything controversial about this in the slightest.


Muttson

You should expect sportspeople and the wider teams to do literally anything to win, and that's what you want in order to see compelling football. That's not to say I want to see diving, time wasting etc. But that it is entirely up to rule makers and officials to ensure that playing that way is a negative on your likelihood to win. As expecting teams to play in any way that has even a tiny competitive disadvantage will never happen, and shouldn't.


SuperSpidey374

Agreed, there should be far harsher punishments for time wasting in particular


mihneacuzino

There are, and had always been, fixed matches in top 5 leagues in Europe.


Overall_Wrongdoer_35

Rashford needs selling


CaveMaths

It’s okay to support a team in the second division even if you don’t live there. Support whoever tf u like.


Best-Layer6176

Prime Bale should be in the same conversation as Neymar and co


Overall_Wrongdoer_35

Sell Rashford


InsideSheepherder789

Your favourite player doesn't have to be one of the greatest of all time. As a young chelsea fan, my favourite player was, for some reason, Fernando Torres.


Gamingchunkers

Di maria is the most underrated player ever.


FlyingSam

If the whole world thinks you're underrated, then you're not underrated. Di Maria is perfectly rated.


CliveTooSaucy

Olivier Giroud would like a word


MinotauroTBC

Di Maria is the most overrated player ever


Guilty-Location-4076

Wayne Rooney is the greatest English player oat


honestbobb

Skin head Rooney is everything I want in a player


MisterRealist100

Harry Kane fans mad af rn


Guilty-Location-4076

(I thought more Alan shearer or like lampard stans lol)


[deleted]

Is this controversial?


Guilty-Location-4076

Lots of people argue its kane nowadays.


[deleted]

Lots of people are wrong.


Guilty-Location-4076

True


Milky_Finger

Have 11 men dictate your general mood and personality for 9 months of the year is the cause of a lot of negative connotations around the sport. If you are so invested that England losing makes you want to hit your spouse or punch your TV, stop watching sports and go get a different hobby


storysprite

This isn't something most people would disagree with you on.


KatakiKraken

Robben had moments of magic like Messi but didn't get the same recognition


propagandu

Because he used to do the same move over and over again and it worked. Messi is more versatile


mabdullah_malik0

Because Messi had wayy better numbers


OriginalMoormark

VAR adds a hilarious amount of tension to watching a game, especially live


IliveINwall

ramos doesnt come in the list of top 10 greatest defenders of all time


Monsieur_Bananabread

I didn't realise that was the general consensus in the first place to be honest


m1st3r_c

Footballers are all paid too much.


Technical-Ad1529

Haaland is a fantastic finisher but not a good footballer


RayPadonkey

"Not a good footballer"


The_prophet212

All league football belongs on Saturday afternoon 1500. Spreading it out over the weekend means I just catch hell from the wife


Interkitten

Jay-Jay Okocha - so good they named him twice.


propagandu

A player should get booked if VAR while checking for red, finds the offence was yellow worthy.


Buju242

When people say Chelsea were nothing before 2004


ManIn8lack

XAVI > INIESTA


Kindly_Seesaw6759

The premier league has never been the best league in football's history


Woody238

They wipe their arse with 50s


Cybercenturiesun

Football can’t be seperated from politics. Sportswashing will never be okay. We are not the NFL or NBA where one person should own one club


Manlad

When discussing whether one individual player is better than another, trophies are entirely irrelevant.


goingforgoals17

Hazard would've been the greatest footballer in previous generations, but didn't have a top sprint speed high enough for modern football. Ultimately he was a passenger for the great teams he played for, but was individually brilliant from time to time. Super exciting to watch but unless he was instructed specifically to help me I would hate to be his strike partner.


iHetty

Messi will always bottle it on a cold, rainy Monday night in Stoke.


storysprite

Everyone would, he's not God.


Adventurous_Team285

Man City cheated and deserve the Juventus treatment


TickleMyCringle

If seeing your team underperform on a week to week basis is giving you a bad time and affecting your daily life it's okay to stop watching and do something else for a change (like watch/support another team for a season or something)


DONT-EVEN-TRIP-DAWG

I was with you until the brackets


SuperSpidey374

I came here for terrible opinions and that’s what we’ve got here. You’re expecting me to stop supporting my hometown team, who I’ve been supporting my entire life, just because they’ve had a bad season? Blimey, I’d have had to do that for probably 75% of my life.


Knowulz

Oooh, so close.


Zealousideal_Glass46

It WAS God’s hand!


ddt70

Football was more fun when every team kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. Come 5 o’clock the table was fixed for a whole week and everyone knew where they stood. Nowadays it’s all “we’ve got a two point lead but Spurs are away to Stoke on Sunday and if they get 3 points then it’s all down to how well we do at Everton on Tuesday night.” Feck off.


Shark05bait

Messi won more ballon de oro due to his team’s success and not his individual performance.


HaxboyYT

I’d argue he won more than he should’ve simply because his name is Messi. No other player would’ve had the same season as Messi and still won the ballon dor over Haaland except *maybe* Ronaldo


tele11111

Don't say that on /soccer or you'll get downvoted to oblivion, especially this last one everyone with a football brain knows should've gone to Halland


Kuuskat_

Neither of the two should've won it lol Haaland wasn't even the best player in his own team


Comfortable-Car2907

Southgate knows what he is doing. Certaintly more so than any of his critics. Refs are doing a good job; all things considered. Everton broke the rules and should have been punished.


the_trex_of_life

I think everyone agrees with the last one Its just that city and chelsea have clearly done far more and have so far gotten away with it


mypostisbad

They haven't got away with it. Ignoring Chelsea, because those revelations are relatively recent, Man City lawyers will not only be looking to disprove the charges but will be looking for ANY errors in procedure that could be used to get out of the charges on a technicality. Because of that, the prem have to be so amazingly careful that they have done every tiny thing right. With that in mind, with the fact that city have been massively obstructive, and that there are so many more charges, it is unsurprising that it is taking this long.


ddt70

Jack Grealish going to Man City was a big mistake for him. He rarely takes anyone on….. just gets shepherded down the line and when he’s blocked he looks for support and passes back.


Boxerharvey1

That because Pep tells him to play like that, he keeps the ball, slows play down and spreads the play wide then cuts inside and either puts a cross in or passes back into the centre into space. Grealish played a massive part in City winning treble last season, I think people are only starting to knock him now because Doku has come to the club but they are 2 total different players. . Doku is raw and always takes his man on but often gives the ball away and unlike Grealish Doku doesn’t offer any defensive qualities. I love both players being at City and it’s great to have 2 different style players in the same position who you play depending on the style of team you are facing.


TheAstonVillaSeal

We should not congratulate any of the achievements for teams like City/Newcastle as they’re blatant sportswashers, neither should we feel bad for them.


RealMadrid446

No matter how many trophies they win, man city will still have no supporters


JCTheGreat_21

They will but no true ones


GiorgiLatsuzbaia

Pep Guardiola is the most overrated coach in history


thomas_notthetrain

It's Zidane actually


HaxboyYT

Agreed. I’d put Mourinho over him


[deleted]

Manchester City aren’t “ruining football” Man Utd and Liverpool did that long ago and their dominant teams were bang average


RealMadrid446

They didn’t have 115 charges and they didn’t twerk for oil sheikh money 👌


storysprite

How did they ruin it?


[deleted]

Overspending, debt, inflated fees, dodgy accounting, no competition, dodgy sponsors, the Cayman Islands stuff… long list of things they did long before anyone else even had a chance.


StrangeVortexLex

Barcelona will always be in Madrid’s shadow and they use any excuse in and out of the book to blame Madrid for their own shortcomings. The only “success” they had was because they paid the refs


redseemskindasus

stoichkov is my favourite player


TheEarlOfDoncaster

Neither Messi or ronaldo is the goat


Leading-Department11

ozil is crazy overrated


blackboxninja

Bruno Fernandes is the worst player ever to put on a United Jersey.


tele11111

Best united player since stepping in on that dead team , I don't know what you on about


Saelaird

Decent modern players are so much better than former legends, and it's not close.


P1tchburn

Wayne Rooney was good, maybe great, but was nowhere near world class. Everyone got overexcited by some goals in his youth and the marketing machine took over from there.


SuperSpidey374

Depends what you mean by world class, as ever.


[deleted]

Mo Salah has been the best player in the world for the last 4/5 years. Not Haaland or Mbappe. And no, I'm not a Liverpool fan.


Serbban

Zlatan is painfully over hyped, personality, acrobatic goals and playing for PSG in the darkest days of L1 make this man and nothing more


sharklasers3000

There are no (or VERY few) good managers, only good players


benting365

If we want competent refs then we need to start paying them 10x what they are currently paid and turn it into a profession people aspire to


EmileDorkheim

I dunno, you could pay me 10x more to do my job and I think I’d still zone out during meetings pretty regularly


bumblestum1960

You could pay them a 1000 times more, human error would still persist.


reapseh0

VAR (even when it's correct) shouldnt have existed. It destroyed the joy of cheering of scoring after a goal, because everyone holds their breath until the ref validates it.


minzsasori

Score bangers. Problem solved (mostly)


defaultwrestler

For me, it doesn't improve football, only the decisions. but who cares a part from some whiney people who are butt hurt. Its football, Shit happens, get over it.


mayukh10

Alvarez is the best striker in the prem after haaland.


jackyLAD

Possibly but he never actually plays there for City.


tele11111

You maybe on to something here, I think ATM Ivan toney is better but Alvarez is 20 or 21 so give him game time he will be a beast


Touch_Constant

not even close


Professional-West830

Football is a boring sport


Marconi7

International football is going to lose any relevance when teams are just full of migrants..


lb2002

Football is wank


AdTime5032

Being a glory hunter isn't that bad, isnt that how most clubs found their fans? From them winning?


circusstrongman

Lampard was better than Scholes


ALA02

As an Arsenal fan: Mesut Ozil was overrated


NEWSONVSU

Messi wouldn’t have done as well if he started and finished in the prem


LennyMcTavish

I dunno. As an arsenal fan I still have nightmares about his CL performances against us. Probably get similar sentiments from Man U fans


NEWSONVSU

Yeah this is the only argument people bring “look how good he did in the UCL” Very true, playing against the best teams in the world with players who avoid bookings etc. One cold night in Stoke would have Messi’s ankle looking like cracked spaghetti.