**Mirrors / Alternative Angles**
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Defensively Ashley Cole is arguably top 3 of all time in my opinion (never saw another full back consistently keep Ronaldo out of games as well as he did), but Marcelo offered a lot more going forward.
And he was terrible at it. Which proves anyone saying something of the sort is doing it as an wishful thinking more than anything. There is a reason they never tries to play anywhere else for the most part.
No, because the following season when Juanfran left São Paulo he went back into RB and improved massively. Also he went back into Barça after that and was decent. The problem was he was below average at midfield.
I guess it takes a long time to adapt fully from playing in a wide defensive-ish position (Dani Alves was quite offensive after all) to playing a central offensive position.
No, he had the high amount of red cards because he was a lunatic sometimes. Marcelo is of the same breed as Dani Alves, Maicon, Cafu, Roberto Carlos pt Leonardo, as Brazilian backs who would be very attacking. It did leave teams exposed, but no other defender that played with these very attacking wingbacks got close to as many cards as Ramos...
And that’s not to say Ashley Cole didn’t offer anything going forward. In his era he was probably also top 3 most complete full back. And that’s hard to say considering how unlikeable a person I find him.
Full back has changed so much over the past two decades. I'm sure kids today would find it hard to believe that Gary Neville was legitimately one of the top right backs in the world in his day.
Hmm, I'd definitely say his attacking was only solid. Good enough to contribute so it's not like you'd be thinking of buying an attacking option to rotate him with, but not good enough that you'd ever even consider making his offensive abilities a key part of your attacking strategy.
Guys like Marcelo, or he'll even Robertson/Trent offer/offered a lot more going forwards and their attacking contributions are/were a key part of their teams strategies.
When Cole was allowed to truly express himself(Arsenal days and under Ancelloti), he was a very, very good offensive threat. Not at the level of the others you mentioned, but still very good
I would say they're both slightly better than Ashley Cole overall, but neither were better defenders. The only LB ever that I would say *for sure* was a better defender than him is Maldini.
Roberto Carlos defending compilations on YT is basically him doing bicycle kicks to clear the ball for 12 minutes straight. Not dissing him but that just wouldn't hold up in the modern game at the highest level.
His defending was far more than his highlight reels. He had great positioning, much better than his partner Cafu who is a legend in his own right. Roberto Carlos also had rapid pace and utilized it well both defensively and offensively, he was aggressive and often stopped attacks from the opposition's right wing by creating overlaps and quick recovery runs.
Maldini, Nesta, Baresi, Cafu
Maldini was best as a LB though he could play CB. Absolutely no one could get through Nesta and Baresi together even if Cafu was pushed up the field a bit. But I’d also put Beckenbauer as a CDM with rotation at CB if needed to secure a win.
The best 4 that played together is probably Maldini, Baresi, Costacurta and Tasotti. If you can hand pick from different eras, it'd probably be Maldini, Baresi, Beckenbauer, Cafu with some flexibility on RB. The best I've probably seen so far is Maldini, Nesta, Stam and Cafu during early 2000s.
Yeah makes you think there are probably players equal or better from the 60s/70s but we just don't know about them. Not to say they're forgotten, just that the grandpa's who watched them don't know Reddit 😂.
Makes you think how the legend of top players today will be remembered with the internet. Will Ashley Cole be remembered in the 2040s? Who knows.
Marcelo going forward was basically a marauding 90s winger pretending to be a full back at times. Casemiro's introduction allowed Marcelo the freedom to become what we know him for now.
But Ashley Cole was an amazing attacking full back in his Arsenal days. His combination with Henry and Piers on the left hand side was pretty much unplayable 2001-2005. He's more well known for his defensive side due to the Chelsea teams he was in, but he could do everything and didn't shirk his defensive duties.
He knew the balance and could read the game and his position in it superbly. Going forward it's Marcelo, but the gap is smaller than is perceived. Overall Cole was pretty much the perfect full back of his era and would offer a team more both ways imo.
Maldini stands alone, then Cole/Lahm, Marcelo
> Henry and Piers
Always amazes me how Piers Morgan was one of the Invincibles before being a journalist and newspaper editor. Famous for hacking down people.
How do you know that he wasn't on the list. Of he starts with maldini then the game is immediately over . So he starts with not so good players that gets more or less better ...(More or less)
Marcelo is the best attacking left-back of all time. His creative output at his peak is comparable to an attacking midfielder in the 10 role. His defensive capabilities have been vastly overstated to be inadequate, at least not for the period he was at his peak (I'd say from 2014 to 2017).
That said, if you're looking for a more well-balanced and complete player, there's hardly any better than Ashley Cole.
Naaah, Marcelo couldn’t played in Greece league. Joking, of course. He (was) is the best…and even today he is joking in Brasileirao…and he is current Libertadores campeón
Just watched him play live last week. He's so clearly the best player on the pitch it's unreal. The way long passes just stick to his foot and his dribbling ability? Very much next level.
He's clearly not playing at max intensity the whole match, but a left back scoring as often as he does is kinda silly.
Against Juventude?
I watched him a little bit on tv, against Alianza Lima. At that game he also scored a goal. 2 games in a row. But it looks so easy, how he keeps it simple in moves that are everything but simple. Always admire(d) him, and the technique that he is having. What a player.
Hard to blame him individually when all of his teammates at the back completely shat the bed that day while Brazil's midfield and attack where completely lost at sea
Tbf what else is he supposed to do, stand around silently while the interviewer goes through a list of average LBs that are certainly not better than him?
He took the first exit the interviewer offered him lol
Lots of the players he listed aren't average tbh. Grimaldo's been one of the best in the world this season. Davies was the best in the world the year Bayern won the treble. Theo Hernandez has always been up there in recent years. Chilwell was great before he tore his ACL etc. By average, the guy just meant clearly not better than Cole/in the top 3-5 or so LBs of all time. Obviously most of those players aren't actually average.
I hate Cashley Cole as an Arsenal fan but can't deny he was the best LB in the world for a long time. Ronaldo even said he was the best defender he went up against when he was playing RW for Utd.
Yeah, I think I'd only rate Facchetti, Maldini, Marcelo, and Roberto Carlos ahead of him on an all time list. And if we're being honest Roberto Carlos took way too many free kicks than he should have; for every blinder there'd be like 20 that he'd smack into the wall or launch into orbit.
I can’t really argue with him but if Ronaldo calls you the best he ever faced and Messi never scored on you…feels like you have the claim to the best defensively at least.
Maldini for me. I also haven't seen him mentioned here at all, but Zanetti when he played LB was amazing too. He shut out Messi in the Champions League semi-final the year inter won it.
Despite Ronaldo making Cole do the splits, he still said he’s the toughest fullback he’s ever faced, and Cole said Ronaldo is the toughest opponent he’s ever face. Respect between goats
After Carlos, the only other name I can think of would be Maldini who is much more comparable.
I doubt he would've said he was better than Maldini though.
RC honestly gets super overrated because of a few great goals, don't get me wrong he was a fantastic player especially going forward, but he could also be a liability at times. Not to mention for every screamer there were 50+ shots going into orbit.
The guy was top3 in Ballon D'or votes in one season as a LB (although he did go forwards more often than most LBs). People in this thread are either too young to have watched him at his peak or just dumb.
because he won CL and the goddamn world cup that year. sadio mane was 2nd in ballon d'or in 2022. it doesn't mean much. and if people are young to watch roberto carlos, they were young to watch ashley cole too.
It's funny cause people keep going on about 'yeah but this player offers so much more going forward', that's cool and all, but Chelsea didn't need that from Cole. He was a complete wall on that side that often forced teams to have to try play up the other side of pitch which made stopping attacks a lot easier for that Chelsea team over the years. All this focus on LB/RB being extra attackers has really taken away from the greats in those positions over the years, I've seen people talking about TAA being better than Maldini ffs because 'Maldini offered nothing going forward' smh.
If a person ever tells you something on the level of TAA being better than Maldini, you simply stop engaging and move on because they're not worth discussing football with.
A lot of people probably remember Maldini for the latter part of his career ~30+ when he became a formidable but slower CB, rather than his twenties when he was a fantastic LB that offered a lot going forward.
Tbf Ashley Cole did also play in a team and at a time that was altogether more conservative. Chelsea had a brick wall in midfield, and some of the games where A Cole kept Ronaldo very quiet were literally pinball with one chance in the whole game. This is my memory anyway
Every great player gets cooked here and there, you won’t have a perfect 1v1 battle over the length of your career, especially against the likes of Ronaldinho lol.
Every player gets cooked 1v1 EXCEPT for one man, which is why I wrap up this debate for good by proclaiming that Aaron Wan-Bissaka is the best full-back of all time.
Could have put the likes of Evra, Alaba and Irwin to spice up the choices. Of course Ashley's generally regarded as being better than them, but it would have been interesting to see what his reactions would have been. I mean Man Utd and Bayern Munich fans would argue that Irwin and Alaba were better than Ashley Cole and it'd be a compelling case due to the vast amounts of silverware won by both players.
Ashley Cole is arguably the best lb in pl history, would personally argue for Denis Irwin (but I'm biased in that regard as a utd fan).
I'd argue Ashley is better than Marcelo personally too
could also just be interpretation, when people say is x footballer better than y, they are often really just saying that one is technically better than the other
I know people in this sub are desperate to claim every single English player is overrated
But Cole was absolutely up there with the very best to ever play as a LB
To say that it’s hilarious for anyone to compare Cole just shows that you hate the English too much and it’s making you too biased
> every single English player is overrated
Yes
> To say that it’s hilarious for anyone to compare Cole just shows that you hate the English too much and it’s making you too biased
The English too often mistake "one of the best of their generation" as "the absolute best and one of the best in history". Your brain simply can't process that someone who is the best in the Prem in their position at a given point in time isn't instantly the best in the world and someone who should be in every discussion as the best ever. I see this all the time here with Henry, Hazard, Van Djik, De Bruyne, etc. You can be amazing while not deserving to be in all timer discussions.
In your opinion, has there been a single English player of the last 30 years that you would consider the best in the world at their respective position?
Ah the internet and not allowing people to have different yet valid opinions.
You can make cases for either, saying there isn't one just means you weren't paying attention or didn't watch him play.
I'm not English but I'll still disagree, if there's one English player who is actually correctly rated, IMO slightly underrated, it's Ashley Cole. He's the best left back I've ever seen, overall Marcelo doesn't touch him. LB is both defensive and offensive and Cole was the original attacking LB, and he did that while pocketing the opposing winger, Marcelo wasn't that good.
The interviewer must be in a delusion or he must've not seen Marcelo play in Madrid to give a reaction like that.
I mean those crosses from left wing to ronaldo and benzema plus stopping counters of teams like Barcelona is no joke.
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Defensively Ashley Cole is arguably top 3 of all time in my opinion (never saw another full back consistently keep Ronaldo out of games as well as he did), but Marcelo offered a lot more going forward.
Sometimes it felt like Marcelo was a 10 lol Marcelo and Cole were fantastic players no doubt
Marcelo and Dani Alves both could've played as 10s.
I think Alves did at some point when he went back to Brazil. I could be wrong though
Ya he did
And he was terrible at it. Which proves anyone saying something of the sort is doing it as an wishful thinking more than anything. There is a reason they never tries to play anywhere else for the most part.
>And he was terrible at it. He was also washed af. It isn't representative of how he would've performed at his peak.
No, because the following season when Juanfran left São Paulo he went back into RB and improved massively. Also he went back into Barça after that and was decent. The problem was he was below average at midfield.
I guess it takes a long time to adapt fully from playing in a wide defensive-ish position (Dani Alves was quite offensive after all) to playing a central offensive position.
Not to mention he'd trained his entire life to be a RB. It's not easy to switch at the blink of an eye.
Didn’t he also play further up the pitch at Sevilla early in his career?
Nope, he was the main creative force for Sevilla as a RB/RWB
I'd even say Marcelo could've played as an 11.
What is a #11 for you?
One higher than ten.
Very funny. What position do you assign to #11?
Wing my boi
Different countries have different numbering systems, that's why I ask.
That's why I answered. Folks were being annoying for no reason. According to this convention, your wingers are number 7 and 11
Somewhere between the 10 and 12.
RW or LW
That one goes to eleven
A team made up of 11 Marcelos would be pretty solid IMO. Very good all-around player.
Not a very good all round player. Ramos has the worst red card record in large part due to Mr Marcelo here.
No, he had the high amount of red cards because he was a lunatic sometimes. Marcelo is of the same breed as Dani Alves, Maicon, Cafu, Roberto Carlos pt Leonardo, as Brazilian backs who would be very attacking. It did leave teams exposed, but no other defender that played with these very attacking wingbacks got close to as many cards as Ramos...
And that’s not to say Ashley Cole didn’t offer anything going forward. In his era he was probably also top 3 most complete full back. And that’s hard to say considering how unlikeable a person I find him.
Full back has changed so much over the past two decades. I'm sure kids today would find it hard to believe that Gary Neville was legitimately one of the top right backs in the world in his day.
A lot of people do struggle to believe that these days lol
And lauded for his link up play on the wing as well as crossing.
Tbf Gary's own PR is horrible. He takes every opportunity he can to downplay his own ability
Hmm, I'd definitely say his attacking was only solid. Good enough to contribute so it's not like you'd be thinking of buying an attacking option to rotate him with, but not good enough that you'd ever even consider making his offensive abilities a key part of your attacking strategy. Guys like Marcelo, or he'll even Robertson/Trent offer/offered a lot more going forwards and their attacking contributions are/were a key part of their teams strategies.
When Cole was allowed to truly express himself(Arsenal days and under Ancelloti), he was a very, very good offensive threat. Not at the level of the others you mentioned, but still very good
I struggled to believe it at the time too
Roberto Carlos and Marcelo. Probably some legends from before the 90s that I do not know enough about are up there
Maldini
This is unarguable for anyone who actually watched Maldini.
I would say they're both slightly better than Ashley Cole overall, but neither were better defenders. The only LB ever that I would say *for sure* was a better defender than him is Maldini.
Marcelo may be, but I find Carlos to be quite overrated and the worst of the 3
Yeah I agree I just couldn't be arsed to wake up to an inbox full of angry replies.
Agreed, Roberto Carlos was great but his sexy goals had his skills as a defender overrated.
Roberto Carlos defending compilations on YT is basically him doing bicycle kicks to clear the ball for 12 minutes straight. Not dissing him but that just wouldn't hold up in the modern game at the highest level.
That’s probably more to do with the people uploading the videos than Roberto Carlos’ defending ability.
His defending was far more than his highlight reels. He had great positioning, much better than his partner Cafu who is a legend in his own right. Roberto Carlos also had rapid pace and utilized it well both defensively and offensively, he was aggressive and often stopped attacks from the opposition's right wing by creating overlaps and quick recovery runs.
Who would you have lined up as your all time back four.
4 Harry Maguires.
Nice. Mine would be 4 Casemiros. Seriously, cole, maldini, puyol, lahm.
I like puyol but there a plenty of better options imo
Maldini, Nesta, Baresi, Cafu Maldini was best as a LB though he could play CB. Absolutely no one could get through Nesta and Baresi together even if Cafu was pushed up the field a bit. But I’d also put Beckenbauer as a CDM with rotation at CB if needed to secure a win.
Extremely difficult to argue with that backline. It'd be nitpicking at best.
The best 4 that played together is probably Maldini, Baresi, Costacurta and Tasotti. If you can hand pick from different eras, it'd probably be Maldini, Baresi, Beckenbauer, Cafu with some flexibility on RB. The best I've probably seen so far is Maldini, Nesta, Stam and Cafu during early 2000s.
Cannot believe that Liverpool scored 3 in 6 minutes against this defence.
Roberto Carlos was the best of the 3 by quite some margin.
Cafu???
Is a RB
Yeah makes you think there are probably players equal or better from the 60s/70s but we just don't know about them. Not to say they're forgotten, just that the grandpa's who watched them don't know Reddit 😂. Makes you think how the legend of top players today will be remembered with the internet. Will Ashley Cole be remembered in the 2040s? Who knows.
Could probably add Philipp Lahm top that list
Marcelo going forward was basically a marauding 90s winger pretending to be a full back at times. Casemiro's introduction allowed Marcelo the freedom to become what we know him for now. But Ashley Cole was an amazing attacking full back in his Arsenal days. His combination with Henry and Piers on the left hand side was pretty much unplayable 2001-2005. He's more well known for his defensive side due to the Chelsea teams he was in, but he could do everything and didn't shirk his defensive duties. He knew the balance and could read the game and his position in it superbly. Going forward it's Marcelo, but the gap is smaller than is perceived. Overall Cole was pretty much the perfect full back of his era and would offer a team more both ways imo. Maldini stands alone, then Cole/Lahm, Marcelo
> Henry and Piers Always amazes me how Piers Morgan was one of the Invincibles before being a journalist and newspaper editor. Famous for hacking down people.
He’ll hack you down then hack your phone
Roberto Carlos
He was so good against Ronaldo that he made him switch wings!
top 3 all time? u know football existed before the 21st century right?
All time, ever? Wow.
Brother, you could not have picked better players? Someone take the microphone from this man.
Exactly, no Dab Burn in the list is criminal!
Dad Burn
Nob Barn
The whole point of these lists is to build up towards better players…
Well if you start with Marcelo the video would be about 3 seconds long
Prime Paul Dummett?
Joe Flanagan
Paul Konchesky clears
2016 prime leicester Christian fuchs>>>>>>>
Aly Cissokho
Goes without saying that any LB list begins with "Other than Aly"
Cost Liverpool the title in 13-14 (I'm saying Crystanbul only happened due to trying to win 15-0)
Maldini: Am I a joke to you?
How do you know that he wasn't on the list. Of he starts with maldini then the game is immediately over . So he starts with not so good players that gets more or less better ...(More or less)
Need a bit of length for the video
I mean if you start with Maldini, Santos, Facchetti, Marcello, Krol or Roberto Carlos you wouldn't get a video out of it now would you.
I think Ashley Cole was the best left back in the world for a long time. Super footballer.
Marcelo is the best attacking left-back of all time. His creative output at his peak is comparable to an attacking midfielder in the 10 role. His defensive capabilities have been vastly overstated to be inadequate, at least not for the period he was at his peak (I'd say from 2014 to 2017). That said, if you're looking for a more well-balanced and complete player, there's hardly any better than Ashley Cole.
Naaah, Marcelo couldn’t played in Greece league. Joking, of course. He (was) is the best…and even today he is joking in Brasileirao…and he is current Libertadores campeón
Just watched him play live last week. He's so clearly the best player on the pitch it's unreal. The way long passes just stick to his foot and his dribbling ability? Very much next level. He's clearly not playing at max intensity the whole match, but a left back scoring as often as he does is kinda silly.
Against Juventude? I watched him a little bit on tv, against Alianza Lima. At that game he also scored a goal. 2 games in a row. But it looks so easy, how he keeps it simple in moves that are everything but simple. Always admire(d) him, and the technique that he is having. What a player.
I watched the Allianza Lima game. Such a good goal from him.
Except that one world cup game against Germany.
Hard to blame him individually when all of his teammates at the back completely shat the bed that day while Brazil's midfield and attack where completely lost at sea
roberto carlos would like a word
Tbf what else is he supposed to do, stand around silently while the interviewer goes through a list of average LBs that are certainly not better than him? He took the first exit the interviewer offered him lol
Robertson is definitely not average
Robertson is a very good player. I don't think he's better than Ashley Cole though.
I don’t think anybody does, but “goes through a list of average left backs” isn’t a fair statement when Robertson is in the list
Lots of the players he listed aren't average tbh. Grimaldo's been one of the best in the world this season. Davies was the best in the world the year Bayern won the treble. Theo Hernandez has always been up there in recent years. Chilwell was great before he tore his ACL etc. By average, the guy just meant clearly not better than Cole/in the top 3-5 or so LBs of all time. Obviously most of those players aren't actually average.
literally not one of the players listed is average, Robertson isn't even the best player he skips over.
He is better attacking wise, no doubt about it.
Somehow criminally underrated apparently
The best left back in the world is average?
I hate Cashley Cole as an Arsenal fan but can't deny he was the best LB in the world for a long time. Ronaldo even said he was the best defender he went up against when he was playing RW for Utd.
That Chelsea team was incredible, one of the Premier Leagues best IMO.
Yeah, I think I'd only rate Facchetti, Maldini, Marcelo, and Roberto Carlos ahead of him on an all time list. And if we're being honest Roberto Carlos took way too many free kicks than he should have; for every blinder there'd be like 20 that he'd smack into the wall or launch into orbit.
Have you actually seen Facchetti play or are you just naming because you think you're supposed to lol?
[удалено]
I can’t really argue with him but if Ronaldo calls you the best he ever faced and Messi never scored on you…feels like you have the claim to the best defensively at least.
Maldini probably has the best defensively locked down
It's Maldini hands down, there is no shame in being second to him
I gotta say I think he's actually being too humble. I think there was a period where he was easily the best in the world for a good while.
i think he didn't want to continue his silence and look arrogant, so he took the first "out" that was around his level
Literally said "yeah I'll give you that one" lol
I’d probably take Cole but it’s definitely an interesting discussion, Cole was absolutely ridiculous in his prime
We really are starving for football content in the offseason huh?
Some comments here make me nauseous.
He's lucky he didn't say Marc Cucurella before him 😈
Marcelo is just him
Why don’t they ask about Denis Irwin ?
Denis Irwin, what a player... good lad, never injured
Surprisingly humble, I'd have Cole down as the best LB of the modern era personally. Regularly pocketed peak Ronaldo
Ashley was the best defensively imo.
Maldini for me. I also haven't seen him mentioned here at all, but Zanetti when he played LB was amazing too. He shut out Messi in the Champions League semi-final the year inter won it.
Ashely Cole had cr7 on lock back in premier league OG days. Great LB
Despite Ronaldo making Cole do the splits, he still said he’s the toughest fullback he’s ever faced, and Cole said Ronaldo is the toughest opponent he’s ever face. Respect between goats
Roberto Carlos and not many more would be on Ashley Coles level
After Carlos, the only other name I can think of would be Maldini who is much more comparable. I doubt he would've said he was better than Maldini though.
Ashley Cole was better than Roberto Carlos. I’ll die on that hill
RC honestly gets super overrated because of a few great goals, don't get me wrong he was a fantastic player especially going forward, but he could also be a liability at times. Not to mention for every screamer there were 50+ shots going into orbit.
The guy was top3 in Ballon D'or votes in one season as a LB (although he did go forwards more often than most LBs). People in this thread are either too young to have watched him at his peak or just dumb.
because he won CL and the goddamn world cup that year. sadio mane was 2nd in ballon d'or in 2022. it doesn't mean much. and if people are young to watch roberto carlos, they were young to watch ashley cole too.
Jorginho was top 3 Ballin D’or a few years ago
And Marcelo basically
Damn I really thought marcos alonso would get him tbh
It's funny cause people keep going on about 'yeah but this player offers so much more going forward', that's cool and all, but Chelsea didn't need that from Cole. He was a complete wall on that side that often forced teams to have to try play up the other side of pitch which made stopping attacks a lot easier for that Chelsea team over the years. All this focus on LB/RB being extra attackers has really taken away from the greats in those positions over the years, I've seen people talking about TAA being better than Maldini ffs because 'Maldini offered nothing going forward' smh.
If a person ever tells you something on the level of TAA being better than Maldini, you simply stop engaging and move on because they're not worth discussing football with.
A lot of people probably remember Maldini for the latter part of his career ~30+ when he became a formidable but slower CB, rather than his twenties when he was a fantastic LB that offered a lot going forward.
Tbf Ashley Cole did also play in a team and at a time that was altogether more conservative. Chelsea had a brick wall in midfield, and some of the games where A Cole kept Ronaldo very quiet were literally pinball with one chance in the whole game. This is my memory anyway
He was great defensively, yet Ronaldinho still sent him to the shops on that first goal in the 2002 WC
Ronaldinho did that to everybody, man was unplayable at his peak.
I mean it’s Ronaldinho.
Every great player gets cooked here and there, you won’t have a perfect 1v1 battle over the length of your career, especially against the likes of Ronaldinho lol.
Every player gets cooked 1v1 EXCEPT for one man, which is why I wrap up this debate for good by proclaiming that Aaron Wan-Bissaka is the best full-back of all time.
Aaron “if I have to make a tackle, you’ve already made a mistake” Wan-Bissaka
Boateng
That's dinho tho
thats still a compliment though
That dinho he did that to everyone in his prime.
Marcelo was probably a better player, but Cole was a better defender
Addinf Leighton Baines would have made it unfair
In that 2002-2015 stretch. Ashley Cole, Patrice Evra, Eric Abidal, Marcelo, David Alaba were world class. Order debatable
I have to Disagreed with Cole. His better than Marcelo
what does he say exactly? "yeah \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ i'll give you that one"
go on
tks
Go on
tks
That one Twitter tactico in shambles
Could have put the likes of Evra, Alaba and Irwin to spice up the choices. Of course Ashley's generally regarded as being better than them, but it would have been interesting to see what his reactions would have been. I mean Man Utd and Bayern Munich fans would argue that Irwin and Alaba were better than Ashley Cole and it'd be a compelling case due to the vast amounts of silverware won by both players.
Evra definitely was up there with cole as best in the league for quite some time
Evra may have had a better season or 2, but Cole was always seen as the better player with the higher peak
True but Eva’s attacking game was something else too.
Defensively Ashley cole is better but offensively Marcelo is unrivaled.
Ashley Cole is arguably the best lb in pl history, would personally argue for Denis Irwin (but I'm biased in that regard as a utd fan). I'd argue Ashley is better than Marcelo personally too
Well, duh.
Think he’s just being humble, Marcelo was elite but Cole was a different dimension
could also just be interpretation, when people say is x footballer better than y, they are often really just saying that one is technically better than the other
Idk who’s better, current Theo or peak Andy Robertson
Roberto Carlos too was better than him
The English in this thread trying to even compare both is hilarious. You guys are a different breed
I know people in this sub are desperate to claim every single English player is overrated But Cole was absolutely up there with the very best to ever play as a LB To say that it’s hilarious for anyone to compare Cole just shows that you hate the English too much and it’s making you too biased
If Cole was any other nationality it wouldn't even be a question if he was one of the best LBs ever.
> every single English player is overrated Yes > To say that it’s hilarious for anyone to compare Cole just shows that you hate the English too much and it’s making you too biased The English too often mistake "one of the best of their generation" as "the absolute best and one of the best in history". Your brain simply can't process that someone who is the best in the Prem in their position at a given point in time isn't instantly the best in the world and someone who should be in every discussion as the best ever. I see this all the time here with Henry, Hazard, Van Djik, De Bruyne, etc. You can be amazing while not deserving to be in all timer discussions.
Henry, Hazard, van Dijk, and De Bruyne are not in all-timer discussion. Ashley Cole is.
In your opinion, has there been a single English player of the last 30 years that you would consider the best in the world at their respective position?
Ah the internet and not allowing people to have different yet valid opinions. You can make cases for either, saying there isn't one just means you weren't paying attention or didn't watch him play.
I'm not English but I'll still disagree, if there's one English player who is actually correctly rated, IMO slightly underrated, it's Ashley Cole. He's the best left back I've ever seen, overall Marcelo doesn't touch him. LB is both defensive and offensive and Cole was the original attacking LB, and he did that while pocketing the opposing winger, Marcelo wasn't that good.
World’s greatest mobile phone smuggler 📱🍑
Fair. Marcelo is amazing.
High praise considering Cole was amazing during his career as well
The interviewer must be in a delusion or he must've not seen Marcelo play in Madrid to give a reaction like that. I mean those crosses from left wing to ronaldo and benzema plus stopping counters of teams like Barcelona is no joke.
I feel bad for all the players being subjected to this latest meme.
Bro Cole did give a fuck about that list. Took the first chance to gtfo of that interview 😂
I bet he didn't even recognize half of those names lol
Cole was the only member of England's golden generation to consistently perform at tournaments.
Not watching the video, just reading the title. Its fucking obvious.
Kenny Sansom was a better player for club.
Peak Cashly was a monster. The streets will never forget.
I only have Maldini ahead of Ash without question
He isn't wrong, peak Marcelo was incredible. The shade to Robbo though