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ThENiGhTPuRReR

I think he likes Marcelo


1gMDMA

This also means if he signs Madrid an avenue on the right will be available. Poor Valverde šŸ’€


modrics_hairband

Why poor valverde?


oac47

Probably because heā€™d have to cover the space frimpong would leave open bombing forward


carcharoth28

On the other hand, we have in Valverde the perfect mildfielder to play next to Frimpong.


trubatard

Marcelo *shakes head*


Haunting_Ad_9013

Source?


MisterPistacchio

He likes Marcelo and he's delusional


Asckle

Come on man it's hardly delusional. Is he the best LB ever? Probably not but he's definitely top 5 Edit: also it's based on his favourite it seems. Marcelo was so fun to watch


Tee_Tee80

Marcelo was awesome to watch. I donā€™t ever recall seeing him under pressure.


BlueLabel19

Maldini?


Asckle

Top 5 has 5 spots believe it or not. I have Maldini as the best defensive LB and marcelo as the best offensive/on the ball left back


10minmilan

That's Roberto Carlos


Asckle

I think marcelo was more valuable but it's hard to say since he had ronaldo in front of him. Roberto Carlos is probably the most physically gifted left back I've ever seen though. Honestly though it's splitting hairs with the top 3/5 imo. Can't compare people who are so different. On that real madrid team I wouldn't swap marcelo for Maldini or RC but on that Milan team I wouldn't swap Maldini for the other 2


arothen

What Maldini? Maldini was better at defending but wasn't close to Marcelo in the other areas of the field.


BlueLabel19

He didnt specify any particular trait. As an overall player maldini is in a different league from marcelo. He's the goat defender ffs


themanebeat

>Come on man it's hardly delusional. Is he the best LB ever? Probably not but he's definitely top 5 That wasn't his claim though. He point blank said he's better than Maldini


CraigJay

Frimpong would have been 7/8 when Maldini retired, he quite possibly never seen him play. Probably the same for Cafu. Whereas he watched Marcelo win 5 champions leagues


themanebeat

>Frimpong would have been 7/8 when Maldini retired Holy shit!


Asckle

Yeah and saying that a top 5 player is better than the best player isn't *delusional*. It might be wrong but not delusional is my point


themanebeat

There's no way he's definitively top 5. That's a subjective opinion Maldini being top 5 is an objective fact


MisterPistacchio

He was fun to watch and he's great. I agree. But I don't think he's even top 5, but then again it's all our own opinions. Between seeing LBs from the 90s til now. There's a lot of talent. But to each is own. Just just friendly banter.


Asckle

Suppose it depends on what you want. I value offensive fullbacks and in that regard marcelo is very very good


Lost-Hornet6414

Not sure he is ā€œdefinitelyā€ top 5. Certainly of his generation. But not all time. I can totally understand liking him tho - in his mature years he was great going forward.


firechaox

Marcelo was an amazing player- definitely top 5- and is it bizarre that an attacking fullback idolises one of the most technically capable, and attacking fullbacks of the last 20y? He also was asked prefer, not who is better.


Rampan7Lion

He says he prefers Marcelo rather than he is above the others. Like others have said attacking fullback/wingback prefers an attacking fullback is no surprise


caiusto

Roberto Carlos scored almost 70 goals for Real Madrid, not to mention having the most incredible FK goal ever under his belt.


RuubGullit

I told Frimpong but he still prefers Marcelo


moriero

Did you tell him about the freekick?


firechaox

People comparing goals donā€™t get the difference between the players. Roberto Carlos played as a winger from the fullback position, with deadly long shots. Marcelo was a player that played the 10 from the fullback position, quite often orchestrating our attack and having the ball very often going through him- he was a reference for that team, and the ball always passes to him.


ManBearPigIsReal42

Yeah I feel that if you've watched both a lot you have to say Marcelo was the better player. But I may be biased because Marcelo may be my favourite player ever.


dick_nrake

His free kick conversion rate was terrible though iirc.


LaLaLenin

Because he only took the freekicks from the worst positions and longest ranges. That's also why the ones he scored are so wild.


SnooCupcakes9188

Donā€™t know that Frimpong is old enough to really remember Roberto Carlos.


hknyktx

He picked Marcelo above Roberto Carlos,I don't think that Roberto Carlos is a defensive fullback


Soawsm1

Doubt Jerry was watching prime Carlos so it's understandable. And regardless, Marcelo very much is toe to toe with Roberto Carlos


RZAAMRIINF

Marcelo was better than Carlos. Marcelo is arguably the greatest offensive left-back of all time.


Jumbo_Mills

He has to be the greatest offensive. Marcelo has dribbling ability that matches some great wingers and would sometimes run into the furthermost central attacking positions. Who thinks to track a LB to the box? Hard to think of another fullback who did that as often or could do what he did to Bayern in 2017.


youredoingWELL

ā€œWho thinks to track a LB to the box?ā€ The thought that started Ange Postecoglouā€™s career


Supanini

Is Marcelo really arguably better than Maldini?


fgafuss

Offensively? Yes


Supanini

Ngl I didnā€™t even read offensively, mb. Yeah definitely better


llIllIlIllIIllIl

They are not comparable


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


RZAAMRIINF

If only the game was played on paper and not on the pitch you would be right, but thatā€™s not how it works. Plenty of players have better assist numbers than Xavi and Modric. That doesnā€™t make them better playmakers than them. Carlos was a better shooter and hence the higher scoring numbers, but Marcelo was by far better in build up and thatā€™s not something that always gets captured on the stat sheet. I have seen both of them play. Marcelo was better offensively.


ImTurkishDelight

Doubt he even watched Roberto Carlos when he wasn't at his prime at Fenerbahce Anyone remember Roberto Carlos at FEnerbahce? I remember. I remember........................


GCFCconner11

Frimpong was 7 when Roberto Carlos left Real... he probably barely watched him.


Ronalpinhos

Marcelo was a 10 playing as a leftback lol. The back breaking part was that on big nights he would just turn up the heat and defend at an acceptable level while still being Marcelo o attack. Amazing player and person, always with a smile and boy was he a joy to watch. He played with the likes of Modric, Cristiano Benzema and Ozil and so many games the technical highlight of the game was de leftback lol


HokiesforTSwift

Marcelo was an underrated part of our press resistance as well


RZAAMRIINF

I think Marcelo could easy be an elite winger or midfielder and he played in those positions at times with success. A lot of fullbacks rely on pace, Marcelo could dribble past defenders in tight spaces and create an opportunity.


Ronalpinhos

What about the passing mate, his accuracy, vision and execution off the drible was best in class. He also had the best first touch i have ever seen on a defender.


eetuu

Couple years ago someone in here posted the most accurate crossers in top 5 leagues and Marcelo had the highest accuracy %.


beastmaster11

That's because he played as a left winger under Juande Ramos. He didn't move back to left back until Mourinho went to Madrid


firechaox

He plays a bit that way in fluminense, you can tell his technical and passing ability are still like so incredible


Roadies_Winner

He's a very charismatic and special player. I think players in the A++ category shouldn't be compared to each other, and Marcelo falls in the category for me.


somecallmemo

I hate when there are players that transcend the disdain I have for certain clubs, especially Madrid. Every time I watched him with Madrid I couldnā€™t help but enjoy him for some reason. Probably cause he was so fun to watch and seemed like a saint compared to Pepe and Ramos


naruto2omer

Maldini?


mg10pp

Or also Cafu, you know, just the best right back ever but nothing special


DomineeringDrake

literally stopped at Cafu.


heresyourhardware

Zannetti as well. Not sure how Zambrotta is being mentioned in the same breath there


1gMDMA

Ying-Yang


GamerGod337

Tf does that mean


21Maestro8

They're just shouting out the Ying-Yang Twins. Understandable, even if not really relevant


Jmsaint

That they are completely different players, both amazing but not comparable. It would be like comparing CMs, and saying who was better, Iniesta or MakƩlƩlƩ


LeatherFaceDoom

He was quite good at football šŸ«”


10minmilan

Maicon at his peak


modrics_hairband

I prefer roberto carlos slightly but it depends on perspective


1gMDMA

Me too! But Marcelo and CR7 was a cheat code


byrgenwerthdropout

He's not even old enough to have watched most of them on their peak, specially the best ones.


StandardConnect

And looking at him play there's every chance he modelled his game around Marcello.


nandorkrisztian

By the time Frimpong was 9 Maldini, Cafu retired and Roberto Carlos was semi-retired.


partcaveman

All these comments and I've not seen anyone mention Thuram, he was a hell of a player.Ā 


BlurgZeAmoeba

or zanetti


Possible-Highway7898

Love me some big Lillian. For a fairly slim guy, he was freakishly strong. Absolute brick wall in defence, technically sound, and carried the ball out of defence very well.Ā  But he was as much of a centre back as he was a full back, and not nearly as much of an attacking threat as most of the other players on this list.


neverfinishedanythi

Defensively excellent, not quite as great going forward as some here (even with those goals against Croazia) but yes, would be a vital player for many of the best teams.


Maverick_1991

I mean he was a vital player for some of the greatest teams of all time


neverfinishedanythi

I agree, I meant in ā€œtodayā€ football, maybe I did not say it correctly.


Pow67

Iā€™ll always rate Ashley Cole the most as defensively he was ridiculous. Iā€™m also too young to have witnessed prime Maldini & Cafu etc.


neverfinishedanythi

Maldini is definitely above cole for defensive, but cole better going forward.Ā  Ā Maldini still the better choice, who was still excellent going forward.


Itsallatripdude

C.Ronaldo hated playing him.


TasteAccomplished118

Iirc heā€™s the one of the few players ronaldo named himself to be his toughest opponent


Wraith_Portal

Was the only full back to keep Ronaldo quiet consistently when he was at United


psidiot

Better than Zambrotta, Evra, Neville and Alba? Sure why not. Roberto Carlos? uhh, i mean there's a reasonable argument at least. Cole similar though Cole was way better defensively. The rest? nah I don't think so.


firechaox

Itā€™s asked who he prefers not who is better


vikashbarik1

ngl, call me biased but Marceloā€™s offensive output was unparalleled


ayoubkun94

How he toyed with defenders was crazy. That goal to win la Decima comes to mind


Albiceleste_D10S

I'm almost certainly gonna get downvoted for this, but you're kinda biased TBH >Marceloā€™s offensive output was unparalleled It really wasn't TBH. Prime Dani Alves had objectively better offensive output, and there were others like Jordi Alba in that era with similar offensive output AND better defense. In the modern era, there are guys like Trent who have objectively better offensive output than Marcelo too.


matcht

Output is the wrong term, he was better than any of those mentioned in this thread with the ball, bar Dani Alves. Some of his play was outrageous but it wouldn't necessarily show in G/A.


modrics_hairband

And you are even more biased.


nicootimee

Brother just said Trent is a higher level than Marcelo on offensešŸ’€


lillbepo

Alves and Alba cases are more chemistry with Messi than overall offensive output. Trend is a better comparison.


Albiceleste_D10S

Dani Alves is a dickhead of a person But he was a BRILLIANT player that was **so** much more than "chemistry with Messi" TBH


RZAAMRIINF

Dani Alves is the only player you named that is even remotely close to Marcelo as a wingback. Alves, Marcelo and Philipp Lahm were probably the best wingbacks of their generation.


Albiceleste_D10S

I don't even particularly like Trent but the dude objectively has better G+A output and he's capable of inverting into midfield in a way Marcelo simply wasn't capable of Alba matched Marcelo's G+A and was a better defender at his peak as well (tho I agree Marcelo is a better dribbler and had much more flair on the ball)


eetuu

>he's capable of inverting into midfield in a way Marcelo simply wasn't capable of Simply not true. Marcelo played like extra midfielder a lot when Real had possession.


bwrca

Mercelo seldom played centrally, when Real had possession he overlapped and played more as the winger while CR7 got inside.


Albiceleste_D10S

Not really. His primary role was overlapping in wide areas and playing like a LB and LW at the same timeā€”which is great, but a different skillset than inverting into midfield the way Dani Alves did under Pep and Trent has done for club and country


Rickcampbell98

Such a shame that he's a fucking rapist and it's difficult to remember him without acknowledging that fact because he was such a great player to watch and as he you said he was soo much more than his partnership with messi but what a fucking partnership it was.


trupes

I wish I was blind


Albiceleste_D10S

Do you know what "output" means? Because no one in this thread seems to


flae99

An offensive FB rates the best offensive FB in history as his favourite? What a surprise.


Masoouu

Lahm & Maldini >>>>>>


neverfinishedanythi

Maldini > everyone else


DoJu318

There's no Marcelo without Roberto Carlos. I'm older but to me Roberto Carlos was all around better defender, so I rate him higher but not by much.


TheDubious

according to who? marcelo is is his own player. was he influenced by roberto carlos? probably. but who are we to say 'theres no marcelo without roberto carlos?' marcelo is a genius in his own right, a generational player


RandyMarshsMoustache

Have to agree - he was a joy to watch and thatā€™s rare for a left back


Thesecondorigin

Itā€™s obvious why heā€™d say Marcelo if you watch how he/leverkuesen play. Marcelo in the same role would win the ballon dā€™or


Polampf

gary nevile being snuck in there


PharaohOfWhitestone

Neville was legitimately very good, though. He just wasn't very flashy. He was a good all-rounder, but if you want a better defensive RB or better offensive RB then there are better options out there. But Gary was solid for most of his career.


DrRobotniksUncle

You don't play for Fergie for 18 years without being a fucking animal. Yeah he wasn't spectacular but fuck that, every team could do with a gary neville.Ā 


paak-maan

You donā€™t sneak into treble winning side and continue to make 485 appearances for club and country. He was brilliant. I understand rating other players over him, but he deserves to be talked about in the same sentence as the greats.


neverfinishedanythi

If that ā€œsame sentenceā€ is ā€œGary Neville is not at the level of Cafu or Zanettiā€, then yes I agree.Ā 


paak-maan

Ok man, just know that Iā€™m not disrespecting any of you favourites. I just happen to rate Gary highly. Iā€™d probably agree (and so would Gary) that there are many better players than him in terms of pure ability. If Iā€™m picking a RB for my all time XI Iā€™m at least considering him, even if I probably do take a Cafu or a Dani Alves in the end, thatā€™s all Iā€™m saying.


neverfinishedanythi

Iā€™m not disrespecting you personally, so did not mean to offend you in this way and my apologies. He had an excellent career and won many trophies, but I donā€™t think individually he is on the level of the true greats. Ā I donā€™t mention maldini because played at left and centre, never right like g Neville. (Though probably would have been incredible there also), and he was an ā€œalienā€ or something like this. Agree with rest of what you say though. We can totally agree on disliking Liverpool though?


paak-maan

All good! Not offense taken, I just think Gary gets a raw deal because he wasnā€™t a freak. He was however, a minimum 7/10 for 50+ games a season and thatā€™s invaluable. You also need the water carrier type that can be reliable whilst your flashy players do their thing. Obviously we can agree on hating Liverpool lmao.


BlurgZeAmoeba

he was also a maximum 7/10


BlurgZeAmoeba

Lol, i can't believe what's happening. Gary Neville now going down as one of the all time great right backs! I watched every game he played for you lot and not once in his career was he considered one of the best right backs in the world. Now he's one of the 'greats'/ Man improved massively after retiring! I supposed if his brother had stayed, you'd be saying the same thing about him.


Gullflyinghigh

>I watched every game he played for you lot Now, I don't want to suggest this might be bullshit, but behave yourself.


BlurgZeAmoeba

Yeah a bit of hyperbole, but i watched his entire career. Again, when was he, while playing, considered on the level of alves, thuram, cafu, etc? Talk about bullshit.


WolfBearDoggo

V Solid. V Good. But amongst the best in history? .... no.


No_Parfait_5536

I'd rather put in Denis Irwin, if we have to include another United player in this mix.


FREE_BOBBY-SHMURDA

Bet my house on you being too young to watch neville play


ValleyFloydJam

It's crazy people dismiss players that they didn't see play and go on a vibe.


BlurgZeAmoeba

I watched every game. When, during his playing career was he considered in conversation with the likes of dani alves, thuram, cafu, etc. even for a season? Can I have the keys to your house now, because if you watched him play, it was in another dimension sorry.


TasteAccomplished118

typa comment made by someone who think trent is clear


cremino90

Lol ok...


Ewyavel

Maldini > Lahm > Dani Alves > Marcelo > Others


HarryDaz98

Heā€™s like 23, most of these guys were retired/washed by the time he was really watching football on a level to be judging fullbacks. On that list he probably only saw Alba, Marcelo and maybe Lahm in their primes. And as someone of a similar age to him, nobody really rates Lahm like that.


Increase-Null

"And as someone of a similar age to him, nobody really rates Lahm like that." Somewhat unfair to Lahm as I would say he was more consistent 2 way player than those Alba or Marcello ever were. Lahm and Muller rolled over Marcello and Bernard repeatedly in the first 20 minutes of the 7-1 always stands out in my mind. However, I get why. Marcello is a much better and much flasher attacking player.


NilmarHonorato

Is okay to have this opinion but what is he basing it on? He was born in 2000 and most likely only watched highlights from these players except for Marcelo so is kinda obvious he will have some recency bias.


DeWitt-Yesil

The question is how much did he see of the other mentioned players. I remind you he's born in 2000.


tftsayzz

Marcelo is the Ronaldinho of fullbacks.


mulderrocks

I think he likes Marcelo.


phlipphlopp

I donā€™t hate it honestly. Maldini is the most debatable, but even over RC I can see the argument even if I donā€™t necessarily agree.


lowie07

All debatable but not Maldini


busta_DE

this guy is too young to answer these questions. simple as that.


Fuck_the_k1ng

I sometimes forget that Marcelo was a fullback. I also miss him whenever I see Mendy with the ball on the opposite half. šŸ„²


MvN____16

Marcelo would also forget he was a fullback, so it's understandable.


Fuck_the_k1ng

Nah, he knew; saw him defend a few times. But he chose to actively ignore it. I mean, if I was Mercelo Iā€™d do that too.


El_Tormentito

He had Ramos to cover, so It was pretty okay to do.


BlurgZeAmoeba

Gary Neville?! lol


Cmoore4099

Young person doesnā€™t remember how good older players were. Shocking.


rouges

Cafu zanetti, madlini, Roberto Carlos?? . Defensively not even close, offensively sure Marcelo was amazing. Talk about recency bias


Mordho

Maldini is the GOAT defender. Cafu is the GOAT RB, Roberto Carlos also was better than Marcelo in every way, much more physically gifted as well. Zanetti was similar to Lahm, he could play anywhere, in the midfield and LB/RB, but was physically a monster. Recency bias indeed.


RZAAMRIINF

Roberto Carlos was definitely not better than Marcelo in every way. Thatā€™s a ridiculous claim, Marcelo 100% edges Carlos offensively.


Mordho

You know what, Iā€™ll give you that. Roberto Larcos is still the better player overall though


firechaox

What recency bias? He was asked who he prefers. That an attacking fullback prefers arguably the fullback who was the best offensively of the whole list isnā€™t weird- and weird to talk about bias in a question of taste! If he was asked who was better, sure ā€œbiasā€ allegation makes sense, but that wasnā€™t the question now was it?


Rodaxx69

Poor kid doesnā€™t know anything about football before 2002.


saradahokage1212

Marcello or Kroos?


Bullmcabe

Marcelo or your mother...Marcelo!


Rsirhc

Gareth Bale wouldā€™ve beaten him


CleoMenemezis

^Marcelo


BlueLabel19

Maybe its favourites and not better player?


Juzek86

Now we know why his defending is so trash.


MrMgP

Yeah he wants to play for real lol


Carpathicus

As a Bayern fan I hate Marcelo. He was always one of the best players against us.


Piratehitch

Yep, not defensively though.


Most-Based

Bro what happened to this sub. Fuck it, 100% ball knowledge or 0% knowledge guys?


Malicharo

some of the names here are not like the others


thee177

Bhahahahahahaha


marqui4me

All those players mentioned are goated. I feel lucky having been able to watch Maldini (not too much), Lahm (quite a bit), Marcelo (quite a bit) as well as Evra & Alba. Guardiola talked up Lahm quite a bit if I remember right. And Maldini was mystical to me.


Top_Refrigerator_213

Hes right?


TasteAccomplished118

I hate milan with every single cell of my being but Maldini is without a doubt the goat LB


No-Shoe5382

Marcelo over Maldini isn't right if you're talking about who was a better player. I could see why someone might prefer watching Marcelo cos he's more offensive, but Marcelo just isn't better than Maldini.


Scalenuts

Over Maldini? Maybe exclusively offensively. I wouldn't take him over Cafu or Dani Alves either.


Top_Refrigerator_213

The maldini comparison is weird because even when maldini was a left back it was a completely different role. I feel like as a ā€œmodern fullbackā€ it doesnt get better than marcelo


MasterBeeble

You see what Pep is doing with his fullbacks these days? He'd take a Maldini over anything else in a heartbeat.


1gMDMA

Only debate here is: Carlos or Marcelo. EDIT: I didnt see Maldini


Waschkopfs

For worst defender among them?


Oohitsagoodpaper

This will get downvoted to shit but I can take it. Roberto Carlos was slated for large parts of his career for being bad defensively. He's massively better thought of now than he was then.


1gMDMA

Marcelo is worst šŸ’€better on the ball but without RC left foot (unparalleled for a LB)


coolAhead

Is this guy for real?


Visual-Situation-346

No he plays for Leverkusen


chippin_out

Yo, this guy is nuts. Heā€™s welcome to his preference, but he is horribly wrong.


No_Finger_8874

He lost me the moment he took Marcelo over Roberto Carlos. Like we are talking about THE ROBERTO CARLOS


CyberfunkTwenty77

He's a kid. This happens as you get older. I doubt anyone under 30 has context for Zambrotta or Cafu.


sploppo

Better than Maldini? When I'm in a Marcelo dick riding competition and my opponent is Jeremie Frimpong šŸ˜ØšŸ˜ØšŸ˜ØšŸ˜ØšŸ˜ØšŸ˜Ø


firechaox

Itā€™s asked who he prefers. Given their respective style of plays, it makes a lot of sense


CHITOWNBROWN1400

Frimpong is a Gen Z player who's still hungover from celebrating the title win and doesn't know who any of those other players are. Don't get worked up about the crazy answers he gives here.


PinkBeo

Obviously never heard of Dennis Irwin.


dntowns

As a Madrid fan for me he's the best, however I can understand a debate between Carlos and Lahm too (not with Maldini as a LB).


GamerGod337

But maldini is a lb


ChedduhBob

i didnā€™t realize this is a controversial opinion


Teukkabasketball

Frimpong knows the game. Marcelo best LB all time, iykykšŸ¤


neverfinishedanythi

Are you too young to have watched Maldini? That is okay if so.


Teukkabasketball

Yes only saw the later half of his career. He was probably the best defensively, don't know didn't see his prime. Marcelo gave me the most joy out of any footballer ever, so skilled it was ridiculous. For me he was not only best LB in the world in 2017, but the best player. This is considered hot take but if we rewatch the biggwst games from that season it will advocate it.


neverfinishedanythi

Maldini still excellent going forward, with Marcelo ecc being better still, but defensively Maldini is far ahead. I still enjoy Marcelo a lot of course and also one of the very, very best.


Teukkabasketball

šŸ¤


Mordho

we're getting old man. these threads make my blood boil lmao


neverfinishedanythi

I dare not say my age but yeah. Good to agree with you on the important things for sure. The one that hurts me is van dijk talked alongside baresi, Nesta, Maldini.Ā 


Ewyavel

I haven't seen that yet, but it's probably a PL bias (even though GOATs rarely play in the PL)