Zidane is overrated

FINALLY! someone with a reasoned response!

FINALLY! someone with a reasoned response! ok longevity is very controversial when you talk about maradona though. he was very inconsistent when you look at the entire span of his career, mainly due to injuries and drug problems. so your criteria on longevity is already slightly affected by maradona's inclusion as a great.

scholes has been consistent yes, but he has not been OUTSTANDING if you get what i mean, consistently, and was overshadowed by many of his teammates at times. nevertheless, along with giggs, i agree they are both legends if not in the EPL, in manu folklore.
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etc.

You have some good points pal- But I honestly feel Scholes is as good as it gets. I can't see how you could actuallytechnically be even slightly better- he's that good. Just that goal against Villa shows how ******* good he is. I would say Scholes is the very best and all should be compared to him. You don't need all this finesse you're going on about. Simply in a game situation (no crappy skills or finesse ), I would consider him exceptional, and it's a complete joke he isn't playing for England. Scholes and Zidane on the same team would completely massacre anyone stupid enough to get in their way lol

If anything he's under-rated, specifically when some people place the likes of Pele and Henry on a higher pedestal.

i think i will add another criteria if anyone bothers to read up till here:

revolutionary.

greats have all revolutionized their positions and im curious to know how zidane has revolutionized (if he even did) his position with respect to others. its not immediately obvious i would say to most.

i know R9's career very well and he changed the way strikers played. he brought futsal tricks to the field, increased levels of fitness and intensity on the pitch, redefined the meaning of a comeback king. he broke records, and proved his worth in almost every top club in europe.

bergkamp - revitalised total football and brought it to england. nuff said.

roberto carlos - goal scoring full backs

etc.

Aside from the Zidane question this claim is highly dubious. Goal scoring fullbacks were around before Roberto Carlos. Carlos Alberto in 1970?

Bergkamp did nothing of the sort. Do you know what Total Football is? It's a system of fluidity based on the whole team. It is impossible for one player to instigate total football.

And Ronaldo wasn't the first to do any of the things you mention.

It's very difficult for players to revolutionise a position because that is a tactical decision. Managers usually do that. e.g. Pele's false 9 role was introduced by the manager to avoid being marked out the game.
Maybe Beckenbauer did by himself???

Edit: Zidane won his side a World Cup final and Champions League final. He turned up in big games consistently. He turned up at big moments (remember England at Euro 2004?). He was good at dribbling, passing and set pieces. He was more rounded than anyone else who played at his time. Including Ronaldo.

How about Scholes?- I would probably edge Scholes to be honest. I know they have different games in a way, but if you had to pick one in their prime, I would probably go with Scholes.

Zidane said Scholes was the best midfielder he ever played against. I think Zidane was the better dribbler.