Who's the greatest? RONALDINHO?

Can Ronaldinho, the smiling, mouth-full-of-teeth, feet-full-of-tricks Brazilian midfielder and goalscorer approach or even surpass the stature of Pele? Epoca, a Brazilian weekly magazine, asks that question in a recent cover story. The fact it even dares to raise the issue suggests how far Ronaldinho, 26, has come in a few years from humble beginnings at the Gremio soccer club in southern Brazil.

Without question, Ronaldinho is now the best-known, most-feared footballer around. When he gets the ball a hush descends. Anything can happen: an opponent left gaping; a defense-splitting pass of perfect weight and unlikely vision; a shot of outrageous precision. All executed with a playful whimsy, as if genius were the most natural thing in the world.

Ronaldinho has just helped his club, Barcelona, to its second consecutive Spanish League title, and to a European Champions League triumph over Arsenal. He was the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, and also won the Golden Ball award for best European player last year. Recognition is coming thick and fast.

Still, the verdict in Brazil from six experts, including former World Cup stars Rivellino and Tostao, was: Ronaldinho's not there yet, not by some distance. In most areas of the game, and especially in shooting and heading, they gave Pele a clear advantage. The two players scored equal in dribbling, while Ronaldinho just edged Pele in control, and Pele was the narrow winner in passing. Overall, Pele got 465 points to Ronaldinho's 428.5. The beaming Barcelona boy, it seems, still has work to do.

Just how much is borne out by a few statistics. Pele scored 1,283 goals in 1,375 games, for an average of 0.93 per game. Ronaldinho is averaging just under half that. Pele won three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970); Ronaldinho has one to his name (2002). Pele won 11 league titles with Santos; Ronaldinho has three (one with Gremio, two with Barcelona).

The question of whether Pele can be equalled has come up before, of course. Maradona often seemed close, especially during Argentina's 1986 World Cup victory in Mexico.
Brazil's Zico (now managing Japan) was mentioned for a while in the same breath as the maestro. But the world's judgment in the end was: nope, not quite, nice try. Comparisons across the years, in any sport, are difficult. Is Roger Federer greater than Rod Laver or Bjorn Borg? How would Mike Tyson have fared in the ring against Joe Louis? And what about Michael Schumacher racing against another Brazilian, Emerson Fittipaldi? Go figure.

I think it's too early to rule out Ronaldinho's chances of equalling Pele. He has everything, starting with breathtaking skill and a good temperament. Or rather, almost everything: his heading stinks. He's the same age as Pele was in the 1966 World Cup. If Ronaldinho can lift Brazil to its sixth triumph in Germany and follow that, at the age of 30, with another inspired performance in South Africa in 2010, his claims to sit alongside Pele in the pantheon will become irrefutable. That's a lot of "ifs," I know, but no more than Ronaldinho has already overcome in his journey from a humble home in the southern city of Porto Alegre.

Source: Roger Cohen - IHT Blogs