Why Did 2000's Football Look Like That?

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Thanks for watching
stay blessed, stay safe and PEEEAAACE
Jib Rules :) ✰

[@JibRules]

I really hope you guys like this vid, I am gonna pass out now, grinded in 24 hours to make this

[@bread-number_2]

Rest well dude

[@user-df6hg1ii6x]

Yes bro we love this vid keep up the good work we shall be waiting😃👍

[@karatemonkey124]

Get some rest and take care of yourself dogg, vid was fire.

[@farinaafsar5250]

Great vid Jib get some rest

[@oldskoolmusicnostalgia]

Respect. I hope you at least get some satisfaction seeing your content is viewed and engaged with. I barely ever get 30 views on those I create haha.

[@fishyfish6510]

We are living the Nike ad where robot clones took over football

[@charlesisaya8698]

Fr tho

[@barobaro1]

I mean we literally live in an era where a footballer like haaland is considered one of the best players in the game... that alone should tell you where the game has gone.

[@mrmeeseeks2534]

@@barobaro1Haaland is a classic striker, akin to the likes of Lineker and Van Nistelrooy, hardly ever scoring outside the box but a true target man, if anything Haaland is a throwback to football of the 80s,90s and early 2000s.

[@ans7033]

@@mrmeeseeks2534 nah, classic strikers from early 2000s could atleast pass around and dribble, Haaland just makes runs and scores tapins. Even a 39 year old Cristiano or a 41 year old Zlatan if he still played would give a team more than Haaland has ever given

[@DeezN1892]

I’d be careful with this, because I remember everyone my dads age used to say this exact same thing whilst fantasising about 1970s football

[@MarlOut]

also the lack of technology meant that many players that played during this time were actually forced to play football out in the streets, were the best footballers are bred

[@sameersheriff7078]

I don't know if you agree with me but men were strong and masculine before compared to now leading to sports turning to be soft as well with the introduction of new rules and var .

[@MadPaperMario]

A lot People had owned home computers since the mid 90s and affordable internet by the early 2000s and everyone was able to afford a cell phone like a Motorola Razr their was definitely tons technology

[@sameersheriff7078]

@@MadPaperMario But what about social media and loads of degeneracy and brain rot it brings along with it !!! Players back then would be glad that they didn't have to go through any of these during their careers.

[@MadPaperMario]

@@sameersheriff7078 fair point most of the 2000s social media isnt prominent

[@MarlOut]

@@MadPaperMario yh but were kids that time really fixated on it compared to today

[@QuyNguyen-gl2cc]

WC2006 is probably the WC with the most world class players: Ronaldo, Ronaldonho, Kaka, Adriano, Cafu, Carlos from Brazil, Messi, Crespo, Riquelme, Marcherano from Argentina, Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Terry, Ferdinand, Beckham, Cole, Owen from England, Zidane, Henry, Vieira, Ribery, Makelele from France, Ballack, Klose from Germany, Buffon, Cannavaro, Nesta, Pirlo, Totti, Del Piero from Italy, Torres, Villa, Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Ramos, Casillas, Raul, Fabregas from Spain, Ronaldo, Figo, Deco, Carvalho from Portugal, Robben, Van Persie, Van Nistelrooy, Van der Sar, Sneijder from Netherlands, Cech, Nedved, Rosicky from Czech and Modric, Ibrahimovic, Shevchenko, Drogba, Yaya Toure

[@mikeoxlong4588]

It was so good that you left out so many other legends. but I don't blame you writing it out would take ages. That WC was insanely stacked

[@martinho5474]

and ronaldo almost helped figo and deco win it if it wasnt for zidane

[@casualtie061188]

This makes me sad, what a time for football. I just don't enjoy it as much anymore

[@JoyceAppia-cj1od]

50's, 60s, 70s were awesome too

[@Nayfus9]

There's always that guy who would spawn at chelsea the end of their career

[@KarlSkorger]

eto,

[@dryames4319]

Shevchenko

[@tahatanvir6107]

Nelnelka

[@ishXedits]

Thiago silva

[@TheArtOfFootbal14]

Gullit

[@juliusalimari]

I was a little kid when I witnessed 2002 world cup final. It was so good, and we were so happy. Then I witnessed all the 2000s football era, including the breathtaking 2006 world cup, and 2010. It was a time to be alive. I deeply miss it

[@jpepe-qg4qj]

Same here .I still watch football but does not feel the same as 2000s

[@kimjongnuke593]

2002 was also my first WC, I still remember to this day when Senegal beat France, Germany beat Saudi 8-0, and controversial match between South Korea and Italy.

[@PEGGLORE]

Italia 90 was better when a kid. Seeing Maradona's Hand of God in 1986 when you're 5 years old is a classic moment of life as well. You missed out..

[@wasigupitobudiarto7767]

I was really pissed when Ahn Jung Hwan scored a winning goal against Italy

[@Ciaran-pi7vl]

during 1990 to 2012 i feel as if we witnessed the greatest players to play the game

[@secsee1657]

One thing is, training methods for everyone got so much better... the guys Ronaldinho styled on ain't gonna be flailing like Michelin men no more, just keep their balance, try to play it safe, esp. since any contact now is a yellow, no incentive to go all in on a challenge and give someone a highlight dribble, esp since there's someone covering you. The gap between the top top player back then and an average one was much larger cause good coaching was rare and geniuses were those who had it in their blood already at birth

[@bear_eater254]

​@@secsee1657Absolute nonsense 😂. Defenders today are lucky we longer have players like Ronaldinho or R9. It's just a simple fact 2000s players were just so much better this is of course because of the coaching, back then the coaches didn't put emphasis on robotic calculated moves like flair and elegance is what everyone wanted. Barcelona had highly Technical players suited for possession football because that's what they were taught, Brazil had flair players because that's what the streets, league and futsal demanded. The players are products of robotic calculated football academies nowadays there's no longer street football.

[@secsee1657]

@@bear_eater254 The average amount a player ran during a game~ 10% less than today. The fitness allows everyone to cover each other's spaces, thus creating a stronger defensive formation. This doesn't benefit flair players, who need space to beat their man. To pass today's defense is a taller task. If you only saw Ronaldinho's compilations, I guess you can think he's a magician, but 20 years from now people will see Mbappe's and see him as an even bigger monster. Ronaldo's stepovers would get a laugh most of the time because there's data on it, and everybody knows not to commit too early. If you remember, now beloved Mourinho was called a football terrorist back then, parking the bus, playing it safe. He didn't have magicians, just fucking solid men who had each others' backs, and of course Lamps, SWP, Drogba, J Cole and the likes to kill the game. So disciplined they didn't lose 150 straight matches at home. Effective, yes, pretty, nah. The special one for a reason. You evolve or you die. No space for undisciplined teams. Then we had Barca who broke the system with speed and spatial awareness, essentially killing off every team who ran like morons after each ball, got tired, and finished after some pass behind the lines. Now the data mining for any position is so advanced, there's a huge gap between DEFENSIVE LINES 20 years ago and now. Individuals, we can talk about, but what made them so great. Last ditch tackles, yeah, powerful checks, yeah, but the first was caused by bad positioning of the team more often than not, and the second was permitted by refs, right now these same men would get red carded first chance. But don't tell me VVD or Walker wouldn't be dogs 20 years ago. Today with fullbacks running against the opposition and coming back to defend it's pretty much a different game for wingers. More stamina for players and more spatial awareness training allows defenses to be stronger, if they're disciplined, and devalues the individual dribbler who with the ball at his feet has to move into a space which will be closed down ASAP. So yeah rn it's a different game. Maybe the greatest last 10 years midfieldier in Modric shows how to break down defenses today, but his skill and self-belief is really rare. Totally unpredictable and technically expert.

[@afa78djd]

​​@@secsee1657The most nauseating rhetoric i hear you youngsters say, ad nauseum. 🤣 🤣 🤣. That's all you got, a dream scenario where the lapse of only 10 years, defending got so abysmally superior that absolutely no one could score anymore. 🤣 🤣 🤣 Messi alone disproves your little theory here, he got tired of destroying your so-called, best in history, defenses, with slalom runs, especially that of the biggest teams in Europe.

[@secsee1657]

​@@afa78djd huh?. First, he specified 1990-2012. That's two-three decades ago. Facts are the physical and organizational capabilities grew more and more demanding every year. There's more money in the sport, the players are healthier, they're drilled on how to behave. This video is about individual geniuses. Of course players find it harder to shine when covered the moment they get the ball. That's why we're talking about Messi, Hazard, Modric, Mbappe, as the best, players who have the ball GLUED TO THEIR FEET. Who can do it in a crowd. Not chain-smoking vintage 10s who have 5 seconds before someone starts pressing them or a Brazilian winger who before a takeon chooses between an elástico or a rabona. Having the lungs to run 10% faster than the players in the 00s effectively narrows the pitch and allows for PHYSICAL DEFENSIVE coverage of the same spaces the flair players would run into.. If everyone is pushed to the same level, by physios, this is a tougher playing field. Without endurance, you're just not playing football today, unless you're CR in the NT Messi? I don't know, do you think that ONLY defensive players got better with tactical development, physical development? And do you really try to compare the Man United he faced in the CL Final with today's Man City? HE struggled bad against Chelsea the first 5 seasons he met them, if you forgot, and I never praised Man United for defensive mastery. Mourinho was the man examplifying this, not Fergie. Messi THRIVED IN BARCELONA, he suffered with Argentina without a trophy for 16 YEARS. He needs a team set up for his skills, with SMART PLAYERS he can link up with. Messi being the goat proves my point. The OP said the best players played between 90-12, and the whole fucking point is that Messi is universally agreed to be the goat for now. His prime was 09-19. And he's the goat for displaying both playmaking genius, and close control dribbling mastery. But Mbappe's technique is up there, and his resemblance to Ronaldo Nazario tells me he would overtake Messi as a fan favorite. The only problem he's had was playing in P$G. He created ~8 big chances last CL but has zero assists.

[@Venom-lr3sq]

Mid 90's to Mid 2000's. Absolutely nothing is touching that.

[@8wrighty8]

Ive never personally witnessed that era of football, but just looking at players highlights, the way wingers like Henry and Dinho take on defenders, crunching tackles Thuram and cannavaro made, and the way players were able to basically do wtv they want on the pitch is astonishing

[@JacobS-q7c]

Honestly I wonder how much defending being discouraged is responsible. I believe Engineers gave us LED side boards, instead of a Camel or Kodak sign. Ugly scrolling LEDs. Non classic looking gear. Engineers and businessman killed the beauty of the past, it was after all their stated mission.

[@ayoNan2311]

@@8wrighty8check out Totti and Shevenko. Rafa Marquez. Maldini cannavaro good times

[@gladiatorscoops4907]

late 90s to early/mid 00's was when individuality, technical ability, athleticism and player affordance was at its absolute best balance compared to modern football. This was a time where all the elements we loved so much came together. If you want to read a more detailed breakdown of the difference between the 90's/Mid 00's compared to modern day read below, but Its a lot of words lol: Individuality: In terms of individuality - you had players like Di Canio, Matt Le Tissier, Berbatov as technically gifted if not better than most modern players. But in all probability none of those superstars in their peak would be signed by the big clubs across Europe in modern day because they were lacking so much from an athletic and work rate POV. Yet these players have given us some of the greatest moments in the sports history. With the shift to positional/possession team based football, modern players are taught to move the ball rather than trick the opponent or dribble past a player because the stats tell us there is a greater percentage of success in scoring by passing and moving. We are seeing less take-on's compared to the 90s. We have some incredibly skillful modern dribblers, Musiala, Jamal, Dembele, Vinicius to name a few but they dont match up to guys like Ronaldinho, R9, Okocha, Messi in his prime. Players from a young age are being taught to be better team players, more emphasis on position and possession rather than showing individual flair and skill. I'm sure if a player tries a rainbow flick in training at Man City successful or not you bet Pep is going to give him the hairdryer treatment. So for the most part players are conditioned not to try the unexpected, to instead play the percentages. Of course this style shift is understandable if it means you have a better chance of scoring. But from a spectacle pov its far more entertaining and memorable watching Okocha rainbow flick the ball over Martin Keown's head and go past him than watching him pass the ball to a teammate. Technical ability: In the late 90's to mid 00's you had some of the best technical players from any generation. Players like Bergkamp, Rui Costa, Baggio, Berbatov, Ronaldinho and of course potentially the greatest of them listed: Zidane. In modern football The average level of technical ability has got better from back then, but we are yet to see any modern player surpass the technical ability of Zidane. Athleticism: From a fitness pov there has been a massive change, every modern player is expected to have a much higher level of fitness than the average back in the late 90s mid 00's. Clearly overall player fitness has drastically got better, but you still had players back in those days who could run all day, players like Gerrard, Park, Gattuso, Makelele who were as fit as anyone playing the game today. In terms of player speed the average level has once again risen greatly in modern day, most players are expected to have a fair level of speed and athleticism, however even the fastest modern players aren't faster than the speedsters of the 90's/00's generation. Back then we had Djibril Cisse, Obafemi Martins, Marc Overmars, Samuel Eto'o, Kaka, Ivan Cordoba, R9, Roberto Carlos, Bernard Mendy, Thierry Henry, to name a few as fast as any of the modern players today, in fact one match SkySports recorded Thierry Henry reaching a top speed of 39.2km/h - a higher top speed than anyone has reached in the PL since they began officially recording player top speeds. Player affordance From academy level - players are taught to be great all-round footballers. The youngsters who make it are all high level athletes, they are comfortable playing in multiple positions, are excellent in possession, have excellent passing ability, have a very good understanding of space, can play in various systems and most importantly are excellent team players. This development carries on when they become professionals, with coaches preferring this level of versatility and team based ethics. But with this emphasis on making fantastic, versatile team players we have lost a little in the mastery of some positions and skills. "Jack of all trades, master of none" is a little basic but almost describes what has happened. Yes we still have players who are unbelievably good in their specialist position, an example being Van Dijk or William Saliba will inevitably be, but we have less of those top 1 percent's in their specialist positions. For example we have an abundance of excellent forward players, but very few of the highest quality Centre Forwards. CF is a specialist position that you usually have to have a natural ability for or a top coach can see in a player and coach them into that role. But if the coaching is focussed on making jack of all trades forwards then you will lose out on finding or developing players in that specialist role to reach that absolute peak level that very few in the history become. We only have a certain amount of time and if players are being coached to be a CB, a Fullback, a DM instead of just mastering the CB position then inevitably you will eventually get a drop off of the top 1 percent in certain positions. Of course back in the late 90's early 00's you had the occasional exceptions to the rule - both Maldini and Puyol starting out as fullbacks and transitioned to become the best of their generation as CB's. But this was a rarity only for some truly exceptional footballers. Go back and list the world class CB'S in the late 90's to early 00's compared to now, its frightening. CF's too, the drop off in modern day compared to that golden generation is staggering. Rules: For the CB role its important to mention the rule changes and how they have affected modern football. Players aren't allowed to be as physical as they once were, so this definitely hampers CB's in a lot of ways. There is a generation of defenders who made a living in top flight football because of their mastery of the "Dark Arts" who now wouldn't have a chance of making a top flight football team because of their shortcomings from a tactical/athletic and technical pov. The best defenders in the late 90's early 00's knew how to be nasty if they needed to but they had all of the attributes of modern defenders too. But they were also getting incredible experience playing against a different breed of CF's compared to modern day. You needed your top 1 percent CB'S to combat the unbelievable CF's we had playing in those days, the type of player that lived to score, that weren't drifting out wide taking on players and looking to setup teammates, players like Robbie Fowler, Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Andy Cole, Anelka, Michael Owen, Van Nistelrooy to name a few from the PL alone, not even mentioning across Europe where you had some even better goal-scorers in some cases. Rule changes in modern football have made it less entertaining: The broken handball rule, the broken offside rule, VAR ruining the immediacy of the game, destroying the passion, making football a far more nervous watching experience every-time a ball goes in knowing there is a group of ppl looking for reasons to chalk the goal off. There are more factors as to why football in the last decade has declined from its peak in the late 90's to mid 00's: less interesting club and player rivalries, money's negative influence. Why modern football sucks in short: Modern football is mechanical, with less individuality more homogeneous players, less interesting rivalries, money dominance I could go on. Anyway yeh sorry about the essay, but it was fun for me at least!

[@8wrighty8]

@@gladiatorscoops4907 its fine, i read the entire thing completely 😂, it definitely makes sense

[@robbiebalboa]

The style and panache of the late 90’s to mid 2000’s hits different to the current day.

[@LongSeax88]

Even early 90s late 80s. Football is a joke now.

[@intello8953]

@@LongSeax88why would you say football is a joke now?

[@aleksam1504]

Cause it is. ​@@intello8953

[@bear_eater254]

​@@intello8953Because it's a joke😂. Like where are the Ronaldinho's and Zdiane's.. what, Bellingham?😂😂🤦

[@lukyguy1240]

I'd say mid 90s to mid 2000s. By the time Spain and Barca rose up, the beauty was already in decline.

[@Hypocrisy.Allergic]

Tiki taka ruined football

[@lukyguy1240]

@@Hypocrisy.Allergic it was amazing at the time, but unfortunately everyone else tried to do it too, and that ruined football.

[@muwafaqmosa5303]

I agree, when the Italians were taking over football in Seria A , during 80s to 2000s football was great, but after they won the 2006 world cup it would seem that they lost interest in football, not long after that the Spanish league showed up it, and they started this delusional classico, and before football was full of talented nominations for balloon dor but afterwards it became all about Messi and Cr.Ronaldo, I think the Spanish have ruined football.

[@oldskoolmusicnostalgia]

@@muwafaqmosa5303 They didn't lose interest, there were serious financial issues in calcio and the fallout of Calciopoli was something the league didn't recover from. No other league would seek to destroy one of their biggest clubs on such flimsy charges (see how Barcelona and Man City's various "cases" have gone). I dislike tiki taka as well but the other thing that ruined football was that nobody can compete with the Premier League's television money.

[@BakaryD]

Yeah you're full of shit. barca and Spain had peak football, the real peak was Bayern 2013

[@NIDELLANEUM]

Fabrizio Romano spoiling transfers reminds me of something similar that's been happening in Hollywood, with movies. Back then, you barely had any idea about what a movie was like: if you didn't catch the trailer, or read a magazine, all you knew was "there's a movie" and rumors/theories about it. Now, they show pictures, announce the cast, and talk about it nonstop, even *years* before the movie is released. We no longer have the element of surprise in anything, we already know what to expect.

[@bear_eater254]

Serie A in the 2000s was illegal, even Teams like Fiorentina and Sampdoria had absolute gems.

[@DavidRFIT]

From mid 1980s to mid 2000s, actually. For 20 years Serie A was by far the best league in the world.

[@teddymeister95]

@@DavidRFIT and no other league has reached those heights. even current PL or Messi-CR7 era of la liga

[@dermoooojj255]

90s were even better, modern football has turned into basketball played by robots

[@JacobS-q7c]

The last non VAR tourneys in South America were the last flavor, summer 23

[@italiangentleman1501]

​@@JacobS-q7c I don't think the VAR is the problem. It's more like the individual aspect of Football that got more put on the background.

[@turkx6]

Nah

[@MatiasMartinez-fy6vw]

you forgot riquelme in 2006

[@AsaNisiMasa-cc2id]

After Guardiola's Barcelona, everybody wants to play possession and pragmatic football passing the ball around. Creativity has been dying because of that.

[@kareemlawson878]

but that barca was magic

[@ecafracs10]

Guardiola destroyed football, i can't watch a 90 minute game now without going to sleep, of the sheer boredom the game is getting

[@thewand3r3r45]

@@ecafracs10lmao you can’t blame Peps barcelona which happened in the 2000s for the crap we have nowadays 😂😂😂😂 not to mention Peps city is fun to watch not like the other teams which are boring

[@benjaminowolabi6891]

​​@@thewand3r3r45if City's football is interesting to watch for you, I can bet you never watched football in the 2000s How exactly does 10,000 passes to score 1 goal interesting to you? You can predict Arsenal and City goal process. Play to the wing with an under lapping full back to put in a cutback. If that doesn't work, pass it to De Bruyne to spam crosses from wing, then we get the over hype of his passing ability. He can't even lace Ozil's boot No crosses, No out the box shots, No dribbles, No out of the world pass... there's no creativity anymore, it's all a machine

[@thewand3r3r45]

@@benjaminowolabi6891 i’m older than you so yes i did watch it 😂 you know nothing about it except highlights

[@user-ld9zi1cf7i]

The craziest thing for me is how strong Serie A was. Inter: Ronaldo, Zanetti.. Juventus: Del Piero, Zidane... Milan: Shevchenko, Maldini.. Roma: Totti, Cafu.. Parma: Buffon, Cannavaro.. Lazio: Crespo, Nedved.. FIorentina: Batistuta, Rui Costa.. Brescia: Baggio, Pirlo It looked like every single team had one or a couple of World Class players. I mentioned only two players from each because I don't have two hours to write them all, but is just INSANE how much talent was there.

[@ThunderChunks]

Looking at the international Titles and other leagues I dont think that Italian football was in the prime in the 2000s. It was the 1990 when it was best and everyone wanted to play in an italian club.

[@user-ld9zi1cf7i]

@@ThunderChunks Well, it is debatable, there was an all italian champions league final in 2000s and they won world cup in 2000s. I am not saying they were not good in 1990 but I think they were better at the start of the millennium. Cannavaro, Nesta, Pirlo and many others from that league reached their peak in 2000s

[@teddymeister95]

@@user-ld9zi1cf7i I'd slightly agree more with the 90s being better. If I'm not wrong there's was always an Italian club in some European final, whether it's the champions, or uefa cup or europa etc. I think the all-Italian final in 2003 and a WC victory was just to seal the world class cycle Italian football had. We also reached the 1994 final only to lose on penalties to Brazil

[@user-ld9zi1cf7i]

@@teddymeister95 When I think more about it, it has to be end of the 90s and the start of the 2000s. Parma and Fiorentina for example were not that good at the start of the 90s I think. By the end of the 90s they were very good, and I think we have to take that as an argument because that is when there was the most strong teams in serie a. 1997-2001 something like that

[@LittleJimmy_Says]

Football was just simple and pure in that era. no overcomplicated system tactics. Best Era and am glad to have lived through it.

[@meatiesogarcia6478]

I remember that era and a lot is just nostalgia. Obviosuly the sport has changed, but the same was said during that era: older people said football was better in the 70s and 80s, and that era was full of celebrities who played football instead of football players (like Beckham, who people said came to Madrid to sell t-shirts). Football back then was a lot more physical and tactical than in previous generations: Cruyff or Socrates used to smoke during the matches, now that's unthinkable. Sachi's Milan was a great tactical advancement, football became way more tactical and compact than in the 80s. There are certain things worse now, players seem to have less skill in general, inflation is a real think and the business side is making the sport a spectacle for wealthy masses who watch the match on TV instead of focusing on the traditional fan, but it's just how the sport evolves, and there will be always good players with magical boots.

[@dim_ks10]

That's why I like kvaratskhelia. The man is pure football!

[@thelawyer95]

He's gonna turn into a robot once he goes to another club unfortunately.

[@teddymeister95]

@@thelawyer95 unless he goes to Real Madrid. Ancelotti grew up in that era and he loves letting players express their game

[@mentalblocked]

For a long time national teams feared playing against Brazil. Don't get me wrong, Brazil was always good, but for a long time was fearful. Argentina today still has good football, like the old times. Time will tell...

[@DeezN1892]

The national teams all play the same type of football nowadays. I don’t mean to sound like a hipster but the Brazilian league now genuinely still has this exciting competitive football filled with star players in each team. The other South American leagues don’t have that. Argentinian league is reaaallyyy bad now

[@jimmyyue238]

Nowadays, these teams have to pay the referee in order to continue to be like before.

[@Carlosmltr]

Brazil still has an elite team, filled with protagonists at some of the biggest clubs in the world. However the national team is going through the worst phase I've ever seen. Our players can't handle pressure, they are consistently losing to European teams, even if they are in better shape, that's bizarre. Yesterday's performance against Colombia at copa America feels like an all time low. To make things worse, we don't have a genious player like Neymar in the younger generation, hope Endrick is able to replace him at some time.

[@gloopdogg1145]

Same reason why Espana won World and Euro cup is reason why Argentina won,rest was in down fall and change generations,when France and Italy was in Prime the same Espana with same players who won later cant pass a group stage...Much better Argentina generations with Mess didnt win bit this where half of planet cant name 5 Argentinans beside Mess won World cup,that just show where football is now...

[@guiguitoLemon]

@@gloopdogg1145 that's a great point, actually. I had never thought of that.

[@federicopalacios7439]

2006 was the most stacked WC ever.

[@JoyceAppia-cj1od]

No

[@greatvideos1446]

2002 WC Ronaldo Ronaldinho Rivaldo Carlos . England Scholes Beckham Owen etc. Italy + many more

[@diogofontes8739]

Calling Raul Meireles, a PFA Fans' Player of the Year, a "Random Player" is some weird shit. Maybe your audience didn't watch football back then but that doesn't make you a "connoisseur".

[@cashblaster3475]

Was a bit taken a back by that, he was such a class player

[@garronkaramitas4215]

Yeah try Nouradine Naybet or Pascal Chimbonda

[@MjolnirMarks]

My gran would know who Pascal C is and was.

[@robs9237]

Defenders in the 2000s: Thuram Nesta Maldini Cannavarro Samuel Lucio Puyol Ferdinand Campbell Terry Vidic Carvalho Stam. Defenders now: 💩

[@marihutten]

I think there were amazing individual defending talents such as the one you mentioned but the defensive systems were weaker than now. Check the amount of space that used to exist in the box back in the day. Most teams now play with like 7 people in the box if they transition to defense, back then teams would just leave the 3-4 defenders there. Now the entire team runs back to cover every space in the box.

[@cyz44]

dont forget the beast Roberto Carlos

[@hectorlagos8937]

HEY! respect king Maguire sir!

[@brianduru3753]

This is rubbish as there have been many excellent defenders since. Ramos, Van Dijk, Hummels, Bonucci, Chiellini, Thiago Silva, Diego Godin.... You also ignore the fact that the game has changed and the way defenders are asked to play and the responsibilities they have are different today.

[@LongSeax88]

@@marihuttenyeah, everyone parks the bus now, boring poor football. We are currently in the weakest era of football, since football became a professional sport. No talent, no passion. It’s literally a woman’s game now.

[@oldskoolmusicnostalgia]

1990s and 2000s were peak football

[@anthonymcken6050]

It will never return so get used to it.

[@tomocchii]

@@anthonymcken6050it will. Life is cycle and like most things, football will eventually go back to the beginning when a new player, like Messi or perhaps even better emerges and has other players that are similar in talent, or there is a revolution in tactics and everyone stops copying Pep. I think people will eventually get tired of this and work to change it. Unfortunately I see it getting much worse before it gets better.

[@user-ij9zg8xn4y]

Players back then were just better , the only things that got better about football in modern times are tactics and fitness facilities , players are fitter and more athletic now but nowhere near the levels of the legends that played in the late 90s and early 00s

[@ballislife9924]

Not true Because of the evolution of football tactics, athleticism, and analytics, it's just harder to stand out. Everyone is an athlete, everyone is talented, and you get no space at all. It's just harder to stand out. It's just the nostalgia speaking out of you.

[@dim_ks10]

@@ballislife9924 Technically, they were better back in 90-00s. Additionally, most pitches are being cut very short and they are just perfect nowadays, and therefore everything moves faster (ball and players) which is harder and even unnecessary to demonstrate technical skills than before. Where it's evident that players lack of imagination and dribbling skills are 1-2-1 situations where they have to dribble against the last defender or the goalkeeper. We almost see no feints or tricks.

[@user-ij9zg8xn4y]

No nostalgia whatsoever since i only started watching football about 10 years ago , before that i didn't care much about football but once i got obsessed with it i was thorough in my research , i've seen full games from the late 90s to late 00s and players were actually on another level technically , modern tactics stripped players of any flair , player are now developping as system players from a very early age , not to mention we've actually seen legends from the late 00s that carried over to the 2010s destroying modern footballers like cr7 , messi ,xavi , iniesta , scholes was still bossing the prem at 37 38 in like 2011 2012 where modern football was in full flow ​@@ballislife9924

[@RaamiKala]

@@ballislife9924 Chat shit. What you're basically saying is back then the good players were more athletic than the bad players and so were able to stand out. Your logic isn't logic-ing. Everyone was on the same level of athleticism back then, but the good players were some of the best ever to play the game. Today, everyone still has similar levels of athleticism, but there are far fewer standout players. What that's down to is beyond my expertise, but you can't say that the great players of 15+ years ago were only able to stand out because athleticism was not as good back then as it is now.

[@ballislife9924]

@RaamiKala But that literally is one of the key reasons. Genetics play a huge factor in explosiveness, for example. Strength and explosiveness training was not prioritized until the 2010s, so players that weren't gifted (the majority) couldn't keep up. The other big reason are tactical advancements that congested the field a lot. You can't easily receive the ball, turn, and then take players on. Nowadays, you have immediately someone on your back upon rwveun the ball. Turn a game on from like the WC 2006 and watch how much space there is in the midfield. It's laughable. But that favors creativity and technical players because you can actually go at defenses. On average, the technical abilities, the explosiveness, and the tactics have evolved, and that's natural. It happens in every sport. As an entertainment product, you could argue that the 2000s were better but not the actual quality.

[@Djiehh]

It felt special when you were able to watch the great players play when I was a kid in the late 90s. It was either during a World Cup, or a Champions League final, or when one of the S-tier clubs from Italy or Spain would face off against one of your domestic clubs (I'm from Germany, but Germany was never known for flashy signings back then). Today, I feel like I could pay somebody 9,99 a month and I'd be able to watch any player I wanted, maybe even during breakfast or when they're out shopping for clothes. 🤷‍♂ Also, teams and players have become so interchangeable. You would be able to pick Beckham or Roberto Carlos or Totti out of the crowd based on how they moved. And if somebody was wearing white or - God forbid - *red* shoes, you know they'd be trouble.

[@patrickorone1149]

I think the eye test ended with prime messi. Now days its hard to see a player that stands out. Back then a player who wore shirt 10 could always pass the eye test. You could easily spot them out of other players on the pitch. Todays players are so pragmatic. they dont stand out. They dont pass the eye test. its boring.

[@argenisjrg]

The 2006 World Cup was my first experience with football. It was amazing, it had some mystics that I can't explain logically.

[@jrothweldo7]

I can remember more about the 90s 2000 then football today the players back then where world class every club/national team was stacked with quality

[@GamingInfested]

I think there were less of rigged games too, I dont know for sure I was kid in 90s. But now even huge championships are rigged af

[@marihutten]

I was old enough at the time to remember and I think we romanticize it a lot because it was a mixture in which skill was very high but people recording videos and saving it on their computers and videos becoming viral were at the beginning. IN a few words, all you see are the "best moments" but if you actually watch the matches defending was pretty wack (in terms of strategies and defenders working as a unit), full of spaces to score outside the box. Now it's really tough, the style of defending is so compact. I'm not saying there wren't great defenders, you had people like Cannavaro Lucio in this era and there were other greats. I'm talking about the SYSTEM. Plus now people run 11km per game, it's more about the physicality than ball on the foot skill. Even young players now don't develop or practice a lot of set pieces (directly to the goal I mean) as you used to see. The type of Juninho Pernambucano or Beckham scoring from a setpiece directly on goal was because they spent a solid part of their training practicing this. Now during training you spend more time at the gym gaining muscle and developing cardio and resistance. I think previous eras will always be romanticize because as time goes by all we see are the highlights, most of us are not watching entire games from 20 years ago. If you watch by the highlights, yeah sure lol

[@exploremore2438]

The first person I am seeing saying absolute truths. I started watching football at 6 during the 2010 world cup, I didn't know anything before that. The only memories were the times were I played Winning Eleven with uncle and got smashed 😂. But after that I became a football geek and even up till now I am so football obsessed, if you asked me, I would tell you the golden generation was the 2010s, the calibre of elite world class players, streets will never forget ballers, and the funny thing is that they were doing it on a high, on the biggest European stage (UCL) dominating their leagues, iconic moments, the competition and level of talents at the Ballon d'Or podium. It was something else. Football is experiencing a cool down, but with the up-and-coming talents, young established talents and players who are hitting their primes, we should brace ourselves for fresh madness.

[@liamwilliams6651]

This is pretty much what he said though. Tactics, formations and over coaching have made the game boring to watch. It's not just romanticising, I was born in 97 and grew up watching the 00s. I could watch every single game back then no matter who is playing. Nowadays I will really only watch a club game if a few of the lads are going down to the pub to watch it. I've gotten so bored by the sport that I have moved onto rugby and mostly watch that now.

[@BajaToxic]

use to watch Ronaldo highlight when i was a kid and then come the 2010 WC, Im so disappointed when he didnt do skill every 5 second

[@exploremore2438]

@@liamwilliams6651 You've gotten older sir. That's how shit works.

[@liamwilliams6651]

@@exploremore2438 I can tell you now that isn't the answer. Look at Zidane's performance against Italy in 2006 WC final. He made it look like a schoolyard game, at one point there was four Italians trying to get the ball off him. When does a player ever have the audacity to try this stuff in a final these days? In fact you rarely ever see a player try and dribble past players especially in midfield anymore. Just always looking for the safe pass. Its boring as fuck so I don't watch anymore. I have also been watching rugby since 2007 and thats now better than ever so my age and nostalgia has nothing to do with it.

[@VGP90]

How crazy was Serie A in the 2000s? The greatest Italian attacker of all time Roberto Baggio was banging in goals for Brescia and mentoring a young Andrea Pirlo at the same time. Top quality.

[@DevonRyeTheDragonfly]

Great video, brother! You’re spot on. Your last statement is also true, we are at the dawn of another golden era of right now.

[@JibRules]

Thank you ❤️

[@averageaimer8533]

This is back when it was a ‘sport’. Now it’s turned into a ‘game’

[@tsesunnykailong7855]

i always thought it was me growing up and started to find football boring, but thanks for reminding me!

[@yahyataskn7904]

Newer football fans slander Ronaldinho a lot, saying X player has more g/a and stuff and it's just nostalgia. The real reason his fans love him that much is we've watched him carry barcelona to la liga titles and a ucl, with their whole tactic being "just pass it to dinho and let him do his magic"

[@mem5860]

Even commentators we're like, Ronaldinho don't pass to anyone, if You do that we Will not score

[@SM1LE2006]

Fax

[@DevonRyeTheDragonfly]

It’s all about the way he played. He was a wizard with the ball and people may not realize but he’s been a great influence on players such as Messi, Neymar, CR and many more who themselves have shaped generations to come.

[@m.c.martin]

It was the way he played and the way he scored

[@harshchoudhary4811]

The take on defences was perfect 👏🏽

[@nxt1990]

You summarized it all my friend. Football used to be magical.

[@luqmanmohd2737]

This is all Pep's fault. That bald fraud 😅

[@ThisIsWideAngle]

This is highlight-reel driven nostalgia. Football had a peak in the late nineties with players who played into the 00s but their star rose before. Look at the ECs and WCs of 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. These were dominated by savety, defense and possession. Some games without a single chance to score a goal. It was dreadfully boring. Mourinho's tactics weren't even an exception, but he did it the best. Nothing new was created tactically until Guardiola showed up at Barca and Klopp at Dortmund and van Ghaal/Heynkes at Bayern. Before that tactics were in stagnation or even recession. Watching football since the early nineties.

[@ARandomSkillIssue]

And the late 90s was a golden age too

[@estevesmartins7935]

Don’t knock Raul Meireles. One of the few that played for both Chelsea and Liverpool at a high level

[@redbaby679]

Not just football most sports peaked in the 2000's

[@mikeoxlong4588]

I grew up as a kid with this football 2004 to 2010 was absolute peak. I gave up watching after 2014ish because I hated the Party Saint German And the hair paste and hair dryer era, now that era is mostly gone I've gone back to watching Footy let's see how good or bad this new era will be.

[@larsfischer7191]

Mid to late 2000s also the years we saw Ronaldo as a dribble and speed monster in premier league. Ronaldo MU especially (2006-2008) still the best Ronaldo version. He's not a goalscoring machine or clutch player yet like his Madrid 2010s form but seeing him running around the field makes me happy. Also the last Great years for Italian football

[@TonyNaber]

It's interesting you mentioned the 2006 World Cup which was the tournament that got me into football. I'm slowly coming back to football after a decade of nearly no interest

[@omarmoreno6721]

Messi and Cr7 were so goated that the players beneath them like Neymar, Hazard, Suarez etc couldn’t shine as much like they would in the early 2000s.

[@Dera07]

Huh

[@omarmoreno6721]

@@Dera07 wdym huh? Incase you need more explanation, if the players mentioned above besides Messi and Cr7, played in the early 2000s they would be as good as the ones mentioned In this video.

[@Alzenryo]

They still shine, but cant be the best.

[@HenriqueM-jh1ye]

Hazard is overrated. Peak Neymar was incredible indeed.

[@goku7297]

None of them would be in that legendary status not even close

[@alphonsoacqua]

I turned 16 in the year 2000. It was an awesome period of football. Great video mate, subbed. 🤜🤛

[@user-pi5yr6kq3r]

I agree, this period for me spanned from 1995-2015, just before pep took charge in the EPL. However, the decline started before that, I would say it ended with Leicester winning the prem.

[@discoverkenya]

Feeling the vibes of this video, YT recommendations doing it’s job. Subscribed!

[@PirateKingBuggy]

Oh wow that was actually a very beautiful video Jib❤

[@sweetdukes7031]

Thank you for making this video. I've been telling youngsters that football these days just ain't the same anymore.

[@alastairbrauns9107]

Pep Guardiola also killed football.

[@mirilix_hd6466]

Ayy jib, keep up the vids, you’re sick bro❤️

[@soullbtw]

I love your videos, keep grinding bro👍

[@DylanSynan]

Jib i really love your videos man there’s nobody doing your style of content keep it up ❤

[@mateo1726]

Growing up in 2000s football I do miss it

[@SmoggieManx]

As a Boro fan, love seeing us included in this! Was lucky enough to grow up watching us play in the prem and get to a uefa cup final, magical times and a great video

[@JLano]

Blame Pep Guardiola. Everything went south after emergence of his Barcelona.

[@bpcgos]

I'm lucky to be experienced end of 90s and 2000s era of football... Del Piero, Totti, Batistuta, Owen, Roberto Carlos,Henry, Cafu, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Gerrard,Crespo, Kaka, wow... And the rivalries between inter vs ac, Roma vs Lazio, real vs Barca, just awesome.And believe it or not my love towards football started from Winning Eleven aka PES, once I understand the rules and tactics a bit.

[@piotrpalka9677]

Much appreciated you brought up Nesta name in here, Lazio and Milan legend. Him and Cannavaro were truly outstanding defenders...

[@kaji8144]

Never knew Jib was a sonic fan

[@MariofromPOA]

I started watching football in 1992 and I agree with your overall assessment. A few things to add to strengthen your points: before the European Union was established, most leagues had a limit on two foreign players. That forced local talent to be incorporated into the starting eleven. It was rare to find the best foreign player at the best team if the best team already met the quota. Many teams had benefactors, but they were not necessarily oligarchs. Parma had Parmalat, Inter had Pirelli, Juve had Fiat, Lazio had Cirio, Roma had the Sensi family, Milan had Berlusconi and Fininvest, and so it goes. Now Parmalat is bankrupt, Pirelli is owned by the Chinese petrochemical industry, Sensi and Berlusconi passed away, Fiat is part of Stellantis, etc. Transfers were inflated for the time, especially around the 2000 bubble. Denilson from São Paulo to Betis in 1998 for 21.5 million pounds was beyond absurd for the time. The Bosman ruling changed the ability of a player to move between clubs. I remember two big Bosman transfers that at the time shook the sport: Steve McManaman from Liverpool to Real Madrid in 1999, and Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona youth to Arsenal in 2003.

[@mightydazken]

Thinking Meireles was an obscure player is such a gen Z thing to say. Man played for Liverpool, Chelsea Fenerbache etc, not exactly Grimsby Town lol.

[@yell0]

bro nice video and also you got an amazing taste in the music you choose for the videos

[@iamafutsalplayer1429]

I was very fortunate to witness this era growing up. Jib where's the Footballer tattoo video?

[@mikoes27]

okocha was so entertaining to watch

[@JoelCollins-kp5ik]

Great video! This really deserves a like and a subscribe.

[@seamusdavies]

This video just speaks to my soul

[@NachoLibreLover69]

This is a beautiful well put video full of nostalgia

[@TheAnimationEz]

Couldn't agree more mate , i was there to see it all

[@SandyFukaha-it5iz]

I dont what years you were born You just summarize it so perfect

[@brodown64]

i dont normally subscribe to a channel and have notis on after seeing one video, but the style of the format, the elite background music (persona 3 detected), and precisely explaining my own love for this era of the game is a reason why, keep it up bro

[@JibRules]

I appreciate that!

[@slaysports2]

3:10 this is why I love your videos 😭😭bro they were really REAL MAN we don’t have that anymore

[@bewitchedsymphony]

I'm someone who watched football regularly since early 90s, and also played lots of football video games (also fifa and pes/iss, but there were lots of random weird games like striker that had indoor mode and stuff that came before fifa soccer was a thing), and well, watched entirely every world cup since the 1994 one, and I gotta say, even the players expression was something different back then, they weren't serious as "I can't miss this", more like the serious of "I wanna show who's the boss" not to mention teammates used to smile more and you could feel lots of different emotions from their looks also, games were really different, lots of crazy goals and plays, individual plays, crazy 2-3 player plays between them, who played well together, the classical rivaldo-ronaldo-ronaldinho plays was something awesome to watch, and since 2010 world cup, it suddenly became boring for me to watch, I think the last time I watched a champions league of libertadores entirely was around 2012/13, nowadays I mostly only watch key games or finals in stuff like Champions League, and barely bother much with national leagues, cause you already know who's gonna win anyway (except international tournaments which I still try to see every game I can) well, in general football just keep getting more and more about money, fans keep getting more and more extremists like religious fanatics, managers keep being changed every 3 months in most teams unless they are one or two of the popular ones who also only join teams who have infinite budget to hire anyone who is the best right now making it more obvious they're winning to be honest, yes, 90s and 2000s were awesome, but I think before that, it was more pure, like 70s and 80s, players did it more for the love of the game than anything, people would stick to their loved clubs, brazilian teams for example, were feared, they simply kept their stars and didn't sold out to billionaire teams in europe, not to mention european teams were limited about hiring foreigner players But yeah, where there is money, there is control, greed, and other stuff, sure, competitiveness can heat things up, but money, can simply define things, and decide how players should play, where they should play, stuff like that, I see that even in online gaming too, I don't play them anymore cause it became too serious and repetitive, systematic, before there were sponsors, views, streams and the making money with playing games, it was simply better to play, people would do crazier stuff, people would have more fun and would also play more cause they like it

[@victorhsluiz]

It was the break of a wave that had peaked in the late 90's, when talent was far more important than physicallity, players had personality instead of a PR team, technology wasn't a part of the game (can you imagine Paolo Montero or Simeone playing with VAR?). But in the end, there's still a massive amount of talent and passion in football today that I believe that it's inherited to the game, this "end of an era" feeling will keep happening in football forever.

[@Trefl_The_Catboy]

I have an Arsenal kit from the 93/94 season, no modern kit matches the comfort I feel while I have it on. I also love the games we have here on our local football pitch, there's talented players who are free to express themselves because there's no coach to yell at them. Pure magic can happen and it's the closest thing we can get to 2000's football.

[@iliekeggz]

Another great video mate, keep up the grind!

[@JibRules]

I won’t stop 🫀🏃‍♂️

[@1mango809]

Spitting facts! I would say mid90s to 2000s holds the most exiting era in football.

[@BalthasarRodellega]

Bro you killed it. Made me proud that I watched this era:

[@philthatcher6111]

Some great sides from that era that harldy get a mention, teams like Deportivo, Parma, Bolton wanderers, Hertha Berlin, Real Betis... What a decade of football

[@JibRules]

Real ones saw me include a clip from Mark Viduka in this video 🤣

[@user-np8qo7lb5w]

Nostalgia always make us think that in the past everything is Better, 20 years in the future some kid will say same thing you say, 40 years in future another kid will say same thing the kid in 20 years in the past say, is a cicle of humanity talk with love and passion about past, because we can let go things, is our nature.

[@Bole_Nole]

W VIDIC CLIPS BRUV❤️‍🔥

[@Sinha010]

I felt like defenders were more consistent. Now, even in teams like Man City with over 100k back-lines, I feel like they'll make a stupid mistake and cost a goal. Like they forgot how to defend 1v1s.

[@ManuelFelipeMasiasRomero]

i grow up and lived through the 2000. it was beautiful

[@tiagobordin6580]

I love this video man! Please, could you make a video about Brazilian football in the 90's? There's so much stuff for you to talk about.

[@otappiah]

Couldn't be better said. Great video

[@JAJH87]

For me, the key difference is flair players. In the 90's and 00's, each team had at least one absolute top class flair player who could win a game on his own, supported by mid to low ability players. It meant you saw games of perhaps lower quality, than today (outside of the top teams) but each game would have a couple of amazing moments in. Now, (for the most part in my opinion) football is all about turning athletes into footballers - where pace and stamina rule, and first touch, composure and ability are afterthoughts.

[@Mitaey]

"Reiss Nelson and a bag of chips" 😂😂

[@Jdls_123]

Champions league was diffffferent back then.

[@LukeCannotSkate]

Two and a half minutes in and this video is factually already goated

[@s_d_1200]

Late again mate but - I remember in 2007 when I played fútbol for the first time; my mom got me a teamgeist Real Madrid 2007 kit, some marseille shorts, a Germany windbreaker, F50s, and I had that spiky hair too. Such a vibe mate

[@natureclips5849]

It was the precise things that made the 00s magical that has ruined the game today

[@redstone5062]

Overall talent levels have dropped post 2010. This is why 2 exceptional players dominated the last decade.

[@karatemonkey124]

Exceptional falls short to describe Messi and Ronaldo, even generational talents is underrating them. I don't agree talent levels dropped since the 2010s saw the rise of absolute ballers like Hazard,Ozil,Alexis Sanchez, Luis Suarez, Lewandowski and so on. I am a fan of the 2000s era but the talent level is on par in my humble opinion. The fact that during post 2010 we saw the rise of quite literally two of the GOATs does not discredit the other players that competed with or against. It's just Messi and Ronaldo's level was that much higher than everyone else's.

[@CarlosRojas-hr6ms]

I think it’s more the rise of tactics and fitness that really masks how good the top players are. The heavy pressure systems give no time to play. Not to mention all the pep clones who despise losing the ball and play no risk when attacking. But in international competition you get glimpses of how good a guy like modric would’ve been in the past

[@ans7033]

From 2010 there were still top level talents coming up, from 2015 onwards, the clone era began, mindless pass and press tactics taking over in every league

[@rod6722]

You've got it exactly backwards. CR7 and Messi are complete anomalies. Players in the tier below them like Suarez, Neymar, or KDB are really in the same tier as the likes of Henry, Ronaldinho, or Figo.

[@karatemonkey124]

@@rod6722 exactly, I share this sentiment heavily to the point I said the same thing lmao

[@EOTA564]

Euro 2000 was the peak in my view. The greatest football tournament of all time.

[@FoxMilder]

Obviously we tend to romanticise the past, but I remember that era well, and you’re entirely right about the individual-level quality of top defenders at that point. I would also add: almost all of those centre-backs were insanely good on the ball, too.

[@estebanhernandezvelasquez6618]

Whether football fans like it or not, Real Madrid and the power of friendship constitute the most important team that keeps the true passion for football alive today. This legendary club not only stands out for its impressive record of victories and titles in recent years but also for the camaraderie and team spirit that prevail both on and off the field. The combination of talent, teamwork, and strong friendships among the players creates a unique synergy that inspires millions of fans around the world, reminding us that football is more than just a sport: it is a celebration of unity and shared passion. Moreover, it takes us back to the great eras of world football, eras that have made this sport the greatest and most universal, evoking memories of the glorious moments that have defined the history of football and its global impact.

[@dixiedoctor2563]

This was just the consolidation of European football over South American football, especially after the Guardiola era at Barcelona. One game in particular marked this change: the Club World Cup final between Barcelona and Santos, when Barça won 4-0. After that game, all clubs began to create tactical systems focused on closing spaces by defending in organized blocks. Barcelona's positional play became the only football reference. Although it produced brilliant moments, Barça was not characterized by technical ability and difficult plays. In fact, everything was based on short, quick passes to prevent your opponent from stealing possession of the ball, even if that meant spending 90 minutes passing the ball between your defenders. In the old football, it was extremely frowned upon to pass the ball back; you would get a scolding from your coach or captain if you did.

[@jamiesimms7084]

David Beckham was already a global superstar

[@sleshflex4170]

Late 90s and early 2000s SERIE A was something else, it had arguably the best players to have ever polayed the game in all positions in it, absolute madness, and even the team risking relegation had absolute bangers of players. Parma had Buffon,Crespo,Thuram,Cannavaro,Veron,Chiesa and wasnt even in the in the real fight to win the league, fiorentina had Batistuta,Ruicosta,Toldo and got to just one big "what if" when batistuta got injured. those teams today would dominate Champions League for quite some times and back than they were barely good enough to qualify for it.

[@wingedhussar1453]

Because defenders were chosen for physicality not speed so the fun speedy players shined. Today these players would get stopped but back thrn it was different. Also long shots are not taken as much because every team presses at all times which means long shots are harder to take then back then

[@AfricanCorn-np8jt]

The 2000s back when my country was still decent in football now we'll never set foot in a world cup again