One good example that comes to mind is Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in the early 2010s. Both of them were incredibly quick and athletic wingers, that were scoring a lot of goals. Both were freekick specialists back then, with the exact same freekick style. Also both were both tall and strong, allowing them to be an aerial threat and useful for defensive set pieces, unlike most wingers. Many people called Bale at Spurs “a left footed Ronaldo” and when he joined Real Madrid they formed an amazing attacking trio (with Benzema), winning 4 UCL titles together.

Any other similar cases?

    • hipponuggets_@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      While the two were similar in that they were quick on their feet and a constant menace on the flanks for FC Bayern and FC Hospital, their playstyles were quite different.

      Ribery was more skillful and quicker on-the-ball. He was also comfortable with both feet, making his dribbles devastating. Ribery was also a better team player and more of a creator on the pitch. He did well in utilising his teammates and also bringing them into play.

      Robben, on the other wing, had quicker sprints with insane top speed and was deadlier on the finish. He was selfish at times and was one-footed, but we all knew what his left foot could do. He would cut inside, curl the ball, and bam, the dudes just running to the corner flag with his arms wide. Robben also had better stamina and was able to make crazy runs in the 90th minute.

      So yeah, both top top legends, but vastly different playstyles for players playing in a similar position.