Who is the world's best striker?

Pedro Pinto is an anchor for World Sport, the international sports show that airs on CNN International.

Show some respect, Pedro. In your preseason thoughts you talk about your respect for Cuper, and at the same time you smash van Gaal. He deserves much more respect than that! He has won more prizes than Cuper and many others, including the European and World Cup. And he was the last successful trainer at Barca, so that makes it logical for Barca to sign him again. And if you look closer, it's not the players that don't like him (except for Rivaldo, who's left) it's only members of the press such as yourself. So next time you might consider giving him the respect he already gets from many (like Sir Alex Ferguson etc.) and he definitely deserves.
--merijn eggers, Amsterdam

Dear Merijn, I cannot argue with you that Louis Van Gaal was fantastic with Ajax. But I think since then he has become a bit big-headed and has stuck with only one system instead of adapting to the players he has. Instead of trying to buy seven or eight Dutchmen like he did last time, he should learn from the players he has as well and evolve as a manager. Plus, he failed to take the Netherlands to the World Cup, which I think is a huge failure.

Dear Pedro, do you believe Manchester United can mount any sort of challenge in the Champions League or Premier League with what I see as a lack of strength in depth in their team?
--Rawgee, Nairobi, Kenya

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Honestly, Rawgee, I think Manchester United will be closer to winning the Champions League than the Premiership this season. I feel the players are not as motivated as they used to be when it comes to the league, and that will be reflected in their performances throughout the campaign. I also believe that Sir Alex Ferguson's stubbornness in playing only one striker will come back to haunt them.

Hi Mr. Pinto, I don't exactly understand this current debate about soccer players playing too many games. In the National Hockey League, the top teams that make the playoffs easily play some 100 games over an 8-month period (exhibition, 84 regular season games and playoffs). The distances traveled are far greater than in Europe (from Boston to L.A. via Denver or Edmonton) which adds to the fatigue. Also, soccer players are not subjected to all this physical and sometimes very violent play (especially in the playoffs where injuring the opponent is common practice) as in the NHL. Hockey players don't complain about the grueling schedule. Why should soccer players?
--Richard Proulx, Montreal, Canada

Richard, these are two completely different sports. In the NHL, the top players might be on the ice for 20 minutes a game because of all the line changes. In football, they are normally on for 90 minutes non-stop. Hockey might be more physical, but football is more endurance-based and the body takes longer to recuperate.

What are your impressions on the chances of the giallorossi this year in the Serie A? I'm a Roma fan, and I think that this is perhaps the last push with this team, and after a relatively quiet summer, with the edition of a Davids, that could push them over the top I think, both domestically and in Europe (Though I know that Lippi doesn't want to give the Dutchman up). Your thoughts?
--Conrad Benedetto, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I have to tell you, Conrad, that I don't think Roma will win the title this season. My frontrunners are AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus. Roma would do better if they played with Vincenzo Montella and Gabriel Batistuta up front at the same time, but Fabio Capello insists on keeping one of them on the bench. Their fortunes will also depend on the fitness of Francesco Totti, who has been injured over the past few weeks.

What effect do you think the whole Ronaldo affair will have on team unity and the forthcoming season for Inter?
--Peter, Atlanta

The Ronaldo saga will affect the team, especially because the Brazilian has admitted he does not get on well with manager Hector Cuper. The players have been quiet about the whole thing, but I am sure they are disappointed about what Ronaldo has said about not wanting to stay with the club. After his move to Real Madrid collapsed, he has a lot of public-relations work to do at the San Siro, because the fans are no longer on his side either. I believe Ronaldo is making a mistake right now, because Inter has stood by him for the past three seasons, when he rarely touched a ball. He should appreciate that.

Dear Pedro, who is the best striker in the world?
--faisal, hargeisa, somaliland

Always a tough question, but if I had to pick one striker right now it would be Raul. His touch is fantastic and he is deadly in front of goal. This guy has been doing it for Real Madrid since he was 17-years-old and there are no signs of him slowing down. If he would have been healthy for Spain in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, they could have beaten South Korea, I think. He always seems to be on the scoresheet, and that is what a striker is paid to do. Christian Vieri is a close second.

 

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