...kicker...I see your point ...I think this is where the distinction comes into play...I think they deserve same ratings becase they both have impacted the game....Ronaldo was the first of a new breed of Striker and Zidane was the last of a true link midfielder(playing on pure technique)...After Ronaldo there are so many strikers(based on pace)....when before it was more about controlling with men on your back and turning shooting , heading eg Cruff, van Basten, Romario, Stiochcov...etc...Ronaldo came in with a winning formula....Blessed with accuracy with both feet and pace he could beat an offside trap all the time by making timely runs if the defense is pushed high and if the defense layed back to counter this he could run at them and SCORE with deadly accuracy...No striker has been able to fully do this...Is either they fast and can't finish as good, fast and can't dribble as good, fast and don't have as much control when running with ball and most of all striker just not as accurate......Zidane on the other hand was from a breed of players that lived on control of the ball....Zidane ( who was a very smart footballer) would roam into spaces and link up so well with other players which is almost uncanny because he could do that for an entire game...Zidane's ability was controlling the ball in spaces and accurately passing it off to others in better positions...Plus Zidane's technique is almost unrivaled and he never wasted his movement eg of this Platini, Valderamma, Hagi , and of course Latapy etc...Midfielders today have more pace to make up for lack of control(or lack of that amount of control), they could make passes but try to do it at a higher tempo(probably because the tempo of the game change) resulting in lack of precision...Fabregas have some element but his control not as good, Gourcuff for Milan does this sometime but not as consistent...Ronaldinho is a hybrid player so I can't compare him.
Kaka on the other hand could link up with players and do it a high tempo, plus have good technique which is why I rate him as the best player at the moment
Ronaldo is a deadly striker ...Zidane was an emaculate midfielder
You make a good point- the days of the traditional no. 10 have changed, but I wouldn't say that Zidane was the last- I think players like Deco, Xavi & Riquelme for eg still play that traditional no. 10 role...maybe not with the same presence as Zidane, but they rely on the same precision and genius...I think Zidane's comparative advantage also lay in how smooth and easy he made his job look...he was alot more physically graceful than his peers even at times when he was not more effective.
