What side do you fall on? 2008 Lin Dan is the best, or is it a later Lin Dan? But regardless of what you do think, one thing I think we can all pretty much agree on, and one thing I should have added at the end of this video, is that both "versions" were phenomenal and there is just no getting around the fact Lin Dan was a master of badminton! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the video everyone :)

Going to sleep, wait.... Lin Dan? Now I am awake.

Conclusion Lin Dan's 2008 Olympic Win was greatest WIN only but The greatest Lin Dan gameplay was later on follows from 2010 - 2012 Olympic WIN so on. Lin Dan himself said that he gradually shifted from Attacking player to Defense Counter Attacking Play style , that lead him to beat the most Improved LEE CHONG WEI many times because He said that it's not realizable to remain an attacking player and play so many tournaments throughout the year , And that's why lin dan never had so many injuries as compared to others like LCW, Which gave him an Upper Hand.

To put it simply, If 2008 Lin Dan hypothetically can play against 2011-2013 Lin Dan, the 2011-2013 Lin Dan would win because of a more complete player he has become. 2008 Lin Dan was a monster, full of attacking and fast pace game, stamina and speed at highest level and master trickshots, BUT 2011-2013 Lin Dan was godly. Simply the most perfect all rounder player badminton world ever see. Relax, calm and composed playing style, analyzing opponents game to execute his strategy shots and winning the game not having to spend too much energy and can be ready physically better for the final. Absolute star player.

In my opinion, Lin Dan was at his absolute peak in the 2011 World Champ finals. Not only is he smarter and more tactical, he's also able to use the speed and power at a flick of a switch... He was also playing against Lee Chong Wei, who I also believed, peaked at that tournament also. I cite that MS WC 2011 finals as the greatest MS finals of all time, with the two greatest players at their peak clashing. This will sound crazy... But the first time I watched the 2012 finals, I was left a little bit disappointed by what I saw, because I had seen the 2011 WC finals.

Great Outlook, Ben ❤! I think one performance you could have cited was his Thomas Cup 2010 Performance. Lee Chong Wei hadn't lost a single match that year till that point and many people had written obituaries for Lin Dan, especially on the biggest badminton forums on the internet. In Thomas Cup, Lee Chong Wei had the same home crowd advantage as Lin Dan had in Beijing and I remember people on Badminton Central were expecting LCW to give Lin Dan a 2008 style thrashing. But Lin Dan absolutely toyed with Lee Chong Wei that day further proving that when it mattered, no body could touch Lin Dan.

2008 olympic, best performance of any badminton player ever

If you want a sublime Lin Dan based on a full year calendar, then his 2009 version is the best pick. He played almost 90% the level of Olympic 2008, but he did so throughout the whole year. All England 2009, Sudirman 2009, World Championship, China Open (his best tour that year imo) are some examples of a physically prime and high-IQ Lin Dan. In terms of a single tournament post-2012, ASIAD 2014 comes to mind. He beat LCW in 3 sets in the semi and beat Chen Long in 3 sets in the final, with both LCW and Chen Long playing in the world final just a couple weeks earlier. Lin Dan played arguably his best badminton I've ever seen apart from Beijing 2008. He completely destroyed the two best defense in the game with crazy attacking and controlling style.

2008 Lin Dan was great. No doubt about that. But to me, 2011-2012 lin dan was the greatest. During these years that I mentioned, Lin dan was able to integrate his aggressive and attacking style perfectly with his amazing level of patience. People often say that he was being "passive" and he was just "walking" around the court. What they didn't think about is that how impressive it was to be able to appear like you were walking on the court despite the fact that in men's singles, you have a wider court to cover. 2011-2012 lin dan was so mentally strong that even with the pressure and the intensity of each rally, he was able to execute the right shots and their right trajectory to be able to limit his opponent's options and somehow have an idea of what the next shot might be. And when he reads it, he explodes towards the shuttle and thunder it down. Even Morten Frost said something about this during the 2011 sudirman cup in Lin Dan vs. Peter Gade. Frost said that what made opponents afraid of Lin Dan was that he has this ability to, according to Frost's words, "floor it[shuttle]". I certainly believe that if 2011 Lin Dan vs. 2008 Lin Dan happened, 2011 Lin Dan will win by a small margin. 2011 Lin Dan will counter the 2008 Lin Dan and attack at the right moment giving the young 2008 Lin Dan a lot to think about and 2011 Lin Dan will capitalize on it and use it to his advantage.

It was not his best but I think it was the closest he ever was to his 100%. At that final (and those olympics for that matter), he was absolutely determined to win and played no chances. Nothing could’ve shaken his will to win those olympics which made him unstoppable. In the years that followed, although he was better player technique-wise, I feel like his will to win and determination (not his mental strength however) fell off a bit and he only zoned in when it mattered. We could see it through his way of playing when sometimes it looked lazy, too defensive and even going for trickshots and toying around (all of which he also did before but much less frequently and not in big tournaments). This also explains why he made almost no mistakes in those olympics. Him only zoning in when it mattered also could explain why in so many h2h matches against LCW, it went to 3 games yet Lin Dan consistently won the match.

Lin Dan was a beast before 2008 as well

He is god He is the master He is the king 👑 The Lin Dan

Lin was absolutely unstoppable in 2008.

Lee Chong Wei in 2008 Olymipc Final was far away from his normal level at that time. That was his first major event final and under huge pressure from home fans, he was so nervous on the court and made too many unforced error which also made contribution to the big gap of the score. So I think the scoreline cannot tell too much about how great Lin dan was at that time. If the opponent changed to 2011's LCW with much faster, confident, more-experienced and solid defence. It would definitly difficult for LD to use his speed and smash. And the match may became a 3-games match or more different result. In my opinion the 2011 WC Final showed more about these 2 player's real ability. Both were confident, healthy and not undered too much pressure. (When talk about 2012 OG: LCW suffered serious ankle injured before and Lin Dan played not stable and made more errors than normal ) Both player did their best in the final and made the match be the greatest MS match of all time. So it is may safe to say 2011's Lin dan (More strictly speaking : 2011 year end's Lin dan) is his best form in his career.

Great work ben... Just loved how you concluded the topic so well.... Always excited for your video....👏👏

Great video, Ben. His performance at the 2010 Thomas Cup was almost equally as terrifying as he was at the ‘08 Olympics. Steamrolled LCW and Taufik in succession. But for an example of his evolved, measured play, I can think of his match against Taufik at the 2012 All England. He was just playing within himself and you can even hear the commentator (my memory says it was Tony Clark) say the scores in the first game were close but Lin Dan’s got a few gears he could go to. And then he stepped it up in the second game.

I am a Chinese, and I think a large part of the Chinese community believes that 2011 was Lin Dan's peak year. This year, Lin Dan had a very terrifying winning rate, perfect technology, top Badminton IQ and almost no decline in physical fitness. , he almost won all major championships. More importantly, I think this year was also the peak year of Lin Dan’s biggest rival, Lee Chong Wei. Lee Chong Wei also snatched the All England Open championship from Lin Dan in this year.

I very liked the video and it helps more to understands who Lin Dan was when he was in his prime and evolving player years, more Lin Dan videos soon I hope and documentaries plss of years

There is also actual evidence to support the case why 2008 LD was not best LD. In fact, a legitimate case can be made that 2011 LD is the best LD. In 2008, he won OG and 2 super series title. In 2011, he won WC, 4 super series titles, Asia badminton championship. In that year, he reach 10 finals won 8, 93% win percentage (highest of his career). Or how about 2006 ? LD was on 34 match win streak, been 11 finals won 9.

Lin Dan has the best stamina and strength in history. Two years ago, Lin Dan was invited to join a Chinese boxing TV show with MMA fighter Zhang Weili and others. After a few weeks of training, Lin Dan could beat relatively high level amateur boxers because he could relentlessly throw punches non-stop for 9 minutes, something even some of the best professionals can't do. As an amateur boxer, I was scared when watching that TV show since that was many years after his retirement. It's difficult to imagine his peak stamina in 2008. Eventually, he had to leave the TV show because they just couldn't match him up with other celebrities to fight.

ben you make amazing videos which sound really professional... keep it up

As always Ben delivers. Great video on a great topic🔥

Completely agree! In the 2008 Olympics, LD performed at 100% of his level at that time. But in later years he developed himself, he might have been slower (probably even intentional to avoid injuries) but his overall level was definitely higher! (Although you didn't mention the other 4 of your top 5 performances, I'm sure WC 2011 Finals is definitely there as he also delivered a phenomenal performance!)

2011 Lin Dan was the best badminton player to have ever walked the earth

Hi Ben, great vid. Would you consider investing in your background a bit more? A neater, single-colour wall - with some neat badminton posters, and perhaps a shelf/unit with some badminton paraphernalia would really elevate your already good offering

Both players are legendary. Until today, there are still a lot of discussions about them. Salute 🫡

Ohhh man, you've uploaded it earlier than I thought.. Anyways, thats a great video, thanks a lot sir; learned a lot from it....

2008 version was more aggressive. His smashes can destroy every oppoment and bring the rhymes of the match very fast, which is excited to watch for audience. The 2012 version was mild, but still strong because his foot work and defense was on another level. He slowed the game down but played in a more steady state.

Great video Ben. Would be interested on your take on whether the prime Viktor Axelson of the last couple of years is a better player than prime Kento Momota who he always struggled to beat before his accident. Equally, the question of whether Viktor would have gone on to dominate men's singles in the way he has if Kento had stayed the same is also one I find quite intriguing.

What about taufik downfall after 2005 plzz make a video on this topic it will be intresting

Great video to a super interesting debate. My take on it is similar - I do think LD became a more complete player by the end of 2012-13, however I do still think that his 2008 style offsets this to a greater degree and that the 2008 player while incomplete was simply still better. Similar examples would be Tendulkar 2010 vs Tendulkar 1999 Or Hamilton early years vs current Hamilton. Loss of physical ability compensated by experience. But in my mind if I put 2008 LD up against 2012 LD in a match I think 2008 prevails more often than not.

'08 Lin Dan would destroy any player from any era. The only one capable of stopping 08 LD is another version of himself.

Please keep making videos

no matter what argument you raised. You cant deny facts. By Far this is His best performance and Match Period Hands down. reason: 1) Lindan was so Strong and Fast that Opponents have no time to react due to the sheer power of His Smashes and quick follow up smash/return makes it impossibke to defend. Plus Lindans solid defense, how can his opponent attack if its already difficult to defend? Numbers dont lie therefore this is Lindans Greatest Form

No one beats 2008 olympic lin dan, speed power mentality everything is unreal

Depends on how you define best I guess. I believe 2008 Olympic Lin Dan is peak Lin Dan (big emphasis on Olympic). Lin Dan had better statistical years but 2008 Olympic Lin Dan was just so hungry (after the 2004 embarassment), relentless and athletic. He was imposing his will on his opponents. He was breaking their morale. And his stamina was incredible. This version already had great anticipation so I don't think older, counter attacking Lin Dan's playstyle will work. His counter attacks would be anticipated. He can look at your position and posture and know in a blink what your logical replies/shots are and take the shuttle early to attack again, each shot forcing a higher chance of mistakes. Older Lin Dan won't have a lot of opportunities to go on the offensive. Lol. Older Lin Dan is more efficient and as a result can win more matches and titles. He didn't need 100% effort to beat most players. 2008 Olympic Lin Dan was a warrior willing to die for victory. Older Lin Dan is a warrior who will win many victories. If those two meet, I'm taking 2008 Olympic Lin Dan.

it is indeed. attack is the best defense but it needs enormous amount of physicality hence not sustainable in the long run as the man himself had to switch into defense-counter play gradually from 2008-2012-2016 olympic it's like a slider going from allout attack/fire at will mode - balance mode - rally/counter mode. I believe this is the golden standard for other players to follow, to utilize young age peak physical gradually change as they age into late 20s and 30s (gaining experience but losing speed/power/stamina)

This is kind of a by product discussion of what you very briefly mentioned in the video but ive always believed that the top mens singles players tend to be their best when they learn to be aggressive. now i am a younger viewer than some (started watching around 2012) but players like Momota and LCW even someone like Axelsen or Shi Yu Qi tend to reach their peaks after realizing they cannot wait for their opponents to make mistakes. However Lin dan seems to have been the opposite. He could force you into a bad spot whenever he wanted but learning how to not over step where he is really allowed him to completely control the pace of games

11' and 12' Lin Dan can beat 08' Lin easily if you really understand badminton.

2010-2012 Lindan is more mature and mentally stronger. He changed his play style after 2008 olympics. I agree with you. He became a more complete player.

"the BEST! version of Lin Dan = the BEST! player of mankind in any era. Yes, his 2008 version could beat any player from any ear. People do not want to compare them ...to be polite? it's fine, but it is like saying "the fastest version of F1 car could beat any street car on the race track"

An equivalent comparison would be Michael Jordan. I know it’s a different sport. Just bear with me. Majority of people would say the 1987-1988 season Jordan was the best Jordan because he averaged a whopping 35 points per game and lead the league in steals. He attacked the rim at will, whenever he wanted, athletic beast. Won MVP, Defensive player of the year and all star game MVP. However, some would say the best Jordan was the 1990-1991 season because his game became more well rounded, he developed a better jumpshot and passing ability (11 assist per game in the NBA finals). He won MVP, finals MVP and most importantly an NBA championship. Like MJ, LD developed to be a more complete player and had a better understanding of the game as to let the game come to you rather instead of just forcing the issue.

I think 2011 Lin Dan wins against 2008 Lin Dan every time, but 2008 Lin Dan is by far the more entertaining player

2008 oly final Lin Dan played to 100% of his abilities. Even if he was overall a better player in later years, I don't think he had any games where he played that close to his theoretical best. We all see matches where a player is just fully "dialed in" that day and crushes someone they'd otherwise have some difficulty against. 2008 oly Lin Dan is the definition of that.

So from what I understand, 2010-2013 LD is better than 2006-2009 LD. But The LD at the 2008 Olympics final specifically played the highest badminton level due to the listed circumstances. So like, the LD in 2008 Olympics final could beat any of 2010-2013 versions of LD, but if we take the average performance of 2006-2009 LD vs average performance of 2010-2013 LD then 2010-2013 LD would win.

Bollocks.Actually LD had the same ability post 2008. It's just that other players started to improve against him

I wonder if this is one of the reasons why Victor started to learn Mandarin?

I think the 2011-2013 version of Lin Dan is the best, not 2006-2008

2008 lin dan will beat others top player in any era

In 2008 LD took some ancient Chinese aphrodisiac

i like your shirt

Can viktor equalise lindan in Olympics by defending his title 🤔

BEST Lindan was in 2011

Next Susi Susanti

Lindan used armotex 700 in final 2008, bcz inspired by taufik hidayat.

I still think kentos best is better than lindans best