barcelonabear
Well-Known Member
All the players mentioned were elite in their own era! But I was watching clips of 90s serie A the other day and I couldn’t believe how much the standard has even improved since then.
Pele & Messi
- Thread starter Weekender
- Start date
Grant K
Well-Known Member
Remind me how many World Cup Winners medals Messi has?
From today's BBC website
Brazil legend Pele is back in hospital for treatment for a colon tumour.
The three-time World Cup winner had surgery to remove a colon tumour in September, with the hospital saying at the time that he would also need to have chemotherapy.
Sao Paulo's Hospital Albert Einstein said the 81-year-old was in a stable condition and would be discharged in the next few days.
The hospital also said Pele was now "continuing" his treatment.
Pele said on Twitter last month that he was "fine" and "feeling better every day" following his release from hospital in September.
He had been having treatment at the hospital since 31 August after the tumour was detected in routine tests.
His health has been a concern in recent years. He had prostate surgery in 2015 after he was admitted to hospital for the second time in six months, and he was admitted again for a urinary infection in 2019.
Pele is Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 games and one of only four players to have scored in four World Cup tournaments.
Brazil legend Pele is back in hospital for treatment for a colon tumour.
The three-time World Cup winner had surgery to remove a colon tumour in September, with the hospital saying at the time that he would also need to have chemotherapy.
Sao Paulo's Hospital Albert Einstein said the 81-year-old was in a stable condition and would be discharged in the next few days.
The hospital also said Pele was now "continuing" his treatment.
Pele said on Twitter last month that he was "fine" and "feeling better every day" following his release from hospital in September.
He had been having treatment at the hospital since 31 August after the tumour was detected in routine tests.
His health has been a concern in recent years. He had prostate surgery in 2015 after he was admitted to hospital for the second time in six months, and he was admitted again for a urinary infection in 2019.
Pele is Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 games and one of only four players to have scored in four World Cup tournaments.
SamEng
Well-Known Member
Yep it was a draw.
dt17
The Jay Cartwright of FF
Remind us how many European Cups Pele has? Oh that's right, he never played in Europe.
Jjbscotty
Well-Known Member
3 and your point is? maradona is widely regarded as being the better of the two and he has 1 WC.
Pele played in the Brazilian keague majority of his career and won the South American equivalent of the champions league twice in 14 years.
GersManiac
Active Member
I have no dog in this fight, but Brazil's domestic game was much much much stronger when Pele played.Remind us how many European Cups Pele has? Oh that's right, he never played in Europe.
As an aside, I think Pele has one of the better books written by a footballer.
If you had seen him play then there would be no suspicion about his goal tally.
He is still by far, for those who have seen them all play including Messi and Ronaldo, the GOAT.
He did what he did at a time when players could kick the living shoite out of each other.
That is what made him more remarkable than the situation today where referees give protection to the ball players.
He was clearly as hard as nails as other players just seemed to bounce off him but he always looks so incredibly elegant on the ball.
dynamo_rosco
Well-Known Member
Can’t be arsed with these arguments. It’s like arguing about who’s the better ride in their prime Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie.
Marilyn Monroe
dynamo_rosco
Well-Known Member
Showing yer age there fellaMarilyn Monroe
but i wouldn’t argue with you, which is my point.To be fair the Brazilian league was probably the strongest in the world during Pele’s career given its best players came together to win the World Cup 3 times out of 4 in that period. And it’s not as if Pele had any trouble translating his domestic form to games against European opposition as he regularly hammered them with Santos and the national team. In fact his record against the top European club sides is remarkable, scoring 47 in just 39 games. That’s why he only competed in 3 Copa Libertadores, because after he won 2, Santos decided they could make more money touring Europe.
Between the 3 most common contenders for greatest of all time (Pele, Maradona, Messi), I’m not that arsed as they each have great cases. But Pele seems to be the one most likely to get under-appreciated nowadays despite the fact his record is as close to perfect as you can get.
senefelder
Well-Known Member
It is simply untrue to say Maradonna is widely regarded as the superior of the two. Of course many prefer him, but it is arguable even to this day who is regarded the best. Having seen both play, my preference between them is Pele. I would also add that in recent times Messi overtakes both. In my humble of course.
Jingle64
The dafty who hung up on Mark Hateley
In the 2014 final higuan missed a host of chances to win the trophy for the argies. So bad were they he wanted to retire after that game. Puts one of those chances away no one would be taking about messi never winning a WC. A WC where messi dragged them to the final it should be said.
dt17
The Jay Cartwright of FF
Doesn't really work like that though, unless you personally watched him scoring the 1000+ goals he claimed?
Grant K
Well-Known Member
How many of Pele’s contemporaries played in Europe, that right none! It wasn’t an option in his timeRemind us how many European Cups Pele has? Oh that's right, he never played in Europe.
that would still leave him two behind!
