The 100 greatest players of all time

Michel Platini

Michel Platini marks his legacy at Euro 84

20. Gerd Muller

Career span 1963-81
Country West Germany: 62 caps, 68 goals
Clubs 1861 Nordlingen, Bayern Munich, Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Position striker
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 European Championship, 3 European Cups, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 4 German titles, 4 German cups

In the heightened level of modern football discussion, one of the more contentious theories is that “goals are overrated”. The idea behind the argument is that the basic numbers of goal returns rarely tell the full story – no matter how sensational. You don’t know when they came or what their exact importance was.

It is, however, a claim you could never level at Gerd Muller.

When Bayern Munich celebrated the striker’s 50th birthday, Franz Beckenbauer made another. And, given the circumstances of Muller’s recent – victorious – battle with alcoholism, you could forgive an element of exaggeration. “Without Gerd,” Beckenbauer proclaimed, “we’d probably still be in the wooden hut that was once our clubhouse.”

But, when you start to investigate the facts, it seems impossible to deny that Bayern would not have become quite so all-conquering had they not unearthed a striker of such unremitting productivity.

Consider the context for once. When Muller went to Bayern in 1964, football tactics were undergoing a huge transformation. Catenaccio had come to dominate the global game and a majority of sides were now playing four at the back. As a clear example of the effect of all that, in the 1958 World Cup the average amount of goals per game was almost 4. In 1966, it was 2.78 – modern levels.

And yet, for years beyond this period, Muller kept up a goal ratio that was more in-keeping with the 50s and before: almost a goal a game. And even more for his country. Muller scored 68 goals in 62 caps for West Germany.

On immediately arriving at Bayern, too, he set off on a run that would see him become the club’s top scorer for the next 14 seasons.

But, crucially, it wasn’t just the tonnage. It was the timing.

In 1970, Muller top-scored with 10 goals as West Germany got to the World Cup semi-finals. In Euro 72, he scored the opening goals in both the semi-final and final. Two years later, he bettered even that, scoring the goal against Poland that put West Germany into the World Cup final and then the historic strike against the Dutch that won it.

As if that wasn’t enough, he also scored in two out of three victorious European Cup finals.

Throughout all of this period, many tried to explain Muller’s almost supernatural ability to sniff out a chance. Some pointed to his unusually low centre of gravity, others to an otherworldly instinct.

Most of all, though, Muller simply practised. He spent hours, for example, perfecting his lightning-quick one-twos with Franz Beckenbauer.

And that level of preparation ensured that Muller became the finest pure striker that has ever played the game. No-one else has combined such a prolific rate with outright productivity.

Ability 82
International 81
Club 80
Total 81

 

19. Johan Neeskens

Career span 1968-85
Country Holland: 49 caps, 17 goals
Clubs RCH, Ajax, Barcelona, New York Cosmos, Groningen, Fort Lauderdale
Position midfielder
Medals 3 European Cups, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 2 Dutch titles, 3 domestic cups (2 Dutch, 1 Spanish)

With genuine innovation, there is always a debate about how much of it is down to intelligent design and how much organic evolution. Generally, the truth is somewhere in between. And so it proved with the pressing game that was so important to Ajax’s Total Football template.

Certainly, Rinus Michels was beginning to experiment with squeezing space. And he was greatly complemented by Velibor Vasovic’s tactical acumen.

But both were also greatly helped by the ferocious natural aggression of Johan Neeskens. As Ajax assistant manager Bobby Haarms said, “he was like a kamikaze pilot, a forward soldier”. On first getting into the side, Neeskens would ferociously hound opposition players into their half while also intimidating them with his hard tackling. He was irrepressible.

And gradually, as Haarms explained, the rest of the team began to follow him.

But it wasn’t all about the energy with Neeskens. He also had the ingenuity. Sjaak Swart said that “in midfield, Neeskens could play for two”.

As Brian Glanville described it, “he broke frequently and furiously into attack”, usually exchanging flowing passes with Johan Cruyff. That brought an impressive return of a goal every four games in his club career and three strikes in the 1974 World Cup.

The partnership also provided the engine for both the Ajax and Dutch teams of the early ’70s. Indeed, so central were they that it was these two Michels picked when he went to Barcelona as manager.

Unfortunately, once Michels departed in 1975, it proved yet another overly political era at Camp Nou. But, although Neeskens himself would never win a league title there, he did earn the popularity of the masses for his vision and vigour. After the Cup Winners Cup victory of 1979 – which Neeskens had helped settled with two glorious through balls against Fortuna Dusseldorf in the final – the fans chanted his name. Weeping at the official ceremony, Neeskens threw his tie into the crowd.

A player who mixed passion and aggression with genuine creativity, Neeskens was the complete midfielder.

Ability 83
International 80
Club 80
Total 81

 

18. Ronaldo

Career span 1993-2011
Country Brazil: 98 caps, 62 goals
Clubs Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona, Inter, Real Madrid, Milan, Corinthians
Position striker
Medals 2 World Cups, 2 Copa Americas, 1 Uefa Cup, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 2 Spanish titles, 2 Brazilian state championships, 4 domestic cups (2 Brazil, 1 Holland, 1 Spain)

The Juventus defenders were anxious. You could tell that from their desperate swings and frightened faces. But it wasn’t like they didn’t have strength in numbers. There were six of them. And they were blocking just one man’s way.

At that point in April 1998, though, that man had illustrated the kind of transcendental ability that marked the careers of Pele and Diego Maradona.

Between the summers of 1996 and 1998, Ronaldo was as close to unstoppable as any individual player can possibly be. He was, in short, a phenomenon.

In 1996-97 for Barca, he hit 47 goals in 49 games – the majority of them either rampaging runs or ludicrous long-range finishes. In 1997-98 for Inter, it was 34 in 47 amid the more stifling surrounds of Serie A. And, up to the final of the 1998 World Cup, he had hit four goals in six.

Aside from his ability, at that point Ronaldo’s actual influence seemed the equivalent of Alfredo Di Stefano at Real Madrid in the ’50s, Pele at Santos in the ’60s and Maradona for Argentina in 1986.

But there was one crucial difference.

Ronaldo didn’t lift his teams to the unprecedented levels they did. Ultimately, he was stoppable.

In 1996-97, all of those goals for Barca couldn’t prevent Real Madrid winning the title. In 1997-98, it was that very game against Juventus which saw the Nerazzuri defence eventually stop him and go straight up the other end to score the contentious goal that eventually sealed the scudetto. Indeed, Ronaldo would have to wait until 2003 to win the first of just two domestic titles in his career. And, by then, he had already endured his most defining defeat.

It is quite possible that, had Ronaldo not suffered the meltdown before the 1998 final – and subsequent breakdown – then he might have reached the level of the sport’s general immortals. But the fact is that we’ll never know.

All of this, of course, may seem like heresy to anyone who witnessed his eight goals in the 2002 World Cup. Particularly since three of them were the only strikes in the semi-final and final. And, clearly, it was a wonderful story of redemption. But, really, that was the most remarkable thing about it: the redemption – how Ronaldo went from potentially being finished to one of the most potent players in the world again. And the scale of that achievement has caused some to overstate its exact quality in the grander context of history.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that 2002 was the World Cup of the underdogs. And, to a certain extent given his injuries, Ronaldo was one of them. Especially since, at best, he was only operating at 80% of the level of 1996-98. Where once his style was powerful and emphatic, now it was necessarily precise and adapted. As writer Rob Smyth has argued, that ability to really “shred” a team had gone.

Even the 2002-03 campaign with Real Madrid was a case in point. Ronaldo scored a supreme hat-trick in a game at Old Trafford that was developing into a dead-rubber. But it wasn’t enough to win the one trophy that eluded him: the Champions League.
None of this is to denigrate Ronaldo’s magnificent career. It’s merely to state that its exact nature wasn’t quite up there with Maradona, Pele, Cruyff and Di Stefano. It never quite saw that truly perfect balance of ability, application, effect and achievement.

In other words, the level he should have reached.

Ability 92
International 80
Club 71
Total 81

 

17. Obdulio Varela

Career span 1936-55
Country Uruguay: 45 caps, 9 goals
Clubs Deportivo Juventud, Montevideo Wanderers, Penarol
Position midfielder, centre-back
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 Copa America, 7 Uruguayan titles

The Uruguayan party weren’t just wary. They were petrified.

On the morning of the 1950 World Cup deciding match against Brazil, members of the country’s FA apparently told the squad “four is acceptable”.

The Brazilians had, after all, put seven past Sweden and six past Spain in their last two games. And there was high expectation that the hosts would do the same to Uruguay. That day’s Rio papers had printed a photo of the side with the headline “Today, Brazil wins the World Cup”.

And, so intimidated was Uruguayan coach Juan Lopez that he instructed the team to play a defensive game and keep it as tight as possibly.

But there was one exception to all of this anxiety. The captain Obdulio Varela.

Earlier in the day, he had collected every one of those newspapers he could and got his teammates to urinate on them. And now, as soon as Lopez had left the room, Varela gathered the team together again.

“Juan is a good man, but if we do defend then we will suffer the same fate of Sweden and Spain… Put that crowd out of your minds, don’t look up. The game is played down on the pitch.”

Over the previous decade, Varela had been an inspirational captain for both club and country. He drove Penarol to a series of titles and Uruguay to the 1942 South American Championships.

But, in the highly intimidating surroundings of a packed Maracana, Varela’s influence went beyond mere instruction and inspiration. There’s arguably never been a single player that has so dominated a World Cup final. Varela had a huge psychological effect on his team.

Even when Brazil eventually went ahead two minutes into the second half, Varela realised the importance of calming things down. With the 200,000 crowd having gone into rapture, Brazil could well have been carried along by the wave and destroyed Uruguay. So Varela began to remonstrate with the referee over a non-existent offside.

“I took the discussion as far as it would go,” Varela later said. “To the point they had to get an interpreter. The stadium fell silent and that’s when I knew we could win the game.”

Certainly, Varela was winning the battle. As Brian Glanville wrote “it was now Varela who bestrode the field, nonchalant and indomitable, masterfully breaking up and launching attacks, the old-school centre-half par excellence.”

Because that was the most important aspect of Varela’s career. He took his speech before the final very personally. The nominal centre-half didn’t just defend. He was a deep-lying playmaker. On 66 minutes, it was Varela who spread the ball out to Alcides Ghiggia with the winger then crossing for Juan Schiaffino to sweep home the equaliser. Thirteen minutes later, Ghiggia scored the winner and Varela lifted the trophy.

And he might have done so again four years later. Indeed, the only World Cup game Uruguay lost over 1950-54 was the semi-final against Hungary when Varela was missing through injury.

Ability 85
International 83
Club 75
Total 81

 

16. George Best

Career span 1963-81
Country Northern Ireland: 37 caps, 9 goals
Clubs Manchester United, Stockport County, Cork Celtic, LA Aztecs, Fulham, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Hibernian, San Jose Earthquakes
Position winger, forward
Medals 1 European Cup, 2 English titles

For a footballer that became the sport’s first true celebrity and fashion icon, it is fitting that Best came to primarily symbolise the freedom of the ’60s.

Not to the people of Manchester, of course. There, Best’s youthful brio breathed life into a city and club still recovering from the tragic demise of the Busby Babes.

Of course, the bare fact is that Best surpassed every single one of them. Indeed, in terms of pure ability, he surpassed almost every player in history. Brian Glanville described him as a “sublime compound of almost every talent… pace, courage, skill, balance and invention”. Famously, when United scout Bob Bishop first saw Best, he sent Matt Busby a simple telegram declaring “I think I’ve found a genius”.

And so it proved. For four years between 1964 and 1968, he was far and away Europe’s dominant player.

Indeed, the continent’s attention was commanded on an illuminating night in Lisbon on 9 March 1966.

To give some context to the scale of the task that Best and United faced that night, Benfica had never been beaten at home in the European Cup. In their last 17 matches there, they had scored an average of 4.3 goals a game. In their last six, they had managed 5.5. Among other celebrated sides, Real Madrid had been beaten 5-1 there.

That wouldn’t quite happen on this night. But, so wary was Matt Busby after a narrow 3-2 win at Old Trafford, he instructed the team to keep it as tight as possible early on.

By half-time, the manager was wryly saying “you obviously weren’t listening. Best had scored twice in the first 13 minutes. The first was a header, the second a run that saw him beat three players as he absolutely ripped Benfica apart in a 5-1 win.
United wouldn’t win the European Cup that year. But Best himself would finish the job two years later.

Having scored in every round of the 1967-68 season, he rounded Jose Henrique to score the goal that would put – and keep – United ahead. Finally, they were European champions. And this was the level at which Best belonged. It was also the level he should have stayed it. Or even surpassed. He did, after all, seem to have time and talent on his side.

Unfortunately, at just 22, it would prove a peak.

All of the trappings of that new status and lifestyle would start to have a debilitating effect.

The biggest pity, of course, is that Best never played in a World Cup.

In that, he was somewhat unlucky to play between eras for Northern Ireland. In 1970, for example, he scored his only goal against opponents of genuine international pedigree – England. That came 12 years after the North’s first World Cup and 12 years before their second.

Of course, at 38, Best might well have been turned out in 1982 had he adopted Bobby Charlton’s ascetic approach.

But that was never going to be the case. That was never part of the legend.

“I was born with a great gift,” Best once acknowledged. “And sometimes that comes with a destructive streak.”
It was just a pity that didn’t prove the case for opposition sides for much, much longer.

Ability 94
International 68
Club 81
Total 81

 

15. Carlos Alberto

Career span 1963-82
Country Brazil: 53 caps, 8 goals
Clubs Fluminense, Santos, Fluminense, Flamengo, New York Cosmos, California Surf
Position right-back
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 Recopa Sudamericana, 7 Brazilian state championships

It was a transcendental moment in football history that also illustrated the full extent of the type of player a right-back could be.

And we’re not talking the run and drive that rounded off both Brazil’s flowing move in the 1970 final as well as the tournament itself.

Rather, it was another famous moment from Mexico 1970. But an oft-forgotten part of it. Before Gordon Banks got down in impossible fashion, before Pele powered a header a goal and before Jairzinho found him in emphatic fashion, Carlos Alberto hit one of the most sumptuous passes ever seen.

Gambolling forward, the full-back hit an exquisite 40-yard ball with the outside of his right foot that fell perfectly into Jairzinho’s path.

It was that outrageous technique, allied to pure tenacity and intelligence, which made Carlos Alberto such an outstanding all-round defender. Not to mention the captain of the greatest international side of all time.

It was also some rise considering he had been left out of the Brazilian squad in 1966. But, then, such was Carlos Alberto’s reputation that it also caused a huge controversy in the country. The full-back had been a cornerstone of two great South American teams in Fluminense and Santos.

Immediate vindication came, however, as Brazil crashed out of 1966 in the first round amid a cacophony about poor planning.
And long-term vindication would come in 1970. Carlos Alberto finished the “perfect goal”. And proved himself the perfect right-back.

Ability 88
International 81
Club 75
Total 81.3

 

14. Franco Baresi

Career span 1977-97
Country Italy: 81 caps, 1 goal
Clubs Milan
Position sweeper, centre-back
Medals 1 World Cup, 3 Champions Leagues, 6 Italian titles

When you look through the pantheon of great Italian defenders, one of the most striking aspects is the exact range of styles. For a part of a team that requires order and rigidity, the Italians have developed quite a depth of nuance.

In that, Franco Baresi was never quite as brutal as Tarcisio Burgnich nor as elegant as Gaetano Scirea. But the highest praise you can give him is that he combined all of those qualities. With pace, patience, timing, technique and strength, Baresi was probably the most balanced of all Italian defenders.

And, through those abilities, he arguably marked the end point in one country’s obsession with the most fundamental part of the game. The most evolved state.

Suitably, Baresi always argued that his greatest strength was something that couldn’t be taught.

“Above all I was fast up here, in the head… Of course you can improve it, you can grow with experience. But it’s one of those natural things.”

Like all of the true greats, however, the key to Baresi was that he went beyond his own abilities to influence the sides he played in. He was arguably the greatest defensive organiser the game has seen.

In USA 94, for example, he asked Arrigo Sacchi that the defence be exempt a day off so that their process of integration would not be interrupted.

And that came across in the numbers too. Baresi was the centre of what were, statistically, the greatest defences of all time.

By only conceding two goals in 12 games, Milan’s 1993-94 side offered the best record the European Cup had ever seen. And four places behind them, having only conceded three goals in nine games, were Milan 1989-90.

The oddity in all of this is that it took Baresi so long to establish himself for the national side. And also that his entire career for it was overshadowed by his final kick: the penalty miss against Brazil.

The former, however, can be explained by the fact that Scirea was such a formidable leader in the formative years of Baresi’s career. And, by the time he should have taken the Juventus sweeper’s place in 1986, he fell out with Enzo Bearzot. Despite that, Baresi still won 81 caps. And, along the way to winning them, he underpinned the rise to the semi-finals of both Euro 88 and Italia 90 as well as the USA 94 final.

And, in the case of the latter, it’s often forgotten that Baresi had a knee operation just before the tournament began. Yet he still masterminded the only defence to keep out Brazil’s brilliant strike force. In every other game of the tournament, either Bebeto or Romario scored.

But then that was the sort of feat Baresi had made a habit of.

Ability 89
International 72
Club 84
Total 81.6

 

13. Eusebio

Career span 1957-79
Country Portugal: 64 caps, 41 goals
Clubs Sporting de Lourenco Marques, Benfica, Boston Minutemen, Monterrey, Toronto Metros-Croatia, Beira-Mar, Las Vegas Quicksilvers, Uniao de Tomar
Position striker
Medals 1 European Cup, 13 domestic titles (11 Portugal, 1 Mozambique, 1 American), 5 Portuguese cups

When Alfredo Di Stefano gave his shirt to Eusebio at the end of the 1962 European Cup final, it was seen as a symbolic passing of the torch.

Certainly, the Mozanbique-born striker was one of Di Stefano’s ’60s heirs in terms of influence on the game. But he exerted it in a different way. Where the Argentine was mostly about poise and control, Eusebio was all pace and power. And, at his peak, he was explosive – capable of driving past players at will and finishing from most angles and distances. In all, he scored 638 goals in 614 games for Benfica. But, importantly – with 11 titles secured – most of those goals had a purpose. That was emphatically illustrated in the 1962 final itself as Eusebio scored the last two goals of the game to beat Real Madrid 5-3. In doing so, Benfica also successfully defended the European Cup that the Spaniards had won so many times in the ’50s.

Four years later Eusebio would do the same to equally deified opponents in the World Cup. His two goals put Brazil out in the first round and sent Portugal to the semis as well as the striker himself to the Golden Boot. It was quite an achievement for a country that had never previously qualified.

The only issue with Eusebio was that proved an isolated achievement. Portugal didn’t go far in Euro 68 and performed miserably in the Mexico 70 qualifiers.

But he had already more than qualified all of the praise.

Ability 89
International 78
Club 79
Total 82

 

12. Didi

Career span 1946-66
Country Brazil: 72 caps, 24 goals
Clubs Americano, Lencoense, Madureira, Fluminense, Botafogo, Real Madrid, Botafogo, Sao Paulo, Botafogo, Veracruz, Sao Paulo
Position midfielder
Medals 2 World Cups, 2 European Cups, 4 Brazilian state championships

Didi didn’t play in the 1950 World Cup. But then, so traumatic was it for the country that it was burned on every Brazilian’s memory.

It was only Didi, however, who had the presence of mind to learn from it rather than let it drag him down in Stockholm eight years later.

“When Sweden went 1-0 up,” Djalma Santos said of the 1958 final, “Didi picked the ball up and started talking to us, telling us we had the strength to go on and win the game… because of what happened in 1950 there was this idea that Brazil would get to the final and cave in. So what Didi did was crucial.”

Not quite as crucial as his general play though. A “wizard”, Didi was an utterly sublime central midfielder who picked passes as effortlessly as he intercepted them.

Except for the fact that, off the pitch, Didi put a lot of effort into his craft. As ferociously driven as he was gifted because of an impoverished youth, the Campos-native was determined to make the most of his talent. A case in point was his famous ‘falling leaf’ free-kick. Didi was one of the first players to realise the effect of set-pieces and spent hours practising them.

Indeed, it was with one of his trademark lofted efforts that actually put Brazil into the 1958 World Cup. His dead ball beat Peru 1-0.

Once there, both he and other members of the Brazilian team had to contend with a lot of ludicrous off-field issues. And although – remarkably – Didi almost didn’t make the team, it was still he that the English management realised they must stop in order to stop Brazil.

Walter Winterbottom’s team still struggled to do so. But, with the Brazilian side so imbalanced, there was no target for Didi’s technique. The game ended 0-0. And Brazil were almost out.

At the least, though, that result forced Vicente Feola to include Garrincha and Pele.

Didi finally had an outlet and Brazil were finally outstanding. Within minutes of the next game against USSR starting, Didi had supplied three through balls to initiate three incredible moves. The third saw Vava open the scoring. Gabriel Hanot, the founder of the European Cup, called them “the greatest three minutes ever played”.

Except Didi and Brazil would provide many more. From that point, they dominated the tournament with Didi dominating every midfield. In the semi-final, he scored the goal that put them ahead against France. In the final, he lifted the level in multiple ways.

Those performances earned Didi a move to Real Madrid. But, with Alfredo Di Stefano unwilling to share his throne, the Brazilian was frozen out.

So dissatisfied was he that he avidly hoped his team would meet Di Stefano’s Spain in 1962. “I utterly desired to show them the kind of player I was”.

Di Stefano wouldn’t play in that tournament. Whereas Didi would once again bestride football’s greatest show.

Ability 90
International 81
Club 75
Total 82

 

11. Michel Platini

Career span 1972-87
Country France: 72 caps, 41 goals
Clubs Nancy, St Etienne, Juventus
Position playmaker
Medals 1 European Championship, 1 European Cup, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 3 domestic titles (2 Italy, 1 France), 2 domestic cups (1 France, 1 Italy)

With five wins out of five and 14 goals plundered in fantastic fashion, France 1984 were Europe’s version of Brazil 1970. And, tearing teams apart in the number-10 shirt, Michel Platini was the European Championship’s Pele.

The victory marked the peak of an exquisite period for France in which their ‘Le Carre Magique’ midfield illuminated international football. And it also marked the absolute zenith for Platini.

Since he started moves as well as finished so many of them, there’s arguably never been a player who has so decided one tournament as Platini did in 1984. Among the nine goals that secured the golden boot, Platini scored two late winners against Denmark – one in the opening game, another in extra-time of the semi-final – two ‘perfect hat-tricks’ in 5-0 and 3-2 victories over Belgium and Yugoslavia, respectively, and then, finally, the opener in the 2-0 victory over Spain.

“It’s not that I regarded myself as the best player in the world,” he once said. “I was the best player in the world. What else do you want me to say?! I was full of confidence in myself. I knew I could run the game, I knew I could score goals.” And he certainly did that. Euro 84 came in the middle of a three-season run in which he was Serie A’s top scorer every year. It eventually culminated with Juventus winning the one trophy that eluded them. Platini hit the penalty that finally won the European Cup for the club.

The triumph of that moment was, however, taken away by the tragedy of Heysel. Debate has always raged over how much the players knew and Platini’s own comments have always been conflicting.

What the moment did show, though – in this case somewhat negatively – was that he possessed an utter ruthlessness in terms of winning. He admitted as much himself.

“I was a terrible loser. And I still am. I simply hate losing and I’m not a good person to speak to when I have.”

Yet, as much as winning consumed Platini, it didn’t quite mean he consumed the pitch. For all of his elegance and incision, there was an element of irreverence to his game that you didn’t see in the likes of Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano. When the Juventus owner Gianni Agnelli once saw Platini smoking, he frowned “this worries me”. Nonchalantly nodding his head at Massimo Bonini, Platini replied “it’s only a worry if he starts”. Bonini, after all, had done most of Platini’s running.
But, more often than not, the Frenchman made sure it counted.

Ability 90
International 82
Club 75
Total 82.3

 

Contents

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791 comments
Jejdjjd
Jejdjjd

Maldini 52?! Are you on crack? Greatest about this list is that CRonaldo isnt there. Finally someone who understands football.

The best 10 are Messi Ronaldinho Zidane Maldini Pele Maradona Baresi Xavi Iniesta Rivaldo

SKull
SKull

I'm so tired of the Pele nagging. He counts goals he scored in the Brazilian army and is a greedy sellout. More than enough reason to put Maradona above him. A true rebel and creative genius.


PS: Van Basten, Bergkamp, Ibrahimovic, Giggs, Voller, Socrates, Zico, Eder, Junior, Batistuta, Montero, Totti, CR7, Nesta, Roberto Carlos. I can list people who probably need to be on this list for quite some time here.

tk753
tk753

pele should be number 1 by far,the most complete player ever,this guy jumps like Michael Jordan,amazing speed,use both lengs, dribbling,passing shoot acurancy,the guy has it all.3 wc.,over 1000 goals the best by far.maradona dribble past 5 English players who are very slow and not so great,he maradona dint play with best players???hahaha, he had careca who score 91 goals in year,what special is maradona,because he play with week teams and win championships? big deal, messi and Ronaldo they can take the worst team or club of any country and they can win championships like maradona

andyzidane
andyzidane

@tk753 Did Pele really score over 1000 goals? Really?? 


"messi and Ronaldo they can take the worst team or club of any country and they can win championships" Again, really?? When did this happen?


It's debatable to name at least 2 Brazilians being 'better' than Pele. I don't think anyone could name 2 Argentinians being 'better' than Maradona.

tk753
tk753

@andyzidane @tk753  messi takes the argentina to the final in wc 2014,just like maradona in 1990,ronaldo take portogal to the final in euro 2016 and win the title,so how you say that this not happen?Ronaldo and messi prove that they can take the worst teams and win world titles,maradona dribbling past these England players so easy because they are not top class defenders and you can say that goal is the goal of the centrury?messi and pele dribbling past 5 or 6 players every time and far better dribblers tha maradona.also in Napoli maradona have players like careca di Napoli who are world class at the time,so how maradona wins everything of his own?

andyzidane
andyzidane

@tk753 @andyzidane

Messi didn't win though, did he? Maradona did.

C. Ronaldo won the Euros (and he wasn't on the pitch!), not a World Cup. The South American equivalent is the Copa America. Pele never won that.


"you can say that goal is the goal of the centrury?"

When did I say this?


I never said Napoli didn't have world class players? I'd probably put Ferrara and Zola ahead of Careca and Di Napoli, but never mind. Look at it in the context of the competition. Napoli had AC Milan, Juventus, Roma, and Inter to contend with. Messi and Ronaldo just have to worry about each other's teams (Barca / Madrid).

tk753
tk753

@andyzidane @tk753  ok,messi dint win the wc,but don't forget,he has a last chances to win the wc 2018,at the age of 31 like pele in  the 1970 wc.maybe I was wrong about the goal of the centrury,you dint say that,sorry.



maradona won some titles with Napoli, but he never won a champions league with Napoli,that say you something?


did maradona win the copa America? no



did maradona win the wc 1990? his performance was great like wc 86? no



maradonoa has played the same position like pele, did he scores more goals than pele? no



maradona is one of the best players ever, no doubt but because he take Napoli and argetina to the top, dosent mean that pele cant do that.its insane,pele was the most complete number 10

of all time.far more complete player than maradona and a better person than maradona

.

andyzidane
andyzidane

@tk753 @andyzidane hey Harry, thanks for the reply.


First things first, I think it's pointless comparing honours at international level.

Neither Pele nor Maradona won the Copa America. So what?

Messi does have more chances to win the World Cup, I hope he does. But even if he doesn't, he's still one of the greatest. I could accept people calling him the greatest when he retires.

Maradona didn't win the WC in 1990. So? I didn't say he did? The fact is, he dragged Argentina to the finals of '86 and '90. He won it when he was the best player in the world, and 4 years later, he was unfit, and didn't deserve to win it anyway.

Pele is credited with 3 World Cup victories, but let's not forget that he barely played in 1962.


Secondly, Maradona and Pele DID NOT play in the same position. Pele is a forward. A goalscorer. Maradona is a playmaker. He makes goals.


Everybody is entitled to their opinion, and that's what makes the game of football we all love. Pele was a great footballer and you believe he's the most complete player that ever lived. I respect that. I can agree that he has an abundance of physical attributes which make him more effective than Maradona. But technical ability? He's no better than Garrincha in his day, and he's certainly not got the technique of Diego Maradona or modern day Leo Messi.


Good night.

tk753
tk753

@andyzidane @tk753 ho is harry??? maybe you must be thinking about someone else, i see someone in the site with the name harry ho was a ''love'' with pele but dosent mean that i am that guy,i share you.



You are right, pele and maradona is a contest with no winner, everyone has there own opinion, some people say that Ronaldo, messi, zidane, Brazilian Ronaldo, cruyff are the greatest  and many more. But we can agree that all these players give us the  beauty of football and so many good moments.

rishiagrawal55
rishiagrawal55

top 10 should be 


1. ronaldhinio

2. messi

3. cruyff

4. maradona

5. pele

6. zidane

7. brasilian ronaldo

8. berkamp

9. maldini

10.peter schmicel                    

Aceace1133
Aceace1133

Ronaldinho first are you stupid? Given he was a fantastic player of course but people forget one important thing about ronaldinho he only was truly great for 3-4 seasons. How good was he at AC Milan. Truth is he wasn't great at Milan he was a shadow of his former self and failed at Milan while he not even 30. Someone like zidane won was great throughout his whole years for example he comes out of retirement at the age of 34 to guide his team o the world cup final the biggest stage of them all and even after headbutting someone he was still named the best player of the fifa world cup 2006. Ronaldinho was brilliant but only for a few years that's all.

SKull
SKull

@Aceace1133 He's a Barcelona fan. What do you expect from a pig but an oink? He's probably never watched another football team play.

AlexChulkin
AlexChulkin

Good list as of 2011. Today I'd like to replace the last 8 with Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Ramos, Robben, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez (the second one in this 100, lol), Lahm and Klose. But anyway this rating is adorable.

AlexChulkin
AlexChulkin

And Gerard Pique instead of Desailly of course. 

DaveScamper
DaveScamper

So If Messi wins 2 or 3 world cups he's gonna be the best ever. I'm sure about that.

AlexChulkin
AlexChulkin

@DaveScamper @AlexChulkin in Russia he'll be 31, in Qatar - 35. Are you sure that he'll still be the imperious figure in the Argentina team? Are you sure that the Albiceleste will be able to win 2 WCs in a row regarding the actual level of competition? 

xPhrime
xPhrime

Where THE FUCK is Hans Krankl?! He should at least be 50-30.... Also Papin should be in the list.

RizwanNazirAhmed
RizwanNazirAhmed

Are you serious???? Ronaldinho should be ATLEAST in the top 10! I can not believe that you put the most gifted player in history at 39, you put luis suarez ahead of him? You should be ashamed!!!

adamrhbrown
adamrhbrown

@RizwanNazirAhmed The Luis Suarez on this list is the Spanish one from the 1960s. And if Ronaldinho was 'the most gifted player in history', shouldn't his era as the best player in the world been a lot longer than 2 years?


In any case, the list is nearly 4 years old and needs updating, but it looks as though Miguel has abandoned the project, which is a shame.

baggio1994
baggio1994

Bobby Moore so far down and Platini? Really now...Laudrup(as good as he was) and Sandro Mazzola better than Baggio. Which wino picks these?


baggio1994
baggio1994

A flawed list....firstly: baggio can't be 60 odd and below some of those people ahead of him(trophies aren't skills) and Maradona can't be above Pele(how can Pele's international rating be 84.  to Maradona's 89 even if you do give him a 1% nod over Pele in ability). Plus remember ability is not just dribbling and control(areas I do rate Maradona above Pele in). Ability should mean total: Pele was two-footed and better in the area, equal or almost in passing and free-kicks etc. Pele first. Messi not in top ten(most over-rated ever). Baggio in top ten.

Davidoss08
Davidoss08

Can this list be updated? I'm curious to see if CR7 has made it and where he fits in.

RodrigoBasques
RodrigoBasques

guys pele has done everythinng right in his carreer you seem to forget the hand of god goal him smelling cocaine and giving it to children and maradona vs romario romario completely mugged him off he says he could get past anybody wouldnt even be able to get past my 3 year old cousin

andyzidane
andyzidane

@RodrigoBasques Pele was a great ambassador for the sport. A superb footballer. But why highlight factors about Maradona which have nothing to do with his ability? At least Diego had the balls / cojones to play in (and win) European football.


Interesting that you mention Romario, though. I would prefer him in my team ahead of Pele. And Ronaldo. And Garrincha.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

Well if you are an Englishmen then you cannot possibly understand why people love a rebel and hate an establishment.. Someone from a third world country can understand that very easily.. Someone from Latin America can precisely define it... but Europeans and Yankees cannot even imagine it... i will save the history lesson for another time..

 

Apart from having a very close relationship with Military dictators and FIFA's crooked bastards,, Pele did one thing for which many brazilians despise him-- HE FORGOT HIS ROOTS... he forgot where he came from,, he forgot the slum where he was brought up,, he forgot the shanties and hoodlums of Rio.. you say he is not evil.. Millions and Millions of people attended Garrincha's funeral in 1983...where was Pele??? Where was garrincha's great teammate??? Pele wasn't playing in 1983 oh no,, he retired in 1977..  Instead of attending his teammate's funeral,, Pele was busy in cuddling with his new buddies in FIFA..he was busy shaking hands with Reagan and the Queen ,Pele felt that it was more important to meet with these famous people rather than attending the funeral of his beloved teammate.. and you still DARE to say that Pele is not evil??????

 

Yes Pele did dedicate a goal to the poor childrens of brazil.. Hypocrites say very bright things at the beginning but in the end they give nothing... Pele did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the poverty of Brazil.. Pele was a lover of luxurious things.. he ran away to USA in 1974,, he starred a film with Stallione and launched his own video game in 1980.. he simply CHOSE to forgot about these poor childrens.. Once Pele climbed the ladder of fame,, he never even looked back at his native Brazil...

 

You can even see it today.. Millions of brazilians are in the streets protesting the corruption of this current government.. Millions of dollars are being invested for the World Cup but none in Healthcare.. Romario and Rivaldo understood the pulse of the people and they are already preparing to start a historic revolution in brazil to overthrow this crooked bastards.. but is PELE saying?? he is saying that People "should leave the streets and go back home and not create any chaos.The government is doing the right thing".. It INFURIATED the brazilians masses like wildfire.. Pele has become so distanced from his own people that he cannot even understand their pulse..

 

Di Stefano wasn't born in a slum like Garrincha,Pele,Maradona,Rivaldo,Romario.. Di Stefano had european descent and ultimately,, he fled to Europe to serve his forefathers.. He was born rich and he never cared for the poor.. In his playing days,, Di stefano didn't like Didi at all because he was from a very poor background.. that was reason why Real Madrid always kept Didi at bench while Stefano was running the show.. i never liked Di stefano but also i cannot disagree that he is one of the greatest in history..

 

Then you may ask that why do I Hate Pele So much???   I hate him so much because I LOVED him so much.. Before i knew about Pele's cuddling with FIFA and other bastards,, I loved Pele just like Garrincha, just like Maradona, just like Rivaldo, just Ronaldinho.. After all,, they all grew up in the dirtiest of slums.. i was six years old when Maradona was tearing apart the English in 1986 and from then on i started to dig the history to find players having a similar background to maradona.. i found Garrincha and Pele and while Pele was with FIFA,, i was not aware of that at that time.. Many years later when i did found out about Pele's real Face,, i was very shocked indeed.. Just like when Figo betrayed barca and went to Madrid,, Barca fans wrote in a banner-- "We Hate you so much because We loved you so much".. it was exactly my feeling with Pele..and while i continued to agree that he was one of the greatest in history along with Maradona and Garrincha,, i lost all the love for him..

 

Garrincha's tale is a sad one but he came to this planet to give joy to his people through the means of football and his people received the joy with open arms.. he only understood the language of football and he didn't even know the format of the 1958 and 62 World Cups.. the chilean newspaper rightfully said: "Which planet is Garrincha from??" We may not know that ever again but Brazil's love for him refuses to die........................................................................

snakehips
snakehips

Good time to remember Tom Finney.Very few would have seen him play.But not only brilliant - dazzling speed + goals + loyal to one club.But a gentleman off the pitch as well.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

30 years has passed since Garrincha died..  Yet the brazilians always says "We always label the rising stars as the Next Pele because we know there will always be ONE garrincha".. Many Latin American Poets were absolutely fascinated by the miracles feats that Garrincha conjured everyday.. the great Eduardo Galeano said these words:

"In the entire history of football no one made more people happy. When he was out there, the pitch was a circus ring, the ball a tamed animal, the match a party invitation. Garrincha nurtured his pet, the ball, and together they created such mischief that people almost died laughing. He jumped over it, it gambolled around him, hid itself away, skipped off and made him run after it. And on the way, his opponents ran into each other."

 

Manuel Francisco dos Santos aka GARRINCHA--the most beloved brazilian player of all time......

 

 

adamrhbrown
adamrhbrown

 @Tanvir 86 Pele and Garrincha provide an interesting personality contrast, but I still don't get why you feel people should automatically love the rebel and hate the establishment figure. Why wouldn't the vast majority of Brazilians love both of them? (Those who remember them at least.) It would be like Argentine fans loving Maradona and hating Messi or English fans loving Paul Gascoigne and hating Bobby Charlton.

adamrhbrown
adamrhbrown

 @snakehips  @Tanvir 86 Thanks. It's also worth mentioning that even if Pele could be said to have cuddled up to the military dictatorship, why does di Stefano never come in for the same vitriol from Mr. T? He was used by Franco's regime in much the same way, and he wasn't even Spanish!

 

As it happens, I watched the documentary Pele and Garrincha - Gods of Brazil a couple of days ago. It made the point that Garrincha wasn't always popular while he was actually alive, certainly in the latter part of his career.

 

Plus, there was the footage of Pele scoring his '1,000th goal'. Media myth or not, he took that moment to speak out - passionately - on behalf of starving children. Hardly the words of someone who had sold his soul entirely.

 

Don't get me wrong, Pele is a bit of a corporate whore (there's even a joke in The Simpsons about it), but he's not evil.

 

By the way, 'Menotti didn't pick Maradona because he was a Pele-lover'. What a bizarre statement. Clearly, he was very much a Didi man.

andyzidane
andyzidane

@adamrhbrown @snakehips the boy @Tanvir 86 's posts have been littered with bizarre comments for many many months now. I personally believe that Maradona is the greatest footballer of all time and prefer other Brazilians (such as Ronaldo) to Pele; but everyone is entitled to their own opinion without facing Tubby's abuse.

snakehips
snakehips

This is about the greatest 100 players of all time.

So why has the Pele v Maradona debate dominated virtually all comments so far?

It has become tedious + looks like the writers of these posts don't know any other players.

 

Sansho
Sansho

Pelé easily the greatest ever, ahead of the master of total football Cruyff. Maradona has benefited from myths and ignoring his faults and failures.

 

Before Pelé, Brazil had never won a world cup nor did they for 24 years without him. He was outstanding aged 17 in 58 world cup as well as in 1970. He made Santos the best club in the world, dominating Brazilian clubs with other great players and destroying the top European clubs, Benfica (hat-trick in Benfica), and Milan. He was top scorer in the Intercontinental Cup. In his time, South American clubs were easily a match for European. He had a magnificent scoring record in cup finals as well as overall, including against European clubs and countries. He was declared a national treasure by the Brazilian government, not allowed to play for as foreign club till the 70s

 

Maradona was sent off in one world cup, cheated in another and was disgraced in another, He had a poor scoring record in cup finals and for Napoli in Europe. He never won the top continental cup. Without him during his career Argentina won a world cup and the Copa America twice, but he never won the Copa America. He improved Argentina's win-loss record by only 0.8% compared with his absence during his career, whereas Pelé improved Brazil by 11.25%.

 

Pelé was a more complete player; great header, athletic, 2-footed, passer, shot, dribbler, vision; Maradona was mainly one-footed- so much for so-called technique. Pelé had a better temperament and Maradona was a cheat not only with infamous handball "goal" but also drugs.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @Sansho DID PELE EVER WIN COPA AMERICA???????? PELE WASN'T SENT OFF IN ANY GAME?????????? WAS MARADONA A STIRIKER LIKE PELE???????????

 

i don't have the patience to argue with another maradona-hater like you... i will only say that you have never watched GARRINCHA... Pele doesn't come even close..

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @Sansho do you even know the full of history of maradona??????????????

 

you talk like you are a great analyst but instead have a relentless grudge against maradona..

 

first, maradona was very unlucky to miss out on the 1978 WC.. he was the even younger than pele and he ripping everything in the argentine league.. but for some  reasons, menotti didn't chose him.. as menotti was an eternal Pele-lover, he feared that his darling's record of the youngest player to enter the WC will be broken if maradona is chosen.. at the final moment, menotti leaves out the blistering 16-year old maradona.... the whole argentina was shocked... but maradona didn't lose hope.. in came the 1979 youth WC, where maradona absolutely ripped everything by scoring 7 magnificent goals and winning it single-handedly.. just like pele in the late 50s, maradona was the greatest under-20 player in the late 70s..so to say maradona was a "ghost" in his youth is a pure indication of HATRED towards him..

 

maradona 82's appearance was bad because of that HAGGARD menotti's reluctance and egoistic passarella's ARROGANCE.. it was never maradona's fault.. he was a victim of those dirty "football" politics which was also why barca's president Nunez refused to play him in regular La liga matches..and let's not forget, maradona got injured by the WORST TACKLE OF ALL TIME by the butcher of bilbao which further increased doubts and rumors about maradona..

 

but maradona BURIED everything in 1986.. scored the GREATEST GOAL MANKIND HAS EVER WITNESSED on 22 June 1986, Azteca stadium.. not only did he dribble past half the english team, he controlled the ball superbly on the puddles of water on that pitch.. even more mind-boggling is that he accelerated at such a blistering pace on the right side of field, ordinary left-footers find it difficult to run in the right-side, but instead of slowing down, maradona accelerated with lightining pace and dribbled effortlessly past the english to score an absolutely legendary goal that took him to very pinnacle of football.. it was THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION of how far an individual player's impact goes on his team.. and throughout the whole 86 WC, maradona emphatically proved what a ONE-MAN team can do...

 

pele protagonist??????????? i assume you have never heard of Vava,garrincha,amarildo,tostao,carlos alberto, gerson,rivelino... pele's golden teammates who helped him SO MUCH... who did maradona play with????? burruchaga,careca,giordino,valdano.. maradona's average-ish teammates who couldn't even dribble past a player properly let alone helping maradona...

 

The list of footballers who said maradona is the greatest and infinity:

 

Zidane: the greatest ever

 

2: Careca: admiteas was far better than pele

 

3: Bobby Charlton: the greatest footballer

 

4: Gullit: he was from another world

 

5: Marco van Basten: The Greatest footballer ever

 

6: Former manager of england bobby robson: hate him or love him he was the greatest player of all time.

 

7: Zola: he was the god of football

 

8: Ronaldhino: hes was my idol and greatest

 

9: won player of the century at fifa 2000 awards

 

11: Ze Roberto and R. Carlos: Maradona was without doubt the greatest

 

12: Bearzot: Maradona is football

 

13: Sacchi on sky: Maradona is the best player in the world

 

14: Baggio: Maradona all players dream

 

15: gentile: Maradona better than Pelè

 

16: Boscov: Maradona can not be compared

 

17: Sivori: maradona the best in the world

 

18: Cantona: Maradona is greatest art.The

 

19: Eusebio: Maradona was the greatest

 

20: Maldini: Maradona is Maradona

 

– "Ruud Gullit: Diego Maradona is the best ever in my opinion". goal.com, 29 July 2012 – "Lionel Messi: Diego Maradona is the greatest of all-time". SoccerAnchor, 7 September 2011 – "Rummenigge: Maradona better than Pele". The Times of India, 12 November 2008 – "Paolo Maldini: Maradona best ever, Ronaldo close second" Paolo Maldini fan page, 21 July 2008 – "Gary Lineker: Diego has been the best player without a doubt, better than Pele" SoccerBlog, 25 March 2006 – "Glenn Hoddle: Diego Maradona is the greatest player of all time". SoccerBible, 22 July 2010. – "Ryan Giggs: Maradona is the best of all time". tribalfootball, 11 October 2011. – "Rio Ferdinand: In my eyes Maradona is the best footballer ever". fifa.com, 7 November 2008 – "Mario Kempes: Maradona is absolutely the best". ESPN soccernet, 18 April 2005. – "Aguero: It is disrespectful to compare me to Maradona". Mirro Football, 20 November 2011. – "Frank McGarvey: Diego Maradona was world's best player". Daily Record, 30 October 2008. – "Gordon Smith: Maradona was the best player I ever saw play the game". Daily Record, 30 October 2008. – "Trevor Edwards: Maradona is best" Central Telegraph, 11 April 2012 – "Maradona’s still number one". The Sun, 29 April 2011. – "Considered by many as the greatest football player to have ever walked the face of the earth". FIFA.com

 

 

berdutzalin
berdutzalin

@Tanvir 86 @Sansho was about to wrote smthing similar after reading lots of these pro pele comments.

Yes,pele has the numbers besides him,but you can't compare carlos alberto''s brazil golden team with maradona's underdogs argentina.

Maradona undercome the odds everywhere he went,carrying his team mostly in crucial matches. He had not so easy career as pele,cause of injuries,drug addiction,and lower teammates.

What maradona did overall,pure genius.

Personally,i admire zidane's plays the most,cause he was my childhood idol so it's not about taking sides or smthing.

Also i believe Gherghe Hagi should be at least me

ntioned here.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

Today is undoubtedly a sad day for football.. The greatest Portuguese player in history, the black Panther, a man who reinvented the art of scoring goals in the 1960s-- Eusebio has passed away from this world at the age of 71...

 

He stamped Portugal's name in the football map with his explosive goals in the 1966 WC... At that WC, much of the world was disappointed with Pele's epic failure but Eusebio exploded just at the right time to fill up the vacuum.. obviously, eusebio remained in Pele's shadows for the most of 60s,, but his domination in the European Cup was second to none.. and for that,, he remains an unfettering figure in the golden history of football..in my list of 100 greatest players,, he is no.12

 

May peace rest upon his Departed Soul............................................

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

with all the respect to maradona he is one of the greatest ever but  pele was better. if you look some old videos of pele was amazing,his dribbling,ball control and shoot was much better than maradona, who forgot the match against uruguay 1970 world cup pele performed the best skill ever.yes maradona win the biggest poll of fifa, but was voted by young fans who dont see pele play,in the other hand pele wins win the poll  by lengendery players who wins golden balls, if you dont believe watch here http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/best-x-players-of-y.html. its funny some compare the poll of maradona and the poll of pele WHY??? because  these footballers who are legends of these sport knows far more tons than football fans.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @ronaldofenomenon i do remember the MISS OF THE CENTURY when the "Almighty Pele" did everything right against uruguay but then failed to score an OPEN goal.. When maradona dribbled against england,, nothing was open yet he still scored and that also against a 6'3 Shilton covering the goal..if pele scored on that night in 1970 then he MIGHT have reached the level of maradona but unfortunately that never happened..

 

why don't you see the even older videos of garrincha??? that will make pele look like a ball boy..

 

obviously,, "Legendary" players like Beckenbeur,Platini shared the same bed with pele in FIFA so it no surprise that FIFA would honour their favorite poster boy with that hilarious award.. Legendary players like Di Stefano,Bearzot,Baresi,Maldini who stayed far away from FIFA's A$$ said that Maradona was greater than pele.. so you decide which group of Legend's comments are you going to approve??? the fans already gave their verdict quite emphatically in three Worldwide polls.......

 

 

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @Tanvir 86 Alfredo Di Stefano: "The best player ever? Pele. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pele was better."  your propaganda agaist pele is amazing,first off all you dont have proves that pele kiss  the ass of fifa. in a tv show, maradona and pele show there skills who has better heeding, pele beats maradona, if you dont bealave watch here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSRz3IZKhUg.all the legends like cruyff,Beckenbeur,di stefano voted pele and maradona voted by the fans.end of story

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @andyzidane  @Tanvir 86 maybe you dont understand my worlds, the video shows that pele has better ball control and proves his better that maradona,yes maradona is one of the best ever but pele is better, just  symple if you watch the video

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @ronaldofenomenon HAHAHAHA.... what a pathetic video.. oh wow, a 73-year old pele has better ball control than a 53-year old Maradona,, so that makes him a greater player????????????!!!!!!!

 

Pele himself said DiStefano is the greatest player of all time... Messi?? Cristiano Ronaldo??? even a 10-year old boy having an average knowledge about football history will say that Pele is greater than these two.. But when it was asked to Distefano about Pele AND maradona,, He picked Maradona... Beckenbeur shares the bed with pele in FIFA and they also ran Viagra campaigns together.. so it is a no-brainer that beckenbeur would vote for his lifetime partner.. the legends who were not slaves to FIFA ,,they all said that maradona is the greatest..

 

You can now masturbate by watching that hilarious video.. Trolls like you have no place in this great site...

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @Tanvir 86 this show was the year 2000 maradona was 40 and pele was 60, you  blame maradona every time,the video show that maradona lose the ball and again you said that maradona is greater than pele,you said that pele kiss the ass off fifa and all the biggest football organizations but you dont prove it,if you watch the brazilian ronaldo dribbble skills and technique is far more better than maradona,i think the only part that maradona is better than pele is the free kicks.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @ronaldofenomenon  you are that same troll by the name of Harry1996,,, changing names won't hide your retarded character..

 

as i've said many times before,, if you love pele so much then give him a call.. Make love with him using the cheapest viagras and then post the videos on youtube.. this site is for those people who can debate both subjectively and objectively using their vast knowledge about the rich history of football and not by posting pathetic rubbish youtube videos.. thus, you are not eligible to comment on this site by default..So stop wasting time and make that call to Pele before he runs to FIFA to sleep with Beckenbeur....

 

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @ronaldofenomenon  you are that same troll by the name of Harry1996,,, changing names won't hide your retarded character..

 

as i've said many times before,, if you love pele so much then give him a call.. Make love with him using the cheapest viagras and then post the videos on youtube.. this site is for those people who can debate both subjectively and objectively using their vast knowledge about the rich history of football and not by posting pathetic rubbish youtube videos.. thus, you are not eligible to comment on this site by default..So stop wasting time and make that call to Pele before he runs to FIFA to sleep with Beckenbeur....

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @Tanvir 86  again and again you dont aswer in my question about pele kiss the ass of fifa and you fall to see in this symple video that maradona lose,you can talk trash every time but you dont proove nothing,1970 pele do the greatest skill ever, maranona never do something like that,in the era off pele, the ball was more harder to control than maradona era,who is harry1996, maybe someone who support pele?i dont give a shit.i just say my option,but there are more important thinks in life about pele and maradona

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @Tanvir 86 maybe my english is not so good  but  you cant avoid the truth,cruyff,beckebauer,platini,di stefano,zico said pele, all this players kiss the ass of fifa?hahahaha.you can say anything you want but you dont proove a thing.

nismoz
nismoz

 @ronaldofenomenon  @Tanvir 86 @ Ronaldofenomenon, instead of judging a players true strength based on other retired footballers comments, why dont u use ur brain and watch the standard of football in Pele's era? did u ever ask urself the question if gk even used gloves back in the 60s? did 4-2-4 formation play a major factor in helping the attacking team? did man marking even exist back then? have u even watched a game of the champs league in the 60s? how many subs were allowed in each game when pele was playing? how many games did Pele really played in 1962 wc? when u find out all the answers for that question i suggest u watch the serie a matches that Maradona played in Napoli in the late 80s and do a serious comparison on the defence both players faced! Real Madrid could win 5 champs league in the late 50s but no team has even come close to it since. what does that tell u? Football standards has gone up 3 notch since Pele's days!