The 100 greatest players of all time

Roy Keane

Roy Keane imposes his more than his personality on Marc Overmars

90. Grzegorz Lato

Career span 1966-84
Country Poland: 100 caps, 45 goals
Clubs Stal Mielec, Lokeren, Atlante
Position winger
Medals 2 Polish titles, 1 Concacaf Champions Cup

It is European football’s great loss that the Polish football authorities were so isolationist throughout the peak of Lato’s career. Because of the rule that players couldn’t transfer out of the country until they reached 30, the winger only ever enjoyed moderate success with his clubs: two Polish league medals with Stal Mielec, a brief period in Belgium with Lokeren.

But he more than made up for it on the international stage. Along with Kazimierz Deyna and Andrzej Szarmach, Lato formed the core of a vibrant Polish team that energised – and might well have won – the 1974 World Cup. But, despite their collective quality, it was Lato’s individual gifts that often proved the difference. His pace and precision ensured he finished as top scorer with seven goals. And, in a slightly different role, Lato proved just as influential in 1982 as Poland reached the last four again. Just a pity the club career was always much slower than he himself.

Ability 80
International 77
Club 68
Total 76.67

 

89. Antonio Cabrini

Career span 1973-91
Country Italy: 73 caps, 9 goals
Clubs Cremonese, Atalanta, Juventus, Bologna
Position left-back
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 European Cup, 1 Uefa Cup, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 6 Italian titles, 2 Italian Cups

Throughout his career, Cabrini was known as “beautiful Antonio” and “Italy’s boyfriend”. Predictably, that was for his good looks. But then, Cabrini also provided the more aesthetic side to two rigorously ordered teams. As a roving left-back in classically Italian counter-attacking Juventus and Azzurri sides, Cabrini’s brilliant breaks proved a key outlet. As well as goal returns that were more than decent for a defender, his crossing ability supplied a series of easy headers for the likes of Roberto Bettega and Michel Platini.

A perfect example came in the 1982 World Cup game against Brazil. It was Cabrini’s cross that allowed Paolo Rossi to finally open his account. Indeed, so good was the ball for the previously forlorn striker that Rossi “only had to nod his head”.

But, as well as finally igniting Italy in the tournament, that move heralded the increasing importance of full-backs over the next three decades. Pitting extreme examples of football’s two fundamental tactical approaches against each other – Brazil’s open attacking against Italy’s closed defence – the match itself has been highlighted by Inverting the Pyramid as a key game in football history. And Cabrini’s surges played a key part in tilting the balance.

That victory, of course, set Italy on the way to the 1982 World Cup and Cabrini to complete one of the most impressive medal collections in the history of the game. The only major accolade missing was the European Championship. But he played a key part in conquering every other competition.

Ability 75
International 76
Club 76
Total 75.67

 

88. Jose Santamaria

Career span 1948-66
Country Uruguay: 20 caps; Spain 16 caps
Clubs Nacional de Montevideo, Real Madrid
Position centre-back
Medals 4 European Cups, 10 league titles (5 Uruguay, 5 Spain), 1 Spanish cup

Jose Santamaria was a player so multi-talented that, initially, it caused him great misfortune. After Nacional had won the Uruguayan championship in 1950, the national side called him up for that summer’s World Cup as inside-forward. Since Santamaria was nominally a defender, however, his club refused to release him. And so he missed the most glorious moment in his country’s history.

Santamaria eventually got to play in the tournament in 1954 – as a defender – and his influential performances almost saw Uruguay repeat the feat, reaching the semi-finals. More importantly, though, it attracted the attention of Real Madrid. Once Santamaria went to the Bernabeu in 1957, he provided an immediate – and previously missing – balance to an otherwise brilliant team. Nicknamed ‘The Wall’, Santamaria actually gave their attack a different dimension once he was inserted into the centre of the backline. “In my opinion, football begins out of defense.”

And so began, too, the most impressive season of Real Madrid’s five European Cups. Although 1959-60 provided the most dazzling performance, at Hampden Park, it was 1957-58 in which they were most dominant. Real won a second successive league-and-European-Cup double but also came tantalisingly close to a treble, losing the Spanish Cup final 2-0 to Athletic Bilbao.

As the Puskas-Di Stefano era gradually passed, it was Santamaria that provided an important, anchoring experience as a new side went on to win the 1966 European Cup too. His subsequent 1962 World Cup experience with Spain wasn’t so successful – with the Uruguayan dropped for the final group game against Brazil. But, in all, Santamaria won four continental medals and 10 league titles. Almost made up for 1950.

Ability 82
International 65
Club 80
Total 75.67

 

87. Zoltan Czibor

Career span 1942-65
Country Hungary: 43 caps, 17 goals
Clubs Komarom, Ferencvaros, EDOSZ, Csepel SC, Honved, Roma, Barcelona, Espanyol, CE Europa, Basel, Austria, Wien, Toronto City
Position left wing
Medals 5 domestic titles (3 Hungary, 2 Spanish), 1 Fairs Cup

“In football, there are engineers and workers,” Zoltan Czibor once proclaimed. “I am the engineer.”

Arrogant as it may have sounded, Czibor was entirely accurate. Such was his blistering pace and breath-taking control at speed, that the winger was one of the key points of the Magic Magyars’ magnificent attack and arguably the fourth best player in the team. Most notably, Czibor terrorised the otherwise excellent Djalma Santos in Hungary’s 4-2 quarter-final over Brazil in the 1954 World Cup.

The then Honved player set up Sandor Kocsis for the key goal in that game, before then scoring the opener in the semi and second goal in the final himself. Infamously, the latter strike wasn’t to be enough to beat Germany in that Berne showpiece.
And it was a feeling Czibor was going to have to get accustomed to. Seven years later, in the exact same stadium, he again scored in a major final only to experience defeat once more. Czibor’s second goal wasn’t enough for a trailblazing Barcelona team to beat Bela Guttmann’s Benfica as they lost the European Cup final 3-2.

By that point, manager Helenio Herrera had shorn some of those more arrogant edges off his game. A more selfless approach was crucial to Czibor being a part of a third great team after Honved and Hungary. Thanks to the Hungarian’s input, Herrera’s Catalan completely overwhelmed that great Real Madrid in domestic competition – winning the 1959 and 1960 Spanish titles.
Unfortunately for Czibor, however, all of his talent could never quite engineer an elite medal.

Ability 80
International 74
Club 73
Total 75.67

 

86. Dino Zoff

Career span 1961-83
Country Italy: 112 caps
Clubs Udinese, Mantova, Napoli, Juventus
Position goalkeeper
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 European Championship, 1 Uefa Cup, 6 Italian titles, 1 Italian Cup

Essentially, Dino Zoff exemplified the key to any truly successful goalkeeping career at the very top level. Not so much spectacular saves, but rather complete and total reliability. As former Italy manager Enzo Bearzot gushed about his eventual captain, “he was a level-headed goalkeeper, capable of staying calm during the toughest and most exhilarating moments”.

And Zoff’s talent ensured he enjoyed an awful lot of the latter. The goalkeeper actually made his international debut in the Euro 68 quarter-final against Bulgaria, thereby claiming a medal when Italy won the tournament. Eventually taking over as the country’s number one, his run of 1,142 minutes without conceding a goal between 1972 and 1974 remains an international record
By the start of that streak, he already gone to Juventus where he anchored one of the greatest defences even Italy had seen. And his career enjoyed a perfect end as he captained Italy in the 1982 World Cup at the age of 40. Amid so much chaos in the build-up to that tournament, Zoff’s calm head was more crucial than ever before.

Ability 77
International 75
Club 75
Total 75.67

 

85. Luis Figo

Career span 1989-2009
Country Portugal: 127 caps, 32 goals
Clubs Sporting, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter
Position attacking midfielder, winger
Medals 1 Champions League, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 8 domestic titles (4 Spain, 4 Italy), 3 domestic cups (2 Spain, 1 Italy)

Between 1997 and 2001, Luis Figo was undeniably one of the most irresistible attacking players in the world. By combining with the more devastating Rivaldo, Figo’s creativity first helped Barca to two successive titles. He then drove Portugal to the semi-finals of Euro 2000. In a tournament that was arguably the most exhilarating carnival of attacking football since 1970, Figo was one of its finest exponents. And, within months, Figo showed admirable nerve by overcoming that rancour that greeted his transfer to Real Madrid and raising them to a first title in four years.

At that point, he was arguably the equal of Zinedine Zidane. And then he was joined by Zidane. It may well be a coincidence, but Figo suffered a drastic drop in form from the middle of 2001 on. It was characterised by his 60th-minute substitution in the 2002 Champions League final and culminated in a miserable, unfit-looking display as Portugal crashed out of that summer’s World Cup in the first round. Worse, as he stepped up to take a penalty that should have pushed Juventus to extra-time in the 2003 Champions League semi-final, he lost his nerve.

By then, Real had appeared champions elect after their masterclass against Manchester United. But, as became typical of that period, Figo was a passenger in what should have been the most prized matches of his career. A move to Inter Milan eventually saw him recover some of his form – and reputation – but never to the same degree. Unlike Zidane and Rivaldo, Figo never provided the type of performance that truly told at the very top end.

Ability 83
International 72
Club 73
Total 76

 

84. Fabio Cannavaro

Career span 1992-2011
Country Italy: 136 caps, 2 goals
Clubs Napoli, Parma, Inter, Juventus, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Ahli
Position central defender
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 Uefa Cup, 3 domestic titles (2 Spanish, 1 Italy), 2 Italian Cups

The very peak of Fabio Cannavaro’s career probably came in the 120th minute of the 2006 World Cup semi-final against Germany. Having utterly dominated Italy’s defence to the point they had only conceded one goal in six games – and would become, statistically, the competition’s best ever backline – he then drove forward 40 yards to set up a move that would culminate in Alessandro Del Piero curling the ball around Jens Lehmann for one of the competition’s finest team goals. At that point, he was most influential player in the tournament. And probably the planet.

The only problem was that after a peak comes an inevitable decline. And, although he ended up lifting the World Cup trophy, his actually started in the final. From there, a previously unseen waywardness entered his game and carried on into a mixed period with Real Madrid.

It shouldn’t be forgotten, though, that he had been almost unflappable up to that point. The roots of Italy’s 2006 defensive performance were actually seen in Euro 2000. During that run to the final, the partnership of Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta was almost impenetrable – particularly in the semi-final against Holland in which Italy had to make do with 10 men and some desperate defending throughout.

For well over a decade, Cannavaro’s qualities were based on a calm mind and a fearsome resolve to get almost any kind of touch on a ball if it meant preventing a chance. More often than not, he did. But very few other defenders came close to touching him.

Ability 81
International 78
Club 69
Total 76

 

83. Fernando Redondo

Career span 1985-2004
Country Argentina: 29 caps, 1 goal
Clubs Argentinos Juniors, Tenerife, Real Madrid, Milan
Position defensive midfield
Medals 1 Copa America, 3 Champions Leagues, 3 domestic titles (2 Spain, 1 Italy), 1 Italian Cup

Not for the last time, Alex Ferguson was awe-struck by the quality of a Spanish-league midfielder.

“What does that player have in his boots?” the Manchester United manager asked. “A magnet?” His team – and particularly Henning Berg – had just been utterly unravelled by Fernando Redondo in the 1999-2000 Champions League quarter-finals.

Roy Keane described the Argentine’s backheel-and-run as “football of the very highest quality – the standard to aim for”. Later on, Fabio Capello said the midfielder was “tactically perfect”. Supremely intelligent both on and off the pitch, Redondo’s teams ticked when he did. As the “fixed reference point” – as Luis Helguera put it – he made everyone else around him move in magnificent fashion.

The only problem was that Redondo’s exact intelligence had another edge. And, despite the heights his career reached, there’s an argument that it ensured he didn’t quite achieve the accolades he should have.

For a start, as much of a “natural leader” as he was, Redondo was often unfit or carrying injuries. And, when not in peak condition, this could make him look lazy when things were not going well.

Secondly, he could be outspoken and obstinate. Often, it was admirable. But it was still costly. Disputes over the direction of the Argentine national team under Carlos Bilardo and then Daniel Passarella cost him places at the 1990 and 1998 World Cups.

And at the very peak of his career, just after he had driven Real to the 2000 Champions League, he got involved in the club’s political machinations. Redondo backed the old president Lorenzo Sanz in the elections. So the new one, Florentino Perez, promptly sold him.

It was at that point he suffered the chronic knee injury that ended his career as a top-level player. But, before it, Redondo had often seen its extreme end.

Ability 81
International 70
Club 77
Total 76

 

82. Roy Keane

Career span 1989-2006
Country Ireland: 67 caps, nine goals
Clubs Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Celtic
Position midfield
Medals 1 Champions League, 8 domestic titles (7 England, 1 Scotland), 4 FA Cups, 1 Scottish league cup

In terms of absolutely maximising available ability, there’s probably never been a player to match Roy Keane. And that’s not to diminish his technical quality.

The Irishman had an underrated passing range – as evidenced two Xavi-esque passes to pick out Paul Scholes in a 6-2 win at Newcastle United in 2003 – as well as a powerful long shot. And, as illustrated most of all in the 1999 Champions League semi-final, he had an eye for important goals.

But Keane’s determination made him so much more than all of that. As his former manager – and seeming soul mate – Alex Ferguson once argued “there isn’t a person in the game who has Roy’s mental toughness… just when you think he hasn’t got anything more, he gives it.”

There’s probably never been a player so defined by sheer drive. Essentially, he made himself a great.

Even more important as his individual effect, though, is the influence Keane had on everyone else: it’s exponential. Through example, aggression and endeavour he forced superior performances from everyone around him. As Gary Neville has explained, “his greatest gift was to create a standard that demanded the very best from his team”.

That extreme personality, however, did occasionally spill over into incidents that undid much of his good work: the frequent red cards; the tape that lead to his departure from Old Trafford; and, most of all, Saipan.

Given both his and Ireland’s form at the time, as well as the exact type of World Cup that panned out, 2002 might well have been Keane’s platform to forge a reputation as a truly global great.

Instead, his shunning of celebrity meant Keane’s exact value was often only truly appreciated by those who saw him close up. It was telling that, in the 2001 World Player of the Year vote, his only nomination came from Louis van Gaal. Because it was Van Gaal’s Holland, of course, that Keane had trampled all over in the 2002 qualifiers.

And on that, whatever happened in Asia thereafter, there’s absolutely no denying that Ireland would not have reached the World Cup without Keane’s influence. As his midfield partner Matt Holland argued, “there’s no question he dragged us through”.

Those performances only followed his displays in his only other international tournament, USA 94. As Ireland got to the last 16 there, Keane was named one of the best players of the campaign.

And how did he sum it up?

“There was nothing to celebrate. We achieved little.”

It was that attitude which drove Manchester United for over a decade.

Ability 76
International 76
Club 76
Total 76

 

81. Djalma Santos

Career span 1948-70
Country Brazil: 98 caps, 3 goals
Clubs Portuguesa, Palmeiras, Atletico Paranaense
Position right-back
Medals 2 World Cups, 2 Brazilian titles, 3 Brazilian state championships

One of the first modern full-backs. Having given Brazil a radical new dimension with his rampaging runs up the line in the 1958 World Cup final, Djalma Santos then showed the other side to his game by acting as a durable defensive wall throughout the 1962 campaign. As such, he was named in the team of the tournament for both competitions.

Santos’s time at Palmeiras was almost as triumphant. His arrival in 1959 heralded a first State Championship for the club in a decade. And, thereafter, he combined with the players of the quality of Ademir to earn the club the nickname ‘The Academy’ for the sophistication of their football.

Ability 81
International 76
Club 71
Total 76

 

Contents

Share your opinion

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!