The 100 greatest players of all time

Gunter Netzer

Gunter Netzer directing play as ever

50. Raymond Kopa

Career span 1949-67
Country France: 45 caps, 18 goals
Clubs Angers, Stade Reims, Real Madrid, Stade Reims
Position attacking midfielder
Medals 3 European Cups, 6 league titles (4 France, 2 Spanish)

On Raymond Kopa’s last game for Reims in 1956, he played Real Madrid in the European Cup final. And, on his last game for Real Madrid in 1959, he played Reims in the European Cup final.

Talk about symmetry.

But then, the marvelous playmaker in Kopa was usually at the centre of absolutely everything.

Not least the much admired “champagne football” of the Reims team that proved Real’s main rivals in the early years of the European Cup.

“Kopa was the player who symbolised ‘le jeu de la remoise’ – as we called champagne football,” Michel Hidalgo once said. “It was all about passing and fast, technical skills. He was the organiser, [manager] Albert Batteux’s mouthpiece… Kopa was capable of adjusting the tactics during a game and woe betide you if you didn’t play the way he wanted.”

That way was usually Kopa orchestrating play and feeding an array of attackers glorious through-balls. Indeed it was the route through which Just Fontaine set the all-time World Cup scoring record, as Kopa influenced the 1958 tournament more than any other player except Didi, Garrincha and Pele. Unfortunately for Kopa, though, they ensured he would go no further than the semi-final.

But he had already gone so much further. Having lifted Reims to the unmatched heights of the 1956 European Cup final, Kopa then set up the two goals to put the French side into an early 2-0 led. “We just couldn’t stop Kopa, especially early on,” Francisco Gento admitted.

Although that wasn’t enough to actually beat Real that day – as Alfredi Di Stefano then accelerated – Kopa had done enough to join Real Madrid.

In truth, however, although Kopa won three European Cups at the club, Real arguably didn’t see the very best of him. But that was through no fault of his own. With Di Stefano the team’s undisputed kingpin, Kopa was shunted out to the right. And he was forced further wide by the time Ferenc Puskas arrived.

Kopa, however, had more than illustrated he was capable of keeping up with the greatest of all time.

Ability 87
International 77
Club 72
Total 78.6

 

49. Luis Monti

Career span 1921-39
Country Argentina: 16 caps, 5 goals; Italy: 18 caps, 1 goal
Clubs Huracan, Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo, Juventus
Position centre-half
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 Copa America, 8 domestic titles (4 Italian, 4 Argentine), 1 Italian cup

The only player in history to have played in World Cup finals for two different teams, losing with Argentina in 1930 but winning with Italy in 1934.

Monti, however, was one of a kind in other manners too. An attacking centre-half – or, perhaps, a defensive-midfield director in modern terms – his nickname was ‘double wide’ due to his coverage of the pitch. But he often combined outright aggression with ability and endurance.

A large factor in Argentina’s run to the 1930 final was Monti taking out more than one French attacker with “ferocious” tackles, as Brian Glanville described it. Such was his importance that there was even talk he had been threatened with death in the build-up to the showdown with host nation Uruguay. Whatever the truth, he had an unusually subdued final as Argentina lost 4-2. The team couldn’t complete an otherwise exceptional era in which they had also won the South American championship.

Monti’s performances, nevertheless, were still enough to earn him a move to Juventus, where he formed a key part of the club’s most successful period – winning four successive Italian titles. And that team – with Monti as its backbone – formed the spine of Italy’s 1934 success, providing no less than nine players to the final.

Even amid so many teammates, though, the Argentina remained unique.

Ability 76
International 80
Club 80
Total 78.6

 

48. Mattias Sindelar

Career span 1924-39
Country Austria: 43 caps, 27 goals
Clubs Austria Vienna
Position forward
Medals 1 Austrian title, 5 Austrian cups

One of football’s great tragedies. But, at the least, Sindelar inspired so much triumph.

Certainly, the good died young. After the annexation of Austria in 1938, Sindelar had hardly been a Nazi supporter. He refused to put up their posters, danced in front of their top-ranking officials as he inspired a defeat of Germany in the same year and, finally, refused to play for the unified team.

But then, in the first month of 1939, he was found dead in his apartment with his girlfriend. Doubt remains as to whether it was accidental gas poisoning, suicide or murder.

No doubt remains, however, as to whether Sindelar was deserving of every single tributes flooded in. As the Austrian coffee-house writer elaborated, “he was endowed with such an unbelievable wealth of variations and ideas that no one could never really be sure which manner of play was to be expected. He had no system, to say nothing of a set pattern. He just had… genius.”

He also had a huge effect on the tactical development of the game. Sindelar was one of the first centre-forwards to drop back into midfield, preceding Nandor Hidegkuti. As well as causing havoc with opposition defences, it completed Austria’s so-called ‘Danubian Whirl’. In the early ’30s, Sindelar ensured they were probably the greatest team in the world.
“He would play football as a grandmaster plays chess,” writer Alfred Polgar argued. “With a broad mental conception, calculating moves and countermoves in advances, always choosing the most promising of possibilities.

Of course, the most promising was usually him dribbling towards goal. Sindelar’s technique was flawless.

The pity, perhaps, is that both he and the team were past their best by the 1934 World Cup. Although it didn’t help that he had effectively been kicked out of the semi-final by Luis Monti.

At his peak, though, Sindelar had usually evaded every challenge.

Ability 85
International 80
Club 71
Total 78.6

 

47. Valentino Mazzola

Career span 1939-49
Country Italy: 12 caps, 4 goals
Clubs Alfa Romeo, Venezia, Torino
Position attacking midfielder
Medals 5 Italian titles, 2 Italian cups

When news came through that the Torino plane had crashed at Superga in 1949, so great was the desire that Valentino Mazzola – above all else – had survived that many false stories spread that he had missed the flight.

Such was his effect on the Italian population. Let alone his teams. Prior to Torino, Mazzola had been influential in lifting lowly Venezia to the Coppa Italia and third in the league.

“He alone is half the squad,” Torino teammate Mario Rigamonti argued, “the other half is made by the rest of us together.”
And, certainly, Mazzola had some effect on them. On the rare occasions that Torino were struggling, he would famously roll up his sleeves and shout ‘go!’ A dramatic comeback usually followed. But they themselves were usually orchestrated by Mazzola’s own prodigious ability. Devastating all-round play was often finished by a thunderous shot.

The only caveat to Mazzola’s career is that he never truly translated his club form to Italian performances. But then he had already been the centre-point of one of the greatest teams the globe had ever seen. With Mazzola as the motor, Torino won five titles and set still-standing records in Italian football.

Ability 88
International 60
Club 88
Total 78.6

 

46. Sepp Maier

Career span 1962-79
Country West Germany: 95 caps
Clubs Bayern Munich
Position goalkeeper
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 European Championship, 3 European Cups, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 4 German titles, 4 German cups

“There’s no need to make a daring leap,” Sepp Maier once said, “if you’re standing in the right place to begin with.”
Certainly, Maier very rarely got his positioning wrong. If German football epitomised reliability from the early ’70s on, it was the goalkeeper who personified it.

But that’s not to say he wasn’t capable of the daring. Quite the contrary given his athleticism and agility. And that was most evident in the 1974 World Cup effective play-off against Poland. With Grzegorz Lato and co absolutely pummelling the German goal, it was only Maier that kept the score at an undeserved 1-0 to the home side. As Franz Beckenbauer rightfull argued, “without Sepp we would never have won the World Cup”.

Of course, thanks to players like Beckenbauer, Maier himself won so much more. And, naturally, there was some degree of fortune to keep goal in two sides so exquisitely good. Notoriously, he once spent an entire match chasing after a duck that had flown onto the pitch while Bayern Munich absolutely battered Bochum.

But, otherwise, Maier more than played his part by never letting his own level drop.

Ability 80
International 80
Club 77
Total 78.66

 

45. Bobby Charlton

Career span 1956-76
Country England: 106 caps, 49 goals
Clubs Manchester United, Preston
Position midfielder, forward
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 European Cup, 3 English titles, 1 FA Cup

Given Bobby Charlton’s quietly dignified, patriarchal image at this point, it can be easy to forget just what a devastating, penetrative attacking player he was in his youth.

On initially making his name, Charlton was known for his sensational dribbling ability and speed. On then breaking so many records, he was celebrated for the outrageous range of his passing and the emphatic power of his shots.

Most of all, though, he should be revered for his moral courage. Charlton had already established himself as one of the Busby Babes’ most promising players by the time he saw so many of his young teammates die in Munich. The team was cruelly taken away just at the time they looked to be accumulating the experience necessary to properly challenge Real Madrid. Indeed, Charlton earned much admiration from Alfredo Di Stefano and co for his performance in the previous season’s semi-final between the two teams.

Remarkably, he emerged from the wreckage of Munich relatively unscathed physically. But there were many mental scars. Indeed, they arguably drove the rest of his career.

Along with Bill Foulkes, Charlton’s resolve helped Matt Busby rebuild Manchester United. Within five years, he was the focal point of a team again challenging for the game’s major honours. Within 10, he had scored the opening and closing goals in a European Cup final – adding an emotional symmetry to an iconic occasion.

And in between all of that, of course, Charlton was driving England’s greatest ever national side. His finest international moment came in the 1966 semi-final, where he – again – outshone Eusebio with the two goals that vanquished Portugal. But, of the final itself, Franz Beckenbauer said “England beat us because Charlton was just a bit better than me.”

Many players of the time knew the feeling.

Ability 80
International 76
Club 80
Total 79

 

44. Gunter Netzer

Career span 1963-77
Country West Germany: 37 caps, 6 goals
Clubs Borussia Monchengladbach, Real Madrid, Grasshopper
Position attacking midfielder
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 European Championship, 4 domestic titles (2 German, 2 Spain), 3 domestic cups (2 Spain, 1 German)

The German national team’s crowning moment may have come in the 1974 World Cup, when the team confirmed their place as one of the most all-conquering of all time. But it wasn’t their peak.

That came two years earlier in the European Championships. And, for once, it wasn’t primarily driven by Franz Beckenbauer.
The star was undoubtedly Gunter Netzer.

On frequent occasions during the quarter-final against England at Wembley, the partisan crowd broke into applause at the sheer excellence of the midfielder’s play. As Uli Hesse wrote in Tor!, Netzer was simply “overpowering”.

At the peak of his game in the early ’70s, Netzer orchestrated Germany’s greatest ever international side and one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting ever club teams.

To a degree, both Netzer and Beckenbauer defined the two dominant strands of German football in the 70s: effervescence and efficiency. Beckenbauer was seen as a “vain star”, Netzer the “mythic rebel”.

Part of that, of course, was down to his personality and playing style. “Other images,” Hesse wrote, “supplement this picture. Netzer at the wheel of his Ferrari, Netzer arm in arm with his beautiful girlfriend. It should be no surprise, then, that he captured the imagination.”

And he certainly did on the pitch. Netzer’s range-finding passes, fulminating strikes and driving runs all contributed to the image of a glamorous playmaker. Most famously of all, despite grieving the death of his mother and despite having just signed for Real Madrid, he came off the bench in the 1973 German cup final to score the winner against Koln. It capped a glorious period at Borussia Monchengladbach that only really lacked a European Cup.

Netzer wouldn’t win the competition at Real Madrid either. And, even by then, there was the argument that his rebellious image had already robbed him of a potentially better career.

In truth, he wasn’t actually a rebel. More a complex individualist. As he said himself, “I guess I really was a bit spoiled. Many things had come too easily, my self-confidence was astonishingly great.” And, later: “personally, training camps used to make me wonder whether I ought to pack football in.”

He may as well have done so for the 1974 World Cup. Manager Helmut Schoen barely played him, preferring the more positionally responsible Wolfgang Overath.

Through that, Netzer missed a famous win over Holland. But he had already established his own legend by inspiring many others. The wonder is that there just might have been more.

Ability 85
International 77
Club 75
Total 79

 

43. Nilton Santos

Career span 1948-64
Country Brazil: 75 caps, 3 goals
Clubs Botafogo
Position left-back
Medals 2 World Cups, 3 Brazilian state championships

For reasons off the pitch, Nilton Santos is one of the most influential figures in Brazilian football history. Known as “the encyclopaedia” because of his deep knowledge of the game, it was he who lead a player delegation to Vicente Feola in 1958 and implored the coach to start Pele and Garrincha in the crucial group game against USSR.

But Santos proved just as influential on the pitch. Solid in defence and scintillating in attack, his all-round abilities were integral to Brazil developing the 4-2-4 system – with overlapping full-backs – that won their first two World Cups in 1958 and 1962. That range was exemplified in the 1958 group game against Austria, when Santos picked the ball up in his own half, dribbled past a series of defenders and crashed the ball into the net.

For such influence, he was named in the team of the tournament. And he is undoubtedly in Brazil’s team of all time. Which is saying even more than his own words to Feola.

Ability 82
International 85
Club 70
Total 79

 

42. Tarcisio Burgnich

Career span 1958-77
Country Italy: 66 caps, 2 goals
Clubs Udinese, Juventus, Palermo, Inter, Napoli
Position right-back, sweeper
Medals 1 European Championship, 2 European Cups, 5 Italian titles, 1 Italian cup

Rather simply, Tarcisio Burgnich was known as “the rock”. And, unlike some of football’s quaint old nicknames, there’s rarely been one so apt. Burgnich was, essentially, a formidable presence that opposition attackers found very difficult to get around or by. He effectively set the template for the Italian defensive stereotype: uncompromising and unforgiving.

One story has it that, in the middle of a Serie A game, Luigi Rova knocked his teeth out. Unmoved, Burgnich still faced the striker down. And then spent the rest of the game enacting brutal revenge… but still embraced him afterwards.

Fittingly, “the rock” proved one of the building blocks to two for Italy’s greatest ever teams: the international side of 1968-70 that won the European Championships and got to the final of the World Cup; and Helenio Herrera’s Gran Inter. Of course, not only were they great Italian sides. But also two of the most durable defensive sides. Catenaccio couldn’t have been built on anything less than the likes of Burgnich.

Ability 81
International 76
Club 81
Total 79.3

 

41. Sandor Kocsis

Career span 1943-65
Country Hungary: 68 caps, 75 goals
Clubs Kobanyao, Ferencvaros, Edosz, Honved, Young Fellows Zurich, Barcelona
Position forward
Medals 1 Fairs Cup, 6 domestic titles (4 Hungary, 2 Spain), 2 Spanish cups

In a 1954 World Cup final that was so full of surprises, one has often been overlooked: Sandor Kocsis didn’t score.
Indeed, had he done what had become routine in his international career, then it is highly likely that Hungary would have crowned four years of glory. Because, throughout that time, Kocsis scored a total of 75 goals in 68 games – more than one a match.

For players with more than 43 international caps, it is the most prolific rate that international football has ever seen (1.1) – even beating Gerd Muller.

Just a pity, then, that one of the few matches he missed in was the most important of his career.

There were, of course, wider reasons to that. And it’s still not to say he was a big-game bottler or anything of the sort. Indeed, his goal ratio again testifies to that. Kocsis scored in every other game of that tournament including two in the hard-fought ‘Battle of Berne’ quarter-final against Brazil. Before then, he had scored a goal a game as Honved dominated Hungarian football. After it, he hit a series of important strikes for Helenio Herrera’s irresistible Barcelona team of the late 50s.

Because of the amount of goals he scored through the air, Kocsis became known as ‘the Golden Head’. But there was so much more to his game than that.

Another game he didn’t score in was the famous 7-3 win over England, leading Jeno Buzanszky to comment that “if he had shown his real form, the result would have been even more cruel”. And yet, Kocsis still offered a series of key passes and assists in that game. As Jonathon Wilson wrote in Inverting the Pyramid, he was one of the “great players of the age” – almost the equal of Ferenc Puskas and Nandor Hidegkuti.

But, in terms of scoring, he had very few equals himself.

Ability 82
International 80
Club 76
Total 79.33

 

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!