Who was better footballer? Pele or Maradona?

[BD-Shardul]

An ongoing debate is: Who was better footballer? Pele or Maradona? Maradona claims that he is the best, Pele is not even close to him. He further said that comparing him with Pele is an insult to his football abilities.

I have not seen any of them playing. Also I do not have much technical knowledge on football. I have voted for Pele here, not because I am Brazil supporter, but because of Maradona’s arrogance.

What do you think?

[Tigers_eye]

Those who pound chest and say I am the best (no humbleness) are all phony living under a blanket of doubt. Even Ali at the end of his career admits he is not (humbleness sinking in). Only then he bacame the best ever.

Maradona no doubt best for his time and some but not the best all time. Football was invented for the Black Pearl.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by Tigers_eye
Those who pound chest and say I am the best (no humbleness) are all phony living under a blanket of doubt. Even Ali at the end of his career admits he is not (humbleness sinking in). Only then he bacame the best ever.

Maradona no doubt best for his time and some but not the best all time. Football was invented for the Black Pearl.

Spot AWN brothamayn! Here's why (in spite of the poor video quality, just watch and be awed ... ): -



BTW, I think Messi is better than Maradona (and Robinho), "mano de Dios" notwithstanding.

[tonoy]

is this even a contest? Pele is a hands down better player. Maradonna shouldve played volleyball instead.

[Orpheus]

haha tonoy.. shabash!! nice one!!

Maradona has a big mouth.. I remember a world cup before the last one where senegal advanced to quaterfinal I think, maradona commented how the hell does a team like senegal come to quaterfinal, they don't even have proper facilities, they play football with coconuts...LOL

[Orpheus]

you can not compare the two... it's like comparing the beatles with Michael Jackson, who is better? or which fish taste better.. ilish or chingri.... how can you differentiate.. you can't.

[Sohel]

Well, they were both soccer players and played forward for their respective teams, hence the grounds for comparison. While such comparisons are ultimately subjective in nature, they remain somewhat different from liking ilsh or chingrhi IMHO. Ilish bhaja versus shorshe ilish may be a better analogy ...

[Puck]

maradona was indeed the bad boy of football. where pele now advertises impotency drugs and is generally known to be ageing well, the former is likely to be seen with two hookers holding a bottle of fine argentine chardonnay. those below the age of 45 would have seen very little of pele. what we have known of seen of him had been through bad quality videos. maradona is more contemporary, at least to thirty somethings. ruud gullit was asked a few years ago if he was the best footballed ever. gullit was always known to be arrogant but instantly pointed out that cryuff was perhaps the best dutch player, pele, the best brazilian and maradona the best ever out of all footballers he had played against or watched.

there is a general bias towards brazil in this forum and many of the internet boards. the british tend to abhor maradona for the hand of god moment. however, with the little master, you have to take the good with the bad. pele won world cups with brazilain teams that had many brilliant players. maradona won the world cup and got to another final singlehandedly. it is true that he was not the same player after the age of 28 or 29, but again he won the italian league with the unfancied team of napoli. this does not negate the achievement of pele or make him a lesser player. both these were supremely gifted footballers and i dare say we have anyone in comparison to their ability in the contemporary game. there are many a flash in the pan in the training grounds but to pull it off in the middle of a match is something else.

i would actually add another name to the two mentioned fighting it out for the title of best ever. that name is george best. pele thought best was one of the best ever. maradona was an admirer as well. i am not a man utd. fan by any means but i'd probably put up pele, maradona and best in the same pedestal and if it came to a vote, perhaps opt for maradona.

[BD-Shardul]

Originally Posted by tonoy
is this even a contest? Pele is a hands down better player. Maradonna shouldve played volleyball instead.

Ya, tonoy bhai. His hand of God was perfect to play volleyball. Didn't realise it on time.

[B.A.F]

This argument will be longer than a Phd Essay to the power of 100000000000000000000. And it has been.
I'll make it simple and succinct

Pele : Shut up, leave the controversy, leave the ball to your feet and play a technical game.
Maradona : Live the life of braveheart - and play like the game was like the war in 300, and play like a romantic - break the bonds and the presets that said 'thats impossible'

To some up, one did the things exactly like they were depicted in the text books *Pele* and the other, well, he innovated and conconcted things the orientalists of Football couldn't even DREAM of

[B.A.F]

Originally Posted by Tigers_eye
Those who pound chest and say I am the best (no humbleness) are all phony living under a blanket of doubt. Even Ali at the end of his career admits he is not (humbleness sinking in). Only then he bacame the best ever.
Maradona no doubt best for his time and some but not the best all time. Football was invented for the Black Pearl.

Oh? Then explain why Pele used to always say 'there will be no New Pele ever' or things like 'Don't compare him to me, he's not good enough yet' etc etc? Humbleness at its peak eh?

[B.A.F]

Originally Posted by Orpheus
haha tonoy.. shabash!! nice one!!

Maradona has a big mouth.. I remember a world cup before the last one where senegal advanced to quaterfinal I think, maradona commented how the hell does a team like senegal come to quaterfinal, they don't even have proper facilities, they play football with coconuts...LOL

Half of what Pele says is BS
Luis Felippe Scholari, the coach of Portugal and WC Winning Coach with Brazil in '02 said 'Whatever rubbish Pele says that you must to do succeed, do the exact opposite, then you will succeed' - I'm paraphrasing, but that is the implication.
Pele speaks like he is the ultimate guru - when his son is facing Drug Extortion charges and he advertices impotency drugs if I am right

Pele isn't as dramatic as Dona I agree - but he does speak a alot of bs.

[B.A.F]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
Spot AWN brothamayn!
BTW, I think Messi is better than Maradona (and Robinho), "mano de Dios" notwithstanding.

EXCESSIVE EXTENSIVE gross-exaggeration. That is a travesty. Any 'non-english' (for obvious reasons) football pundit - if they hear that they'll spit the coffee they were drinking and regurgitate the liquid already drunk.

[Tigers_eye]

Koi din por por...

Dear B.A.F.,
I love your name. Just a question. Are you an Airforce officer (i doubt it) or it is the love of your father's profession?

Ignorance is not an excuse. How old are you by the way?

[Shobha]

you cannot compare pele and maradonna. pele was a striker, he scored goals often created by other players. maradonna created his own goals and other peoples

[Tigers_eye]

Originally Posted by Shobha
you cannot compare pele and maradonna. pele was a striker, he scored goals often created by other players. maradonna created his own goals and other peoples

Shobha apu,
eita apney ki bollen? Khela na dekhey comment koirey fellen? The control over the ball Pele had was next to none. It seemed like the ball had a magnet which would only get stuck with his foot and no one else. His speed was too much for any three four defenders. The only way most of the team could stop him was to foul him. Even then some couldn't.

[Ishtylish cricketer]

Pele hands down even though I support Argentina. Maradona had amazing ball controll but he was not as dominant as Pele. Also Maradona scored with his hand and was found guilty of taking illegal drugs.

[BangladeshFan]

havent seen pele play but have seen maradona and he was my favorite player, i had posters of him all over my room.

skill wise it is really hard to compare as they were playing a different era, maradona played in a time when defenders were at their most ruthless and players didnt have the protection against sliding tackles and from behind as they have now.

but maradona was very good as well from corners, free kicks and penalties. he was a complete player. i am not sure if pele was that good from dead ball situation.

[Farhad]

Even though I hate Maradona and his attitude, I feel I wouldnt be honest with myself if i call Pele the better player. I guess my opinion might be one sided as Pele played before my time, but judging from the videos ive seen of him in action, his competition wasnt all that great. Dont get me wrong, if he were to play now, im sure he would have been a great player. Great, but probably not the best....

[B.A.F]

Originally Posted by Tigers_eye
Koi din por por...

Dear B.A.F.,
I love your name. Just a question. Are you an Airforce officer (i doubt it) or it is the love of your father's profession?

Ignorance is not an excuse. How old are you by the way?

Nope!!! Not an Airforce Officer, I'm still young but I got a love for Planes as you know nope my father's profession is no way near Aviation industry/practice!!

I'm a young fan and a lover of football, it's my opinion. I'm under 20. Just because I am that age it doesnt limit me in my opinion in football, I don't have to follow your tangent of thinking likewise you don't follow mine
It's not my own audacious emission of sacrilege that I wasn't begotten in 1945 so It would've been possible to earthen an adult whilst Pele 'revolutionised' football with his majestic potency - and and also get to see Maradona in the catharsis or in the forth-coming and make a consensus in retrospect to Pele on who was the exalted and superior amongst all minions that mercilessly vortex a spherical oppositely-conjoined dome 90 minutes till the apolocalypse kisses us. It's a subjective conclusion to all - like David Hume.
But I'll tell you that from what I know - Pele is secondary to Maradona because I feel it is
^^^^ prolly doesnt make sense btw!! but im writing some poetry at the mo lol!!^^^^


But one thing I do know is when I say Pele speaks BS, I know it because this is Pele at 60 speaking - and thank God thats one thing I am old enough to talk about :P and he says those things at 60 and so - for that secondary opinion age has no significance

[Farhad]

Originally Posted by B.A.F
......................................
It's not my own audacious emission of sacrilege that I wasn't begotten in 1945 so It would've been possible to earthen an adult whilst Pele 'revolutionised' football with his majestic potency - and and also get to see Maradona in the catharsis or in the forth-coming and make a consensus in retrospect to Pele on who was the exalted and superior amongst all minions that mercilessly vortex a spherical oppositely-conjoined dome 90 minutes till the apolocalypse kisses us. It's a subjective conclusion to all - like David Hume.
.......................................

[Fazal]

I think the elder Manning is the best footballer.

[thebest]

Pele won 3 WC and Maradona won one and in final in another one. So Pele is the winner no doubt or is it? If Pele did not play probably Brazil would have won 1958 WC; 1962's WC is known as Garricha's WC and Brazil team of 1970 is considered as the best team ever to play in WC. So Pele's contribution is to donning number 10 shirt in the best team on earth. Compare to that with 1986 team of Maradona. That team do not have the quality to qualify if Maradona did not play. A half fit Maradona bring Argentina in WC final. The team is so bad that they even could not compete with a second division team in any european league. Maradona make Napoli - a second division into Italian champion and probably UEFA champion (can anyone clarrify whether it is UEFA or Champions or now defunct Cup Winners) . Pele is so good that he even did not dare to play in european league. Dont tell me he did not lust for money otherwise how you could justify his playing in Cosmos or European teams did not take non-European player. Di-steffano an Argentine played for Real Madrid at the same time; so many Uruguayan were playing at Italian team at that time. Pele is so famous because of English writers who fall in love in him by exotic play and Maradona is infamous for his 'Hand of God' conveniently they forgot the best goal they ever saw in the same game and for his loud mouth. But Maradona is not the only loud mouth ; Pele is probably louder. Look at Ronaldo's comment few days back. I did not hear any argentine would insult Maradona such a way
BTW both are great player, But Maradona is greatest followed by Pele and other mortals. Why look at other great player. Pele had Dida, Garincha, Jairjinho; Platini had Tigana,Girres, Fernandaz; Cruef had Niskens, Croll, Rensenbrink; Puskas had Zibor, bozsik, Kocsis, Hidekuti; All great players themselves. For Maradona Buruchaga and Cannigia are only good player. Even the most complete footballer of the world De-stefffano has Puskas and Gento as colleague in Real Madrid. Even De-steffano can not make Spain a contender in 1962 due to poor quality of spanish player. So now calculate yourself who is the best?

[Tigers_eye]

Originally Posted by Fazal
I think the elder Manning is the best footballer.

No way!! You haven't seen his dad play. P and E is can't even tie up his shoes. Spirals were eye-catching, smooth. Its just his teams defense was crap, drop balls was a regular thingi.

[Shaan]

If someone really understand football, Maradona as a player the best world ever has seen no argument about that. People has already voted Maradona by 80% over pele through internet referendum and showed that who was the real magical,talented and best football palyer. So FIFA or whetever has to declare both pele and Maradona players of the Century. In this forum seems like most people are Brazialian supporter or UK residence to vote most for pele. Anyway its like religion Islam is best Or Christianity argument will round and round and no conclusion, so it is best to keep happy yourself who you believe and find the best. I found Maradona the best again and again no matter how many times watching his football and pele's football.

For your interest here is small clip of Maradona: http://youtube.com/watch?v=NBpu-M6kXCk&feature=related