Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? Who is the ‘GOAT’ according to Pele
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo or Argentina's Lionel Messi? Who did Brazillian icon Pele described as 'GOAT' of football.
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Pele was the quintessential fox in the box in football, a player who traded in both quantity and quality and whose staggering career stats alone distinguished him as a legend. Peak footage is hard to come by. Pele was a youthful sensation in the late 1950s who shone on the world stage for nearly 15 years. What is provided shows a quick forward with a devastating finish.
Those who saw him in action describe him as a player who elevated the sport of football to a new level, tormenting defences as he broke record after record. Pele prominently played for only two clubs during his whole career scoring more than 1000 goals in the process which has never been matched by any other footballing great.
Since his retirement, Pele had many times acted as a pundit providing his plethora of football knowledge which used to be misses and hits. On one such occasion, he was given the envious task of selecting between Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi. The Brazillian icon choose his South American counterpart but was disappointed for having only two options to choose from.
“It’s sad that you have only two players in the world to choose from, Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Pele, Zico, Junior … All over the world now there are only two players. And Neymar, right? Our Brazilian is getting there.” he said.
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Brazil icon Pele choose Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo
Pele emphasized that Ronaldo was more of a goalscorer but in terms of overall ability, Messi was way ahead of the Portuguese. “I would still stay with Messi. Scoring is important, no doubt, but if you do not have anyone to prepare, then the ball is not enough. For my team, I prefer Messi, As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s a great goalscorer. Ronaldo’s been able to score goals, while you see Messi creating goals and directing the play, as well as scoring. Ronaldo’s a great goalscorer, but in terms of the complete player, there’s no doubt that Messi is the best,” he clarified.
After Pele’s demise, both Ronaldo and Messi penned down their heartfelt condolences as the football world loses one of it’s greatest players ever. Cristiano Ronaldo sent his condolences to the family of Pele and all the Brazilian people who idolized him for their entire life as he talks about the pain the entire world is going through right now.
He also mentioned how no goodbye will be enough of the legend and that he will always be remembered and remain in the hearts of millions forever just like he was while he lived. Lionel Messi later paid his regards wishing the man all the peace and shared a couple of pictures where both of them shared a moment.
Related: Messi or Ronaldo? Brazilian legends Pele, Ronaldinho answer
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Sujeeth Shetty
(766 Articles Published)