Before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo ceased to exist, football fans had arguments over who the better player is between Brazillian sensation Pele, and Argentine Icon Diego Maradona. Let’s find out who had a more prolific career-
Club Goals While Pele’s goal-tally system is a bit exaggerated, he has still scored way more goals than Diego Maradona. Pele has reportedly scored more than 700 goals for his club whereas Maradona has only scored 300. This can be further explained as Maradona played more as an attacking midfielder.
International Career Stats: Pele played over 92 games for Brazil, whereas Diego Maradona played 91 games. Just like the goal tally for club football, Pele beats Maradona in international goals as well. Pele has scored 77 goals for Brazil, while Maradona only scored 34 for Argentina.
FIFA World Cup stats Both the legends have played 4 FIFA World Cup tournaments each. Pele has 12 goals in 14 appearances, whereas Diego Maradona has 8 goals in 21 appearances.
Title Comparisons Pele overtakes the Argentine yet again as he won 15 major titles in his career. Diego Maradona on the other hand won only 11 titles in his prolific career. Pele is also the only footballer to ever win 3 FIFA World Cups.
Individual Awards Individually, it is hard to choose a single player between the two legends. While Diego Maradona played as a playmaker, Pele was a pure goal-scorer. Both players have one World Cup golden ball, one FIFA player of the Century, and ballon D’or awards. Fair to say, they were an equally big threat to the opponent's defenders.
Statistically, Pele overtakes Maradona in numerous categories. Although, the two icons played in different positions, allowing them to perform different roles on the pitch. In conclusion, Pele can be termed as the better scorer, but Diego Maradona brought more than just goals to the game.