Why Maradona and Pelé are Wrong About Messi Why Maradona and Pelé are Wrong About Messi Email During an appearance at a Euro 2016 event, Diego Maradona talked with Brazilian soccer legend Pelé. When Pelé asked Maradona if he knew Lionel Messi -widely considered the best soccer player in the world- Maradona’s response was nothing short of shocking, “He’s a really good person but he has no personality. He lacks the character to be a leader,” said Maradona about Messi. Pelé then continued, “Ah, I get it, he’s not like we were back in the days. In the ‘70s, we [Brazil] had really good players like Rivellino, Gerson, Tostao.” Pelé, who together with Maradona and Messi constitute soccer’s Holy Trinity of the best three players in the history of the game, thus offered a candid assessment of the fact that most of the time he played he also had other excellent players in his team. This hasn’t always been the case for both Maradona and Messi. However, both Maradona and Pelé are wrong in their assessment of Messi.

Anybody who says that Messi has no personality hasn’t seen the last game in which he participated, Argentina vs. Panamá, when Messi did a stupendous hat trick that showed, as if it were necessary, why he is the best player in the world today. And with a personality of its own: that of a humble, perfectionist player adored by fans from all over the world. I cannot help but think that both Pelé and Maradona comments about Messi are the result of sour grapes. After all, until Messi started playing, they were considered the two best players in the world, a place they now had to share with Messi. And while Messi isn’t annoyed by the comparison with Maradona and Pelé, both of these players seem resentful of Messi. The recent game between Argentina and Panama was vintage Messi. At the game in Chicago, 53,885 fans were there to watch Messi, many among them wearing Argentina’s famed striped jersey with the same name and number 10 in the back: Messi, 10. No explanation was needed.

There was an air of expectation in the crowd, particularly because of a lower back injury during a friendly game between Argentina and against Honduras, there was no certainty that Messi would be able to play. However, to everybody’s surprise and under a deafening roar from the crowd Messi came to play, exactly 61 minutes from the beginning of the game, and he didn’t disappoint. Every time he touched the ball the crowd cheered. He scored an easy goal in the 68th minute, followed by another goal from a free kick from the right side in the 78th minute to end with a hat trick in the 87th minute. By any measure, his free kick goal was as if he had a measuring tape in his eyes. The ball went up and descended with jewelers’ precision in the right top part of the net, Panama’s goalie all but defeated. Two minutes later, Argentina’s Sergio Aguero scored the last goal of the game for Argentina. What made this game unusual is that after each of Messi’s goals even the Panamanian fans cheered him.

As Argentina’s coach said, “When Messi came in, things were taken care of.” This was an opinion shared by Panama’s coach Hernán Darío Gomez who, talking about Messi, said with a mixture of sorrow and admiration, “He’s a monster.” Any comparison among the three players is unfair, since they played in different eras with different styles of playing. One can say that today athletes are more complete and the game is played at a faster pace. One thing is certain, however. The three of them are superb players with different styles but with the same passion for the most popular sport in the world. They are soccer’s Holy Trinity. Dr. Cesar Chelala is an Argentine soccer fan. Why is jersey number 10 famous on football teams? Why do the best players on a team often wear #10? - Quora Quora Certains numbers have certain, unwritten associations. #1 is usually the goalie, #7 often times a winger, #10 the central midfield playmaker, #9 and #11 usually strikers. There was a time when players had to wear #1-11...and your position defined what number you wore.

As Rohan said, the player who wears #10 is usually considered the best player on the team. Historically you could look at the players from the past, namely Pele and Maradona...two of the greatest, two #10s. It's easy to understand why players would want the number 10 shirt. It's interesting to see how certain numbers at certain clubs are coveted. The #7 at both United and Liverpool have been reserved for some of the clubs greatest players: Keegan, Dalglish, Suarez, Beckham, Ronaldo, Robson. It's also interesting to see how the #23 has started to gain more interest...due possibly to footballer's opinions of Michael Jordan. Here's a great article about soccer jersey numbers: 10: RCM 11: LW This system of numbering is just like a guideline/default. Players are free to choose any number they like. E.g. Michael Ballack always wore the #13 jersey though he played in a role that would require him to wear #10. Similarly in other formations, the default numbering can be obtained by slightly changing the one i have mentioned for 4-3-3.

All the default numbering systems are based on the 2-3-5 formation, which was the default formation in England in early twentieth century. ​ ​ As far as the number 10 jersey is concerned, it was initially worn by the playmaker in the team. With the passing of time, the best player in team started wearing the number 10 jersey. My belief is that it was the legendary Pelé who popularized the number 10 jersey. The Brazilian team in 1958 world cup used 4-2-4 formation. The 17 year old Pelé was the LS. He was the secondary striker behind, Vavá. So it was normal for him to wear #10. ​ Numbering in 4-2-4 used in Latin America ​ Brazil's Formation in 1958 WC After Pelé's success, the number also gained in popularity. Nowadays it is either worn by the best player or the playmaker in the team. It is offered to a player to make him feel important and valuable. ​ Reference: Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wison. It's a must read if you're a fan of Football Tactics and its evolution with time.

Written Feb 19, 2013 The Jersey number 10 is now worn exclusively by the greatest players. The soccer scoreboards showed that it was worn by the legends of the game, Pele, Maradona, Zidane are only a few to name, and now it is worn by Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Rooney etc. Jersey number 10 is now regarded as a legacy and is given to only those who deserve this honor. Players like Messi, Rooney and Ronaldinho certainly are the deserving ones as they brought laurels for their respective countries. Players who wear number 10 are regarded as great players who have changed the game in some way, and who raised the bar of the game for the future. Updated Sep 9, 2014 Kevin Ruiz is on to the answer, but I need to embellish it a bit more... The original numbering system for football (soccer) and hockey started "at the back" with a team's goalie as #1. Then, going forward, defensive players were #2 - #6 (football, depending on formation) or single-digit numbers (hockey, typically).

Midfielders were #6 - #9, and that left #10 and #11 as the strikers. The goal scorers. The heroes. The prima donnas (in its original connotation). Everyone wants to be a hero. With the likes of Péle and Maradona (as others have said), generations of football players aspired to wear #10, just like generations of basketball players wanted to wear #23, or baseball players wanted to wear #3 (Ruth), #4 (Gehrig, the first retired number in professional sports), #21 (Clementé) or #42 (Robinson). Coincidently, #9 carries the same mystique in football. Often, depending on formation, #9 would be a scorer, too, or a major distributor for the side. It's no coincidence that when The Dream Team was assembled in 1992, Jordan selected #9 for its international sports aura.

Written Sep 15, 2015 Jersey number 10 ,in short the legend 's jersey,The best player in the team will be assigned to this number and the history also proves itself that number 10 never fails.But if you throw back yourself to the history of football , to find out the origin of jersey number 10 , many of them say thats because of the 2 legends pele and maradona and we all know that . But the origin actually started with the brazilian native,king of soccer,god of football,worldcup hero and what not the greatest of all time pele.Its the time when the 17 year old boy striker ready for his debut for his world cup,when assignment of jersey numbers got started. Before the 1958 World Cup, Brazilian officials sent the list of selected players to the FIFA, but forgot to assign shirt numbers to each of them. There is a delegate of Uruguay, Lorenzo Villizzio, which distributed the numbers trying to do his best.

He gave the number 10 to an unknown 17 years old player, Pelé, and the number 3 to the first choice goalkeeper Gilmar!And we all know how far the story had gone frm there ,the legend was made.But are the football fans are fools to believe the number makes the sentiment working all the time? than its just a matter of coincidence or the own legacy of pele?But later man called maradona rises as a miracle from argentina joining the club 10 and made the strong statement ,better said to be the sentiment to follow.He proves its not the coincidence,its the myth. And from the history ,till now we witnessed the legacy growing .Alright if you dont believe me! then go watch LEONEL MESSI ........... !!!!!!!!!

:-) Shirt Number 10s | Jersey Number 10s | Footballers with shirt Number 10 | Football Players with Shirt Number 10 | List of Football Players of Shirt Number 10 | List of Footballer of Jersey Number 10 | Football Blog | Arsenal Blog | Gunners Blog | Arsenal Formations | Arsenal Transfer News | Arsenal Forever | Sharan's Blog Just another Die hard Arsenal Fan's Blog Shirt Number 10s | Jersey Number 10s | Footballers with shirt Number 10 | Football Players with Shirt Number 10 | List of Football Players of Shirt Number 10 | List of Footballer of Jersey Number 10 This Blog has been moved to ShazHell.Blogspot.com Shirt number 10 in football is reserved for greatest players who have ever played the beautiful game. Starting from Pelé, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane and so on sported Jersey Number 10 are known for their quality and will be remembered for ever. Pele wore the shirt No.

10 for his Nation team Brazil and Cosmos (An North American Soccer League Club), the latter have retired the shirt number 10 in the remembrance of the ‘The King Pele’. Pele Shirt Number 10 | Pele Jersey Number 10 | Pele Brazil Shirt No. 10 | Pele Brazil Jersey No. 10 Diego Maradona sported the shirt No. 10 for Argentina National Team and Italian Football Club Napoli, Both have retired the numbers ever since Maradona retired from soccer, but Argentina pulled back retired shirt number due to the FIFA’s rejection. Diego Maradona Shirt Number 10 | Diego Maradona Jersey Number 10 | Maradona Shirt No. 10 | Maradona Jersey No. 10 Zinedine Zidane the French legend who was instrumental for the France’s Fifa World Cup 1998 and Euro 2000 victories and one of the two footballers to win FIFA World Player of the Year three times (Ronaldo is the other player) wore the shirt number 10 for France national Football team.

Zinedine Zidane Shirt Number 10 | Zinedine Zidane Jersey Number 10 | Zinedine Zidane France Shirt Number 10 | Zinedine Zidane France Jersey Number 10 The other players who have sported jersey number 10 in some point of time in their career are Ronaldinho for Brazil and Barcelona, kaka for Brazil, Dennis Bergkamp for Arsenal, Tomáš Rosický for Czech Republic National Team, José Antonio Reyes For Spain National Team (2006 world Cup Squad), Francesc Fabregas for Spain National Team (Euro 2008 Squad) and Rafael van der Vaart for Netherlands National Team (2006 FIFA World Cup Squad). The List of current footballers with Jersey Number 10 are Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentinean National Football Team No. 10) Andrei Arshavin (Russian National Football Team No. 10) Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus No. 10) Wesley Sneijder (Once No. 10 Netherlands National Football Team and present No. 10 Real Madrid) Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden National Football Team No.

10) Wayne Rooney (Manchester United No. 10) Karim Benzema (French National Football Team No. 10 and Olympique Lyon No. 10) Pablo Aimar (Benfica F C No. 10) Robinho (Manchester City No. 10) Andreas Ivanschitz (Austrian National Football Team No. 10) William Gallas (Arsenal F C No. 10) Mikel Arteta (Everton No. 10) Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid No. 10) Joe Cole (Chelsea F C No. 10) John Carew (Aston Villa No. 10) Michael Owen (Once England National Football Team No. 10 and present No. 10 Newcastle United) Benni McCarthy (Blackburn Rovers No. 10) Darren Bent (Tottenham Hotspur No. 10) Luís Fabiano (F C Sevilla No. 10) Clarence Seedorf (A C Milan No. 10) Adriano (Inter Milan No. 10) Francesco Totti (A S Roma No. 10) Juan Román Riquelme (Once Argentinean National Football Team No.

10 and present Boca Juniors No. 10) Robin van Persie (Netherlands National Football Team No. 10) A peculiar incident happened recently, Diego Maradona the head coach of Argentina and former Number 10 handed the number 10 Jersey to Lionel Messi. This is the first instance of a previous number 10 handing his number to other player. Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi | Diego Maradona Presents Number 10 To Lionel Messi For Latest Posts Click this Like this: Maradona and Pele are wrong about Messi | The Japan Times Maradona and Pele are wrong about Messi Special To The Japan Times Jun 18, 2016 SHARE NEW YORK – During an appearance at a Euro 2016 event, Diego Maradona talked with Brazilian soccer legend Pele. Those two, along with Lionel Messi, are the three best players in the history of soccer. When Pele asked Maradona if he knew Messi — widely considered the best in the world among current players — Maradona’s response was nothing short of shocking: “He’s a really good person, but he has no personality.

He lacks the character to be a leader.” Pele then continued, “Ah, I get it, he’s not like we were back in the days. In the ’70s, we (Brazil) had really good players like Rivellino, Gerson, Tostao.” Pele was admitting that when he played he often had other excellent players on his team. This wasn’t always the case for Maradona or Messi. However, both Maradona and Pele are wrong in their assessment of Messi. Anybody who says that Messi has no personality hasn’t seen his last game, Argentina vs. Panama, when he scored a stupendous hat trick that showed, as if it were necessary, why he is the best in the world today. And with a personality of his own: that of a humble, perfectionist adored by fans all over the world. I cannot help but think that both Pele’s and Maradona’s comments about Messi are the result of sour grapes. After all, until Messi started playing, they were considered the two best players in the world, a place they now have to share with him.

And while Messi isn’t annoyed by the comparison with Maradona and Pele, both of these players seem resentful of him. The recent game between Argentina and Panama was vintage Messi. At the game in Chicago, 53,885 fans were on hand to watch Messi, many among them wearing Argentina ‘s famed striped jersey with the same name and number on the back: Messi, 10. No explanation was needed. There was an air of expectation in the crowd, particularly because a lower back injury suffered during a friendly game between Argentina and Honduras meant there was no certainty that Messi would be able to play. However, to everyone’s surprise and amid a deafening roar from the crowd, Messi came to play, exactly 61 minutes from the beginning of the game, and he didn’t disappoint. Every time he touched the ball the crowd cheered. He scored an easy goal in the 68th minute, followed by another goal with a free kick from the right side in the 78th minute. He finished off the hat trick in the 87th minute. By any measure, his free kick goal was as if he had a measuring tape in his eyes.

The ball went up and descended with a jeweler’s precision in the right top part of the net, leaving Panama’s goalkeeper all but defeated. Two minutes later, Sergio Aguero scored the last goal of the match for Argentina. What made this game unusual was that after each of Messi’s goals even the Panamanian fans cheered him. As Argentina’s coach declared, “When Messi came in, things were taken care of.” This was an opinion shared by Panama’s coach, Hernan Dario Gomez, who, talking about Messi, said with a mixture of sorrow and admiration, “He’s a monster.” Any comparison among the three players is unfair, since they played in different eras with different styles. One can say that today’s athletes are more complete and the game is played at a faster pace. One thing is certain, however. The three of them are superb players with different styles but with the same passion for the most popular sport in the world. They are soccer’s Holy Trinity. Dr. Cesar Chelala is an Argentine soccer fan. Lionel Messi, kabbalistic messenger? - Sports - Jerusalem Post Lionel Messi, kabbalistic messenger? Does Argentina's number 10 conceal the divine? Messi Maradona.

(photo credit:AP) Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Lionel Messi, considered the world’s most talented contemporary footballer, and currently playing for Argentina in the World Cup in South Africa, celebrates his 23rd birthday on Thursday, June 24. Messi, the 2009 FIFA Footballer of the Year, has already enjoyed a career so impressive, it is hard to believe that he is so young. Be the first to know - Join our Facebook page. Well before the World Cup, his name adorned the newspapers worldwide, generating punning headlines such as “Messi Messiah” and “Messi mesmerizes.” His life and skills have been analyzed, compared, contrasted, you name it. Given the current popularity of Kabbala, it is a wonder that we haven’t seen articles looking at Messi from this perspective... until now. According to Kabbala, our Hebrew date of birth impacts significantly on our lives and our destiny. Messi was born at 8:20 p.m. on June 24, 1987, which means that his Hebrew date of birth is Sivan 28, 5747.

The number 28, kaf-het, spells the Hebrew word koah, power, which anybody who has watched Messi will have witnessed in his play. But will Messi and his teammates have the power to reach the World Cup final, on Sunday July 11? The week leading up to the final culminates on Shabbat, July 10, when the Jewish people read a double portion from the Torah, Matot-Massei. The name Massei – journeys – bears a striking resemblance to the name Messi, and includes each of the three Hebrew letters (mem, samech and yud) which make up Messi’s name. Massei also includes a fourth letter, ayin – Hebrew for eye – which would suggest we look more carefully at this letter and what it implies. In kabbalistic terms, the letter ayin refers to the eye of God, which manifests itself in the world as divine providence and harmony in all the workings of nature. Divine providence is the idea, held by Judaism, Christianity and Islam alike, that nothing happens by chance, but rather, by the hand of God.

Continuing this theme, combining the names Massei and Matot certainly provides a fitting reading in the buildup to the World Cup final – the culmination of the “journeys” of many “tribes” to their final destination. Is it Messi and his tribe who will end the journey victorious? Diego Maradona, the Argentina coach and arguably the best footballer of all time, named Messi as his successor by giving him the national team’s coveted No. 10 jersey when he took over the team in 2007. “He called me to one side in training and said he’d decided that I should be the one to wear it,” Messi later recalled. “For me it’s wonderful, given all the history that’s been associated with it.” The parallels between the two men don’t end there. Maradona scored many memorable goals in his career, including two that stand out, against England, in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

(Maradona’s Argentina had visited Israel and prayed at the Western Wall ahead of that tournament, which it won, and did so again ahead of the 1990 tournament, in which it was beaten in the finals.) The second of the two 1986 goals, voted by FIFA in 2002 as the goal of the century, saw Maradona run from inside his own half and slalom his way through a series of tackles before beating the England goalkeeper. Earlier in the game, he had scored the notorious “hand of God” goal – seemingly with his head, but in fact with a thrust of his hand. Messi’s achievements, remarkably, include two goals almost identical to that pair, scored in the 2006-2007 season. If we look closely at Messi’s name spelt in Hebrew, it can also be read as an abbreviated form of mispar yud – number 10. Yud is the 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has the numerical value of 10 both in gematria (kabbalistic numerology) and in everyday life. Tenth grade, for example, in Hebrew, is Kita Yud.

The letter yud in Kabbala refers to yad, meaning “hand” or “to thrust.” Does the number 10, on the jersey worn by both Maradona and Messi, two of the greatest footballers the world has known, constitute an act of divine providence, the hand of God? In Judaism, the number 10 is primarily associated with the Ten Commandments given by God at Mount Sinai. The Torah actually states: “The tenth shall be holy for us.” The yud, being the smallest of the 22 letters, represents “the little that holds much.” Given the small physical size of Maradona and Messi, and their enormous football ability, the association with the yud is appropriate, indeed. Which brings us to another legendary number 10. The word ot in Hebrew means letter, sign or wonder. Another word for wonder in Hebrew is pele. Pele, of course, is the name of the brilliant Brazilian footballer who played from 1956 to 1977 – the greatest player of his generation and also arguably of all time. Pele also wore the number 10 shirt.

In Sefer Yetzira, The Book of Creation, the Hebrew letters are called the 22 letters of foundation. According to Kabbala, the world was created by the energy of these letters. The fact that on Tuesday, June 22, Messi will play his last game as a 22-year-old, in Argentina’s match against Greece, on a pitch with 22 footballers, provides us with a wonderful opportunity to look more carefully at the power and energy of these 22 Hebrew letters in his context. Messi’s parents were born in Argentina, but he is of Italian ancestry. Angelo Messi came to Argentina in 1887 from Ancona, Italy. The name Messi in Italian means months. According to the Hebrew calendar, the Cup final will take place on Rosh Hodesh, the first day of the month of Av. The symbol of the month of Av, according to Kabbala and related to the Zodiac, is the lion (Leo). Messi’s first name Lionel (Leo) is a wonderful example of a mix of two languages: Lion-el, meaning lion of God, as in Ari-el in Hebrew. Another meaning of Lionel is small lion.

Celebrating the new month was the very first commandment given to the People of Israel in the desert. The Ten Commandments are said to contain each of the 613 commandments. Lionel Messi, the little lion with the big roar, wearing the number 10 on his back, is not Messi the Messiah, an idea many people have played with, but rather, Messi the messenger, a man with a message from God. The Cup final, to take place on Rosh Hodesh Av, can be seen as a reminder to us from God whether or not Messi and Argentina will be on the pitch – a reminder with universal significance. Let’s go back, in this context, to consider again the letter ayin, which we noted earlier. The value of the ayin in gematria is 70. The 70 in Kabbala refers to the 70 descendants of Noah, representing the 70 nations and languages of the earth. The divine reminder is that while the World Cup is a wonderful festival of different nations, languages and cultures, after which the winning team takes the trophy home, the teams and all the nations are nonetheless ultimately one.

We are all Lionel Messis, confronted by and weaving past our obstacles and challenges. And we all have the coveted number 10 on our backs – the hand of God, the guiding light – as we make our journeys to our personal goals. The writer, a teacher who lives in northern Israel, is a veteran immigrant from South Africa. Relevant to your professional network? Please share on Linkedin Think others should know about this? Please share | Diego Maradona: Best Soccer (Football) Players of All Time | TheTopTens® Uploaded by Spino Info Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine professional footballer. He is known for "The Goal of the Century" and the "Hand of God" goal. CommentsTopPopularNewest Maradona truly is on his own level of skill. People may argue that he wasn't a complete well rounded player like pele or cristiano ronaldo, but soccer is a sport that is more than just speed and strength this isn't track in field. What makes maradona so amazing is that no one else on the world can do what he can with a soccer ball. What zidane could do with a ball maradona could do with an orange.

His mastery of the ball makes him the greatest soccer player of all time not only could he dribble past cristiano ronaldo or anyone else with disturbing ease but he could also distribute the ball with pinpoint accuracy. This means that not only could he carry a team on his back (unlike messi sadly) but he also makes his teammates play better he is a player that you cannot leave on the bench even injured. If you gave maradona's left leg to any player they would instantly get on this list. If I could take the skill/talent of any of those players for myself, I would pick Maradona's without hesitation. It is often said that he reached his peak only in the late 80s but that is not true. He was one if not the top guy throughout the entire decade, it is just that a horrible disease first and a career-threatening injury later marred what could have been some of his best years (the way he was scoring at Barcelona he would have ended top scorer had he gotten to play enough games, missed to many for the reasons I just wrote).

Then he went to a Napoli that at the time was 1 point away from relegation and it took a couple of years until the team caught up with Maradona. That lack of titles makes people believe he peaked in the late 80s, but he spent the early 80s in the hospital or dragging a poor team from the bottom to the top. I am not sure if the person who created this list, plays soccer or "football" if you want to call it. Diego Maradona CAN NOT be compared to Pele or other players with all due respect, he is completely in a different category, BEST OF TH BEST, Maradona is an acronym to beautiful football, you enjoy seeing him playing, giving perfect passes, dribbling, scoring, I'm sure if he play goal keeper, would be the best as well. Putting someone else on the top of the list rather than Diego is an insult to the game. So far no one ever scored a goal like his against England from the middle of the field, fanasticoo. Diego you are SIMPLY THE BEST. N1 without a doubt. He made underdogs win. If you have seen him play, you'd know how incredible he was.

I love Messi, but he is not at Maradona's level. People are usually blinded by stats, which make Pele, Messi and C. Ronaldo stand out, as they are stat monsters. But if you cannot see behind the stats and actually watch the player PLAY, then you are failing to appreciate the magic. Maradona may not have been the biggest scorer (many players scored more than him), or he may not have been the biggest winner (many players won more championships than him), but he was the best player. No one has ever dribbled like him so consistently, nor given such precise unthinkable passes, in situations were making such a thing caught you by surprise. As mentioned in other comments, he was so good that he made average players look good. He took many defenders' mark and left other players alone in the field. He played against probably the best defenders of all time in that Italian league. Back then, ... more I love Messi, I love Pele, I love Cristiano. But there is no one who deserves the #1 spot on this list is Diego Maradona. His pinpoint accuracy on passes, his cool finishes and most of all his dribbling make him the best ever.

His passes allowed him to carry a team on his back, because he could make anyone look good. His cool finishes always came at crucial times to put his team in front in any competition. And his dribbling, ohh. He was 5x Messi because what Messi does about twice per games Maradona did at least 50. Pele could score, Messi can score, cristiano can score, but none of them could score as well as this man Diego. Just watch a YouTube video of him. He is 5'5 and he runs by people like they are cones. no one can move the ball with such pin-point accuracy as Maradona can (and still can at the age of 50)... Pele's goal score is misleading. Half of his goal scores came from unofficial matches, including state and suburban competitions, practice matches, and meaningless club friendlies. He recorded these goals unofficially himself, how petty! This explains why his record of the number of matches he played was much higher than fellow Brazilian players at the time. He could win no world cup in the 50s and 60s if he was born in Argentina.

Diego Maradonna was the greatest and had skill no other footballer could even dream of. He was better than Pele. Some of the names on this list though are an absolute joke like Beckham rated at 11 and Michael Owen being rated so highly. Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer are way better footballers than both Owen and Beckham who shouldn't even be anywhere near the list. Especially Beckham the most over rated player in the history of the game. - steviejj The correct ranking would be something like that: 1. Diego Maradona 2. Pele & Puskas 3. Eusebio & Di Stefano - Actually this rankings do not have much meanings. All of them on the list are all great players. I just have the feeling that Maradona somehow stick out from all. I never saw someone dominating the playing field as him. He was fast runner, explosive acceleration, precise ball handling, high kicking power, fast direction changing. He also played with all direction. Most player just pushing forward but Maradona was ready to go back and than going forward and attack again... Left leg or right leg does not matter for him. He was very creative.

I think God gave him the ball to make magic with it. I quietly disagree with this ranking. Here it has been noted that he is in fourth because of his addiction to drugs. To measure a player best, you should have preferred the skills, strategies and so on what he performs in the field rather than his personal life. Pele just played for santos and Brazil, not in the Europe. But maradona played for napoli and won many titles for napoli. So I think that it should be maradona as the best player. He made things with the ball which nobody did before him, nobody had dribble skills like he had and nobody could pass and shoot so precisely like he did. He is the only football player who won with mediocre or weak teams -like Naples and Argentina- titles. Footballers like Messi or Pele played in the best teams of their time. Furthermore he invented always new tricks. Without him freestyle soccer would not exist. Diego Maradona is the best player that the world has ever seen, hands down. He was the perfect one man team. His speed and dribbling ability is unmatched.

He would take on the entire opposing team on full field runs by himself, and score the goal with the greatest class. He deserves to be number one, no one comes near him. Maradona surpasses pele because he won a world cup almost single handedly when pele won three world cup winners medals first won at 17, but playing with brazilian legends like Garrincha, Didi, Bellini, Nilton santos, Jairizinho, Rivellino, Tastao, and Carlos Alberto. If pele instead of Maradona was playing at the 1986 world cup for Argentina, Argentina would not have won the 1986 world cup therefore Maradona has more skill in soccer than Pele. And the only reason Pele scored more goals than Maradona is because Maradona was a attacking midfielder and played most of his career in Europe when Pele stayed in south America and was a forward. He deserve to be number 1, the greatest of all time. He had some drugs issues and problems outside the field, but when he was at his best, he was simply unbeatable.

He made Argentina world champions of the world by himself, carry Argentina by the shoulders and made it to the WC finals in 1990, he was simply the best of all time. People don't vote for maradona because he's from Argentina but he was the best ever to played the game none of the rest come close to him even the considered best players along him like zidane, platini, messi, etc... All agree maradona and will always be the best... He led Argentina to win the 1986 wc. If he hadn't play Argentina wouldn't have won... And Brazil instead won world cups with pele on the bench that proves Brazilian had an amazing team they didn't even need him... He was voted by public poll all around the world as the greatest footballer of all time. So FIFA, to save the reputation of Pele's black ass, declared him as greatest player according to FIFA.. And Maradona as the greatest according to public! Whether he is greater than Pele is debatable (I haven't seen Pele play much), but his skill on the field was incredible. Drug related issues aside, this man was a beast.

He was one of, if not the greatest dribbler in football history. And, personally, being incredibly short for my age, I have personal reasons for liking a short soccer player (5' 5"). Come on people... This here is The Greatest, the baddest player around and the LEGEND of the Soccer league... He Scored the "goal of the century" for cryin' out loud... He even had a Statue of his own... Maradona was (he is) the best, the most round and complete player ever. He played as center halfback, and forward winger, and left winger, he used to organize the game from the middle field, conducts and executes the goal. Ask Pele and Messi to do that! It can't be maradona 4, I start to hate who's voting in this site There's no one like maradona they said Best Soccer (Football) Players of All Time means maradona they not said who's have lot of goal or the sexy football player Diego Maradona should be ranked #1! He's done the best goal ever! The #4 should be Pele, he's amazing but is called the king because he was the first..

Maradona has done everything that Pele has done better and a lot more, so how come he's #4? Maradona and Messi are the same players of two different eras- the only difference is that Messi doesn't seem to like performing in an Argentinian Jersey... Having said this, if he were to win a FIFA World Cup, Messi would be hands down the greatest the game has ever seen. The most talented player that kicks the ball, no other foot manipulates the ball like his left... Pele maybe the most succesful player, zidane the player who plays a different type of soccer, Ronaldo (Brazil), most athletic player in history with his speed and dribblings. And in 10 years, if not injured, lionel Messi will be no. 1 in history, now everybody discusses pele or messi, Messi or maradona... This boy is only 24 years old... Lets wait and see...

He was magic on the ball no one could get the ball off of him even if they pulled him back he is a slightly better version of lionel Messi he moved like lightning no one has ever even matched up to him until lionel Messi however maradona still tops everyone In the modern era, Nobody was better than #10. Greatest player of all-time! He was covered by entire team, Yet still produced magic! 1986 World Cup, He produced the perfect game! Lightning, Pure and simply, The best offensive force in history! Ronaldinho, are you kidding me. Pele is so so so so so so so so so so so so so so overrated. Maradona played on crappy teamswhile Pele played on great teams where he wasnt even their best player. Maradona is easily the best. More8 BBC - Jonathan Stevenson: Pele or Maradona, who is the greatest? Pele or Maradona, who is the greatest? Post categories: Football Jonathan Stevenson | 07:12 UK time, Friday, 22 October 2010 They are, quite simply, the two greatest footballers of all time.

So it only seems right to wish them both a happy birthday. On Saturday, Pele celebrates his 70th and exactly a week later Diego Maradona turns 50. Between them they have won four of the last 14 World Cups and taken part in another four, and in the process they have not only helped to redefine the boundaries of their sport, but they have become a part of all of our lives. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Tres Coracoes in Minas Gerais state, Pele first wowed the world as a 17-year-old by helping Brazil win their first World Cup in 1958. He went on to help them defend their trophy in 1962 and then, in 1970, led the greatest team of all time to victory in Mexico to win the tournament for an unequalled third time. A striker with blistering pace, fearsome physical power, clinical finishing and the ability to head a ball as hard as most players could kick it, Pele was a force of nature on the football field.

He scored more than 1,000 goals in his career , mostly for Brazilian club Santos, and retired after a two-year spell in the United States at New York Cosmos in the mid-1970s. In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content. You don't need to have been alive while Pele was in his prime to appreciate the impact 'The King' - who scored 77 times in 92 games for Brazil - had on the beautiful game. As a young boy, I remember having to give a speech on a famous person to my class at school and I chose Pele. In the days before the internet, the football knowledge I'd soaked up in my formative years were enough to tell the great man's story. Little did I know at the time that the captain of Argentina, who I then hated for knocking England out of the 1986 World Cup, would finish his career as Pele's only real rival for the title of football's greatest player.

Growing up in desperate poverty in the shantytown of Villa Fiorito in Buenos Aires, Maradona's was the classic rags-to-riches story. Similarly outstanding in his teens this was a boy clearly touched by genius, making his international debut at 16 and scoring 34 times in 91 games for the country he was so passionate about. Unlike Pele, however, much of Maradona's career was tainted with controversy . For every wonder goal there was a scandal to match, with the 1986 quarter-final against England perfectly encapsulating El Diego. Four minutes after his 'Hand of God' put Argentina ahead, he wove his way through the England defence to score, at least in my opinion, the greatest goal the game has seen. As a five-year-old who didn't fully understand what had happened, I cried at the unjust nature of Maradona's victory and rejoiced when he lost the final four years later, delighted that this time his World Cup had ended in tears too. These days, I own a T-shirt with a graphic illustration of THAT goal - a moment of such hypnotic, artistic beauty I could watch it a million times over. Time truly is a great healer.

He almost single-handedly won the 1986 World Cup as well as two Serie A titles with unfashionable Napoli and his breathtaking close ball control, allied to a warrior's determination and a wonderful arrogance in front of goal made him as near to unplayable as a footballer has ever been. Think Lionel Messi, only better . Of course, no Maradona discussion can ever take place without mention of the drug abuse that nearly cost him his life or the multitude of controversies that seem to follow his every move. That much was highlighted during his spell as Argentina coach, which ended in typically furious fashion after the World Cup in South Africa when his side were humiliated by Germany in the quarter-finals. In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content. But that only seems to intensify the debate as to who really is the best football player ever. Everyone has an opinion and it is a debate that even the sport's world governing body, Fifa, has been unable to settle convincingly.

In 2000, Fifa decided to have a vote to find the 'Player of the Century' , which took the form of an online poll. Maradona won it comfortably, which led to concerns that the age of internet users meant more people who saw the Argentine play would be able to cast a vote than those of an older generation who saw Pele. So Fifa asked its "football family" to decide, which consisted of two components - ballots sent in from subscribers of the organisation's quarterly magazine and those cast by a special international Fifa jury. Pele won that one by a landslide. When it came to the Rome gala, Fifa decided to split the award in two and announced Pele and Maradona as the two greatest players of all time. "I had the vote of the people, Pele won by forfeit," said Maradona, who walked out of the auditorium before watching the Brazilian collect his award. Their so-called feud has gone on for years, but is it borne out of genuine animosity or it is nothing more than fabricated fun?

It threatened to get serious in 2000 when Maradona accused Pele of letting his former Brazil team-mate Garrincha "die in misery" , which Pele put down to Maradona being "an ill man". However, when Maradona began a new career as a chat-show host in Argentina in 2005, Pele was the first guest he invited on , the pair chatting away amiably and even indulging the audience in some head tennis. Pele congratulated Maradona on beating his drug addiction, telling him: "You are an example because you are a conqueror". On the show, Maradona body swerved the question of who was the better player. "My mother says it was me and Pele's mother says it was him," he said. For the record my mum reckons Pele edges it, but it is a debate that will run for time immemorial. As we celebrate milestones in both of their lives, it seems like a good time to reflect on the incredible memories both Pele and Maradona gave us and, for the umpteenth time, ask ourselves one of football's favourite questions. I'd love to hear your favourite stories of both men.

But who do you think is really the greatest footballer that ever lived? Pelé - Biography - IMDb Biography Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trivia (29) | Personal Quotes (2) Overview (4) 5' 8" (1.73 m) Mini Bio (1) Simply he was, and for many people still is, the greatest football player of the world. Not a single thing was impossible for him: he won three World Cup with his National Team of Brazil (Sweden 1958, Chile 1962, Mexico 1970). He scored more than 1.200 goals during his long career (more than 1.300 official matches). He also won many national Leagues and Continental Cup ("Copa Libertadores"), with his team, the Santos Futebol Clube (of Brazilian 'São Paulo' State). In the Sixties he was nick-named "O Rei" (The King) and in the Seventies 95 peoples out of 100 knew his name.

("Wow, man, you're popular!" said Robert Redford, some years ago, after seeing Pelé give dozens of autographs in New York while he was not asked for one). In the late 1960's, when he and his team, Santos, went to Nigeria to play a few friendly matches, the ongoing civil war stopped for the duration of his visit. He finished his career in the New York Cosmos, in 1977. Now he is a United Nation's Ambassador and has been also Minister for Sports in his country, but, for the people who saw him make magics with his right foot, he is, now and forever, the biggest footballer in the world, and the one and only "King".

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Sergio D'Afflitto <sergio.dafflitto@iname.com> Spouse (2) ( 30 April 1994 - 2008) (divorced) (2 children) Rosemary Cholbi (1966 - 1978) (divorced) (3 children) Trivia (29) Pelé is by most people recognized as the world's greatest footballer ever and was named "Footballer of the Century" in 2000. He combined skill with great flair and understanding of the game, and he was invaluable to Brazil's national team. Known as "Pérola Negra" (The black pearl). Played in 92 matches for Brazil and scored a remarkable 77 goals. He is the only player to have won three FIFA World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970). Played for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League from 1975-1977. Over his entire career, he officially scored 1,284 goals in 1,363 matches.

He played one game as a goalkeeper. Had a video game named after him back in the 1980s called "Pelé's Soccer". MMA legend Jose Landi-Jons was nicknamed "Pelé" after him. Landi-Jons never missed a Pelé soccer game and remembers every field action of his hero. Was named after Thomas A. Edison but was originally nicknamed "Dico" by his family. During his professional career, he won two Intercontinental Cups and two Liberatadores Cups (both in 1962 and 1963) with Santos FC, his club from 1956 to 1974. His jersey number, 10, has since been worn by many of soccer's top stars such as Ronaldinho Gaúcho , 'Zinedine Zidane' and Diego Maradona . Father, with Rosemary Cholbi, of a boy named Edson Cholbi Nascimento and two girls named Kelly Cristina and Jennifer. Had a daughter, with Anisia Machado, named Sandra Regina Machado do Nascimento (died of cancer in 2006).

She was married to Oseás Felinto and had two sons named Otávio and Gabriel. Father, with journalist Lenita Kurtz, of Flávia Christina Kurtz. Son of Celeste and João Ramos do Nascimento (died in 1996). Brother of Maria Lúcia and Jair (called Zoca). Father, with 'Assíria', of twins named Joshua and Celeste. Dutch artist Dick Brynestein made a drawing of him and called him Pietje Pele. Pelé has been, and continues to be, regarded by many experts, players, and fans as the best player of all time, with numerous awards and proclamations supporting this. In 1999, he was voted Football Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). In the same year French weekly magazine France Football consulted their former Ballon D'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century, with Pelé coming in first place. He was selected "Athlete of the Century" by both the International Olympic Committee and the Reuters News Wire Service in 1999, and before that by French newspaper L'Équipe in 1981.

For a brief period during his playing days, Pelé was the highest paid athlete in the world. In his native Brazil, Pelé continues to be hailed as a national hero, even though his retirement from professional play was in 1977 (over 35 years as of 2012). He is further known for his contributions to the game of football after his retirement, and is also acknowledged as an advocate for improving the the lot of the poor (after scoring his 1,000th goal, he dedicated it to the poor children of Brazil). Pelé had a variety of public nick names during and after his professional playing days. His most frequently cited nick name, both inside and outside of Brazil, was "The Black Pearl," but he was also referred to as "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé), or simply "The King" (O Rei). His last professional playing appearance, which took place on October 1, 1977, was played in front of a capacity crowd at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

In that match, most unusually, he wore the jerseys of, and played for, both teams. He wore the jersey of his then present team, the New York Cosmos (1975-1977), for the first half of the game, and his original team, Santos (Brazil, 1956-1974) for the second half of the game. At halftime, the Cosmos retired Pelé's number 10. Pelé presented the Cosmos retirement jersey to his father, who was escorted from the stands to the field by Cosmos Captain Werner Roth . Since his retirement from active professional football play, one of his most notable roles has been as an ambassador for the United Nations. Beginning in 1992, Pelé has served as a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment. He was later appointed a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Goodwill Ambassador.

In 1995, Pelé was awarded Brazil's Gold Medal for outstanding services to sport; Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed him to the position of "Extraordinary Minister for Sport." During his time as Minister for Sport, he proposed legislation to reduce corruption in Brazilian football, which when passed, became known as the "Pelé law." Pelé left government in 2001 after being accused of involvement in a corruption scandal, although nothing was proven, and the charges were further denied by UNICEF. In 1997, Pelé was honored by Queen Elizabeth II as an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 2005, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) bestowed their award for lifetime achievement on Pelé. In 2012, Pelé was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh for "significant contribution to humanitarian and environmental causes, as well as his sporting achievements," his first such honorary degree from a European university. Pelé produced an international advertising campaign to promote Viagra and raise worldwide awareness of erectile dysfunction on behalf of drug company Pfizer.

In June 2006, Pelé appeared at the opening of the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, alongside supermodel Claudia Schiffer. On August 1, 2010, it was publicly announced that Pelé was appointed Honorary President of the reincarnated New York Cosmos, who hoped to field a team in Major League Soccer for 2011 or 2012, but who instead will field their inaugural team in the second-tier North American Soccer League beginning with the 2013 season. His first name was given as Edison on his birth certificate, with a date of birth of October 21, 1940. However, Pelé has publicly claimed that he was born October 23, 1940, and the October 23 date is the most often journalistically cited date. Both Edison and Edson have been variously reported as his given first name. (1997-) Sports Minister for Brazil Personal Quotes (2) I am constantly being asked about individuals. The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one or two or three star players.

They don't love the game, they don't love the team" - on players who bring football into disrepute See also

Question: What was the number on the back of the jersey that both Maradona and Pele said was lucky?
Answer: 10