The debate over which player is the greatest of all time is one that football fans love to discuss, but it is always interesting to hear the opinions of the very greatest to ever play the game. Pele is one of those figures, having won the World Cup in back-to-back years, aged 17 and 21, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the competition’s history – a record that still stands today.
Plus, the two goals netted in the final made him an instant superstar and cemented his legacy before he later added a third tournament win. His name is always mentioned on the proverbial throne alongside the great Diego Maradona and other greats, including Johan Cruyff and the modern duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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The latter held the Ballon d’Or hostage from 2008 until 2018 as they traded the award year-on-year, but it is Messi who holds the most, with a record seven to Ronaldo’s five. For Pele, his three World Cup triumphs elevated him to the top of the sport and his legacy was rubberstamped by his incredible goal record, which is believed to be 1,281 career goals, yet there are some discrepancies surrounding which goals were unofficially recorded.
The Brazilian legend mentioned Messi and Ronaldo but backed himself as number one
Pele spoke to Pilhado YouTube channel in 2020 prior to his passing in 2022, when he was asked to give his answer to the all-important question of the greatest player of all time. He was quick to mention some Brazilian legends such as Zico and Ronaldinho before giving praise to the best European players of his era and beyond before later confirming his status as the best of all time.
We mustn’t forget Zico and Ronaldinho. People always talk about European players like (Franz) Beckenbauer and (Johan) Cruyff. Right now I think Cristiano Ronaldo is the most consistent player out there, but you can’t forget about Lionel Messi.
When asked who the best of all time was, he couldn’t resist backing himself. “It’s not my fault, but I think I was better than all of them. There will only be one Pele, there won’t be anyone else like me.”
Outside his stellar and iconic international career with Brazil, he spent his club career at two clubs: Santos, where Neymar is now spending the twilight period of his career, and the New York Cosmos, where he won 25 trophies and broke countless records in the process.
While he was never eligible for the Ballon d’Or because he played outside of Europe, he was voted the Player of the 20th Century by his fellow players and France Football, a major football publication, later published an internationalized reevaluation of the awards from before 1995, in which Pele – one of the highest-ever goalscorers in football history – received seven awards.
However, his overall effect and impact on sport and culture was unprecedented. He received an honourary knighthood, one of the most important people of the 20th century by TIME magazine, as well as a national order of merit from the country of Brazil. His legacy transcends football, and he remains one of the greatest athletes of all time.
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