[JogaBonito]

Quote

Brazil legend Pele says Barcelona's Argentina star Lionel Messi has a long way to go to be considered his rival as the greatest player of all time.

Messi, 24, has won Fifa's Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world for a third successive year.

But Pele thinks he needs to improve for Argentina and score more goals.

Pele on Messi "When Messi's scored 1,283 goals like me, when he's won three World Cups, we'll talk about it," Pele told French newspaper Le Monde.

Messi has won the Champions League three times with Barcelona, as well as five league Spanish league titles.

But his only triumph with the national team was at the 2008 Olympics - while Pele's Brazil won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

The 71-year-old said: "I like Messi a lot, he's a great player. Technically, we're practically at the same level.

"He's a great player for Barcelona, but when he plays for Argentina he doesn't have the same success.

"People always ask me: 'When is the new Pele going to be born?' Never. My father and mother have closed the factory."

Thoughts?

This post has been edited by JogaBonito: 21 January 2012 - 17:15

[Disco Dave]

The last paragraph is hilarious

[keyser_soze]

Read this story yesterday, to call someone the greatest player ever at 24 he is probably quite right, Pele, Maradona and George Best still have valid claims to that title.

However there is little doubt that Messi is the greatest player right now.

[BOOCHIR]

International football is no way to judge a player. Messi's used to the system at Barca that's been bred into him since he started playing, you just can't get that in international football where they train for two weeks max before most games. The sooner international football dies the better.

[MONKMAN]

Quote

"When Messi's scored 1,283 goals like me, when he's won three World Cups, we'll talk about it,"

Who the f**k made him boss?

[SuperCaleyGoBallistic]

Pele's an idiot.

[Ludo *1]

Pele - The greatest player to have ever played. And he tore Messi a new one at 71 years old. Class.

[Monkey]

keyser_soze, on 21 January 2012 - 17:17, said:

Read this story yesterday, to call someone the greatest player ever at 24 he is probably quite right, Pele, Maradona and George Best still have valid claims to that title.

However there is little doubt that Messi is the greatest player right now.

Why no mention for Stevie Fulton ?

[keyser_soze]

Monkey, on 21 January 2012 - 17:26, said:

Why no mention for Stevie Fulton ?

[guacamole]

To quote the incomparable Sid Lowe, Pele doesn't know shit.

[Swampy]

The bulk of Pele's achievements came at a time when football was neither technically nor physically as demanding as today. For this reason Maradona has a far better claim to being best-ever. Pele's goal count is also inflated by the fact that he spent virtually his entire career at Santos, and as such scored a lot of those goals against part-time teams in the Campeonato Paulista and the like.

[Jimmy85]

Did Pele not name a woman and El Hadj Diouf in his 100 greatest players of all time? Probably best if he kept his opinions to himself tbh.

This post has been edited by Jimmy85: 21 January 2012 - 17:41

[aidan-bufc]

keyser_soze, on 21 January 2012 - 17:17, said:

Read this story yesterday, to call someone the greatest player ever at 24 he is probably quite right, Pele, Maradona and George Best still have valid claims to that title.

Although I agree with you, I doubt Pele would say George Best was up there as he never won the World Cup.

[McKee]

Pele has always been a delusional old c**t. The sooner he kicks the bucket, the better.

[HibeeJibee]

Swampy, on 21 January 2012 - 17:35, said:

The bulk of Pele's achievements came at a time when football was neither technically nor physically as demanding as today. For this reason Maradona has a far better claim to being best-ever. Pele's goal count is also inflated by the fact that he spent virtually his entire career at Santos, and as such scored a lot of those goals against part-time teams in the Campeonato Paulista and the like.

Equally, he couldn't really help when or where he was born, or the footballing conditions of the time. This is why the debate can never go beyond that, debate, when comparing players of differing eras.

[Swampy]

HibeeJibee, on 21 January 2012 - 17:53, said:

Equally, he couldn't really help when or where he was born, or the footballing conditions of the time. This is why the debate can never go beyond that, debate, when comparing players of differing eras.

Yes, that's very true. I'm not trying to blame him. What I'm saying is that 1,200 goals then is extremely different from 1,200 goals now. The "exchange rate" would be around one in three or one in four, I'd say - but it's always a discussion point and not something objective.

Put it this way, Santos were winning championship finals 8-2 and the like. That doesn't really happen now.

[JamboMikey]

Mind when Pele said Nicky Butt was the best player in the world?

[Mr. Brightside]

McKee, on 21 January 2012 - 17:53, said:

Pele has always been a delusional old c**t. The sooner he kicks the bucket, the better.

No, he hasn't.

[Swampy]

Mr. Brightside, on 21 January 2012 - 18:15, said:

No, he hasn't.

While I wouldn't wish death on Pele, his observations on football have been uniformly dreadful for decades now. It honestly does come across as though he's never really watched the game and just goes off what's political/self-aggrandising.

[Mr. Brightside]

Swampy, on 21 January 2012 - 18:18, said:

While I wouldn't wish death on Pele, his observations on football have been uniformly dreadful for decades now. It honestly does come across as though he's never really watched the game and just goes off what's political/self-aggrandising.

I'm not disagreeing, he is clearly talking shite and that list of top 100 footballers had some totally laughable inclusions. I just like to annoy McKee.

[Swampy]

Mr. Brightside, on 21 January 2012 - 18:19, said:

I'm not disagreeing, he is clearly talking shite and that list of top 100 footballers had some totally laughable inclusions. I just like to annoy McKee.

A noble endeavour.

[JRD]

I doubt Messi will win a world cup, he probably only has 2 left. I don't see how this makes him less of a player.

[Cammy35]

The quote comes across as slightly tongue in cheek to me. I'm guessing though. I agree with others that comparing across such vastly different eras is impossible. I know he is not right to criticise Messi for not having won World Cups with Argentina but he does have a point that Messi has underachieved (a bit) at that level. I would personally like to see Messi leave Barcelona and show how good he is elsewhere. I know he would be good possibly great, but just how good/great remains to be seen.

This post has been edited by Cammy35: 21 January 2012 - 18:37

[McKee]

Mr. Brightside, on 21 January 2012 - 18:19, said:

I'm not disagreeing, he is clearly talking shite and that list of top 100 footballers had some totally laughable inclusions. I just like to annoy McKee.

Well you have succeeded, because I am absolutely furious at the minute.

[Jimmy85]

McKee, on 21 January 2012 - 18:39, said:

Well you have succeeded, because I am absolutely furious at the minute.

Sarcastic retort IMO.