One is called the King of football. To another, the hand of God. Deciding which of the two is the best is very complicated, not to say impossible, since in this football not only the numbers work, but also the fans. Something similar happened to us when we talked about Cristiano Ronaldo vs Messi. So we will do the same as with these two. We will talk about the points they look like and what are the differences between two of the best soccer players that have existed in all history, Pelé and Maradona.
Points in common
The two were born in countries where football is almost a religion. Brazil and Argentina are considered football powers and have given birth stars of recognized prestige. Proof of this is these two geniuses of which we speak here.
Another detail that they share, besides being very curious, is the position in which the two played. Many people believe that the two were forwards, but neither was despite the number of goals they scored in their career. Both Maradona and Pelé occupied the position of midfielders, distributing the game and leading their teams to stand out.
Do you find it surprising? Well, there is more. The two played with the same number on their shirt, 10. In addition, they share the number of years they were active as players, as they both did 21 years.
The number of times they were with their selection is almost the same, although Pele played some games more than Maradona. The latter was summoned 90 times, 97 in the case of the Brazilian.
There is another point that these two legends (still) live football share. And nobody doubts that they are part of the best football lineup in history.
Also Read: How Was The National Team of Maradona
Comparison between Pelé and Maradona
Leaving aside all these details that they share, which are not the only ones, there are some differences between them that are worth highlighting. For starters, the number of world championships they have won, 3 for the Brazilian and 1 for the Argentine.
With 17 years, the two players were part of the national team, although with quite different results. Pelé was already world champion and one of the best players in the competition, while Maradona did not count for the World Cup because the coach considered him too young. It was not until the next World Cup, already 21 years old, that he participated in the competition. With that age, Pelé had won his second World Cup and had more than 500 goals scored [source].
The number of goals is also very different, although it is true that football played during the time of Pele had fewer restrictions than in the 80s, when Maradona said. For example, the yellow cards did not exist and the contact was penalized less. Even so, the Brazilian scored almost 1300 goals, compared to just over 350 of Maradona. The Argentine, however, played half of the official matches that Pele, who was in more than 1300 games. Diego almost reaches 700.
Numbers of each with the selection of your country
If we only look at the goals with the national team, there are also differences. Despite playing almost the same games, Pelé scored 3 times more than Maradona.
Let’s talk about teams where they were. You can say that Pele was all his life in a team, except for the last two seasons, which left Santos, his club of a lifetime, to sign for the US Cosmos with a millionaire contract, a real revolution for those dates. Maradona played in 6 teams, including Barcelona, where he spent 3 seasons and with whom he won a Copa del Rey or Sevilla where he played only one.
Pelé has been named the best player in history according to the official FIFA magazine. Maradona “alone” has been given the title of best of the twentieth century.
Also Read:What was Pelé’s Brazil like?
Two of the best players in football history
We do not want to talk about the extra-sports plane, where Maradona does not stand out precisely for his good example without the opposite.
Face to face, there is no doubt that if they had coincided at the same time, more accurate comparisons could be made and even more just. Each of them played at a time when football was quite different despite being the same sport. However, even if Maradona could have started in the 50s or Pelé had not played until the late 70s, surely the two would continue to be part of the best team in the world.
Now it’s your turn to decide and comment. Which of the two players do you think is the best of all time? Does the effectiveness of Pelé or the characteristics of Maradona, which some compare with Messi, catch your attention? You prefer to highlight another player. Well say it and we all found out.
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