Pele Says Messi not a ‘great’ player

Teni Sow | November 12, 2011 | 0 Comments

Brazil legend Pele has cast his doubts on whether or not Barcelona’s Lionel Messi can be considered a ‘great’ in football.
The Barcelona ace has gained worldwide acclaim as the most effective footballer on the planet and possibly the very best ever in the history with the game.
But Pele, who’s still widely credited to the status, has questioned the Argentinean’s credentials on the international stage.
“I think a ‘great’ player is defined by their performances at the Globe Cup,” he was quoted as saying inside the Sun newspaper.
“For example, watch Lionel Messi play for Barcelona. He is really good. Exceptional. But for Argentina, he’s completely diverse.
“Compare him to Zinedine Zidane. He won the World Cup and was in the top for 15 years. He was a more complete player than Messi.
“Before Zidane there was Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini and Bobby Moore.
“Great players who won Globe Cups or, in Cruyff and Platini’s case, starred in them.”
Switching his topic on long-time nemesis Diego Maradona, Pele rates Dutch master Johan Cruyff above the Argentinean.
He added: “Maradona only had one foot and was not great in the air.
“He was a terrific player but what occurred in the World Cup finals in 1994 tarnished his image, when he got sent property for taking drugs.
“Cruyff was considerably more interesting. He was different to Maradona, more total.”
Pele enjoyed an outstanding career, scoring 1,281 goals in 1,363 games and winning three Globe Cups with Brazil.

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