Pele’s choice between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Remembering Pele’s decision to select Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo. Pele, a legendary player from Brazil, was asked to pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo nearly three years ago. The Argentine attacker was still playing for Barcelona at the moment, while the Portugal international was representing Juventus. Many people consider Pele to be the best player in the history of the sport. Pele won three FIFA World Cups with Brazil.
The entire football community is mourning his passing on December 29 at the age of 82. When asked to select between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele responded, “Right now I think Cristiano Ronaldo is the most consistent player out there, but you can’t forget about Messi,” according to the YouTube channel Pilhado in March 2020.
In 46 games across tournaments, Ronaldo finished the 2019–20 season with 37 goals and seven assists, winning the Serie A championship. Messi, on the other hand, concluded that season as La Liga’s top scorer (25) and top assist provider (22) but failed to take home any hardware. Since the interview, many things have altered. During that time, Ronaldo joined and left Manchester United, and in the summer of 2021, as a free agent, he signed with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
The most elusive feather in Messi’s cap came earlier this month when Argentina and Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup. While all was going on, Ronaldo left Old Trafford last month by mutual consent after only starting four Premier League games thus far. Currently, a free agent searching for a new team, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is reportedly set to join with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.
He didn’t include Diego Maradona on his list of all-time greats when the aforementioned source asked him who they were. Pele said when asked why he did it and if he was superior to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo: “Answering that question is challenging. I’ve been questioned a lot. Not to be forgotten are Ronaldinho and Zico. European athletes like [Johan] Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer are frequently mentioned. Although it’s not my fault, I believe I was superior to everyone else. Pele will only ever exist once. No one else will ever be like me.”
Every significant football trophy has been won by Messi. And so has Ronaldo, excluding the World Cup. The argument over who is the sport’s all-time greatest player will never end. But it’s reasonable to say that Messi, Ronaldo, and Pele will always be mentioned in that context.
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