Maradona or Pele?

[USVirgin]

Good point. Impossible to gauge their skills against athletes (athletes meaning those who participated in sports).

[limbo]

Pele is a legend froma bygone area, when TVG footage was rare.

 

Maradona is besides a currently ex-drug addict also a cheat. Google 'the hand of God', he was however, in his hightime (pun intended) a brilliant player.

 

Did you forget to include Cruyff in this eqausion or did we have that discussion already

[Steve]

I think it depends on your age. I would assume that those that grew up when Pele was known as the world's best will always see him as such and those that didn't see him but only know him by reputation and clips but saw Maradonna would say Maradonna.

 

Its a credit to Maradonna though. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to challege Pele's reputation as the world's greatest footballer ever.

 

Its like someone saying someone is better than Michael Jordan. Funny thing is those that were around when Wilt Chamberlain played considered him the most dominant force in basketball ever.

 

 

[TroyinEwa/Perv]

And some probably still do. Couldn't have been easy playing in those shorts with that god-awful earring.

 

[sayjann]

i'm a child of the 60's and therefore Pele will always be best for me.

i remember the brilliant Brazil team of 1970 and will remember them as the best National team i have ever seen.

and Pele was awesome...............

 

25 years later and Maradona was at his peak,but i never really saw footage of him.

at the time football coverage in the UK was limited unlike now.

 

Pele played in an era when players from S.America rarely played for European teams,if ever.

Maradona was one of the early players to go to Europe and ply his trade.

 

i wonder how both of them will have coped in the current conditions of club and national football.

[Steve]

I have a cousin named Edson. One of my uncles, who came of age in the late '50s and '60s, idolized Pele and named his son after him.

 

Pele remains my sentimental favorite even though I don't remember seeing him and the only time I remember seeing Maradonna was in the '82 and '86 world cups. The WC is the only time Americans watch football and I was no different. Even though Maradonna played in '90 I don't remember him that world cup.

 

One possible argument for Maradonna is that he played on a weaker side than Pele. Okay, hard to say 'weaker' given that Argentina won but the '70 Brazil team has been said was the best world cup side ever. Pele therefore played with a better team. Also, Maradonna played and did very well in Europe. Pele never played in Europe (through no fault of his own, we can thank the Brazilian gov't for that). Pele probably would have been as dominant but its all speculation.

 

Maradonna, on the basis of that could be argued to be the greater but I think Pele has more of a legendary status.

 

There are a small cadre of people who would give Cryuff the title as world's greatest player. I met a dutch guy once in a football bar in LA who braved the arguments of a bunch of drunk Brits about it. Was that you in disguise Limbo?

 

 

[lifeline]

I wouldn't say "think" Wilt Chamberlain was the most dominant force ever, I would say, "know". Check out Jerry West's youtube comments on Wilt.

[Mekong]

Rather difficult to judge either since TV coverage back in those days was rather limited but this goal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rW-lK9F6TU was quite tasty.

 

In the modern era I would have to say Andres Iniesta, he is often overlooked since he plays alongside Lionel Messi but IMHO Iniesta is the better playmaker where as Messi gets the goals. I travel all over Spain to watch Barcelona play, Xavi, Iniesta, Massi are an amazing 3 man midfield, there was the "Total Football" of Ajax in Johan Cruyfs era and also the Brazil teams of 1970 and 1974 but this current Barca team are a cut above, even my Father who has been watching Football for over 70 years agrees with my opinion, he never used to watch Spanish Football but now he tunes in for every Barca game (much to my Mothers displeasure). being able to see Barca week in week out is one of the advantages or working in Spain, Ironically the Santiago Benabeu (Ral Madrid) is within spitting distance of my doorstep but I choose to travel hundreds of KM and watach Barca.

[Flashermac]

 

I remember the "hand of God" so well ... the Brits in the office wanted to hang Maradona by the balls, though they'd probably have settled for crucifying him or burning him at the stake. The Bangkok Post captioned the picture of him "scoring" the goal - "Maradona heads the ball with his hand". :content:

 

 

 

 

[Mekong]

He got away with it.

 

In sport there are many indiscretions of the rules, if the the officals do not observe the fact one has to accept it.

 

Now for me the biggest travesty is how Chelsea called off the game against Manchester United, there was no reason but they are scared of us. OK they may have 2-3 injuries but that happens to all teams, cowards, I hope that once the game is played United put 6 past them and give it a big "Yet Mai" that is what they deserve.