Is Lionel Messi The Greatest of All Time?

By Abubakar Sadiq Salisu

In the aftermath of the 1986 World Cup, won almost single-handedly for Argentina by Diego Maradona, there were outpourings of debates as to who deserved the title of “Greatest Footballer of All-Time” between Maradona and Pele. As the debate raged on, a cousin of mine gave me a clipping from the Concord newspaper which carried an article comparing the two great footballers. I still keep that newspaper page as an archive and a treasure.

The writer described the greatness of Pele, the followership he commands, and how he is a more complete player than Maradona. He described how Queen Elizabeth and Pope John Paul confessed to getting goosebumps when meeting Pele and how Pele played at a time when no yellow or red cards were used, when tackles from behind were not sanctioned. He possessed a solid physical presence and could glide past opponents with ease. Pele had many tricks up his sleeve and would use his legendary “feints” and his signature technique, the “dribble da vaca,” to take on enemies in the monumental stadium. For weak foot skill, Pele was one of the greatest. He was a prolific striker and a clinical finisher with both feet. He had no chinks in his armor and was a challenge for defenders to cope with because of his excellent heading skills and an unequaled desire to score goals.

At the end of 1999, FIFA conducted a survey on who among the two was the best player of the century. After much debate, FIFA determined that Pele and Maradona are the joint greatest footballers of the twentieth century.In a more scientific survey, the leading football magazine in the globe, World Soccer, published the result of its assessment of the “World Soccer 100 Players of the Century” (which was based on votes by elite players) in its December 1999 edition (a treasure I still keep), which showed Pele leading with an overwhelming majority. Maradona was second, and Johan Cruyff finished third. Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, George Best, Marco van Basten, and Eusebio finished 4th–10th, respectively. That concluded the debate.

In 2006, when asked who is the greatest between him and Maradona, Pele told the global media, “For 20 years they have asked me the same question, who is the greatest? Pele or Maradona? I reply that all you have to do is look at the facts: “How many goals did he score with his right foot or with his head?”

Two players dominated this century, in terms of awards and pedigree. I consistently argue that despite winning 11 FIFA World Footballer Awards between them, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will never be the best or one of the best without winning the World Cup. Players and managers are primarily rated on the basis of trophies won and not on individual awards. Despite winning more World Player awards, pundits still argued over who among Cristiano and Messi was the best. Messi has won the Copa America after Cristiano won the European Cup. Cristiano holds the record for most goals scored, but Messi has more individual best player awards. But most significantly, none of them has won the Mundial.

Now that Messi has inspired Argentina to win the country’s third and his first World Cup titles, the debate on who is the best between them has been put to bed. Messi has now indubitably claimed supremacy over Cristiano.

The argument has now moved to who is the so-called GOAT (greatest of all time). I’ve read some commentators, pundits, and football romanticists suggesting that Lionel Messi has now surpassed Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) as the best-ever footballer to grace planet earth. I tend to differ; Pele is still incomparable. Pele is one of the few human beings who have become more influential, more popular, more famous, and more legendary during, and even after his playing days. He is a hero in every sense of the word: for what he represents and for what he has done, but maybe more so because he would not let hubris get the better of him.

Messi’s low center of gravity allows him to squirm past opponents easily. He makes up for his lack of physical strength with superior agility and a diverse repertoire of skills. Those who have paid close attention to Messi know that curving the ball past goalkeepers is a breeze for this South American player. That’s why he and Cristiano Ronaldo are Tweedledum and Tweedledee. That, along with his natural set-piece brilliance, explains why Messi has one of the most effective direct free-kick conversion rates in Europe’s top five leagues. He also has a fantastic talent for outsmarting opponents with blindside runs, making him an all-around creative genius.

Pele is recognized by Guinness World Records as having scored the most goals of all time with 1,279 in 1,363 games for both club and country, including friendlies. Most significantly, he is the only player in history to have won three World Cups. At 17, Pele became the youngest-ever winner of the World Cup, after scoring twice in the 1958 final against Sweden.

In 1969, Pele scored his 1,000th career goal. Thousands of fans raced onto the pitch to mob the Brazilian, and it took over 30 minutes for the game to restart. At Santos, November 19th is known as “Pele Day” to celebrate the anniversary of his 1,000th goal.

While growing up, we knew Pele as “King Pele”. He remains so. For the laurels won, especially the World Cup, Lionel Messi could now be considered the best player of the 21st century, over and above Cristiano, but Pele remains the best footballer of all time.

In conclusion, Pele once observed, “They are always trying to compare someone to Pele.” But I always joke with my Argentine friends that they must first choose who is the best player from Argentina. Then, when one of them scores a thousand goals, then we can start talking.”

The argument should center on who is the best between Maradona and Messi, certainly, neither of them surpassed Pele in greatness.
Tanimu Umar