the way Pele juggled the ball, overhead kicks, volleys from halfway line, heading ability, finishing, acceleration with the "heavier ball", not even close technicallyComparing Grealish to Pele
Atleast could have chosen a more credible name from the modern times
I don't agree, at least not this heavyweight version of usyk that isn't really heavier either and I've been a big fan of usyk ever since he won his Olympic gold.
Yeah that's true which brings up the issue of stat padding which i think did happen and it's also true that Santos were simply too good for their opposition but even then Santos were probably better than their European counterparts anyway, they won every game against the likes of Benfica (European cup winners) , juve , roma etc etc that they took part in after all.
As you say there's anything particularly exceptional about the goal in isolation, but it's celebrated for what it captured in summing up what Brazil were all about in 1970. It begun with the holding midfielder Clodoaldo dancing around a handful of challenges in a way that players in that position just didn't do and wouldn't be seen as normal until Guardiola and Busquets came along. And the nonchalant no-look pass from Pele perfectly captured his role in that tournament: selfless, sacrificing his own glory to serve others, and spotting things other players couldn't see. With the run and powerful finish from their captain Carlos Alberto, doing what full-backs rarely did in the 1960s and overlapping into the opposition box when they should be holding on to a 3-1 lead. At the time, it pulled together elements of the game that must have seemed space-age in comparison to the conventional way of playing. And the way it was delivered in the dying minutes of the first World Cup in colour - to coronate Brazil's crown - is why it has endured. It was more than just a goal.
It’s a good goal. But the bolder bit....yes it’s exactly that...he passed the ball ffs ! If another player plays that pass it’s a good five yard pass into the run of a teammate. When Pele or the white Pele played it it was all of the above !
Disagree. Messi produced Maradona’s peak performance levels with more goals ( many of them magical) over a longer period of time.
You were the one who posted unequivocal winners in specific categories
I don't think that Messi reached Maradona's peak performance levels although we're talking about the difference between 100/100 and 99/100 (Pelé-62' was probably close to that level as well but we'll never see it, sadly, — weirdly enough, we've never seen peak Pelé in World Cups bar that game against Mexico even though he's synonymous with that tournament; L. Ronaldo-98' would be very high on that list as well). If I need one player to ensure my team's win in a one-off game, I'd go with Maradona-1986 over any version of Messi even though picking Messi would be an almost guarantee of success as well. Messi obviously beats Maradona on longevity and consistency and, as you've said, he's a way better goalscorer, hence why I prefer to put them in the same tier.
Yes, and if you watch the SF/final, "best/2nd best" doesn't even capture how mercurial he was when he crashed onto the international scene as a kid. Beyond his five goals in these games, there are several close misses, great dribblings and passes, a spectacular long range shot on the post (here), and so on. I think everybody knows the juggling goal in the final, the second one was fantastic as well.
It’s not always that black or white though, isn’t it? For example, Cruyff and Beckenbauer both share the same era and they were both widely regards among top 2-4 GOAT during their time (best since Pele and Di Stefano). Then during Maradona early era, we have saw Platini winning the battle of best player of his era from 83 to 85, while Maradona taking the crown from 86 onwards to around 90.
History has this tendency of elevating the one player and forgetting the others. We see it in the 90/00s with Zidane, in the 80s with Maradona v Platini/Zico. It was the same during Pele's career: in his late teens he would have competed with Puskas and Di Stefano, then during his 20s there was Garrincha, Spencer, Eusebio and Best. As @KeanoMagicHat says, the Pele/Eusebio dynamic bears many similarities with Messi/Ronaldo.
The juggle and left-foot half-fecking-volley off the inside of the post from 25 yards in the final was simply ridiculous, on that stage, and at that age. 6 goals in World Cup knockout stages already by the age of 17. Meanwhile, Messi and Cristiano have played in a total of 8 World Cups between them and still await their first goal in a knockout stage.
