So not true. In his younger years, Messi used to defend as much as anyone yet provided the biggest threat in the attacking department. Messi never played with similarly gifted individuals while paying for Argentina, And btw, what are these strengths you talk about? dribbling? passing? playmaking?An excellent Times Article on Pele
In my mind, what separates Pele from Messi is that Pele did not need to have an offensive scheme built around him for him to thrive. He could play within a team's offensive scheme because he had no real weakness in his game. Pele did not need a player like Rodrigo De Paul as a minder to be successful. Brazilian coaches could afford to pick a balanced squad with Pele performing both the offensive and defensive duties required of the position.
Messi has had teams built specifically around his strengths for most of his career. The reason why he was largely unsuccessful for Argentina until the present was that Argentine coaches could not replicate the Barcelona model at the international level, which resulted in a lot of square pegs placed in round holes to accommodate Messi. Whilst Pele could coexist with talented players like Rivelino, Tostao and Jairzinho, Messi could not thrive in such an environment, without similarly gifted players taking a minor role.
The other thing, most of Brazil NT payers were Pele's teammates at Santos.