WorldCupBlog Poll: Pelé vs Diego Maradona
The question of Pelé vs Diego Maradona and who is the greatest footballer of all time, is largely pointless. Both were brilliant, but in different positions and slightly different eras. Plus the debate is somewhat disrespectful to the likes of George Best, Johan Cruyff, Ferenc Puskás, Eusébio and others. So I’d decided never to raise the question here on WorldCupBlog.
But then Digeo Maradona intervened. Here’s what El Diego said in an interview with FIFA.com to hype the upcoming Argentina vs Brazil World Cup qualifier (September 5th people, mark your diaries)…
Q: There’s a constant debate between Brazilians and Argentinians over whether Pele or you is the world’s best ever player. Is it possible to make a comparison given you played in completely different eras?DM: Do you know what? I played in European football for ten years while Pele played in South America. Yes he won World Cups and everything, but playing in Europe is something else entirely. Not that that makes me much better than him or anything like that. When I played, the man-markers in Spanish and Italian football were like hunting dogs. They never left me alone.
Pele had Coutinho and Rivelino, who for me is one of the best ever, alongside him. And then there was Jairzinho, Clodoaldo, Gerson and Tostao. Those guys were brilliant. Oh well, what matters is that when the people voted, he came second behind me. Nobody can take that away from me. And there was another vote in Brazil in which he came second behind Ayrton Senna. He needs to stop coming second!
Tell us what you really think Diego!
El Pibe De Oro is right that he topped a poll on FIFA.com. But he neglects to remember that Pelé came top in a separate poll, leading FIFA to recognize them jointly. From a January 2001 FIFA article:
Pelé and Diego Maradona are the players of the century. The Brazilian was voted number one by the readers of FIFA Magazine and the FIFA Football Committee, whereas the Argentinan topped the poll on the fifa.com website. Both were honoured by FIFA in Rome on 11 December.
So, somewhat predictably, we’ll put it to a poll here on WorldCupBlog. Who was the better footballer: Pelé? Maradona? Or someone else altogether?
If you choose “Other”, please let us know who in the comments.
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Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 33 comments.
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By Cece | August 26th, 2009 at 5:08 pm 
Garrincha.
I’m not even Brazilian, but I totally get why so many will not concede that Diego is the better player. In the the only game Maradona ever won against Brazil this happened:
“On the show, apparently in an effort to show that doping scandals were common, and that he was not the only culprit, he “revealed” an incident he said took place at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. In Argentina’s last-16 game against Brazil, he said, Argentinian training staff, on the pitch to tend to an injured player, managed to drug Brazil’s Branco by tossing him a bottle of water laced with tranquillisers.
After the 1986 “Hand of God” headlines, the Argentinian media swiftly dubbed this one the “holy water” scandal, though Maradona insisted he had nothing to do with it. “Brazil missed 20 chances in front of goal that day. That was not my fault,” he said.
In Brazil, Branco did not take the revelations well. He said he had, indeed, felt drowsy late in the game, when a brilliant run by Maradona laid on the winning goal from Claudio Caniggia and dumped the favourites out of the tournament. “What if I’d been dope tested after that game?” said the Brazilian defender. “That could have ended my career.”
Branco threatened to sue the Argentinian Football Federation but many in Argentina took Maradona’s “revelations” with a pinch of the kind of white powder he is now supposed to stick to, and even that in lesser amounts for the sake of his diet.”
With that said, Maradona never beat a side with Zico, at any level, club or international.
By Oliviero | August 26th, 2009 at 9:10 pm Cruyff, because although Maradona and Pele were great individual players Cruyff changed the game of football.
Posted from 
United States
By elle | August 26th, 2009 at 9:15 pm George Best…awesome player and world’s first football superstar
By Seth | August 27th, 2009 at 12:16 am 1. Maradona (always is and will be no.1)
2. Cruyff (the father of total football)
3. Pele (personally do not like him)
4. Zidane (the greatest player from my generation)
5. Eusebio
By jordi | August 27th, 2009 at 12:27 am Pele won a world cup and scored 2 in the final at 17.It doesnt get any better than that..
By MattyDub | August 27th, 2009 at 1:00 am Puskas, sorry
Posted from 
United Kingdom
By Oli | August 27th, 2009 at 1:12 am (1) El Diego
(2) Pele
(3) Puskas
(4) Garrinca
(5) Ronaldo (brasilian)
(6)Zidane
etc.
By Luka | August 27th, 2009 at 7:02 am Di Stefano (just to sound cultured). Surely Di Stefano > Puska??
Posted from 
Australia
By bobby_digital | August 27th, 2009 at 10:58 am Pele, obviously….
pele was a total footballer…. diego had 1 foot, a magical foot but still one foot…. pele had 2 feet equal in strength, could head the ball, speed, strength, vision, etc…. and plus diego was on that cocaina and god knows what else…
lol @ seth puttin pele 3rd on his list for “personally not liking him”… really? … nothin more, no real reasons?…lol
Posted from United States
By James | August 27th, 2009 at 11:31 am Maradona
Garrincha
Pele
Cruyff
Zidane
And it’s not like being 5th in the top 5 of all time is something to be ashamed of. If you compare skills, Maradona & Pele, Maradona wins everything, and tbh I find the fat guy annoying. But damn he had some skill.
By SoulManc | August 27th, 2009 at 11:34 am For tenacity, audacity, vision beyond his era, ability and literally genius it HAS to be George Best by a country mile. Yes he never won the world cup but he was from Northern Ireland. If you put Best in that Brazil 1970 squad he would have had golden boot and then some
Posted from United Kingdom
By sandrahn | August 27th, 2009 at 2:04 pm I’m Brazilian and love Pele but for me it will always be Garrincha first.
After that it’s Maradona, Pele (yes, Pele 2nd–can’t tell my family that, tho), Puskas, Cruyff, Rivaldo and Zidane.
Posted from United States
By Seth | August 27th, 2009 at 4:24 pm bobby_digital, that’s exactly the reason haha.
By alex | August 29th, 2009 at 5:46 pm I think the best player ever was ronaldo(brazil)
By warsame | August 30th, 2009 at 1:32 am 1:me
2:maradona
3:pele
im all the best
Posted from Australia
By Rama | August 30th, 2009 at 5:51 pm Zizou. Duh.
Posted from United States
By Sandfox | August 31st, 2009 at 2:10 am i voted for maradonna, i feel sorry to do that, he is going to loose fans every day with his behaviour.. and yeah, next best thing is fat ronaldo!
By MistaBarry | August 31st, 2009 at 9:18 pm Pele is the best by far,Maradona is simply a cheater,a drug addict.
I might do the same if I was on crack,I don’t like Maradona.
Posted from United States
By Johnny1987 | August 31st, 2009 at 9:59 pm fuck the English! Diego is the king! an ass hole but the king! Then cyuff sp. every time you read anything on an english blog about El Diego they trash him, and we all know why. Just ask them to watch the next goal.
Pele is a beast. Michele Platini and Carlos Alberto would round out my top 5.
By alfredo | September 1st, 2009 at 12:55 pm maradona es el rey del futbol, the king , the best , number 1 saludos de peru al rey del futbol diego maradona
By Golazo | September 1st, 2009 at 8:54 pm im argentinean and i say Zinedine Zidane
Posted from United States
By Daniel | September 3rd, 2009 at 9:27 pm Pele did not play in Europe because the Brazilian government made a rule that Pele was not for sale. Many clubs in Europe wanted to buy him and pay high price but he was such an icon in Brazil that the government wanted him to remain. To say that Pele did not play in Europe is not argument at all. People play in Europe because of the money, but the best players are from South America. It is logic that Real Madrid was the best team of the last century because it has had most of the best South American players. The Spanish language is an advantage. For a South American who speak Spanish it is easier to adapt in Spain. Even a Brazilia may find it easier because Spanish and Portuguese are very close. However, the most important for player is the money. If soccer became popular in USA, it is probably that in a future generation the best players will play there because there is more money in USA than Europe.
By Harun | September 4th, 2009 at 5:52 pm 1. Pele
2. Maradona
3. Cruyff
4. Garrincha
5. Zidane
Posted from United States
By Torro | September 23rd, 2009 at 2:14 am Puskas
There is a new biographical documentary entitled “Puskas Hungary” in which Pele sais: “With all the new technology, the internet, the television he would have been the best player even on the Moon.”
By R | September 29th, 2009 at 12:09 am Ha it’s funny that in any English speaking article/blog etc there will always be cries of Diego being a cheat(honestly one handball?) and a drug addict(like cocaine really makes you a better player) none of it takes away the fact he was the greatest. He may have had one foot but his one foot was better than both Pele’s feet. Either way in his Prime Ronaldo was better than both of them. He was Maradona, Pele, Cruyff, Zidane, Di Stefano and Van Basten combined, with a touch of Superman.
Posted from Australia
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