It’s always a difficult topic, especially when covering decades. To look at his stats I’d say Greaves would be up there as one of the greats. You also have the likes of Van Basten and Ronaldinho.
With Pele, it’s tricky because there’s not a great deal of footage and he played most of his professional career (outside internationals) at a comparatively low level. However, he looked like a modern Premier League striker when you watch the footage. A real athlete and a great all rounder. Wasn’t he 17 when he scored twice in a World Cup final?
Personally I agree with the view that a myth was built around him, but it must have had some origin in truth, especially when you consider how highly rated he was by his opponents. It’s not as if there’s a queue of former international footballers lining up to say ‘actually mate, that Pele was overrated’ (well, unless you’re Maradona).
Anyway, Messi is the GOAT in my opinion, for multiple reasons. For most Argentines, it will always be Maradona.
It's definitely a difficult topic. Eventually, there will be a time where NO ONE on this planet would have witnessed Pele play. So it'll all be urban legend and myth. "Pele once scored 1000 career goals." , "Pele scored from a bicycle kick from 40 yards" etc. - and that'll go on for generations. Can't help but feel that all anyone knows of Pele are highlight videos. He's literally the modern day YouTube compilation of someone based on legend.
Let's not forget that Brazil won the 1962 very comfortably WITHOUT him. Winning 5 of 6 games and scoring 14 goals. Garrincha the star of the show with his fucked up spine and bent legs. He was back in 1966 though where they got knocked out in the groups..
Pele was 52 when I was born, so I never saw him play but I would probably assume from what I HAVE seen is that he was probably just ahead of his time. Wouldn't surprise me if he was quicker and more powerful than a lot of other players of that time as well as a very very talented freestyler, mix in the fact that he's up against semi professionals and it's probably a recipe for legend.
It's a bit like when you look at old footage of football back in the 50s and 60s and the goalkeepers are just shit. Barely dive. Crap positioning etc. You have defenders just looking at the player instead of the ball, ridiculously slow to turn etc. Defenders being fooled by the simplest of tricks etc. The game has evolved and it's ridiculously hard to judge.
Jesse Owens transcended Athletics but that doesn't make him the best athlete of all time. It makes him a legend but Usain Bolt is a better athlete. Shit evolves.
Regarding Argentines on Messi and Maradona, I think most Argentines would judge it on the fact that Maradona is literally Argentine through and through I reckon (add to the fact that Argentina won the World Cup with him) as opposed to full blown ability though. I've seen documentaries on how Maradona is seen as a god simply because of the World Cup win.
Whereas Messi has been in Spain since he was a kid and sort of never really shows that same sort of passion for his country that Maradona did - I think even if Argentina had won the World Cup in 2010, they'd still have put Maradona above him simply because of that patriotism Maradona shows. Messi just seems to me like someone who feels Spanish but plays for Argentina out of respect.
