well personally I don't think this is correct I would rather have Pele, or Zico.

But . . .

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"...oh look the big goalie is coming up..."

All the kids with the internet voted as they don't remember Pele or Zico, so they voted for that coke monkey.

Of course, now someone's going to tell me to f-off.

Yeah wel if they tell you to f-off I will tell them to f-off.

Maradona, was a coke head, who only scores with parts of his body which are illegal.

Pele was a god, and genius.

PELE

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"...oh look the big goalie is coming up..."

schmeichel01:
don't start this topic again guys.

i think pele and maradona both great and can't defrentiate between them. they r both awsomeeeeeeeeee

PELE IS GOOD BUT MARADONA IS THE BEST !!!
LOOK THE GAME IN SEMI FINAL WORLD CUP '86 ARGENTINA - ENGLAND, TWO BEAUTIFUL GOAL FOR ARGENTINA, AND FINAL 2:1 FOR BEST NATIONAL TEAM FOR ALL TIME !!! FIFA IS DECIDE, PEOPLE IS DECIDE, MARADONA IS THE BEST. LONG LIVE MAESTRO DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA !!!

BORIS & NIKOLA & VELJKO & MILAN ...

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Diego Maradonna is and , please quote me on this " A SHORT FAT,NO GOOD CHEATING,LIEING,COCAINE SNORTING,WOMANISING,ARGENTINIAN SACK OF ****!" plus "**** ANYBODY WHO WORSHIPS OR LOOKS UP TO THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE, WHO AS TALENTED AS HE IS, RUINED HIS LIFE WITH DRUGS,WOMEN & DECEIT"

one beutiful goal by the way, any goal you score with your hand is not beautiful.. i agree the second goal was MAGNIFICENT..but if you idolize players like maradonna then you do the whole game a disservice

Once again...
Pele cannot be the best player: he has never proved anything in Europe (not his fault, though). Maradona has proved, but by some reason I call him "Metadone". I say Beckenbauer, Sir Bobby Charlton or Gerd Müller.

The reason I don't like Pele it's his hypocrisy: I remember him saying s*** about players who receive lots of cash, while he had a nice Mastercard tie. Not to mention he does everything for money. Quoting from Romario (the real one, dunno if there is someone with this name here http://www.soccergaming.com/ubb/wink.gif ) "he is demental"

reasons why , in my opinion, Maradona was better than Pele
1. No video technology, so his opponents couldnt analyze him the same way that Maradona's rivals did on him.
2. Pele played in a much more relaxed style of football. Maradona did all that Pele did(and more) but at least twice faster.

Now, if u want to analyze their off the court behaviour, it's another subject. But anyway I still prefer Diego over Pele
What would u prefer?
A man who breaks rules in benefit of his people
...or a man that follows 'em just to make money for himself?

salutes, Andrew

I don't like any of them.
Unfortunately, you cannot analyze Maradona's off court and in court in separate: his life outside the fields affected the way he played. There is a guy in Portugal, called Dani Carvalho, who was in Amestardam playing for Ajax in the last... 3 seasons, I guess. He returned to Portugal, to Benfica,but after a monthe he was suspended after a rumor that put him in nighclubs all nights 'till morning. One day he arrived late to a training... and he was suspended. He is now a free agent.
All this to show that while playing, a player should only be famous for his i-court abilities.

Oh boy!
Fifa really ****ed up the ceremony last night ,kewl.
Fifa had put a poll on their web site and you where able to vote.
Well Mr."I can sniff coke more than I can sniff football"Diego Maradonna came first in the poll,but..fifa did not like it coz he was a drugs addic and fat and stupid etc so they made another last minute vote in which(surprise,surprise) Pelè came first.
So we now have 2 players of the ceturary http://www.soccergaming.com/ubb/confused.gif
I would have voted for Pelè ,well maradonna was very good but I still think Pelè is the best,scoring over 1.000 goals.
My first vote would have gone to George Best.
I know you will now tell me to go **** myself and all that kinda stuff but wehther you like it or not he WAS a great player better than maradonna and just as good as pelè,ok now you will tell me that best is no way better than maradonna wel my answer is...have you watched his video's??
Pitty he became an alcoholic at the age of 26 and quit football http://www.soccergaming.com/ubb/frown.gif

------------------
-PhiLLer-
Manutd born and bRED

Most Argentinian Footballers Play Dirty Tricks : THEY DONT DESERVE AWARDS...especially The ****ING MARADONA!!!!

-Do u remember Simeone at WC 98?
-Do u remember Ariel Ortega at WC 98?
-Do u remember Balbo in Serie A? (Using hands for goal)
-Do u remember Maradona at WC 82, 90?
-Do u remember Kempes at WC 78?

The did the same thing : PLAY TRICKS
-Lots of argentinian footballers play dirty tricks... THEY DONT DESERVE AWARD...

For those who were born after 74 : "stop talking and comparing Maradona with Pele!!!!
coz Pele is still the best footballer exist.

Yes, I also think Pele is the greatest.
I'm very sorry for that i have never seen
neither Pele nor Maradonna... I was born
in 1986. But they both were great. Maybe they
have the same skills, but Pele was, is and
will be better human. Pele is the king.
Pele is god.
And... can you tell me a player from the time
when Pele played who come from Brazil to
Europe. And can you tell me when Pele shooted
at journalists?
So, whatever you say, Pele is great!
BrainAttack

Yes, I also think Pele is the greatest.
I'm very sorry for that i have never seen
neither Pele nor Maradonna... I was born
in 1986. But they both were great. Maybe they
have the same skills, but Pele was, is and
will be better human. Pele is the king.
Pele is god.
And... can you tell me a player from the time
when Pele played who come from Brazil to
Europe. And can you tell me when Pele shooted
at journalists?
So, whatever you say, Pele is great!
BrainAttack

Hey yo! Why the **** does anyone have to go to Europe to prove a point? Kinda eurocentric are ya? Everybody knows Brazil has a great league and it was even better before... So quit this **** about anyone who's good MUST be in Europe. Santos (Pelé's team) won 5 brazilian championships in his time, 2 world titles, 2 Libertadores cups, what else do u want? And they didn't win more because they were always on trips to Asia, Africa, so they got lots of WO games, which got them out of many titles. I hate those who say that stupid thing that Europe is the greatest thing and the rest is bull****!
Pelé:

21 years of carreer and 59 titles won, including 3 WCs
1281 goals in 1375 games (average: 0.93 goals per game)


"How do you spell Pele?
-With the words G-O-D
The Sunday Times, England

"I may be a new Di Stefano, but I can never be a new Pele. He's the only one who goes beyond logic limits"
Cruyff

"When I saw Pele play, I felt like stopping"
Fontaine


All data (official) from Placar Magazine

I don't believe Pele's brazilian league stats. Get real. They don't know exactly how many goals did he scored. 900? 1000? 1200? they just don't know http://www.soccergaming.com/ubb/tongue.gif

The eurocentrism is simple: Everyone accepts that a great baseball or basketball player must play in the states, so it's commonly believed that a great player must play in Europe. The Brazilian league had always awful defenders... Have you seen the play Maradona once made against Juventus? he managed to pass through 6 players, with the ball always on his left foot, and ended on the ground with a penalty. Pele is a money digger; he do anything for money. When Brazil was crashed by Portugal in WC66 they were all whining "they just won 'cause they unjured Pele". Crap. They won because Brazil were a bunch of twisters that could stand heavy physical play.


Eusebio was really kind of a dumba**, he never left Benfica when he was good because Salazar (our dictator) never let him. http://www.soccergaming.com/ubb/tongue.gif

Maradona is in my eyes the best football player of the century. That man was a genious without equal, he did things with a ball noone else has ever been able to.

I am here refering to his skills on the pitch as a player with unique skills, his private life should not be mixed with his performances on the pitch.

This goes for any job a man has, if a guy is the best computer programmer in the world, it doesnt matter how many prostitutes he does, how much s&m he practises, how much dope he takes, how much alcohol he drinks, he is still the best. Maybe not for long because of some of the abuses but I think I made my point: People voted for his Maradonas skills, not for his personal life.

I can respect that you believe other players were better footballers but keep privacy out of the issue.

i THINK THAT the greatest of all times was Pele, and next to him the great Omar Sivori from Juventus, and then Johan Cruyff as well as Michelle Platini!!!!

MARADONA IS THE BEST, **** OFF THE REST !!!

P.S - MARADONA PLAY IN EUROPE (NAPOLI, BARCA)
PELE NOOOOOOOOO ! REMEMBER MARADONA IS WINN FOR INTERNET (53,60 %), PELE (18,53 %). PEOPLE IS DECIDE, MARADONA IS THE MESSIAH !!!

PECANSKI GANG (BORIS, NIKOLA, MILAN, VELJKO)

LONG LIVE MAESTRO DIEGO !!!
EUROPE IS YOUR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I cant believe half of the people here. Because Pele did not play in Europe he cannot be considered the best?? Pele with Brasil beat Europe He beat Sweden, Italy, England, Spain ..... everyone. Pele has THREE World Cups. Maradonna has one, that he won when he played volleyball. Pele has over 1,000 goals. Pele is the king. Pele is best. Mardonna is a fat-assed, coke-monkey loving punk who is not even the best player in his country's history. The only reason he won the internet vote is because the Argentinian FA cheated by launching a campain to sway the vote. And on the FIFA site, you can vote more than once. Pele is best. He did more for football than that fatass ever did for his drug dealer. Pele is the best. O Rei forever!

Just check this all you suckie suckie ****ing Maradona-fans. The best player of the world -a.k.a. the GOD of soccer- should be at least normal if not also a GOD off the pitch. That PIG of a maradona just has no wilingness to improve his behaviour. He has to wine or cry every time he comes on tv for his ****ing drugs. He shouldn't have started with it in the first place as a topsporter!!!!!!!! WHAT WAS HE THINKING??????
Everybody says Pele or Maradona but what about the great defenders (even from nowadays)? Don't they exist anymore? Get real!

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"Champions League Anderlecht-Lazio 1-0 Tomasz Radzinskiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!"

i think is unfair to compare them cause each one played in a different era, football was different from pele's days to maradona's..
the thing is by the time football gets more difficult and players get bigger and stronger, tactics improve and the game itself changes..maradona did all this in a time where it was harder than pele's time..and if uthink about after maradona there's no any other player thats even close to him in any means..
so Maradona is better


shez

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what's the use if Man Utd will win anyway!

i still think that Pele is a better player than maradona.. i admit that he is great in 1986 wc no a single doubt... but after that he was playing not particular impressive i can said that they reached wc 90's final all due to their luck rather than their skill... but look at Pele played well in 3 wc of the 4 he is in... and winning 3 of it... where can u find another person to do that...
PELE is KING OF FOOTBALL !!!!!!

Some varied opinions here and thats good.

But make no mistake the worlds best ever player was Pele. true maradonna was a genius so was cruyff and platini don't forget beckenbaur, Moore, best, eusabio,zico and distefano and charlton but they with one argentinian exception will all tell you that Pele was the best. Class is part of being the best, Maradona walked out like the baby he has been in his entire career.

Anyone who doubts me try and get hold of the 1970 world cup and look at Pele.

He single handedly made soccer a sport in the USA before that it was joke (yes a bigger joke than it is now).

Erm Shez...

i think is unfair to compare them cause each one played in a different era, football was different from pele's days to maradona's..

but then you go on to say:

maradona did all this in a time where it was harder than pele's time..and if uthink about after maradona there's no any other player thats even close to him in any means..
so Maradona is better

Don't these two statements contradic eachother..?? http://www.soccergaming.com/ubb/tongue.gif


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-PhiLLer-
Manutd born and bRED

A couple of good points. But consider this: if Maradona and Pele were playing in Pele's era of football (50s-70s) then Maradona would still come out on top.

If Pele played in Maradona's era of football (late 70s-late 80s) he still wouldn't have hacked it.

I even spoke about this with my dad and he is keen on football too. I was born in '74 so I never got to watch Pele play, but my dad had seen them both so he knew what he was talking about. He agreed that Pele was excellent in his time, but in today's footballing times he wouldn't stand a chance.

It was when Maradona went to Barca in the early eighties that people really sat up and watched him play. The Mexico wc was his peak and he deserved it, no matter whether he handballed against England, they would have got beaten anyway.

Achievement-wise, I personally believe it was a bad move for him to go to Napoli. OK, he did help them win the league but it was a rare high for them. He would have been more effective playing for another bigger European side at the time.

Also remember that Maradona actually played in Europe. South American football is entirely different and one cannot gauge between the two players for this reason, unless you watched them both play.

My vote goes to Maradona for the reasons above. I watched him play many times (world cups, European games etc), as many of you would have, and have watched many programs about him and his goals. I have also seen him play live a few times, and was awestruck. Pele I can't say, nor Gerd Muller, nor Beckenbauser, nor Charlton, nor Platini, but I wouldn't consider them at all, they're just not in the same class.

Think about it for yourselves, not what all the old commentators or tv programs may tell you.