I did a search at LYN football, strange no poll on football's perennial question, who's better Maradona or Pele. People who say Pele is better, after some 'interrogation' admit one big influence in their decision is Maradona's drug problem. Personally I just judge on how he plays on the pitch, and Maradona was amazing. Pele was before I was old enough to appreciate football, I did look a youtube clips of his but can't see what's so special, but then again Maradona's youtube clip doesn't exactly do justice to the amazing stuff I saw him do on tv.

This post has been edited by cic.lemur: Jul 30 2009, 12:30 PM

Pele's at a disadvantage because during his peak, football coverage on television wasn't as wide. He's great goal scorer, but when I look at the videos, I feel Maradona is more skillfull,

Some of Maradona plays makes you feel as if he is one with the ball, only one who comes close is Zidane, imo. (but still a bit far behind)

Pele is the sweetheart of the establishment, one of the reason I feel is because he always 'bodek'. Even say England could win the World Cup when they were playing like crap under Sven-Goran Eriksson.

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Added on June 3, 2009, 11:54 amMaradona told the same daily last May that Zidane was probably the most skillful player in the history of the game. "Perhaps no one in the world of soccer has been able to control the ball like Zidane," he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/26/sports/s...cnd-zidane.html

Wow, high praise from Maradona. Zidane says his favourite player was Enzo Francescoli, no wonder he called his son Enzo

This post has been edited by cic.lemur: Jun 3 2009, 11:54 AM

Haha, very true. C. Ronaldo's only been around a a few years, before him it was Ronaldinho, but now
no news. C. Ronaldo need to maintain his level of preformance, and achieve glory with his country
before his name can be uttered in the same breath with the legends, he could still end up being just
a fad.

Although just 1 man, they make a difference and win matches, that's why they are called legends.

Read on The Star today, current Man U player were asked to name their footballing idols, Ferdinand, Giggs, Tevez and Rooney named Maradona. Curiously no one said Pele. I read on another article some time back when Beckham said his idol was also Maradona.

Listed what the others said,

Ferguson - Dennis Law
Evans - Roy Keane
Neville - Bryan Robson
O'Shea - Paul McGrath
Foster - Schmeichel
Anderson - Rivaldo
Berbatov - his father, van Basten, Alan Shearer
Carrick - Peter Beardsley, Gascoigne & Ian Wright

ps Tevez said: "Maradona is the greatest player of all time. Diego, for all Argentinians, is God. And he will always be."

This post has been edited by cic.lemur: Jul 13 2009, 11:18 AM

True, but I think Rooney is a bit young to have watched Maradona

I have to ask how many of the older folks actually watched Pele play, they may have watched the 1970 world cup but prior to that it's hard to imagine Malaysia broadcasting Santos games on a regular basis. I got a feeling the guys who voted for Pele here had watched him play far fewer times than they be willing to admit, and had voted for Pele more out of what other people said about the legendary Pele, rather that what they saw with their own eyes.

Some of the black and white clips of Pele on youtube are very impressive, shows him expertly and swiftly dribbling past several players, but then again I have to say, in some of the clips, I laugh at the defenders just standing there like dungus. For his clips with better quality, eg colour, I share your opinion, not impressed. But can't really judge a player by looking at youtube clips, can make anyone look like a football God by clipping together the best moments in his career, or make him look like a turd by clipping together his worst moments.