Why Pele remains the greatest footballer of all time
There really is no debate
Who is the greatest footballer of all time? Every fan has debated this question frequently — and fervently. In recent times, it seems to be a neck-and-neck contest between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Older fans might clamour for the genius of Maradona or Cruyff.
The field, however, clears quickly, and decisively, in favour of Pele.
Greatness
The first question that comes to mind for GOAT debates is — what is greatness? and, more precisely, how do we measure greatness?
It is broad. We need criteria that are objective and quantifiable. Otherwise, the debate meanders, making comparisons ambiguous and idiosyncratic. A favourite player whose style we admire is a personal opinion. Greatness, is broader than that and more universal. Hence, measuring greatness requires objective and quantifiable criteria.
The first step is to devise a framework for decision-making. This can get complex because what attributes do we consider?
Criteria
To make it manageable, I’ve devised 3 criteria:
- Longevity: The players making our list have been talismanic players for club and country. I use total games played as a sign of longevity.
- Trophies: This is tricky. However, when we need to decide between different options, it is best to use simple, absolute and brutal differentiation. For this reason, I’ve limited it to International Trophies — World Cup, European Championship and Copa America. The bar is set high because we’re talking about the best of the best at the world stage.
- Goals: The total number of goals scored in all competitions. There is an argument that this metric will exclude traditionally non-scoring players. But, when all is said and done, football is about scoring goals. Goals win games. Players who score goals to win games become legendary.
I’m helped by some facts. Football is unique in that most of its greatest exponents are still alive, and two are currently active. The period I’m comparing is around 60 years — a manageable range. Also, despite having changed with the times, football has (mostly) retained its fundamental format. This means we can compare across time with some consistency.
The Shortlist
The top 10 players in football are frequently ranked by many journalists, people and magazines. I consider two old and two recent sources.
Century polls
The oft-quoted World Soccer poll of the 100 greatest players of the (last) century had Pele, Maradona and Cruyff at its apex. Beckenbauer, Platini, di Stefano, Puskas, Best, van Basten and Eusebio rounded up the Top 10.
The FIFA Player of the Century list contained a similar group. In the Grand Jury awards, the players included were Pele, di Stefano, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Cyruff/Best, and a five-way tie between Platini, Garrincha, Zico, Muller, Baggio.
These lists focused on the previous century. Newer lists include players who have risen to prominence in this century.
Newer Lists
According to this list, which I give preference because they’ve stated their selection criteria, the Top 10 reads: Pele, Messi, Maradona, Zidane, Beckenbauer, C Ronaldo, di Stefano, Cryuff, Platini and Xavi.
For contrast, another list shakes it up a little bit: Maradona, Messi, Pele, Cryuff, C Ronaldo, di Stefano, Beckenbauer, Zidane, Puskas, Ronaldo.
My selection pool
Based on these data sources, I narrow the top 8 players based on a set of criteria: for all players appearing at least twice in the above lists, I take a sum of the ranks. As wildcards, I include the metronomic Xavi and the prolific Puskas who appeared in one new and both the century lists.
My selection pool has 10 players: Pele, Messi, Maradona, Zidane, Beckenbauer, C Ronaldo, di Stefano, Cruyff, Xavi, Puskas. To this list, I will apply the criteria of Longevity, International Trophies and Goals.
“The best player ever? Pele. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pele was better.” — Alfredo di Stefano
The Verdict
Winner — Pele
Pele is the clear winner in all criteria. His three-time World Cup-winning feat, from four World Cup appearances, is unlikely to be matched. Pele scored a Guinness World Record 1279 goals in 1363 games and also collected the following personal records along the way:
- Youngest winner of a World Cup
- Youngest scorer in World Cup — age of 17!
- Youngest scorer of a hat-trick in a World Cup
- Top scorer of Brazil National Football Team — which given their abundance of attacking riches speaks for itself
- One of only 3 people to have scored in 4 World Cup events
- Most assists in the World Cup, in an individual edition and overall
- Scoring twice in the Final (1958) aged 17, when in most countries people of that age are considered too young to drive or vote! It would take another 60 years for Kylian Mbappe (2018) to become the first teenager to score in a World Cup Final since Pele, although he was nearly two years older and only scored once.
Longevity, International Trophies and Goals: Pele outshines everyone.
The World Cup is the biggest and most coveted prize in football. Winning 3 World Cup titles is in itself the ultimate differentiating criterion. Add to it the above records: the debate is over.
Other contenders
Maradona, often considered an alternative contender for the greatest ever footballer, scored 310 goals from 590 senior club appearances with another 34 for Argentina from 87 senior games. He has one World Cup to his credit.
With 877 senior appearances and 694 goals, Messi has good goals and longevity stats and is the all-time leading goal scorer for Barcelona, Argentina and La Liga. In terms of our criteria, where he loses ground is international trophies (zero so far).
His contemporary and archrival, Cristiano Ronaldo compares better (722 goals from 995 senior appearances) and also has a European Championship winners medal and “Nations League” title (if we’re being pedantic). He is the all-time leading goal scorer for Portugal and Real Madrid.
Cruyff (416 goals from 715 appearances) loses ground for having no international trophies. Alfredo di Stefano is identical in terms of international trophy count, very similar in terms of appearances (706) but has scored more (510) goals.
Zidane, is lower in goals (156) from the above players but up there for appearances (792) and has a good international trophy record having won the World Cup and European Championship. Beckenbauer has the same trophy record as Zidane, fewer goals (108) but more appearances (812). For a defender, his goal tally is quite good.
Midfielder Xavi has scored 211 goals but boasts 1017 appearances. Xavi’s international trophy cabinet stands at 3, similar to Pele, but of course only 1 World Cup (and 2 European Championships).
Puskas scored an incredible 706 goals from 718 appearances but won no international trophy despite the Magyars winning people’s hearts in 1954.
“I sometimes feel as though football was invented for this magical player.” — Sir Bobby Charlton
Ranking the contenders
Ranking the contenders is a natural next step. To accomplish that, I’ve assigned a “rank” or “weight” to our 3 criteria to derive an overall score. Pele, of course, is first and, by a significant margin. The others line up as follows:
- Cristiano Ronaldo is in 2nd place with Xavi following very closely in 3rd.
- Messi comes in at 4th place, tying with Puskas.
- Zidane comes in next, narrowly edging Beckenbauer.
- Cruyff, di Stefano (tied), and Maradona fill the remaining spaces.
This ranking is interesting because Beckenbauer, despite being a defender, leads three of the best forward/attacking midfield talents ever seen. Cruyff, Puskas and Alfredo di Stefano hold on despite not winning international trophies. Overall, it shows that genuine talent eventually comes through via one dimension or another. It also reflects the inclusiveness and balanced nature of our criteria, which allows a diverse group to be compared.
In our selection, 7 players have won international trophies, with a collective median of 463 goals from 802 appearances. Staggering!
It becomes obvious that the battle really is for second place. Pele is head and shoulders above the rest — no pun intended.
“Pele was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic.” — Johan Cruyff
Beyond comparison
More than statistics
Pele’s record speaks for itself. He was the complete forward, complementing technical abilities with athleticism, vision, intelligence, speed and some all-time classic moves even.
Pele’s exalted footballing abilities and accomplishments however only form the baseline. When we consider the prevailing environment of his time, Pele outshines all other contenders.
Pele was in his prime between 1958–1970. Football was different then. The ball was considerably heavier compared to today. The quality of the pitches and clothing was nowhere near as advanced as today. Two other factors were important. Offside laws were more stringent during his time. More importantly, red and yellow cards were only introduced in the 1970 World Cup! Liberal hacking of forwards was the norm during Pele’s career. The disgusting fouls he received against Portugal in the 1966 World Cup which caused him to hobble through most of the match, as substitutions were not allowed at that time, is one of football’s ugliest scenes. The conditions were different and even difficult compared to today.
Another unjust and inaccurate allegation is that Pele’s goals were mostly scored in “friendlies”. We need to understand that football was different then and friendlies had meaning. Indeed, Santos FC have put out a statement saying that these supposed friendlies were official matches.
Pele did it first
It’s not easy to compare across generations. For a start, we’ve literally seen more of newer players. The arrival of TVs in every house increased the quality and quantity of football available. Now with social media, there is a metaphorical explosion. Instead of just games and goals, every move of modern players is captured and commented upon to no end.
This recency effect obscures the legacy of older players. Another disadvantage for older players is that the skills they pioneered eventually become ‘standard’ for newer generations. This blurs our perception of how innovative and breathtakingly original these players were in their day.
Comparison across time needs to be more equitable. If anything, the older generation deserves relatively greater credit because they did it first. Subsequent generations had the advantage of seeing them, learning their styles and setting off from there. The original generation were pioneers on whose shoulders (borrowing from Isaac Newton) the newer generation has seen further. The skills that Pele showcased are still being emulated today.
Pele’s came from extremely humble beginnings. The socio-economic climate at the time in Brazil was an added challenge. From the boy who shined shoes in childhood to earn money to the player who had the world at his feet, Pele’s rags-to-riches story is genuine and inspirational; and adds an astonishing dimension to the scale of his achievements.
“This debate about the player of the century is absurd. There’s only one possible answer: Pele. “ — Zico
The Superstar
The teenaged Pele’s goals in 1958 led Brazil to its first title, erasing the pain of 1950 for the Selecao (home defeat to Uruguay in the Final). It got the ball rolling for Brazil, who would over time, become the most successful nation in world football. The first win is special because it inspires the development of the sport — and future players. Pele featured in 3 of their 5 world titles to date. Pele’s popularity was such that in 1975, his $7m deal to play for the New York Cosmos made him the highest paid athlete in the world. This is after he came out of retirement to sign for them.
Pele’s achievements and popularity came at a crucial juncture for football. As the game started to expand in the 50s, resuming after the World War, TV audiences were starting to gain critical mass. The World Cup was televised for the first time in 1954. Growing TV audiences would change the economics of sport — forever. In 1958, many Swedes brought their first-ever TV sets — for the World Cup. Pele, making his debut, would score twice against the home nation in the Final, to bring the World Cup to Brazil — for the first time. Brazil’s golden run from 1958 reached its crescendo in 1970, the World Cup where Pele was at the peak of his powers and craftsmanship.
Mexico ’70 was the first World Cup to telecast in colour. Pele’s Brazil wowed the world with their beautiful football, now captured in all its Technicolor glory, complete with Brazil’s iconic canary yellow jerseys and blue shorts. The world’s best player and the world’s best team, at the top of their game. Football couldn’t have had a better advertisement; the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
TV, Pele, Brazil — it all came together perfectly, at the world’s biggest stage, to set up football with a revenue model that would provide endless and exponential growth.
Without Pele, football would not have scaled the heights it did, and certainly not as quickly as it did. Pele was instrumental to the rise of football into the global sport that we know today. His astronomical fame, universal appeal popularized the sport across the globe.
When we consider his off-field work with FIFA and the UN, we realize how multi-dimensional, complete and unimpeachable his accomplishments are. This is where he really pulls apart and where the field clears decisively in favour of Pele being hailed as the greatest footballer of all time. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) named Pele as the Athlete of the Century, proving how his appeal and legend transcends even football.
“I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint “ — Pele
Pele is the benchmark for total achievement both on and off the field. In fact, the legacy of Pele cannot be quantified. There is a completeness about it, beyond which there is no further need for a search, except maybe for his closest emulator. The competition is, and will only ever be, for second place.
The GOAT “debate”, if there really was any, is left very far behind.
Pele is bigger. He is the “Face of Football”.
Pele is Football.
Author note: Data as of February 2020 based on “senior” career.
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