Pele versus Messi, by Patrick Omorodion,
The debate on who is football’s greatest player ever resurfaced again at the ongoing 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States after Lionel Messi struck a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 defeat of Algeria in their opening match.
His brace in the 2-0 defeat of Austria reinforced the belief by his fans that he is the G.O.A.T (greatest of all times).
However, a Nigerian fan, Aniele John Ukpe disagrees. He reasoned that Messi may be greater than Pele in some aspects of football but concludes by saying that Pele remains football’s greatest player till date considering so many factors which he has highlighted in this piece I have reproduced here for readers’ Sunday delight. Enjoy it.
Every generation sees the genius in a particular player and jumps to the belief that it has witnessed the greatest footballer who ever lived. Those who grew up in the era of Diego Maradona swear there will never be another like him. The followers of Lionel Messi point to his astonishing dribbling, longevity and World Cup triumph. Admirers of Cristiano Ronaldo cite his extraordinary discipline, goal-scoring records and success across multiple leagues.
The debate is endless. Yet when all the evidence is placed on the table—achievement, influence, context, innovation, dominance and legacy—one name still rises above all others: Pele.
Not because he scored the most goals. Not because he won the most trophies. Not because he was the most skilled. But because of where he came from, how he took influence, achievement and historical significance on the scale that Pele did. The statistics alone are staggering.
Pele remains the only footballer in history to win three FIFA World Cups—1958, 1962 and 1970. More than half a century later, nobody has equalled that feat. At seventeen years of age, he became the youngest World Cup winner, the youngest World Cup goalscorer, the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the tournament and the youngest player to score in a World Cup final. Many players have had great tournaments. Pele helped define football’s greatest tournament.
His achievements at club level were equally remarkable. Spending most of his career with Santos FC, he transformed a regional Brazilian club into a global phenomenon. Santos became one of the most recognized football institutions in the world because of one man. Under Pele, the club won multiple league titles, two Copa Libertadores crowns and two Intercontinental Cups. Wherever Santos travelled, stadiums filled.
Then there were the goals. Depending on how they are counted, Pele scored either 775 official goals or 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches—a figure recognized by Guinness World Records. In 1959 alone, he scored 127 goals. Even in today’s age of elite sports science, specialized nutrition, advanced analytics and carefully managed schedules, such numbers remain almost unimaginable.
But statistics tell only part of the story. What truly separates Pele from every other footballer is the era in which he achieved his greatness. Today’s footballers operate in a world of advantages Pele never knew.
Modern players have elite coaches from childhood. They train with sports scientists, nutritional, physiotherapists, psychologists and data analysts. They watch endless videos of potential opponents and prepare for them. When Nigeria was to play Argentina in South Africa, Nigeria’s shot stopper, Vincent Enyeama, said he spent two days watching Messi’s videos. The moral of this is that they learn from thousands of hours of video footage available instantly on the internet. Every dribble, pass, feint and tactical movement can be studied on a smartphone. Young players in Africa can watch techniques developed in Europe within seconds. Players today are beneficiaries of a global football knowledge network.
Pele had none of that. There was no internet. There was no YouTube. There were no tactical databases. There were no GPS performance trackers. There were no modern recovery systems. There were no social hierarchies of global rankings. There was no way research or opponents’ play patterns or skills. Yet somehow a young Brazilian from humble beginnings became the standard by which football greatness would be measured. This is perhaps his most extraordinary achievement. He did not inherit a sophisticated football ecosystem. He created one.
Critics sometimes point out that Pele did not invent any famous football skill. That observation is true—but also misses the point entirely. Pele did something more important than inventing a skill. He perfected football itself.
Before Pele, many players were specialists. Some were dribblers. Some were scorers. Some were playmakers. Some were physical athletes. Pele was all of them. He could score with either foot. He could dominate in the air despite not being exceptionally tall. He could dribble through defenders. He could create chances for teammates. He could smell from distance. He could think several moves ahead. In many respects, he became football’s first complete player. What later generations came to call the complete forward, Pele embodied decades earlier.
He also popularized many of football’s most beautiful expressions. The bicycle kick did not originate with him, but he made it famous around the world. The dummy move existed before him, but his celebrated feint against Uruguay in the 1970 World Cup transformed it into football folklore. No-look passes, disguised passes, one-touch combinations and creative improvisation all found a global ambassador in Pele.
He was the living face of Jogo Bonito—the Beautiful Game. And perhaps that is where the strongest case for Pele’s supremacy lies. Before Pele there were famous footballers. After Pele there were football icons. He became football’s first truly global superstar. When he visited Nigeria in the course of the bitter civil war, both the Nigerian Army and Biafran forces declared a truce in his honor. Such was the impact of the Pele folklore. He was not merely an athlete. He was a cultural force. He became a brand before athletes became brands. He became an ambassador before sports marketing became an industry. He became a worldwide symbol before globalization became fashionable.
His influence reached every continent. Children who had never seen Brazil on a map knew the name Pele. Future legends—Maradona, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo—grew up in a football world that Pele created.
His awards reflected this influence. FIFA Player of the Century. World Player of the Century. Athlete of the Century. FIFA Order of Merit. FIFA Centennial Award. Recognition by Time Magazine as one of the most influential people of the twentieth century. These honours were not awarded merely because he scored goals. They were awarded because of the impact he made on the game. Football existed before Pele. But modern football, as a global cultural phenomenon, and the world’s most popular sport, bears his fingerprints everywhere.
The argument over the greatest footballer of all time will never end, nor should it. Every generation deserves its heroes. Yet when greatness is measured not only by numbers but by context; not only by trophies but by transformation; not only by excellence but by influence; not only by skill but by legacy, the conclusion becomes difficult to avoid. Others may have matched parts of Pele’s greatness. Some may have surpassed him in particular areas.
But no footballer has ever stood so high above his own era, achieved so much with so little technological support, inspired so many across so many generations, and altered the history of the sport so profoundly.
That is why, decades after he last kicked a ball in competitive football, the title remains his. The King.
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The debate on who is football’s greatest player ever resurfaced again at the ongoing 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States after Lionel Messi struck a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 defeat of Algeria in their opening match. His brace in the 2-0 defeat of Austria reinforced the belief by his fans that […]
The post Pele versus Messi, by Patrick Omorodion appeared first on Vanguard News.
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