The legendary former Brazil international has weighed in on the eternal debate over who is the finest player to have ever graced the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo's consistency puts him ahead of Lionel Messi as the world's best player, according to Pele, but he doesn't believe that either man is as good as he was in his prime.
Ronaldo and Messi continue to set the benchmark in terms of individual brilliance even as they approach the latter stages of their respective careers, with the former now plying his trade in Italy with Juventus and the latter still Barcelona's talismanic performer.
The two men have shared 11 of the last 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them, with Messi edging one ahead of his rival after picking up a sixth Golden Ball back in December.

The Argentine has since helped Barca return to the Liga summit and reach the Champions League knockout stages, scoring 22 goals across all competitions.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has 25 to his name for Juventus, including 16 in his last 12 Serie A outings which have helped Maurizio Sarri's side stay on track for an unprecedented ninth consecutive Scudetto.

Supporters and experts remain divided over which man deserves to be remembered as the greatest player of their generation, with Pele among those who feel Ronaldo has the edge due to his goalscoring prowess.
"Right now I think Cristiano Ronaldo is the most consistent player out there, but you can't forget about Messi," the Brazilian told YouTube channel Pilhado.
Pele's place in football's hall of fame has long been assured, due to the fact he helped Brazil win three World Cups at the height of his career.

His records and achievements have long been held up against a man who led Argentina to the famous trophy on two occasions, Diego Maradona.
However, Pele went on to omit Maradona from his list of the all-time greats, while putting himself at the top of the pile.

When asked he if was better than Ronaldo and Messi, the 79-year-old responded: "That's a tough question to answer. I've been asked many times.
"We mustn't forget Zico and Ronaldinho. People always talk about European players like [Franz] Beckenbauer and [Johan] Cruyff.
"It's not my fault, but I think I was better than all of them. There will only be one Pele. There won't be anyone else like me."


Source: https://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/brazil-legend-pele-ranks-ronaldo-above-messi-but-names/15unz5h5gtnh21iwxtimbc95qo

Lalasticlala

Bad belle. Messi is better than Pele himself.

I agree with you.. Ronaldo is more GOATer than Messi

Old age don dey affect pele

Messi bats would come out of their self isolated caves now and start downgrading Pele as usual...Ask them to tell us what Messi has won as a footballer that Pele hasn't, they start emotional gabtrash as usual....

U don't need to be schooled to ascertain this... It's pure logic... Saying one that has only performed in one league is better than the one that has performed in 3 leagues and the national team is pure crap tots of biased minds ...

Comparing someone that has 4 CL titles in the last 6 yrs to one that hasn't seen a CL final since xavi and iniesta left half a decade ago is insane...

Someone that has led his mediocre team and built their confidence to 2 major titles against the other that always makes excuses y he hasn't led his national team to any major title is sick...

Football is not all about fancy footwork, dribbles or assists... It's about achievements ... Goals compliments achievements ... U can't just b scoring assisting and mesmerising to only b winning ur local title against continental or international trophies...

Ronaldo has broken and set records in every team he has ever played for since he became a professional...

Manchester United.... 42 goals in one season
Real Madrid ... 78 goals in one season including
Juventus... 13 consecutive goals
Portugal ... 99 goals

Highest goal scorer in history of CL
Joint highest scorer in history of the European cup
2nd highest scorer in the history of national team football ( a record that he is about to break)

Abeg speak the truth and it will set u Messi fans free

Oga, this long epistle cannot save Ronaldo.

At the end of the year, football players and Head coaches will still vote the best player and they know whom to vote...

cr7lomo:
U don't need to be schooled to ascertain this... It's pure logic... Saying one that has only performed in one league is better than the one that has performed in 3 leagues and the national team is pure crap tots of biased minds ...

Comparing someone that has 4 CL titles in the last 6 yrs to one that hasn't seen a CL final since xavi and iniesta left half a decade ago is insane...

Someone that has led his mediocre team and built their confidence to 2 major titles against the other that always makes excuses y he hasn't led his national team to any major title is sick...

Football is not all about fancy footwork, dribbles or assists... It's about achievements ... Goals compliments achievements ... U can't just b scoring assisting and mesmerising to only b winning ur local title against continental or international trophies...

Ronaldo has broken and set records in every team he has ever played for since he became a professional...

Manchester United.... 42 goals in one season
Real Madrid ... 78 goals in one season including
Juventus... 13 consecutive goals
Portugal ... 99 goals

Highest goal scorer in history of CL
Joint highest scorer in history of the European cup
2nd highest scorer in the history of national team football ( a record that he is about to break)

Abeg speak the truth and it will set u Messi fans free

last year this men said Messi is better than Ronaldo because he's the most complete player, two years ago he said Ronaldo is better,3 years ago he picked Messi.

He's an old man with old age memory so he'll likely pick Messi tomorrow, he and maradona opinions on football related issues are not longer regarded and taken seriously since they aren't consistent on their words

PlayerMeji:
Oga, this long epistle cannot save Ronaldo.

At the end of the year, football players and Head coaches will still vote the best player and they know whom to vote...

Nonsense... Voting can't determine the best cos humans are naturally biased ... Achievements determine the best ... Modric win by votes a couple of years ago... Was he the best?? NO

cr7lomo:
U don't need to be schooled to ascertain this... It's pure logic... Saying one that has only performed in one league is better than the one that has performed in 3 leagues and the national team is pure crap tots of biased minds ...

Comparing someone that has 4 CL titles in the last 6 yrs to one that hasn't seen a CL final since xavi and iniesta left half a decade ago is insane...

Someone that has led his mediocre team and built their confidence to 2 major titles against the other that always makes excuses y he hasn't led his national team to any major title is sick...

Football is not all about fancy footwork, dribbles or assists... It's about achievements ... Goals compliments achievements ... U can't just b scoring assisting and mesmerising to only b winning ur local title against continental or international trophies...

Ronaldo has broken and set records in every team he has ever played for since he became a professional...

Manchester United.... 42 goals in one season
Real Madrid ... 78 goals in one season including
Juventus... 13 consecutive goals
Portugal ... 99 goals

Highest goal scorer in history of CL
Joint highest scorer in history of the European cup
2nd highest scorer in the history of national team football ( a record that he is about to break)

Abeg speak the truth and it will set u Messi fans free

you said ronaldo is a big game player right?messi has never played in the epl but he has more goals,more aisssts,more braces and more hattricks against premier league top 6 than ronaldo that played 6 years there..https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/revealed-lionel-messis-staggering-record-vs-top-six-premier-league-clubs/

About the national team and cups:
Ronaldo has never won a player of a tournament in any international competition meaning he was carried by his team mates. ronaldo got himself injured in euro final and his team mate won the trophy without him, same thing about in that friendly cup called nations league, he disappear throughout the tournament and only scored in semi finals then vanished again.

messi on the other hand won 4(most in world history) player of the tournament

cr7lomo:


Nonsense... Voting can't determine the best cos humans are naturally biased ... Achievements determine the best ... Modric win by votes a couple of years ago... Was he the best?? NO

same thing ronaldo said about fifa award, he said golden boot determine the best player

who has the most in history?

cr7lomo:
U don't need to be schooled to ascertain this... It's pure logic... Saying one that has only performed in one league is better than the one that has performed in 3 leagues and the national team is pure crap tots of biased minds ...

Comparing someone that has 4 CL titles in the last 6 yrs to one that hasn't seen a CL final since xavi and iniesta left half a decade ago is insane...

Someone that has led his mediocre team and built their confidence to 2 major titles against the other that always makes excuses y he hasn't led his national team to any major title is sick...

Football is not all about fancy footwork, dribbles or assists... It's about achievements ... Goals compliments achievements ... U can't just b scoring assisting and mesmerising to only b winning ur local title against continental or international trophies...

Ronaldo has broken and set records in every team he has ever played for since he became a professional...

Manchester United.... 42 goals in one season
Real Madrid ... 78 goals in one season including
Juventus... 13 consecutive goals
Portugal ... 99 goals

Highest goal scorer in history of CL
Joint highest scorer in history of the European cup
2nd highest scorer in the history of national team football ( a record that he is about to break)

Abeg speak the truth and it will set u Messi fans free

football is about achievement and messi is the god of it.

player with the most golden boot
most fifa award
most assits in history both club and international
most goals a year,season and consecutive goals

Astark:
last year this men said Messi is better than Ronaldo because he's the most complete player, two years ago he said Ronaldo is better,3 years ago he picked Messi.

He's an old man with old age memory so he'll likely pick Messi tomorrow, he and maradona opinions on football related issues are not longer regarded and taken seriously since they aren't consistent on their words

100% apt

Astark:

you said ronaldo is a big game player right?messi has never played in the epl but he has more goals,more aisssts,more braces and more hattricks against premier league top 6 than ronaldo that played 6 years there..https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/revealed-lionel-messis-staggering-record-vs-top-six-premier-league-clubs/

About the national team and cups:
Ronaldo has never won a player of a tournament in any international competition meaning he was carried by his team mates. ronaldo got himself injured in euro final and his team mate won the trophy without him, same thing about in that friendly cup called nations league, he disappear throughout the tournament and only scored in semi finals then vanished again.

messi on the other hand won 4(most in world history) player of the tournament

Since when did winning MVP equate winning tournament trophy... U Messi fans keep on shifting goal post to favour ur midget...

It's easy to know a person with a very low IQ... For u to use his goals in the CL against English oppositions as a yard stick for a projected positive performance in the EPL if he joins the EPL , shows how low ur IQ is... So u expect him to carry the whole Barca to the EPL if he joins the EPL... Y hvnt u asked urself y Torres dint perform when he left Liverpool for Chelsea, despite scoring lots of goals in the EPL... When he joined Chelsea , did he go with the whole Liverpool team ?? Or when shevchenko was blazing goals against EPL teams in Milan , did he take the whole Milan team to the EPL?? Did he perform when he joined Chelsea?? Better upgrade ur IQ...u are getting too old

Astark:
football is about achievement and messi is the god of it.

player with the most golden boot
most fifa award
most assits in history both club and international
most goals a year,season and consecutive goals

Pls stop mentioning assists... It's not a real achievement... Anybody can assist...even goalies assist , FIFA or uefa has never given an award for best or highest assist ...it's not recognized, u Messi fans are the ones that are forcing assists down our throats ... FIFA awards are based on votes ...biased minds like u will vote for ur favourite first b4 season achievements... Those are personal achievements... Ronaldo blends his personal achievements with different types of trophies... not one little man's 15 yr experience in the best team in la Liga for almost 2 decades that keeps on winning only la Liga titles in that farmers league

cr7lomo:


Since when did winning MVP equate winning tournament trophy... U Messi fans keep on shifting goal post to favour ur midget...

It's easy to know a person with a very low IQ... For u to use his goals in the CL against English oppositions as a yard stick for a projected positive performance in the EPL if he joins the EPL , shows how low ur IQ is... So u expect him to carry the whole Barca to the EPL if he joins the EPL... Y hvnt u asked urself y Torres dint perform when he left Liverpool for Chelsea, despite scoring lots of goals in the EPL... When he joined Chelsea , did he go with the whole Liverpool team ?? Or when shevchenko was blazing goals against EPL teams in Milan , did he take the whole Milan team to the EPL?? Did he perform when he joined Chelsea?? Better upgrade ur IQ...u are getting too old

you arethe one with low iq by using team trophy to judge a player.

if i say giroud or dembele are better than ronaldo because they won a world cup you will stupidly start bringing ronaldo individual performance.
messi has never played in epl and the only way to see how he will do there is too see his performance against their best team, only ronaldo fans are too stupid to understands that.

lets assume messi decides to leave the world biggest clubs and decides to go to small clubs in epl for example man city since they are the only team that can afford him, its only stupid people that think he wont score like 40 league goals

cr7lomo:



Pls stop mentioning assists... It's not a real achievement... Anybody can assist...even goalies assist , FIFA or uefa has never given an award for best or highest assist ...it's not recognized, u Messi fans are the ones that are forcing assists down our throats ... FIFA awards are based on votes ...biased minds like u will vote for ur favourite first b4 season achievements... Those are personal achievements... Ronaldo blends his personal achievements with different types of trophies... not one little man's 15 yr experience in the best team in la Liga for almost 2 decades that keeps on winning only la Liga titles in that farmers league

no wonder people said ronaldo fans are the stupidest fanbase, no wonder over 90% of coaches, players and legend of football choose messi.

so assits, golden boot and personal awards dont matter because ronaldo is behind messi so only international trophy and 5 ucl that matters?

then maldini and basically all players that won world cup is better than ronaldo with you people logic

Astark:
no wonder people said ronaldo fans are the stupidest fanbase, no wonder over 90% of coaches, players and legend of football choose messi.

so assits, golden boot and personal awards dont matter because ronaldo is behind messi so only international trophy and 5 ucl that matters?

then maldini and basically all players that won world cup is better than ronaldo with you people logic

Make use of ur brain for once...b4 Ronaldo and Messi ... Assists were never taken seriously... Best player in a team that wins trophies is valued more than MVP ... U Messi fans just keep on forcing baseless awards down everyone's throat ... Ronaldo scores lots lots Goals as well and supplies lots of assists but he adds major championships to it ... Messi has only achieved winning la Liga for the past half a decade ... This same period Ronaldo has confirmed la Liga , multiple CL , seria a, European cup and European nations league... No one even talks about his multiple golden boots in the CL in the past 5 yrs cos the CL he won is a better achievement... Champions League is the holy grail of club football... European cup is the holy grail of European national teams soccer... Copa America is the holy grail of South America national team soccer , world cup is the holy grail of football... Which of these have ur Messi won in his career apart from CL that he won over half a decade ago thx to xavi Nd iniesta ... Cos since those guys left, he hasn't appeared in a CL final

Astark:
you arethe one with low iq by using team trophy to judge a player.

if i say giroud or dembele are better than ronaldo because they won a world cup you will stupidly start bringing ronaldo individual performance.
messi has never played in epl and the only way to see how he will do there is too see his performance against their best team, only ronaldo fans are too stupid to understands that.

lets assume messi decides to leave the world biggest clubs and decides to go to small clubs in epl for example man city since they are the only team that can afford him, its only stupid people that think he wont score like 40 league goals

He will score 40 goals , say na u b the goalkeeper wey im go de score...it's now certain that u are delusional.... So man city is a small club to u ?? Again u are highly delusional...are u so dull not to understand that a definite game changer in a team is different from a team member... In other words forlans achievement in 2010 WC surpassed villas achievement in 2010 WC... U are definitely delusional

I thought you were a rational person.

What was Ronaldo's achievements before he won 4 champions league trophies with Real? He had flopped at the Euro 2004, 2008, 2012...

Yet, the noise you Ronaldo ass-wipes keep making was Ronaldo, the best, Ronaldo, the best...

cr7lomo:


Nonsense... Voting can't determine the best cos humans are naturally biased ... Achievements determine the best ... Modric win by votes a couple of years ago... Was he the best?? NO

PlayerMeji:
I thought you were a rational person.

What was Ronaldo's achievements before he won 4 champions league trophies with Real? He had flopped at the Euro 2004, 2008, 2012...

Yet, the noise you Ronaldo ass-wipes keep making was Ronaldo, the best, Ronaldo, the best...

Please can u explain how he flopped in those Euros?? 04 final, 08 quarter final, 12 semi final... So explain how he flopped... It's certain that u are still a teenager

cr7lomo:
U don't need to be schooled to ascertain this... It's pure logic... Saying one that has only performed in one league is better than the one that has performed in 3 leagues and the national team is pure crap tots of biased minds ...

Comparing someone that has 4 CL titles in the last 6 yrs to one that hasn't seen a CL final since xavi and iniesta left half a decade ago is insane...

Someone that has led his mediocre team and built their confidence to 2 major titles against the other that always makes excuses y he hasn't led his national team to any major title is sick...

Football is not all about fancy footwork, dribbles or assists... It's about achievements ... Goals compliments achievements ... U can't just b scoring assisting and mesmerising to only b winning ur local title against continental or international trophies...

Ronaldo has broken and set records in every team he has ever played for since he became a professional...

Manchester United.... 42 goals in one season
Real Madrid ... 78 goals in one season including
Juventus... 13 consecutive goals
Portugal ... 99 goals

Highest goal scorer in history of CL
Joint highest scorer in history of the European cup
2nd highest scorer in the history of national team football ( a record that he is about to break)

Abeg speak the truth and it will set u Messi fans free

Ronaldo never scored 78 goals in a season at Madrid , stop spewing trash . His highest was 60 I think .

cr7lomo:


He will score 40 goals , say na u b the goalkeeper wey im go de score...it's now certain that u are delusional.... So man city is a small club to u ?? Again u are highly delusional...are u so dull not to understand that a definite game changer in a team is different from a team member... In other words forlans achievement in 2010 WC surpassed villas achievement in 2010 WC... U are definitely delusional

you are spewing nonsense. Man City is regarded as a small club if you don't know this then I doubt you know anything.

In a team Like man City where there are elites midfielder that will feed Messi ball unlike Barcelona that Messi is the only one creating and scoring ever since xavi and iniesta left. Messi will score over 40 goals in a team like man City

cr7lomo:


Make use of ur brain for once...b4 Ronaldo and Messi ... Assists were never taken seriously... Best player in a team that wins trophies is valued more than MVP ... U Messi fans just keep on forcing baseless awards down everyone's throat ... Ronaldo scores lots lots Goals as well and supplies lots of assists but he adds major championships to it ... Messi has only achieved winning la Liga for the past half a decade ... This same period Ronaldo has confirmed la Liga , multiple CL , seria a, European cup and European nations league... No one even talks about his multiple golden boots in the CL in the past 5 yrs cos the CL he won is a better achievement... Champions League is the holy grail of club football... European cup is the holy grail of European national teams soccer... Copa America is the holy grail of South America national team soccer , world cup is the holy grail of football... Which of these have ur Messi won in his career apart from CL that he won over half a decade ago thx to xavi Nd iniesta ... Cos since those guys left, he hasn't appeared in a CL final

Ronaldo fans are shameless, you were denying major award in football so as to prove Ronaldo is the best.

When a footballer retired, when people remembered him he'll only be remembered for his goals, assits, dribbling, freekick and other football skills.

No matter how many times you Ronaldo fans forced international trophy as the benchmark of a player career, nobody will take it seriously.