The sad passing of Pele has brought up the thought of the two legends in football and their respective achievements. Back then, there could only be one legend at a time, this is a stark contrast to today’s football where we have Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and even David Beckham.
It also needs reminding that Maradona has also sadly passed in the year 2020, at the age of 60-years-old. An era has gone with the passing of these two legends as a number of people grew up looking to them as inspiration to get through the day.
Diego Maradona and Pelé are widely considered two of the greatest soccer players of all time. Both players had successful careers and made significant contributions to the sport.
One key difference between the two players is the time period in which they played.
Pelé played in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, while Maradona played in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. This means that they played in different eras and against different levels of competition.
Their playing style is another key difference between the two legends. Maradona was renowned for his inventiveness and dribbling prowess, but Pelé was known for his technical proficiency and ability to score goals. Pelé was renowned for his sportsmanship and humility, whilst Maradona was known for his tenacity and leadership on the pitch.
Regardless of their differences in era and playing styles, they both have individual separate fan bases that would still hype them up until today.
How many goals has Pele and Maradona scored
Pelé is widely considered one of the greatest goalscorers in soccer history. During his career, he scored a total of 1279 goals in 1363 games. This includes goals scored in official matches and friendlies.
We have yet to see today’s players to beat that score, depending on the measurements and the different data that are available. However, the closest are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Some are suggesting that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland might come around to the scores of these legends soon.
Maradona also had a successful career and scored a significant number of goals. However, it is difficult to determine an exact number because records of his goals are not complete. According to some sources, Maradona scored a total of 259 goals in club and international matches. However, this number may not include all of his goals, as records from some of his early matches are not available.
It is important to note that the number of goals scored by a player does not necessarily reflect their overall ability or impact on the sport. Both Pelé and Maradona made significant contributions to soccer beyond just their goalscoring record.
The trophies that they won
During Pele’s career, he won numerous trophies and awards, including three FIFA World Cups with the Brazilian national team. At the club level, Pelé won numerous domestic league titles and cups with Santos FC in Brazil.
Maradona also had a successful career and won numerous trophies. With the Argentine national team, he won the FIFA World Cup in 1986, and he also won numerous domestic league titles and cups with clubs in Argentina, Italy, and Spain.
It is important to note that the number of trophies a player has won does not necessarily reflect their overall ability or impact on the sport. Both Pelé and Maradona made significant contributions to soccer beyond their trophy collection.
Were there any rivalries between pele and maradona?
There is some evidence to suggest that Pelé and Maradona had a personal rivalry. For the most part, the two players have spoken highly of each other in the past and have expressed respect for each other’s abilities in a professional manner.
There were numerous times where they might have said certain things in the media about one and another.
According to Reuters, one of them was Pele calling Maradona a “bad example” due to his drug addiction back in the day. Another one where Maradona stated about Pele, “As a player he was great… but he thinks politically.”
To sum up, Pele thought Maradona as vulgar and undignified and Maradona thought Pele was a sell-out.
Pelé and Maradona played in different eras, so they did not have the opportunity to face each other in official matches. However, they were both influential figures in the sport of soccer and are often compared to each other due to their status as two of the greatest players in history.
Here are more stories related to football.