Pele Vs Maradona

Pele Origins

Pelé, byname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, (born October 23, 1940, Três Corações, Brazil—died December 29, 2022, São Paolo, Brazil), Brazilian football (soccer) player, in his time probably the most famous and possibly the best-paid athlete in the world. He was part of the Brazilian national teams that won three World Cup championships (1958, 1962, and 1970). Pelé (whose nickname apparently is without significance) was rejected by major club teams in the city of São Paulo. In 1956, however, he joined the Santos Football Club, which, with Pelé as an inside left forward, won nine São Paulo league championships and, in 1962 and 1963, both the Libertadores Cup and the Intercontinental Club Cup. Sometimes called “Pérola Negra” (“Black Pearl”), he became a Brazilian national hero. He combined kicking power and accuracy with a remarkable ability to anticipate other players’ moves. After the 1958 World Cup, Pelé was declared a national treasure by the Brazilian government in order to ward off large offers from European clubs and ensure that he would remain in Brazil. On November 19, 1969, in his 909th first-class match, he scored his 1,000th goal.

Maradona Origins

Diego Armando Maradona (born 30 October 1960) was an association football player who played for various European clubs, such as Barcelona and Napoli during his career which lasted more than two decades. In football, Maradona is seen as a legend, though pundits are divisive on that. The Argentine ex-footballer is known for his amazing dribbles, playmaking skills as well as ball-control abilities. His football career is one of the most successful in history, and few have lived up to the standard Maradona set for being the best player. Maradona’s career with the Argentine national team included World Cup appearances in 1982, 1986, 1990, and 1994. He dominated the 1986 competition in Mexico. In a 2–1 quarterfinal victory over England, he scored two of the most memorable goals in World Cup history. The first was scored with his hand (the referee mistakenly thought the ball had struck his head), a goal now remembered as the “Hand of God” goal. The second occurred after Maradona gained possession of the ball at midfield and dribbled through a pack of English defenders and past the keeper before depositing the ball in the goal.

Who is better: Pele or Maradona?

Whilst this question cannot be answered directly, it can be looked at in many different ways. when Pele was playing he was regarded as one of the most prolific strikers at the time. he made defenses in the Brazilian league look like they were not trying. however, this does not hold up because the Brazilian league is not well known for having the best defenses in the world. some critics believe that if Pele really wanted to cement his career as the greatest, he should've played in Europe where the toughest leagues are. this is where Pele and Maradona differ. Although Maradona's goal tally is way less than that of Pele's, people argue that Maradona played in one of the most competitive eras in football. After showing amazing skills as well as goal-scoring abilities in the Spanish League  Maradona moved to the league known to have the best defenses in all of football. Maradona moved to Napoli in hopes of winning the Scudetto with them. It didn't take him time before he showed off his amazing skills as well as his leadership capabilities when he led them to their first Scudetto in many years. Because Maradona played in both the Spanish and Italian leagues and was able to show his goal-scoring capabilities there, it gives him an extra nudge in the Pele vs Maradona Debate. 

Although Maradona has played in different leagues across Europe, you still cannot count out Pele for everything he has done for football. To date he is the only player to win three world cups. that s a feat that not anyone can accomplish as it requires the player to be at his peak for well over 12 years in order to play for their country. By no means cannot mention Maradona's amazing world cup in 1986 as he led his Argentine team to victory and caused one of the biggest controversies in football history with the 'Hand of God' in the semi-final against England. Maradona also has arguably one of the best goals in world cup history when he scored a solo goal against England in the same game as the Handball, taking Argentina into the final. 

we cannot say for sure who is better between the two as they both impacted football in different ways but what we can say for sure is that they blessed us with such amazing talents, leadership, and joy from watching them and they cemented themselves as one of the greatest in football history.

references used:

Diego Maradona | Biography, Hand of God, & Facts | Britannica

Pele | Biography, World Cups, & Facts | Britannica