The debate over who is the greatest football player of all time has taken an interesting turn, with Pope Francis, hailing from Argentina, sharing his perspective on the matter.
When asked whether Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona deserved the title of the best football player ever, Pope Francis added a third name to the discussion—Pele. Speaking on the Italian TV show TG1, the Pope offered his opinion on these legendary players.
Despite Messi winning his eighth Ballon d’Or award as the world’s best football player, he did not secure the top spot in Pope Francis’ rankings. The Pope’s response was, “I would add a third, Pele. They are the three I have followed. All three are great, each with his own specialty. At the moment, Messi is very good.”
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Pope adds Pele to the rank
Pele, during his illustrious career, made significant contributions to the sport, scoring 606 goals for Santos and the New York Cosmos.
He also netted an additional 77 goals in international matches for Brazil, all while achieving numerous accolades, including three World Cup titles in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
Pope Francis took the opportunity to discuss the challenges in Diego Maradona’s life, noting his struggles and the lack of support he received from those around him.
Regarding Maradona, Pope Francis said, “Maradona as a man failed, poor thing, he slipped, the people around him didn’t help him. He came to see me the first year [I was pontiff]. [His life] ended badly. It’s funny, many sportsmen end badly, even in boxing. It’s curious.”
Ronaldo was absent from the list
The Pope then returned to praising Pele during the show, emphasizing Pele’s character, “Messi is very correct, he is a gentleman. Among these three, the greatest gentleman is Pele. He is a man with a very big heart. I spoke to him, I met him on a plane in Buenos Aires, and he is a man of great humanity.”
Notably, one absence from Pope Francis’ list was Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese forward who has often been part of the greatest of all time (GOAT) discussions alongside Messi. However, Messi’s recent achievement of winning his first World Cup title in 2022 appears to have elevated him in these discussions.
