Joe Cole, a former Chelsea player, believes that Pele, not Lionel Messi, is the only player who can legitimately claim to be the “best of all time” while snubbing Cristiano Ronaldo.
The GOAT discussion between Messi and Ronaldo has been going on for a while, but many believe it is over now that Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He was a key member of Lionel Scaloni’s team, scoring seven goals—two of which came against France in the championship match—and winning the Golden Ball as the competition’s top player.
Meanwhile, his Portuguese counterpart had a terrible tournament in Qatar, scoring just once (a penalty in their first match triumph against Ghana) and being benched from the starting lineup as the Selecao was eliminated in the final eight.
Cole expressed a slightly different viewpoint on the topic of the GOAT, claiming that the former Barcelona player is the best he has ever seen and that Pele is the only other player he considers to be in the same league. He responded as follows when asked by BT Sport host Seema Jaiswal (per the Manchester Evening News):
“I think he’s the greatest player of all time. Pele is the only one who can have an argument in that case. I don’t think CR7 or R9 (Ronaldo Nazario) or (Diego) Maradona – I think he’s gone above them. He stands next to Pele now.”
Pele is most remembered for winning three World Cups with Brazil, an incredible achievement that remains unmatched by any player in the competition’s history. He has also scored over 800 career goals and is usually rated among the greatest footballers of all time.
