Pele: 'Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi, but I'm the best'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 29 March 2020

Pele: 'Ronaldo better than Messi, but I'm the best'

Brazilian legend Pele claims that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world ahead of Lionel Messi, but insists that he himself remains the greatest of all time.

Brazilian legend Pele has given his opinion in the debate around Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, claiming that the Juventus striker is better than his perennial rival from Barcelona.

Ronaldo and Messi have shared 11 of the last 12 Ballon d'Or awards and stand head and shoulders above the rest as the best two players of their generation, also playing their way into the debate of the greatest of all time.

Pele himself is often held up as the measuring stick for that argument, and the three-time World Cup winner believes that he is still the best to have ever laced up a pair of boots, omitting his own legendary rival Diego Maradona from the list of contenders completely.

"Today the best player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo. I think he's the best, because he's more consistent, but you can't forget about [Lionel] Messi, of course, but he's not a striker,' Pele told YouTube channel Pilhado.

"[The best of all time] is a question that is difficult to answer. We cannot forget about Zico, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo.

"And in Europe, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff. Now, it's not my fault, but I think Pele was better than them all."

Pele currently holds the world record for most goals at a single club, having scored 643 for Santos, but Messi is closing in on that tally with 627 for Barcelona.