Flamengo icon Zico begs for an end to Pelé and Messi comparisons | OneFootball

The issue gained traction on the eve of the World Cup final

Before Spain beat Argentina in the World Cup final, a debate emerged over whether Messi could surpass Pelé in football history. With the ‘hermanos’ losing 1-0, the topic cooled off. After all, the Brazilian has three World Cups, while Lionel still has one trophy. Outraged by the possibility of such a comparison, Zico, the greatest No. 10 in Flamengo’s history, pleaded for this kind of discussion to stop.

— (I don’t like it when people) bring Pelé’s name into these discussions. That’s what I don’t think is right. What Pelé did in football will be very hard for anyone else to do. Brazilians need to understand, be grateful to, and revere this guy for everything he did for all of us. For who he was, for what he represents, and for how he played. He was ahead of everyone else in a different era, and if he were playing now, he would do even more. Please, leave Pelé out of this. First comes Pelé, and then the others. End of story —, said Zico.

— I see some Brazilians who really bring up certain topics… Pelé is another story, another being, a legend. If many people wear the No. 10 shirt today, it is because of him. Everything everyone does out there, he did first. And there’s no such thing as saying it was a different era, that there was no space. He got kicked around all the time, was constantly tightly marked; he was the first to face man-marking. In the 1966 World Cup, they kicked him off the pitch (with heavy marking). Let’s respect history —, added the “Little Rooster,” on ‘Canal Zico 10’.

SO WAS THE DEBATE VALID?

In short, those who supported the comparison between Messi and Pelé used the following argument: the King has three World Cups. However, admirers of the Argentine say the Brazilian was a supporting player to Garrincha in 1958 and, in the 1962 back-to-back title, played only the first two matches because of injury. As for the 1970 third title, there is no debate about the genius of Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

Messi’s fans argue that ‘La Pulga’ carried Argentina on his own to the runner-up finish in 2014, was ‘the man’ in the 2022 title, and would also have been ‘the name’ behind a 2026 triumph. But they forgot to reckon with Spain, which ended any possibility of debate by taking the title.

SO WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION, AFTER ALL?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.