Ronaldo should unseat Pele as 'greatest footballer in history'
A wiser man than I once said, “nothing someone says before the word ‘but’ really counts, and everything before the word ‘but’ is [horse poop].” But…I want to take a look at five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and the legendary Pele.
For generations, children, players, fans, and pundits have revered the Brazilian as the best of all-time. It’s hard to argue against a player who won the World Cup thrice, and netted more than 1000* goals in his career.
However, most people who revere Pele as the greatest of all time never saw him play, save for the World Cups and his stint with the New York Cosmos.
He spent the entirety of prime years with Santos of the Brazilian league. Soccer fans in Europe were watching George Best and Bobby Carlton take on the great teams of England, and Gerd Mueller net goals against players like Lev Yashin.
They did not see Pele against his competition in Brazil. It’s impossible to judge the quality of his competition the way teams in Europe could. We know many of those “1000 goals” were scored from the bench, even some from the dressing rooms. Aside from his World Cup appearances, it’s impossible to know just how good he is. He’s a legend.
On the other hand, Ronaldo has performed at the peak of his abilities on the world stage for over a decade. You don’t need to search too deeply on YouTube to find his highlights. If you watch tv on Sunday’s across the world, you’re able to see him play, live.
No, he has not won a World Cup, but he led Portugal to their improbable 2016 EURO championship. He’s accomplished feats for both club and country that defy logic. However, we’ve witnessed every single one of them, which is why he should now be considered the greatest footballer to ever live.