Throwback when Football legend Pele picked better footballer between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Pele, a legendary player from Brazil, was asked to pick between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo nearly three years ago.

The Argentine attacker was playing for Barcelona at that moment, while the Portugal international was representing Juventus. Many people consider Pele to be the best player in the history of the sport. Pele won three FIFA World Cups with Brazil.

The entire football community is grieving his demise on December 29 at the age of 82.

Pele stated on the YouTube channel Pilhado in March 2020 (h/t GOAL) when asked to select between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo:

“Right now I think Cristiano Ronaldo is the most consistent player out there, but you can’t forget about Messi.”

That’s a tough question to answer: Pele

In 46 games across competitions, Ronaldo finished the 2019–20 season with 37 goals and seven assists, winning the Serie A championship. Messi, on the other hand, concluded that season as La Liga’s top scorer (25) and top assist provider (22) but failed to take home any hardware.

Since the interview, many things have altered. During that time, Ronaldo joined and left Manchester United, and in the summer of 2021, as a free agent, he signed with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The most elusive feather in Messi’s cap came earlier this month when Argentina and Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup. While all was going on, Ronaldo left Old Trafford last month by mutual consent after only starting four Premier League games thus far.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is set to join with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

Diego Maradona was not included on his list of all-time greats when the mentioned person urged him to do so. When asked why he did it and if he was superior to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele responded:

“That’s a tough question to answer. I’ve been asked many times. We mustn’t forget Zico and Ronaldinho. People always talk about European players like [Franz] Beckenbauer and [Johan] Cruyff,” he said.

“It’s not my fault, but I think I was better than all of them. There will only be one Pele. There won’t be anyone else like me,” he added.