Lionel Messi doesn't even deserve to be in the greatest of all time conversation according to Brazilian legend Gilberto Silva, who believes that Pele is the only candidate .
Fans consistently debate whether Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest soccer player on the planet, as they are certainly in a league of their own when it comes to the recent era. Pele and Diego Maradona are the two front runners when it comes to past generations, but after Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, many fans believe Messi has finally moved clear in the debate.
Messi has completely revolutionized U.S. soccer since moving to MLS , with many team chiefs using the attraction of seeing the "GOAT" play live to sell tickets to fans when they face Inter Miami. Messi is one-of-a-kind and aged 36 is still performing at the peak of his powers, but Silva believes he's ended the GOAT debate once and for all.
In an exclusive interview courtesy of Bet365’s Copa America coverage, Silva said: "I can’t pick Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time. I don’t think we can discuss any player other than Pele. Pele is above that discussion.
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"Alongside Messi, you can discuss Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazario, Diego Maradona, and some others, but not Pele."
Silva's rationale stems from Pele playing in a much earlier era of soccer, which he believes was much tougher than professionals experience in the modern day. Soccer blossomed in the early 1900s after teams started to form across the globe in the 1800s when the game and everyday life weren't as advanced. Field conditions were terrible compared to the carpets of today, and the tactical side of the game was still in its infancy.
"Things were not so easy for Pele. When you watch the videos of his career you can see that he didn’t have the same conditions," Silva continued. "I’m not sure that all the players from my generation or even Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo could’ve done what they have done in their careers back them.
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"Look at the physiotherapy we have now, the great conditions, the infrastructure. It was terrible in the past, it’s so different now."
Pele made his debut in 1956 for Santos, a major professional team in his native Brazil. He was just 15 at the time but quickly showed that he was more skilled than all of the adults he competed with on the field. He was so dominant that he was called up to represent Brazil, scoring in a 2-1 defeat to Argentina. Aged 16 years and eight months he became the youngest scorer in national history, a record that still remains.
Brazil went on to win two successive World Cups (1958 and 1962) with Pele dominating in each tournament. He still holds two World Cup records, the youngest winner of a FIFA World Cup (17 years and 249 days) and the youngest goalscorer in a FIFA World Cup (17 years and 239 days). Pele won a third World Cup in 1970.
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