Brazil Icon Pele Picked As Football’s GOAT Ahead of Messi, Maradona and Cruyff

• Pele has been hailed as the most complete player of all time
• The Brazilian has been picked as the greatest footballer of all time
• Pele won a total of 37 trophies including three FIFA World Cups

The GOAT debate will rage on for eternity considering how much of a subjective matter it is. Pele was crowned ahead of Lionel Messi, Diego Armando Maradona, and Johan Cruyff by former Barcelona player Jorge Alberto Mendonca.

The Brazilian legend had one of the best playing careers, winning numerous trophies and setting numerous records, some of which still stand to this day and may never be broken.

According to Sportskeeda, Mendonca reckons Pele was on a level of his own, hailing the three-time FIFA World Cup winner as the most complete player of all time.

"Pele. Definitely. He was the most complete of all. And then Bobby Charlton. Bobby was outstanding."

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Pele scored 757 goals in 831 games in his career, the fifth-most in football history and is also the only player to win three FIFA World Cup trophies.

3 incredible records held by Pele

Meanwhile, Pele is recognised as the player with the most hattricks in football as the Brazilian legend scored a massive 92 hattricks in his career while playing for Santos, New York Cosmos and the Brazilian national football team, Foottheball reports.

The Brazilian icon also holds the record as the youngest player to win consecutive FIFA World Cup trophies after winning it as a 17-year-old forward with the national team in 1958 and 1962 as a 21-year-old forward.

Pele’s club Santos, claims the Brazilian legend had scored 127 goals in 1959 and has the record for the most goals scored in a calendar year by an individual, surpassing the acclaimed record of Lionel Messi’s 91 goals.

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Did Pele win the Ballon d'Or?

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Pele would have won the Ballon d'Or on seven occasions, i.e., in 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, and 1970.

Had Pele been eligible, he would have had seven Ballon d'Or awards - a record Lionel Messi would have tied when he scooped the 2021 title.

Also locked out include Diego Maradona, who could have won the award twice, with the likes of Mario Kempes, Romario and Garrincha winning it once.