I just realized that Pélé had specified that he only took "living" players into consideration, otherwise the absences of Scirea, Moore or Garrincha from that list would have been utterly insulting.
Nonetheless, it has to be said that he still seems to be suffering from both myopia and amnesia, and that this confirms how 'O Rey hasn't done many things right since he retired from football.
Argentina : how does Saviola, an otherwise very talented player who is still in the early phases of his career and who hasn't achieved anything relevant yet, manage to be considered as one of the greatest that the football powerhouse that is Argentina has produced?
Belgium : Franky Van der Elst??? I can name at least one Belgian defensive mid (that was Van der Elst's role) who was better than him : Georges Grun. But where does that leave Enzo Scifo and the man who is regarded as the greatest Belgian ever : Paul Van Himst? Also, Preud'homme was better than Pfaff, without a question.
Brazil : What does he make of his WC '58 teammates Didi and Vava, or of Gerson, Tostao and Jairzinho? Have Rivaldo and Ronaldinho left a more tangible mark?
Croatia : Suker scored 6 goals in France 98 alright, but Boksic was the most stylish attacker around when he was at Marseille and Lazio. And what about Boban? The man became a legend with the legendary Milan ffs!
France : Trezeguet, Pirès and maybe Cantona don't belong to that list, especially if you are going to omit Giresse, Tigana and Laurent Blanc.
Germany : Ballack shouldn't be there yet, otherwise you would have to include Overath, Schuster and Brehme to randomly name but three.
Hungary : one of Puskas' partners in crime (Czibor, Kocsis or Hidegkuti - preferably the latter) would not look bad there.
Italy : it's Gianluigi not Gianluca Buffon. Del Piero can get the hell out of that list. As could, in a way, Nesta and Bergomi. I mean, do the names Mazzola, Riva, Conti (of whom Pélé himself said he was a "closet brazilian" in WC 82) ring a bell???
Liberia : In fact he may as well have named Weah best African player ever.
Netherlands : well done Pélé. At first sight no one is missing, although some other name might pop up eventually. Oops, it just did : Ronald Koeman.
Nigeria : I rate Amunike, Finidi and Yekini higher than Okocha.
Paraguay : I have never heard of this Romerito dude. Has he been more important than Chilavert?
Poland : I seem to recall a certain Polish striker called Gregor Lato scoring 8 goals in WC 1974 - not good enough for you, Mr Edson Arantes do Nascimento?
Russia : Yashin is dead alright, but if Dasaev was WC 1986's best goallie, Protasov was its topscorer and received the Golden Ball as aresult of it.
Spain : we're getting near the bottom of the list, and this is where Pélé's amnesia resurfaces in its most persistent form. Or maybe he just got Luis Enrique confused with another Luis : Golden Ball winning and European champion (both with Inter and Spain) Suarez. And the most talented player of the Real Madrid of the 80's was Michel, not Butragueno.
Ukraine : Golden Ball winner and leader of the first (and, to my knowledge, last) Soviet team to have won a European Cup, Oleg Blokhin, may have deserved a mention, not?
USA : two women? Has Pélé taken too many of them viagra pills he promotes so stiffly?
On a final and general note, I wonder - with all due respect - why countries like Chile, Ghana, Japan or Senegal are on that list when Sweden or Yugoslavia alone have produced more talents than all of them put together. Or does he actually believe that Diouf and Nakata come before Liedholm and Stojkovic?
Nonetheless, it has to be said that he still seems to be suffering from both myopia and amnesia, and that this confirms how 'O Rey hasn't done many things right since he retired from football.
Argentina : how does Saviola, an otherwise very talented player who is still in the early phases of his career and who hasn't achieved anything relevant yet, manage to be considered as one of the greatest that the football powerhouse that is Argentina has produced?
Belgium : Franky Van der Elst??? I can name at least one Belgian defensive mid (that was Van der Elst's role) who was better than him : Georges Grun. But where does that leave Enzo Scifo and the man who is regarded as the greatest Belgian ever : Paul Van Himst? Also, Preud'homme was better than Pfaff, without a question.
Brazil : What does he make of his WC '58 teammates Didi and Vava, or of Gerson, Tostao and Jairzinho? Have Rivaldo and Ronaldinho left a more tangible mark?
Croatia : Suker scored 6 goals in France 98 alright, but Boksic was the most stylish attacker around when he was at Marseille and Lazio. And what about Boban? The man became a legend with the legendary Milan ffs!
France : Trezeguet, Pirès and maybe Cantona don't belong to that list, especially if you are going to omit Giresse, Tigana and Laurent Blanc.
Germany : Ballack shouldn't be there yet, otherwise you would have to include Overath, Schuster and Brehme to randomly name but three.
Hungary : one of Puskas' partners in crime (Czibor, Kocsis or Hidegkuti - preferably the latter) would not look bad there.
Italy : it's Gianluigi not Gianluca Buffon. Del Piero can get the hell out of that list. As could, in a way, Nesta and Bergomi. I mean, do the names Mazzola, Riva, Conti (of whom Pélé himself said he was a "closet brazilian" in WC 82) ring a bell???
Liberia : In fact he may as well have named Weah best African player ever.
Netherlands : well done Pélé. At first sight no one is missing, although some other name might pop up eventually. Oops, it just did : Ronald Koeman.
Nigeria : I rate Amunike, Finidi and Yekini higher than Okocha.
Paraguay : I have never heard of this Romerito dude. Has he been more important than Chilavert?
Poland : I seem to recall a certain Polish striker called Gregor Lato scoring 8 goals in WC 1974 - not good enough for you, Mr Edson Arantes do Nascimento?
Russia : Yashin is dead alright, but if Dasaev was WC 1986's best goallie, Protasov was its topscorer and received the Golden Ball as aresult of it.
Spain : we're getting near the bottom of the list, and this is where Pélé's amnesia resurfaces in its most persistent form. Or maybe he just got Luis Enrique confused with another Luis : Golden Ball winning and European champion (both with Inter and Spain) Suarez. And the most talented player of the Real Madrid of the 80's was Michel, not Butragueno.
Ukraine : Golden Ball winner and leader of the first (and, to my knowledge, last) Soviet team to have won a European Cup, Oleg Blokhin, may have deserved a mention, not?
USA : two women? Has Pélé taken too many of them viagra pills he promotes so stiffly?
On a final and general note, I wonder - with all due respect - why countries like Chile, Ghana, Japan or Senegal are on that list when Sweden or Yugoslavia alone have produced more talents than all of them put together. Or does he actually believe that Diouf and Nakata come before Liedholm and Stojkovic?
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