Pele as a Cosmo.

Such a difficult question, one that probably doesn't have any clear answer.

I'll start off saying that I'm biased in favor of Pele. Even watching an old supposedly worn out Pele play for the Cosmos was something that made me pay attention to Soccer. Until then, it was - to me - something played by Highschool kids and a few of the more athletic hippie types. (I was in High school at the time and enjoyed playing it in gym)

And watching Maradona a bit later was pretty amazing. If I remember it correctly he was the guy who was trapped in the corner by a defender and held the ball on a foot that was over the sideline while turning side to side until he had room to get the ball past the defender. Amazing skill.

To me todays game seems a bit overly formulaic, it's probably a more strategically sound game than the 70's and 80's, but it's a bit dull when the players don't show off that sort of talent - Or won't because it doesn't fit the style of play.

My admittedly less than great understanding is that the European and South American styles of play are a bit different. South American to me has always seemed like a more open game with more man on man coverage, while the European game has seemed more compact with a lot more zone like play. I can't really picture how the skills of each style would translate to the other.

I believe that in any sport, the truly elite players will adapt to whatever you throw at them and prevail based on their intelligence, understanding of the sport, and superior skills. From this general belief, I deduce Pele would have been just as great in Europe.

I do frequent a few online soccer forums and the "Pele vs. Messi" debate is a pretty popular one, so I don't want any of you to think that I'm just making things up. My thread is based on all the things I've been reading over the years.

I actually think it's pretty absurd when soccer fans keep debating this topic. How can you compare someone who played in the 1950s and 60s to someone who is playing now? The game has changed so much since then. The players today are bigger, stronger, faster and more intelligent. However, the rules have changed. When Pele played, there was no such thing as a red or yellow card and he would get kicked and tripped repeatedly. The ref would just pat him on the head and say something like "come on, you're Pele! Man up!" He was a marked man ever since he helped Brazil win their first title, and often had to put up with a lot of abuse. Furthermore, the substitution rules were different too. I watched old games where the injured Pele had to just keep on playing because he couldn't leave the field.

My vote would be Jim Thorpe. ...and I'm not just messing with you.


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