[samosa4u]

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.