I read another article where Maradona sidesteps the question about who's better, him or Pele.

Skills? Pele.
Wins? Pele.
Goals? Pele.
Length of career? Pele.
Inspiring new fans and players? Pele.
Post-playing career? Pele.

Maradona huffed his career up his nose and his supporters all say it's 'cos he had a rough childhood and was taken advantage of. What about Pele's poor childhood? He made the right choices. He was a better player.

I saw Pele play when I was a kid and he was rounding out his career in the NASL alongside guys like Beckenbauer, Kreuf, and Chinaglia. He was old and way better than anyone else.

When Maradona was the same age, he was coked up, fat, and holed up in Cuba, avoiding the press' unflattering lense.

No contest. I hate when it even comes up.

[Full disclosure: a lifelong Maryland basketball fan, I have a thing about stars who capture our dreams and then waste it with drugs, a la Len Bias. Broke my twelve year-old heart. I have little sympathy for that shit.]

And who would rather watch that little fireplug juke defenders, than watch lithe slippery Pele puzzle 'em all? Gimme a fucking break.

I swear because I care.

And Pele was in Hotshot, the Rocky of soccer.

I thought Victory was the Rocky of soccer, since it had Pele and Stallone.

OK then. Hotshot is the Rocky 2 of soccer.

jesus christ guys, it was 19 years ago. and you never would have won it anyway. and this from a big Anglophile like me. seriously. let it go.

oh, and Shilton should have gotten the ball, regardless of El Pibe's hand. he made a mistake

Skills? Pele.

it's highly debatable

Wins? Pele.

check out Brazil's 10 other men, and Argentina's. Don't consider just Pelé and Maradona.

Goals? Pele.

Never played in Europe. Diego played in Spain and Italy, against those kind of defense players.

Length of career? Pele.

yeah, Cosmos.
*snicker*

Inspiring new fans and players? Pele.


it's irrelevant. Babe Ruth was a very unpleasant drunk and brothelgoer. Michael Jordan cheated on his wife. Magic, too. so what?

Post-playing career? Pele.


Jimmy Carter, too. does that make him a better President, 1977-1981?

having said that, I'm 35, I only saw Maradona play (twice , in person: Milan-Napoli and Internazionale-Napoli). I can't judge. but you're being way too flippant

oh, for the "inspiring" category: I forgot Shoeless Joe Jackson.

and Gazza beat the crap out of his wife.

All the points you address, matteo, are the debatable ones. You're right. De gustibus non disputandam, or whatever.

But for a clue to my flippancy, revisit the cokehead waste of thousands of children's dreams part of the story. Honestly I don't have a dog in this race, except for that.

A guy with a stellar career like Maradona (or Bias) weaves a pretty big rug to go pulling out from under little fans.

I'm writing from somewhere in amongst those kids.

Carter wouldn't make it into legend on his numbers as president. But legends are more than the sum of their playing careers, and "druggie" for Maradona (or "embarrassment" for Gazza) shaped his legend just as much as his play.

As far as the Limeys' picking bone is concerned, it's all part of the game. The same fans who celebrate goals when their strikers are clearly offside, decry the Hand of God. We're all hypocrites, and it's part of the game.

OK, I just hope that adolescent guitar players don't read up much on Keith Richards's life then. they'll all have to worship some Christian rock guitar player instead of Richards. you know, bad examples and stuff

Well there's no disputing Maradonna's taste in women for the show.

You and the straw guys, matteo. That's two in one sitting.