Had Pele played in modern times, he would have surpassed the achievements of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
That’s according to Jockey Scott, who played the last game of his career in 1977 against the Brazilian great.
Pele, who died last week at the age of 82, ended his stellar playing career after playing for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League for two years and helping the club win the 1977 Soccer Bowl over the Seattle Sounders. .
The three-time World Cup winner is often compared to modern-day greats like Messi, Ronaldo and the legendary Diego Maradona, but former Scotland international Scott is often credited as the best player he has ever played the game. I think it should.
“I think we need to recognize different eras of football. The last 10 or 15 years with Ronaldo and Messi deserve credit for being the best players,” Scott told Stats Perform.
“But I think they are, or were, the best players of this era.
“They are coming to the end of their careers now. Someone else will take over the mantle in the next 15 or 20 years, but I always say Pele is, without a doubt, the best player in my opinion. ing”
Scott added that Pele would have achieved much more had he enjoyed the advantages of modern football.
“I think he can do better,” said Scott.
“Honestly, any player like Pele [Diego] Maradona, George Best, [Johan] Cruyff – great individuals, attacking players who can score goals for anyone – the way the game is played today where virtually nobody is allowed to tackle, they would be much better players think.
“Physically he was a strong man and looking back at the pictures, he was abused on the pitch when he played for both Santos and Brazil in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
“He had suffered so much abuse, but he was still there after 90 minutes, shrugging his shoulders and ignoring opponents, scoring goals he had scored.
“When I confronted them, [the Cosmos] It was 1977 in America. Pele was 36 years old at the time and his physique was incredible. he could still play. In my time, he was the best player in the world.”
Scott couldn’t stop Pele from ending his stint in New York with a 2-1 win, but he was able to give the Cosmos man a nutmeg during the meeting.
“It’s not something you think about during a game. It’s just that I had an opponent and I passed by with the ball and he pulled me back and fouled me,” he said.
“If anyone was at home and looked at this picture and said something to me, I would just laugh and I was mad at him, it was him picking himself up and pulling me back, He tells me he doesn’t like it.
“It doesn’t matter who it is, but in the end it was a great picture for me.”