Is Pele really the best player ever?

[StevieR]

I was looking around at stats on the internet, and I came across some really interesting results:

Gerd Muller has technically scored 1461 goals.
Pele has scored 1284 goals.
Arthur Friedenrech has scored 1329 goals.
Franz Binder has scored 1006 in 756 games
Josef Bican has scored 395 goals in 204 games

Am I to believe that Pele was the best player ever? He's not even the top goal scorer ever and he didn't play in Europe; he just played in Brazil. In the 1930's-1960's scoring over 500 goals was achieved by many players. I just think that the quality of football back in Pele's day was far worse than today. I mean the quality of football today is undoubtedly better than ever before.

Today, a striker scoring 300 goals is amazing. Forty years ago, 300 goals was nothing. But am I to believe that the quality of football was better 50 years ago? If Pele had to play against the defenses today, he'd get completely dominated.

If you disagree, please explain why. Ten points for the best answer.

[Plzhelpme]

Back then the defences were also not as good as they are now. So Pele should be better know than he would be back then.

And I think that if there was someone better then Pele that it wouldn't be a German!

Schade Deutschland alles ist forbei, alles ist forbei, alles ist forbei.

Some European Cup humour

Hup Holland Hup!

[SirPsychoT3084]

Pele would dominate in any game against any opponent. The goal total you have is his confirmed goal total. His real goal total could be thousands higher then what you have and probably is. He also scored 100 hat ticks and is the only player to win 3 World Cups.

[Ronaldo9275]

no

[chefjnstwrt]

You are talking about stats that have changed in all major sports in the time frame you are clinging too. Pele was a showman in addition to being a great athlete. To me saying that he was the best player ever is like saying David Beckham is the best. Come on, they just make the sport popular. Of course there are better strikers and defenders out there, over time... There is no way of determining whether or not he could out-perform today's footballers, but for his time he was very famous and accomplished. The quality of football is very different now and the world arena is watching. As you stated, he played in Brazil, and today players from Africa and Brazil play for the UK, sooooooo different...
In the States we have the equivalent of Barry Bonds breaking Hank Arron's home run record. Are we to believe Bonds is the better athlete, or have sports on the professional level changed to such a degree?
To me stats mean little, though they are an indicator of the player's skill against their opponents, I just like to watch people play...

[KBenzema2034]

Well, nowaday defence are more stable and organize by proper coach training. And i dont think pele is the best soccer player ever, even though he won 3 world cup. (because world cup is based on the whole of brazil playing and not just him).

[Gie]

Firstly it is totally erroneous to cite any striker as the best player ever - if you want a serious answer to: Who is the best player ever? you have have to expect a midfield player or a winger to come out on top. Franz Beckenbauer was a far better player than Gerd Muller and Alfredo di Stefano was a far better player than Maradona but because of glitz of the position of striker, players that play there will often get more praise. It is interesting to note that Maradona and Pele came joint first in the FIFA player of the century award - both of course were strikers. A contemporary example of where a less able striker has over shadowed a more talented midfielder is at Liverpool fc, where Steven Gerrard is now considered by many only the second best player in the team after Fernando Torres despite being infinitely more talented.

A further problem with judging the best player in world past or present is how to judge them ie if one compared Steven Gerrard with C Ronaldo many people would say Ronaldo is better because he has scored more goals and does lots of step-overs but, if one compared Gerrard and C Ronaldo in a ''top trump'' card Gerrard would be far better.

In conclusion I would have to say it is impossible to judge ''the best player in the world'' so I will list those who I think are the best players in terms of there positions (of all time) as well as listing who I think is the best all-rounder in the history of the game, and therefore possibly the best player ever.

Goalkeeper: Lev Yashin

Defender: Paolo Maldini

Defensive Midfielder/Sweeper: Franz Beckenbuer

Midfielder/All rounder: Steven Gerrard

Attacking Midfielder/Winger: Garrincha

Striker: Maradona