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'It's a joke' Pele not the greatest? No way, Brazilians say
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- Eternal rivals Brazil and Argentina don't need much of an excuse to argue over soccer. But this time it's personal. Brazilians are up in arms over unofficial reports that a FIFA survey to choose the best soccer player of the century will name former Argentine star Diego Maradona over the great Pele. The result won't be announced until Monday in Rome. But fans and players already are saying that any survey that picks anyone but Pele must be skewed, unfair and just plain wrong. "It's a joke. Not even two Maradonas would surpass Pele," said Mario Zagallo, who played with Pele on Brazil's World Cup champion teams in 1958 and 1962 and coached him on a third in 1970. "Pele already is consecrated as the athlete of the century. Maradona is dreaming and should stay asleep." "There's no comparison," said coach and former all-star striker Evaristo de Macedo. "Pele was the greatest of all time. The voters in this election are young and have a more recent image of Maradona." To be sure, Pele missed the golden age of television. He was nearly 30 when he played in his final Cup in 1970, before color TV came to Brazil. Past his prime, Pele joined the now-defunct New York Cosmos in 1974 and retired three years later. But his legend and records endure: three World Cup titles, two world club championships with Santos in 1962 and 1963, and more than 1,200 goals. No other player has even 1,000. Teammates recall a complete player who could pass and shoot with either foot, head the ball with perfection and had speed, power, a terrific vertical leap, vision and leadership. "Pele was the greatest of all," said Tostao, who played with Pele on the 1970 Cup team. "He was always far more complete than Maradona. The Argentine was an artist with the ball, a circus juggler." Maradona was a teenage phenomenon when Argentina won its first World Cup title in 1978, but coach Cesar Luis Menotti ignored a popular outcry to put him on the team. Universal recognition came later, when he led Argentina to its second Cup title in 1986 and took Italy's Napoli to the national championship, before drugs curtailed his career. Of the 27 candidates preselected by FIFA, seven are Brazilian and two are Argentine. The second Argentine player, Alfredo Di Stefano, reportedly came in third in the balloting, which took place over the Internet and ended last month. Some lovers of the game, like Tostao, have tried to downplay the rivalry, arguing that soccer has room for many geniuses. "Pele was the best, the most complete and perfect. Maradona, more skilled, artistic and unpredictable," Tostao wrote Wednesday in his column for Rio's Jornal do Brasil. "Pele symbolized technique, reason and awareness. Maradona, the mystery, passion and drama of the Argentine tango. Both are unforgettable and eternal."
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