Ajit Vadakayil: MARADONA VERSUS PELE, WHO IS BETTER?

DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA--

THE GOD OF SOCCER -- GREATEST ENTERTAINER ON A FOOTBALL FIELD- THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION OF ALL TIME - THE PLAY MAKING GENIUS- THE BAD BOY OF SOCCER- THE MIDFIELDER WITH MAGICAL SKILLS- THE MAN WHO TOOK SOCCER TO A NEW REVOLUTIONARY LEVEL-- THE MAN AT THE DYNAMICS FULCRUM

VERSUS

PELE, EDSON ARANTES DO NASIMENTO-

THE KING OF SOCCER- FIFA'S LOVE CHILD- THE ROLE MODEL - THE BLACK PEARL- THE NATIONAL TREASURE OF BRAZIL -

First watch these videos , and get that feeling.

Did you notice the bewildered looks and body language of half the Belgian soccer worldcup team above? Well, no prizes! Check out who is eyeballin' and who is using his perepheral vision to toy around.

That says it all folks!

In one of the world cup games Pele who gave the opening FIFA speech was sitting like the cat who swallowed all ze cream , in the Queen's box with Platini and party , in the stadium.

Maradona was NOT even invited, and on the way to the stadium the police confiscated his car. So my son taunted me " Daddy, your hero is nowhere in the limelight!"

I replied " Son, just wait. Let Maradona come into the stadium and sit in the cheap gallery stands. See the collective faces of Pele and FIFA at that time. When the God of soccer sits in the 20th row, that very spot becomes more important than the Queen's box. A donkey on a throne does NOT become king. That is the way the cookie crumbles "

Soon enough Maradona walks in, like the cool cat he is --

--the crowd, gives a tremendous appreciative roar, as the video cameras jostle to catch him climbing up the gallery stands. Every single camera and every pair of eyes -- except Pele's, were focused on him! Even the drunks woke up!!

The stadium crowd , and the common masses glued in front of large size TV screens set up on streets , soaked in this ultimate visual opium and chanted in unison " DIEGO! DIEGO!! DIEGO!!!--"

I am sure Pele will be seeing this in his worst nightmares.

--and imagine just a few weeks before Pele , had ridiculed Maradona of NOT being able to use his right foot. Why is it compulsory to use the right foot as per FIFA rules? Diegos' heavenly left foot did the job.

You don't have to be a genius to figure out why FIFA does not like Maradona who calls a spade a spade -- in any case nobody expects Maradona to represent FIFA and lump in all their hypocrisy--

To be objective in our analysis , we must pit both against each other when they were at the PEAK of their respective carreers.

FIFA and some people do NOT like Maradona because he is arrogant. Well-- a GOD deserves to be arrogant. In the jungle nobody likes to see a modest and humble lion. All love to see a proud roaring lion toying around with the lesser animals .

With true champions you gotta take the bad with the good, with a pinch of salt. That is why he is a champion --

FIFA held a people's poll to judge who is the player of the century. Maradona got 53.6% votes. Pele got only 18.5% votes. Not to be daunted or undone FIFA gave his their own specially rigged up for such an occasion " Football family award" despite knowing deep down they are doing something terribly wrong. .

Pele's cup was plastic, Maradona's was full of heart and soul.

So after the FIFA ceremony on 11th Dec 2000 at Rome, Pele mocked in the press conference - " If Maradona thinks he is the best player of this century, that it is his problem" --and then he found to his chagrin that nobody was amused.

FIFA politics is the disease of soccer.

The British loathe Maradona for that single "hand of God" moment -- which happened in the heat and thick of action at a goal mouth melee -- in the 1986 world cup ,( which eliminated England ). Well gentlemen, the little master plays with his whole body.

After his peak , he could NOT handle the fame and took Cocaine. Cocaine does NOT increase soccer skills-- every idiot know this. Do we say, Queen could rock Wembley stadium just because Freddy Mercury took Cocaine? Yet, Cocaine is a performance enhancing drug for rock music.

The football was just an extension of his footballin' body. With people half a metre taller than him were jumping up and contesting for the ball, he did the next best.

Maradona could dribble around the whole England team twice , tie them up in knots , squeeze the limey out of them, rather lick the mickey out of them, or which ever way they want it-- set up goals and handball it too , in the blur of an eye-- before you could say Womanches --- nay-- Manchester..

Pele was a stalking striker, who scored goals created by equally or more talented players.

Maradona was a busy playmaking midfielder, who singlehandedly created goals for himself and others..

Pele scored more goals ( 1281 goals in 1363 games ) than Maradona , because he played within his comfort zone, in low skill local Brazilian and US leagues.

Maradona played in Europe, OK? When did a Brazilian team or even a South American team last win any world club championship?

There is a joke doin' the rounds that even the goal scored by Pele in the Hollywood movie Victory ( 1981--starring Michael Cine / Sylvester Stallone ) he acted , is counted in his super goal tally . The ones he scored when he was in the Brazilian army with zilch skill anywhere around, is of course counted hush hush..

In 1986, Argentina won the world cup. Every single TV station, newspaper and magazine predicted that Diego at his peak , would win it single handedly for the substandard team Argentina. He did it--and how! It was a piece of cake. Could Pele have ever done this?

And then Maradona goes and plays for barrel bottom scrapin' club Napoli. Every TV channel, newspaper and magazine predicted that Diego would do an encore. He did it yet again - and how! Could Pele have ever done this?

I can rest my case here-- but let me finish--

Gods leave a legacy! This planet does hold the Maradona legacy. Pele is a mere mortal king . Maradona is the God of soccer.

OK, Pele won 3 world cups 1958-62-70. .

But it must be remembered that Brazil could have done it easily without him too. In 1958 and 1962 Garrincha stole the thunder.

In 1958, Pele always came off the bench, unlike a Messi or Christiano Ronaldo of today , who are always starters. .

In 1962 Pele played only one game-- he was warming the bench right through the Wold Cup-- see how short and fickle human memory is.

In 1970 Pele got in because of his deadly statistical seniority. In 1968-69 he was NOT a regular in the national team, as others were fitter and better.

In the last world cup at South Africa with coach Maradona etching a lonely furrow on the grass walking up and down at the sidelines , with diamonds as big as cherries shining on his ears, the ball went to him and he kicked back in his classic style. There was an instant appreciative roar from the crowd -- the loudest in that edition of the World cup- they could now tell their grandchildren that they had seen the legend in action--LIVE.

One of the most vitriolic and "no mincing words " tongues in the world of modern soccer today is that of Jose Mourinho-- the Real Madrid coach.. He remarked tersely " You can like or dislike, Diego is the history of football!" .

By the way the great Real Madrid player Hungarian Ferenc Pushkas , is miles ahead of Pele. Hardly anybody today knows who Pushkas is-- even in this internet age. What a disgrace.

Maradona represents the dream of every single young passionate soccer player in the world today--unless he is English-- who are unable to shed their snake skins or let go off old baggage.

Most of the time striker Pele would just waiting for the ball to arrive at his legs so that he can score-- his goal gettin' style later copied by Ruud Van Nistleroy. In Kerala in Malayalam language we call it Kappikachavadam.

Most referees would NOT call Pele offside, lest the FIFA monkeys straddle on their backs. Maradona rarely got favourable decisions.

You can just compare the kilometers Maradona and Pele ran in a single game-- on an average.

Pele is bitter that Maradona has snatched away most of his die hard fans ( including yours truly ) -- he just retains most of the "same skin colour" party, who worship him as the black pearl. For these jokers it is NOT skill which matters, but colour of skin.

I am proud to live in the times of Maradona.

The flair, the passion, the explosive acceleration, the electrifying dribbling, the unsurpassed ball control, the unpredictable body swerves and feints, the team dynamics genius vision --

---always in the thick of the narrow alley action -- all against taller and stronger opponents who were hell bent on savagely mowing him down.

As soon as he was felled down he would jump up and resume business without complaints -- Pele loved to make a wet rag scene and once even threatened to walk off.