At the Maracana stadium in Rio, the home team room is called Garrincha, while the away teams room is named Pele, reflecting the populations opinion of the two players. The Angel with Bent Legs was one of the first great dribblers but his unintelligence he failed an IQ test given to the Brazil squad before the 58 World Cup and alcoholism meant he never reached the same glorious heights of Pele, although many feel he could have given the right support. And sure, Pele may have won three World Cups, but how many Champions League medals has he won? He never took part. How can we compare the achievements of a player playing for a fantastic Santos team in South America against a player who has been hugely successful with an iconic Barcelona side in Europe? Maradona played on both sides of the Atlantic yet he never had such success during his season at Barcelona and only managed a UEFA Cup victory and a Scudetto during his time at Napoli. On the other hand his international brilliance dragged Argentina to the 1986 World Cup. Di Stefano helped Real Madrid dominate the European Cup during the first five years, yet only sixteen teams took part in the competition during those early years. Plus it was only league winners. If that was the case this season Barcelona would not even be taking part. Or what about Di Stefanos partner, the great Puskas, who was essential to the success of Hungarys Mighty Magyars? Cruyff helped change the way football is played. He was vital to Rinus Michels Total Football Michels Barcelona only won La Liga when the Dutch midfielder arrived at the Camp Nou and his dribbling style and skills influence the way many modern wingers play now. Beckenbauer is among the best players ever and, along with Bobby Moore and Franco Baresi, is one of the few defenders considered in among the top group. Defenders dont get the same attention as attackers because of their role, so how is it fair that we rank players when defenders rarely get the same recognition. There arent stats for how many times Maldini broke down an attack or made a successful tackle, but there are plenty of goal stats for strikers to boast about. My point is that we shouldnt rank the best players of all time and try to compare them. Its a biased system that doesnt take into account so many factors, from the value of the league you played in to your success in certain competitions. Messi is the best player in the world at the moment. There are those who argue against because he never played in the Premier League. Dont let the Premier League loving Sky pundits get in your head they are selling a product. Small and nimble players like Aguero, Mata, Suarez and Bale have succeeded in the PL so why couldnt Messi? People also argue that Messi plays in a great team, but so does Ronaldo and RVP. Do people want him to play for a less successful team like Arsenal just to prove a point? Messi may not be the best ever, but he is among the best to have graced the game, and he is definitely the best at the moment.
