Seems the feud between these two football greats is not going to end soon. The funniest part is that Maradona does the talking or slamming most of the time. Reacting to the Brazilian hero, Pele’s recent honorary Ballon D’or award, the Argentine Legend maintained that the three-time World Cup-winner will always remains second best to him.
Speaking with reporters, he said, “How can people say Pele received the Ballon d’Or before me? I received the Golden Ball for services to football from France Football in 1996. So to make out as if Pele is the first one to receive the award before me is a huge mistake. For me, Pele will always remain second best in football when compared to Maradona.
He continued, “Look at it this way, in his own country, Brazil, Pele is the second best sportsman after former Formula One racer Ayrton Senna. Pele will always be second, be it in international football or in Brazilian sports. The sad thing is that he is second best and he will continue to stay in that position. While presenting this year’s Ballon d’Or to Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele uttered his name as ‘Cristiano Leonardo’. This just shows where he belongs.”
I consider the ‘Cristiano Leonardo’ statement totally off-point.