I’d pick Messi over Ronaldo in my team, says Pelé
NEW DELHI: The best thing about being part of John Huston’s ‘Escape to Victory’ was that he knew his side would win, said legendary Brazilian footballer Pele, referring to the 1981 film about the escape of a group of prisoners of war from German captivity during the World War II after a football match. That is not something he could say about his extraordinary life.
Pele, who featured in the film along with Sylvester Stallone and footballers like Bobby Moore, said this in conversation with former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia at the 16th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.
The conversation spanned generations and continents. It had anecdotes from the life of the legendary footballer proud to be named after Thomas Edison but who now loves being called Pele. The Brazilian footballer said he thought his father was joking when he broke the news of his selection to play for Brazil when he was just a 17-yearold.
The conversation covered a career in which Pele, the legend who never wanted to be a coach, won three World Cups.
Pele did not deflect questions that could have seemed uncomfortable but did produce an unexpected feint. So when Bhutia asked him to choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Pele first pointed out how they differ in their styles and reminisced about being compared to George Best. “Ronaldo is more of a centreforward but Messi has ball control and organises the team…”