Maradona the Greatest? Don't ask Pele !

Some of the greatest footballers in the history seem to be playing out a match of their own making through the media in the 2010 World Cup with Edson Arantes do Nascimento and Diego Armando Maradona continuing their ongoing differences which appear rooted, for the most part, in the traditional neighbourly rivalry between Brazil and Argentina. Somewhat worsened perhaps by the memory of Argentina 1978 when Brazil missed getting to the final when the host nation, surprisingly, beat a strong Peru side – that included Teofilo Cubillas, Ramon Quiroga and Juan Carlos Oblitas – by more than the required four goals needed to improve their unfavourable  goal average.

In the end Argentina won by 6 goals to nil and went on to win the ‘78 Final placing them on the world footballing stage for the first time having lived in the shadow of Brazil for many decades. Since then the two players that wore the number ten have pursued a rivalry, despite being a generation apart, which still continues today.

There is also a personal element to the row as Maradona likes to highlight that Pele was never tested himself in European club football. Pele, on the other hand, seizes every opportunity to proclaim the best player in the world as the “new Pele:”

The Brazilian legend was at it again recently declaring that Alfredo Di Stefano was in fact the world’s best and that he had once turned down the chance to play with him at Real Madrid years ago.

During that same interview he declared;

“Maradona could not kick with his right foot and did not score goals with his head,”  he explained, “The only time he scored an important goal was with his head, and it turned out he had used his hand.”

No shock then that the Argentina Manager should then suggest that Pele should be placed in a museum so as to be silenced perhaps. 

However the man who scored over a thousand goals and tops every list of best players in the world replied during the 2010 World Cup, in a bid to avoid being forgotten about, that:

"He (Maradona) is not a good coach, because he had a bizarre lifestyle which cannot go down well with his team," three-time World Cup winner Pele told German magazine 11Freunde.

The 69-year-old Pele then switched to Maradona’s next opponents saying there was much to like about the young and vibrant German side that beat England 4-1 in the Last 16 match on Sunday. As Maradona focussed his remarks toward his semi final opponents as well Germany questioning the “nerves” of midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, Pele offered his contrarians viewpoint.

"This young German team is a pleasure to watch," Pele said, “ It is clear to see that something has changed in German football, it was already beginning to happen at Euro 2008 (where they lost 1-0 to Spain in the final) and the youngsters Mesut Oezil and Thomas Mueller, they are like their predecessors Wolfgang Overath and Pierre Littbarski.

"They can dribble, deliver pinpoint passes, and produce something surprising at any moment," added Pele, who nevertheless feels that they are too young to win at this World Cup.

One just waits now for the timely reminder from Franz Anton Beckenbauer about the 1990 World Cup Final in Rome to go the way of the Argentina camp as a forewarning of perhaps a few more goals from Thomas Mueller in Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

Other legends have not escaped the wrath of Maradona either

"I always had a distant relationship with Platini," he said. "It was 'Hi' and 'Bye', never more than that. But we know how the French are and Platini is French. He believes he's better than everyone else."

One might ask what Michel Platini did to deserve such an observation? It seems he pointed out a personal views about Argentina and “El Diego”;

"He [Maradona] has very little experience, and Argentina's qualifying campaign was not good."

Maradona, of course, dismisses any criticism of his side always eager to talk up the man he believes is  natural replacement, Lionel Messi.

In the build up to the Holland and Brazil semi final Hendrik Johannes Cruijff flung some critical remarks Brazil’s way pointing out that the style of play adopted by Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri, the Manager of Brazil, saying that he would “not pay” to see them.

To which Dunga replied;

“It's up to him. Cruyff can pay to watch this game if he wants. There are many games on offer and democracy allows you to make your own choice.”

"But I am sure Cruyff is not going to pay for the ticket, so therefore he can watch it if he wants to."

In the collapse of Portugal against Spain in the Last 16 match and the failure of their captain Ronaldo to deliver yet again for his country, Eusébio da Silva Ferreira the legend of the nation, was disappointed - but more with the sport in general. When asked how the game had changed since the 1960s he responded

"Well, today, soccer is nothing else than a commercial enterprise."

But the man known in his playing days as O Pantera Negra (The Black Panther) thought that despite their exit, Carlos Queiroz’s men can be proud of their campaign and he is optimistic about the future of the national team.

Meanwhile back in England following the fallout of England's defeat in 2010, one of Esuebio’s opponents in 1966 World Cup semi final, Bobby Charlton, has been remarkably quiet as many experts and former players threw out views to anyone who would listen about the wrongs of the English game following the failure yet again to repeat the feat of forty four years ago.  What must he think as some of his contemporaries flood the airwaves given he is man of much reserve and decorum. 

Undoubtedly he would contend the he played alongside one of the greatest players ever, George Best, who is now unable to share his views with the world  given his premature death in 2005.

But with the 2010 World Cup final fast approaching and many of his former team mates now relaxing on beaches somewhere following France's ignominious departure from this World Cup, it is probably no surprise that Zinedine Zidane has remained quite throughout the tournament.

Sadly for him, he remains the last player to be sent off in a World Cup Final, a statistic that maybe changed on July 11th next, but for the moment tarnishes for some his achievements and ability in the game.

But then again Zizou always dif his talking on the pitch – like all the greatest players.