Sir Alf Ramsey, who managed the England team that won the World Cup in 1966, was attributed as saying that Pele was a brilliant player but Diego Maradona was from a different planet.
That was quite a compliment for Maradona.
As we all know, Pele and Maradona are like daggers staring at each other.
Last month, Maradona was reported as saying that Pele only played for South American clubs while he had spent a decade at European sides.
"He won more World Cups. But playing in Europe is another thing," said Maradona who, as Argentina national coach, is presently faced with the hard truth that his country may not make it to the World Cup finals in South Africa.
The Brazil legend took a swipe at Maradona when he told reporters in Madrid on Thursday that he feels another Argentine-born player, Real Madrid's iconic former striker Alfredo di Stefano, is the best player ever.
According to an AFP report, Pele said: "Maradona was a great player, but he could not kick with his right foot and did not score goals with his head. The only time he scored an important goal with his head, it turned out he had used his hand."
Pele was referring to Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal in Argentina's 2-1 win over England during the 1986 FIFA World Cup™ quarter-finals in Mexico, when he fooled the referee by punching the ball into the net.
Di Stefano, who played for Real from 1953-63 and has been its honourary president since 2000, scored 418 goals in 510 games for the Spanish giants. A two-time European Player of the Year, he became a Spanish citizen in 1956
The Don Believes England's "Golden Generation" Has Arrived
This time around, it's a resounding roar we are hearing from the England squad under Fabio Capello (picture credit: wikipedia.org). With their 5-1 demolition of a hapless Croatia last Wednesday, England look like they are ready to take on the world. They are heading for South Africa.
There is no doubt that their sharp-dressed Italian manager, fondly tagged as The Don, has transformed an England squad from a ragtag bunch of players under the hapless Steve McClaren two years ago into something that resembles a world class act.
But euphoria shouldn't get to their heads so soon after finishing their World Cup qualifying round with a 100 percent record that is only matched by Spain and the Netherlands.
England, their fans and the media have often in the past blew their trumpets about their greatness to win titles but each time they fell flat with "glorious failure."
Under The Don, England are playing with greater conviction and purpose. Granted, Capello is a man not easily prone to hyperbole, he can be excused his exhilaration and conviction that this present squad is seen as the birth of England's "golden generation".
In Aaron Lennon, Capello has found the Tottenham Hotspur player to be a revelation on a night when he made the Croatian defence look silly. Together with Arsenal's Theo Walcott, the England manager can be envied for having two bright young players he can depend on as an alternative to David Beckham who is probably on his last lap.
The other good news is that Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are capable of working in tandem, laying to rest the notion of their incompatibility in midfield. And so long as Wayne Rooney does not lose his temper, he is as good as gold in the England attack.
Capello, unlike Diego Maradona and the wretched Argentina team, is bringing cohesion, composure and confidence to the England squad, thanks to his vast experience as a football manager.
But nothing is won yet. England fans may be counting the chickens before the eggs are hatched. Only next summer in South Africa will Capello find out whether this England squad can rise to the occasion when confronted by the likes of Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy. - By Mark Khoo
Maradona may put on a show of bullishness and that he would still fight for World Cup qualification because Argentina are "still alive."
But it's alarmingly clear that the 1-0 defeat in Asuncion on Wednesday by Paraguay has the Argentina coach on the brink.
Argentina are in dire straits with their final two qualifying matches against Peru at home and Uruguay away.
Argentina are now in fifth place, one point behind fourth-placed Ecuador in the standings. They will face Peru on October 10, and then away to sixth-placed Uruguay three days later.
Maradona has to pull out all the stops to see Argentina clear these two hurdles with victories to avoid a playoff with a CONCACAF team, or worse.
One more defeat and it's the last tango for Maradona - as the national coach of Argentina.
Some journalists are pressing for his removal before further damage is inflicted on the national team.
It was supposed to be a dream job. When his name was confirmed by the Argentine FA last November that he would take over the national team from Alfio Basile, everyone was elated. Optimism was the order of the day.
It was a good choice.
Who could have said nay to Diego Maradona, the living football legend who inspired Argentina to win the 1986 World Cup in Mexico?
Whether he had divine blessing when he was assisted by the "Hand of God" in scoring that infamous first goal for Argentina that led to England's defeat in the quarter-finals is moot now.
His second goal was an amazing 75-metre run past six England players and goalkeeper Peter Shilton before he put the ball in the net. That was hailed as "The Goal of the Century."
Diego Maradona had arrived.
Who could have doubted the choice of Maradona - regarded by many as the greatest player in the world at the height of his glorified years - as the national coach of a world soccer power, Argentina?
Although he had little previous managerial experience, it did not matter much to those who clamoured for him.
Adulation of great players is a culture ingrained in the minds of football fans all over the world. A football superhero is more reason for fans to go ga-ga.
Over time in modern football history, since the emergence of a 17-year-old Brazilian wunderkind by the name of Pele in the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden, the "beautiful game" has spawned more great players than you can kicked a football at.
But none stood out like Pele and Maradona.
Although both belong to different era on the international football stage, their names immediately leap to mind when we debate who's the greatest player of all time. Soccer aficionados may argue until the cows come home as who is numero uno.
Maradona was the anointed successor to Pele to wear the crown of the greatest player in the world. He was voted FIFA Player of the Century and shared the award with none other than Pele.
Last Saturday, Maradona's ambition for another World Cup glory as Argentina coach became a hellish experience as his Brazilian counterpart, Carlos Dunga, put a spanner in the works.
The 3-1 result in Saturday's 'classico' showed that pragmatism won the day for Dunga. Judging by past results between the two South American giants, Dunga's tactical approach has given him three victories over Argentina since 2006.
Maradona and Dunga, who captained Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title, are poles apart in their coaching philosophy. While the Brazilian believes in being pragmatic, the Argentinian endorses romantic attacking football.
Maradona's idea of football is to play a cavalier attacking game. But like a cunning master in the art of warfare, Dunga had Brazil playing it patiently, drawing out the Argentines, and counter attacked when the opportunity opened.
Maradona's coaching ability was previously whispered. The latest defeat has sparked concern with the Argentine media crying out loud that Argentina's ticket to South Africa is at stake.
Maradona is staring down the barrel.
In fact, the warning signs had been there when Argentina suffered a 6-1 humiliation inflicted by Bolivia at altitude in La Paz on April 1 this year. Then came June when Ecuador dealt them another blow, winning 2-0.
Maradona was gutted after that crushing defeat by Bolivia, saying "every Bolivia goal was a stab in my heart." His tactics and team selection were raising eyebrows.
Argentina, under Maradona's tutelage, have found themselves between a rock and a hard place. They are in a precarious position as far as the World Cup qualification is concerned. Maradona cannot afford another defeat.
Maradona will need to inspire his players when they take on Paraguay in a crucial qualifying match on Wednesday. Not an easy task.
Second-placed Paraguay will be no walkover. After that, two more fixtures remain in the South American World Cup qualifiers - against Peru and Uruguay who are just two points behind Argentina.
Following the latest defeat, one Argentinian newspaper, Critica, headlined that Maradona's dream of taking Argentina to South Africa now lies "In the Hands of God." Argentinians can only pray for a miracle. -- Mark Kho
This blog is all about the Beautiful Game. It's about soccer at the highest level - the World Cup. It's about passion, expectation and despair. It's about the quest to attain the highest prize in world soccer. It's about countries, coaches, players and fans looking out for national glory, fame and rich rewards. It's about heroes and zeroes. geniuses and legends. Initially we'll focus on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. We'll bring you the passion of the "beautiful game" with articles, news and everything in between the goalposts! Follow us on the road to South Africa.
