It is an ongoing debate as to which player is the greatest ever in football, so we had a look how Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo compare to Diego Maradona and Pele.
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Messi put on another breath-taking performance against Manchester City in the Champions League, which has caused pundits and former greats alike to label him as the greatest of all-time.
But how does he really compare Maradona and Pele, who are regarded as the two best players in history, and where does Ronaldo fit in?
Have a look at the stats below, which were collected by Sky.
Most goals (club and country):
Pele: 757
Ronaldo: 468
Messi: 442
Maradona: 346
Most club trophies:
Focus only on league titles and continental competitions, excluding domestic cups to make it more comparable.
Messi: 6 x League Title, 3 x Continental Champion
Pele: 7 x League Title, 2 x Continental Champion
Ronaldo: 4 x League Title, 2 x Continental Champion
Maradona: 3 x League Title, 0 x Continental Champion
World Cup wins:
Pele: 3 (1958, 1962 1970)
Maradona: 1 (1986)
Messi: None
Ronaldo: None
Based on the above stats, Pele should be regarded as the best player of all time. He has scored more goals than his competitors, won more World Cups and as many club trophies as Messi.
However, people often argue he never played in a top European league, and both Ronaldo and Messi can still add goals and trophies to their collection.
Also, this stats comparison doesn't consider the natural ability of easing past players and through opposition defences, which was a speciality of Maradona. Essentially, Messi and Ronaldo will always be 'downgraded' as long as they stay without a World Cup win.
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Who do you regard as the best player of all time? Have your say in the comments section below.
