Pele says Lionel Messi's amazing record makes him world's best
Saturday 17 September 2016 10:34, UK
Pele believes Barcelona's Lionel Messi deserves the 'best player in the world' tag.
Pele himself is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, having been a member of three World Cup-winning Brazil teams.
He was in Glasgow on Friday night to take part in 'An Evening with Pele', at which he answered the questions of football supporters from across Scotland.
He spoke at a packed media conference beforehand and weighed the merits of the players regarded as pre-eminent.
Asked who is the best player in the world, Pele said: "I could mention some names but, what has happened in the last 10 to 15 years, I think Messi is the player who was the most consistent all those years, no doubt.
"We have had a lot of good players. Then Cristiano Ronaldo (of Real Madrid) came late but it is different because Messi is the more organised, he scores goals.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is like the Ronaldo from Brazil. He is a good scorer, no doubt, but to me as a player it is Messi."
Pele also discussed the Brazilians currently playing in the Premier League and says he has always been impressed by Coutinho of Liverpool.
"Coutinho is the player who everybody in Brazil two or three years ago was disappointed because he was not in the team (for the 2014 World Cup)," said Pele.
"Some people joked that Brazil didn't win because they didn't have Coutinho in the team. He was one of the well-known players.
"Of course we have a lot of players in Europe but, to me, Coutinho was one of the best players who was supposed to be in the national team."
Asked what advice he would give to promising players, the 75-year-old said they must always be hungry to improve.
"My father was a good centre forward," said Pele. "He is the record scorer with his head in Brazil, with five goals in one game. His name was Dondinho.
"He used to tell me, 'listen, you never, never think you are the best and you know everything'.
"You always have to do better. Never think you know everything. That was the advice I got from my father and I pass that on to young players today."
