Former Seattle Sounders and Scottish striker Jocky Scott have declared late Brazilian superstar Pele the most outstanding player in football history. Scott believes Pele was a better player than Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Pele, who died last Thursday at 82, spent two years with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.
Before putting up his boots, Pele was a part of their victory in the 1977 Soccer Bowl over the Seattle Sounders.
Scott, 74, recalled Pele, who won three World Cups with Brazil, and said that the new game, with its emphasis on avoiding tackles, would have forced Pele, late Diego Maradona, George Best, and Johan Cruyff to do even more.
“I think you have got to recognise different eras in football, and over the last ten or fifteen years with Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, they deserve the accolades they get for being the best players,” Scott told Stat Platforms via Yahoo Sport.
“But I think they are the best players of this era, or have been the best players of this era.”
He added, “I will always say Pele is definitely the best player [GOAT].”
“To be honest, I think any player like Pele, Maradona, George Best, Cruyff – attacking players who are great individuals and can all score goals – nowadays, with the way the game is played where you are virtually not allowed to tackle anybody, I think they’d be much, much better players.”