Lionel Messi vs Pele: Dani Alves chooses football’s GOAT | OneFootball

Lionel Messi and Pele are two men who are in the conversation to be labelled the greatest footballer in history.

The two South Americans have each defined a generation, scoring goals for fun and wowing football fans around the world with almost frightening regularity.

, Messi and Pele are two of the three leading scorers in history, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi has 774 goals to his name at club and international level combined, while Pele is believed to have 762 – a figure that continues to be disputed to this very day, including by the man himself, who believes he has over 1,000.

But the numbers still speak for themselves and it’s why picking between the pair will forever remain an incredibly tough task.

But Pele’s fellow Brazilian Dani Alves has decided to give an opinion on the matter – and he’s certainly not let international bias cloud his judgement.

Speaking to ESPN journalist Hugo Sanchez, the full-back named chose to side with former Barcelona teammate and close friend Messi as football’s GOAT (Greatest of All TIme).

Alves on Messi vs Pele debate

“I stay with Pele for one reason: football has changed,” Alves said. “Messi changed a generation. All those people who are more than football, I’m going to stay with them.

“And besides, I’m Brazilian. For me, Pelé should not enter in that debate. If you ask me, who is the best player in history? I would say Messi. Pelé doesn’t fit in there.”

Fair play, Dani.

A lot of younger football fans will likely agree with that take from Alves, while those of the older generation who watched Pele in his pomp with Brazil and Santos may not.

Alves on facing Ronaldo

In his interview session, Alves was asked about Ronaldo – another player who crops up in pretty much every single football GOAT debate.

The ageless PUMAS defender added: “Cristiano Ronaldo. This b*****d doesn’t let you breathe for a second. I didn’t do too badly, but it’s hard. He’s a scoring machine.”

Alves on retirement

The 39-year-old was also questioned about whether he intends to retire from the sport in the future and his response was pretty emphatic.

“I don’t like to think about the future because it’s always unknown,” Alves said. “I let life take me. If Messi passes me (in titles) I’m going to play until I’m 50.”