Diego Maradona vs Pelé – Difference and Comparison

The debate about who is the best player to have ever graced the football field has been going on for decades. There are many players who stake a claim to this title, but the two most famous are Pelé and Diego Maradona. Both were born in Brazil and both played for their country in the 1980s. They were also teammates at Newell’s Old Boys, winning an Argentine league title together before Pelé moved to Santos FC while Maradona stayed behind. In this article, we’ll explore their childhoods as well as their careers before comparing them head-to-head: what makes each great? What made each one so influential?

Diego Maradona

Diego Armando Maradona was born on 30 October 1960 in Villa Fiorito, a shanty town near Buenos Aires. He has been nicknamed “El Pibe de Oro” (The Golden Boy), which he earned for his skills at football at a young age. In addition, he is also known by the nicknames “El Diego”, “El Pelusa” and “Tres Patines”.

The nickname “Pelusa” means ‘dreadlocks’ in Spanish while “Tres Patines” roughly translates as ‘three wheels’.

Pelé

Pelé was born in 1940 in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. He is considered one of the greatest football players of all time, and he is often referred to as “The King” or O Rei (Portuguese for “The King”).

Pelé began playing football at an early age and joined Santos Futebol Clube when he was 15 years old. In 1956, Pelé led Santos FC to victory at the Campeonato Paulista – their first state championship win since 1942. The following year they won another state title before going on to win both national championships; this made them Brazilian champions for three consecutive years between 1957-1959.[1]

Childhood

Pelé was born in 1940 and Diego Maradona was born in 1960. Pelé’s family lived in poverty, but Diego Maradona’s family was middle class.

Pelé’s father worked as a casual laborer at the docks, while Diego Maradona’s father owned a small grocery store where he sold things like drinks and snacks to workers who came off of boats at night.

Pelé began playing soccer when he was just four years old; Diego Maradona started playing when he was six years old because his father took him along with him when he went hunting for rabbits near their house on weekends

Footballer

• Both Pelé and Maradona were midfielders and forwards.
• They played for Brazil, though not at the same time.
• They both played for Argentina as well.
• They both played for Newell’s Old Boys, Pelé in 1950-51 and Maradona from 1979-80 to 1981-82 (when he was transferred).
• Santos is where they both began their careers: Pelé from 1956-57 to 1975-76; Maradona from 1980-81 to 1986-87 (when he was transferred).

Argentine and Brazilian national sides

Both players were part of their national teams. Maradona played for Argentina and Pelé for Brazil. Both were part of the 1982 World Cup, which was hosted by Spain and held from June 11 to July 11 that year. In that tournament, Maradona scored one goal (the famous “Hand of God”) and Pelé scored two goals (one in each half).

Both goals were voted among the top 10 greatest goals ever scored at this competition: Pelé’s second goal was number 2 on a list published by FIFA; while his first one was number 6 on another list compiled by France Football magazine.[1]

Maradona vs Pelé – Personal life and achievements

• Maradona was married to Claudia Villafañe, with whom he had two daughters, Dalma and Gianinna.
• Pelé married Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi in 1966, with whom he had three children: João (1966), Gilberto (1969) and Patricia (1971).

Takeaway:

Diego Maradona was born on 30 October 1960, in Lanus, Argentina. He is best known for being a footballer who played for several teams including Barcelona and Napoli. He also captained the Argentine national team during the 1986 FIFA World Cup, which they won against West Germany in Mexico City.

Diego Armando Maradona is one of the most famous footballers in history and was named FIFA Player of the Century by France Football magazine in 1998. He was also awarded FIFA’s Golden Ball award as well as being named by Pelé as one of only two players (alongside Pele himself) to have been granted “Best Player” status throughout their careers; this accolade was given due to both his skills on the field as well as his leadership abilities which led him through four World Cups with Argentina between 1982-1994 where he helped lead them twice towards victory: once during Mexico City 1986 when they defeated England 2-1 before going on again four years later at Italy 1990 where once again faced off against England but this time won 3-2 after extra time had been played off against each other under very close conditions that saw both teams tie each other up 2 goals apiece after regulation play ended without anyone scoring any additional points from then until now!

In conclusion, we can say that Diego Maradona and Pelé are two great footballers who have achieved many things throughout their careers. They both played for their national team and won a lot of titles with them as well (including World Cup). However, there are some differences between them such as age when they started playing professional football or awards won by each player during their career.