Brazilian legend Pele revealed after Diego Maradona’s death that they used to joke about who was the best ‘but we were the same.’
Napoli legend Maradona died on November 25, 2020. That day, Pele wrote on Twitter that he hoped one day he and Diego would play football in heaven.
The former Brazilian striker also released an interview with the Italian TV program Che Tempo Che Fa where he was asked about his rapport with Maradona and whether they ever argued about who was the better player between them.
“We crossed paths sometimes even if we didn’t have an intimate friendship,” said Pele.
“When we met, we used to joke about who was the best. He [Maradona] used to tell me: ‘They say I am better than you.’ And I was like: ‘You may even be better, but I can score with my right foot, left foot and with headers and you don’t.
“We joked when we met in Airports or in tournaments in Europe. We always joked about who was the best, but we were the same.”
Pele is the only player in history to have won the World Cup three times, including in 1970 when he scored a goal in a 4-1 win over Italy in the Final.
Maradona lifted the trophy in Mexico in 1986, leading Argentina to their second triumph in the competition.
Gianni Rivera and Ronaldo are among the Serie A legends paying tribute to Pele who died on December 29.