Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo Still Aren't On Pele's Level According To World Cup Winner

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo still haven't reached Pele's level according to Brazilian legend Tostao.

Messi and Ronaldo have dominated football since their respective debuts and are regarded as two of the greatest ever.

However, World Cup winner Tostao was quick to explain why the Barcelona and Juventus forwards can't compare to Pele quite yet.

He told FIFA.com per IBTimes: "I think Pele was better than all of them. For me, there's no comparison. Pele was far more complete. He had every quality that a forward could have. He didn't have one defect.

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"Messi's spectacular, but he doesn't head the ball like Pele did, he doesn't shoot as well with both feet, he doesn't pull off the moves that Pele did. Cristiano Ronaldo is an exceptional player, but he doesn't have the ability that Pele had and he doesn't pull off the incredible passes that Pele did.

"If you take the qualities of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, put them together, then you'd have a player to compare to Pele!"

The former midfielder also addressed Diego Maradona's standings in the 'GOAT' debate.

"Maradona was spectacular, but he wasn't on Pele's level physically, he didn't score the numbers of goals Pele did," he explained.

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When Pele himself was drawn into the Messi vs Ronaldo chatter, he opted for Ronaldo as he is "more consistent".

"Today the best player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo," Pele told YouTube channel Pilhado per Daily Mail.

"I think he's the best, because he's more consistent, but you can't forget about [Lionel] Messi, of course, but he's not a striker."

Despite his glowing praise of the duo, Pele still arrived at a simple conclusion when deciding who is the best of all time - himself.

"It is a question that is difficult to answer," he begun when asked who is the best.

"We cannot forget about Zico, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo while in Europe, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff.

"Now, it's not my fault, but I think Pele was better than them all."

Do you agree with Tostao's belief that Ronalo and Messi aren't on Pele's level yet?

Sound off in the comments below.

Topics: Football News, Football, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a freelance journalist for SPORTbible and covers a variety of sports. He also has past experience of working at Manchester United and once locked eyes with Jose Mourinho. He lived to tell the tale.

@DanMarland1998x