haha thats indeed a good reason

No.. serious.. for me the greatest football must be totally great.. Not only his way of playing.. but the whole package. We all know maradona used drugs.. and i dont think a footballer or ex-footballer is that great when they gonna use drugs.. Again; to my opinion the greatest footballer in the world must have the whole package..

So which footballer has the best 'package' Stefanie?

Like I said before.. Johan Cruijff! Maybe I'm prejudiced cause I am dutch and know more about him then other great footballers..

But the things he does till now are great..

- Johan Cruijff foundation http://www.cruyff-foundation.org/default.asp?taal=en
- Adding sentences to dutch and spanish language (I opened a topic about this before)
- played GREAT
- still active for Barcelona, Ajax and Dutch team by giving advices

etc etc

Who do you think has the whole package Jono?

Lol Stefanie - Jono was being rude....
Although it will be interesting to find out who he thinks has the best Package.

Big Jono, you should be ashamed of yourself!

Haha, atleast someone got it.

Maybe Stefs mind is too pure to be hanging around with us.

Lol it is not us, it is YOU!!

Guilty as charged, i apologise sincerely.

hahaha

no my mind is not that pure.. we just use other words here in dutch haha

Shush Stef - dont give that filthy man any ideas!!

If you ask me the best players are furst Pele then Cruijf and after them comes Maradona Puskas
Usebio ect ect you need to look at what they did for football.

Then I'd choose Alfredo Di Steffano.

I have never seen any clips of the great Alfredo di Stefano but have been told he had astonishing skills, a huge engine, and colossal authority. He was a fabulous passer and a fantastic finisher. Am glad he is now out of intensive care following heart bypass surgery. I was amazed when I heard that the Real Madrid legend was an Arsenal fan.

I saw a story recently that Maradona was possibly going to make a comeback with Argentine fourth division side Excursionistas. But he turned the offer down.

maradona was really great, but nobody with a normal sense of football could say hes better then Pelé. and this includes "whole package", because he helps brazilians charity prgrams and he also stopped a civil war in africa some years ago; people stopped fighting and went see him play football with a local team, and after his departure, they started the war again!!!! who else could do that??

FIRST



if you are posting at a "football" forum and you are mentioning also the phrase "sense of football", you shouldn´t be judging others opinion claiming for a comparison about what Pele did outside the field and in other subjects that nothing have to do with the sport itself and the footballer.

SECOND

The most important and relevant event that anyone can think about to relate it with your point, is the FIFA prize that recognized the most remarkable football player of all times... and let me remind you my friend that the people from all over the world where supposed to vote.. and they did, and Diego Maradona won by far too far that prize, but as you may know... as the FIFA directors felt quite uncomfortable, obviously for all the ones we watch the situation from the very beggining, as Pelé is doing lotz of "lobby" activities with them for quite a long time, they decided to invent a new trophy in behalf of themselves at the very last moment and gave it to Pelé... but the original and most important price that everyone voted from all over the world was given to Diego in the same act... and that was quite weird.. a little pathetic.. i flet ashem for FIFA at that momment, they couldn´t show as much serious posture as the situation deserve with such a clear to understand & promoted prize for the man that excell as a "player" of the sport and conquer the world opinion.

It was always like that, Diego was beloved by the people without the need of interpreters... just from the field and directly to them... in fact Diego is the population chosen idol, everybody exposed that feelin not only when Diego traveled but also when an Argentinian did... (another thing is what he did with his personal life... that is not easy for anyone and should be judge separately)

Pele was a great withing the greatest players of all times... no doubt. He may have broken more records with some numbers also...that may be the first thing for statistical detaild journals to be just enough to call him O REI... ok with that. But as far as footbal is a conquer of not only numbers but hearts... the people choose and the one man that shook the world as much as passionate reckless and skilled was him... Diego Armando Maradona.

THIRD

I respect very much Brazilian football.. I love Roonie (ronaldinho) and I´m so excited to see my small little idol Messi to be not only playing with him, but also a great friend of him... almost like a brother. So don´t take this as a tipical discusion between Brazilians and Argentinians... I argued with a concrete fact that now is clearer that before.

i said that because others posters were saying that the best player ever must be a great person outside the field too (the "whole package"), and Pelé is a great man outside the field.

about that FIFA prize, its so easy to understand why Maradona won it...he started playing professional football later than Pelé, and obviously stopped later. a lot more ppl saw Maradona playing and didnt see Pelé playing, they saw only tapes bout him (that includes me). Maradona is fresh in people's mind, while Pelé is today a old memory. and i agree with u when u say that Diego conquest more hearts than Pelé does, cos hes much more symphatic and had all those problems with drugs. personally, even being brazilian, i dont like Pelé cos as u have already said, he does lots of lobby activities but hes a good person and was a perfect player-unmarkable.

now on football terms, sorry but nobody will never convince me that Maradona is the best ever...Pelé was a complete player... perfect shoots with both legs, great header, great vision, explosive, fast, technical, could play as striker and as midfielder, won 3 WORLD CUPS!
Maradona is on the second place, even he agrees with that...ive never heard Diego saying that he was at the same level as Pelé, the argentinians started with this dicussion.

i also respect argentinian football, for me brazilian and argentinian footbal are the best all over the world in all times (Brazil at first place of course- 7 World Cup finals, 5 times champions, unique country played all World Cups and todays best team of the world again), but discuss about who is the best ever makes no sense for me, Pelé is no 1

Pele stars a comdons commercial in Spain, it's really funny to see

he does the same here but who cares? i dont love him cos hes a good actor, i do love him cos he is THE BEST

Ok relax, that was only a detail I wanted to share

ok, its your opinion. What I mention was a worldwide fact, a votation around the globe from the FIFA, even with the main names not that friendly with Diego... double hard to get though. (additional info, in Brazil you guys voted more for him than for Pele.. just for you to know)

I respect your opinion, and understad that if you like him you would defend him.. it´s reasonably but don´t forget this topic is about one man, not a comparison between another in specific, I just entered to see what you guys where talking about him, and wanted to make it clear in this case, the difference between them without make it a personal thing.. cos otherwise I should say lotz & other things about what he generated localy, internationaly in Italy and with the National TEam.. almost by himself, not surrounded by top notch players as Pele always was. He conquered aboroad, he was adopted in Napoles, and when a player excels with magic and elevates a mediocre football Team to the top of the tops... that my friend, whit his charisma.. is what now and "forever" Maradona will be, another difference with Pele... is not that much the difference in time... just wait to see how Diego will stay there forever.. maybe another will surge and reach that kind of idolatration, but till then. Diego will remain.

About Brazil nowadays, I agree with you, I´m not blind dude . but don´t get too fancy with it... remember official/point confrontation between us... we lead in America Cup winners, We also lead when we compete during the Qualifying (now you clinched no1 but we won more games, and before it was always us over you) and worlcup recent confrontation while you went home and we stayed.

hahaha alright alright... total cups and latest winners, ok, I sayd it. you are right & you got that for you, but against whom? Us? no no no... I would like to se you won over us in the "real deal" games and then will be something different, at least between the 2 southamerican giants.

hehehe i love you guys, i always like to discus nicely with you, cos you love the game like we do.
Traveled a lot to Brazil and even better is to talk personally.

warm regards

Robert