I’m greatest: Pele

London, March 27

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Brazilian football legend Pele has labelled Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s best footballer at present, claiming the Juventus forward was better than his counterpart Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo and Messi have dominated world football over the past decade, sharing 11 Ballon d’Or awards between them, but Pele believes Ronaldo’s consistency gives him an edge over the Barcelona captain.

“Today the best player in the world is ?Cristiano Ronaldo,” Pele said in an interview on a YouTube channel. “I think he’s the best because he’s more consistent, but you can’t forget about Messi, of course, but he’s not a striker.”

However, after the praise for the duo, Pele, winner of three World Cups and scorer of over 1,000 goals in his career, said he himself was better than them.

The 79-year-old picked Zico, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff in his list of all-time greats but said none of them could match him.

“It’s not my fault, but I think Pele was better than them all,” he said.

“There is only one king. If I have to be honest, well, I’m telling you the truth: my father and mother closed the factory. There will only ever be one Pele,” he said. — Agencies