{"slug":"maradona-vs-pele","question":"Diego Maradona vs Pelé","answer":"Pelé won 3 FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970) compared to Maradona's 1 (1986), but Maradona's 1986 World Cup performance is widely considered the greatest individual tournament display ever, while Pelé played in a less competitive era with fewer international teams.","answer_curated":true,"verdict":"Pelé achieved more (3 World Cups, 77 international goals) in a less competitive era and maintained excellence longer. Maradona demonstrated greater individual brilliance and peak performance, particularly his 1986 World Cup carry-job with a weaker team. Choose Pelé if measuring resume and longevity; choose Maradona if evaluating peak skill, creativity, and greatest single tournament performance.","keyDifferences":[{"label":"FIFA World Cup Wins","winner":"b","entityAValue":"1 (1986)","entityBValue":"3 (1958, 1962, 1970)"},{"label":"International Goals Scored","winner":"b","entityAValue":"34 goals in 91 appearances","entityBValue":"77 goals in 92 appearances"},{"label":"Club-Level Achievement (Best Achievement)","winner":"tie","entityAValue":"Led Napoli to 2 Serie A titles (1990, 1991) ending 60-year drought","entityBValue":"Won 3 Copa Libertadores with Santos (1962, 1963, 1965)"},{"label":"Peak Physical Condition & Longevity","winner":"b","entityAValue":"Struggled with weight and substance issues from age 30+","entityBValue":"Maintained fitness through age 35+, played until 1974 at top level"},{"label":"Dribbling & Ball Control Reputation","winner":"a","entityAValue":"Superior close control, tighter first touch, more creative improvisation","entityBValue":"Excellent dribbler but more direct, less unpredictable"}],"winner":{"slug":"pel","name":"Pelé"},"confidence":"high","entities":[{"name":"Diego Armando Maradona","slug":"diego-armando-maradona","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/entity/diego-armando-maradona","alternativesUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/alternatives/diego-armando-maradona"},{"name":"Pelé","slug":"pel","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/entity/pel","alternativesUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/alternatives/pel"}],"faqs":[{"question":"Who was better: Maradona or Pelé?","answer":"This depends on metrics used. Pelé has the superior resume with 3 World Cups, 77 international goals, and 20+ years at elite level. Maradona achieved a higher peak, particularly his legendary 1986 World Cup (6 goals, 5 assists), and demonstrated superior technical skill with the ball. Most modern analysts credit Maradona with a higher ceiling but Pelé with a longer plateau. A 2023 FIFA survey ranked Maradona #2 all-time (behind Messi) and Pelé #3."},{"question":"Why did Maradona only win 1 World Cup?","answer":"Maradona won in 1986 with an inferior squad by most metrics. He failed to win in 1978 (Argentina won without him in final), 1982 (Belgium upset Argentina), 1990 (lost final to West Germany), and 1994 (banned for doping). Injuries and inconsistent teammates in earlier/later tournaments prevented multiple wins. Some argue he reached his peak too late (1986 at age 26) to accumulate 2-3 titles like Pelé."},{"question":"Did Pelé really score 1,000 goals as claimed?","answer":"Pelé claimed 1,283 goals including friendlies and exhibition matches. Official recognized goals number ~750-800 across all competitions. His total inflates significantly when counting unofficial/friendly matches that didn't appear in formal records. By recognized competitive goals only, Maradona scored closer to 350-400 total career goals, making Pelé's official count still higher but less extreme than the '1,000 goal' claim suggests."}],"attribution":{"source":"A Versus B","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/maradona-vs-pele","license":"CC BY 4.0","citationFormat":"According to A Versus B (https://www.aversusb.net/compare/maradona-vs-pele), Pelé won 3 FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970) compared to Maradona's 1 (1986), but Maradona's 1986 World Cup performance is widely considered the greatest individual tournament display ever, while Pel","dateModified":"2026-06-21T18:02:30.084Z"},"relatedQuestionsUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/faq/maradona-vs-pele","relatedComparisonsUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/related/maradona-vs-pele","knowledgeGraphUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/knowledge-graph/maradona-vs-pele","claimReviewSchema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ClaimReview","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/maradona-vs-pele#claimreview","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/maradona-vs-pele","inLanguage":"en-US","isAccessibleForFree":true,"conditionsOfAccess":"Free","claimReviewed":"Diego Maradona vs Pelé","reviewBody":"Pelé won 3 FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970) compared to Maradona's 1 (1986), but Maradona's 1986 World Cup performance is widely considered the greatest individual tournament display ever, while Pelé played in a less competitive era with fewer international teams.","datePublished":"2025-06-01T00:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-21T18:02:30.084Z","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":5,"worstRating":1,"bestRating":5,"alternateName":"High Confidence"},"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B","url":"https://www.aversusb.net"},"itemReviewed":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/maradona-vs-pele","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/maradona-vs-pele","name":"Diego Maradona vs Pelé","inLanguage":"en-US"}}}