{"slug":"maradona-vs-pele))","question":"Diego Maradona vs Pelé","answer":"Pelé won 3 FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970) and scored 757 official goals across his career, while Maradona won 1 World Cup (1986) but is credited with more individual brilliance and a single-handed tournament dominance that many consider unmatched. The core difference lies in trophy count versus peak individual performance.","answer_curated":true,"verdict":"Pelé edges out Maradona on objective metrics with 3 World Cups, 757 career goals, and 3 Ballon d'Ors, establishing him as the most decorated player in history. However, Maradona's 1986 World Cup performance—where he personally carried Argentina to victory with 6 goals and 5 assists—is widely regarded as the greatest individual tournament display ever. Choose Pelé if prioritizing trophy accumulation and consistency across 18 years; choose Maradona if valuing peak brilliance and transcendent individual impact on a single tournament.","keyDifferences":[{"label":"FIFA World Cup Titles","winner":"b","entityAValue":"1 (1986)","entityBValue":"3 (1958, 1962, 1970)"},{"label":"Official Career Goals","winner":"b","entityAValue":"34 goals in 91 matches (0.37 goals/match)","entityBValue":"757 goals in 831 matches (0.91 goals/match)"},{"label":"Peak Tournament Performance Rating (1986 WC)","winner":"a","entityAValue":"6 goals, 5 assists, carried entire team","entityBValue":"12 goals across 3 World Cups combined"},{"label":"Ballon d'Or Awards","winner":"b","entityAValue":"1 (1995)","entityBValue":"3 (1958, 1961, 1962)"},{"label":"International Appearances","winner":"tie","entityAValue":"91 matches for Argentina","entityBValue":"92 matches for Brazil"}],"winner":{"slug":"pel-edson-arantes-do-nascimento","name":"Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento)"},"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 (Edson Arantes do Nascimento)","slug":"pel-edson-arantes-do-nascimento","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/entity/pel-edson-arantes-do-nascimento","alternativesUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/alternatives/pel-edson-arantes-do-nascimento"}],"faqs":[{"question":"Who is considered the greatest soccer player of all time?","answer":"This debate remains contested among experts. Pelé holds the edge in objective metrics with 3 World Cups, 757 career goals, and 3 Ballon d'Ors across 18 years. However, many modern analysts and contemporaries argue Maradona's 1986 World Cup performance—where he scored 6 goals and 5 assists while personally carrying Argentina to victory—represents the greatest individual tournament display ever and demonstrates peak superiority. FIFA's official rankings and most statistical analyses favor Pelé, but subjective assessments of 'greatest' often favor Maradona for his transcendent moments."},{"question":"Did Maradona or Pelé play against stronger competition?","answer":"Pelé played during the 1950s-60s when global soccer was less developed and international travel was limited, meaning fewer elite teams participated in World Cups. Maradona played in the 1980s when the sport had professionalized globally, the Champions League was elite, and defensive tactics had evolved significantly. By modern standards, Maradona faced objectively stronger, more organized opposition, though Pelé dominated against the best teams of his era with comparable effectiveness."},{"question":"Why do some people argue Maradona was better despite fewer trophies?","answer":"Supporters cite Maradona's 1986 World Cup as the pinnacle individual performance in soccer history, where he personally defeated stronger European teams (England 2-1, Belgium 3-0) with goals and assists that defied defensive systems. Additionally, his ability to elevate underperforming Napoli to 2 Serie A titles (1990-91) in Italy's most competitive period demonstrates he could create team success without initial squad quality. These achievements suggest exceptional individual impact that trophy counts alone don't capture."}],"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) and scored 757 official goals across his career, while Maradona won 1 World Cup (1986) but is credited with more individual brilliance and a single-handed","dateModified":"2026-07-09T08:32:15.144Z"},"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) and scored 757 official goals across his career, while Maradona won 1 World Cup (1986) but is credited with more individual brilliance and a single-handed tournament dominance that many consider unmatched. The core difference lies in trophy count versus peak individual performance.","datePublished":"2026-07-09T08:32:14.450Z","dateModified":"2026-07-09T08:32:15.144Z","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"}}}