Posted by Former Scottish and Seattle Sounders striker Jocky Scott has hailed the late Pele as the greatest player in football history.
Scott thinks Pele was a better player than the captains of Portugal and Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Pele, who died on Thursday at the age of 82, spent two seasons as a player with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.
Before he put his boots away, Pele was a part of their victory in the 1977 Soccer Bowl over the Seattle Sounders.
Scott, 74, reflected on Pele, a player for Brazil who won three World Cup championships, and claimed that the modern game, with its emphasis on avoiding tackles, would have forced players like Pele, late Diego Maradona, George Best, and Johan Cruyff to perform even better than they did in their eras.
Scott said, according to Stat Platforms via Yahoo Sport, “I think you have to recognize different periods in football, and over the last ten or fifteen years with Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, they deserve the accolades they get for being the finest players.”
“But I believe they are, or have been, the best players of this era,” I said.
“I will always believe Pele is without a doubt the best player,” he continued.
“To be honest, I think any player like Pele, Maradona, George Best, or Cruyff – attacking players who are fantastic people and can all score goals – would be much, much better players today with the way the game is played where you are essentially forbidden from tackling anyone.”