Why did Pele and Maradona never won Ballon d Or?

Unfortunately, Pele and Diego Maradona were both ineligible for the award and this list because the Ballon d'Or only opened to non-European players in 1995.

Why were Pele and Maradona not allowed to win Ballon Dor?

The Ballon d'Or award started in 1956, and Stanley Matthews became the first player to win the award. It was open to the players who were from Europe only. Thus, soccer players from other continents were ineligible for the award, including the soccer greats Maradona and Pele.

How many times did Pele win the Ballon d Or?

PELE has lifted the biggest awards that football has to offer - but he never got his hands on the Ballon d'Or. The Brazilian icon has sadly passed away, but he will be remembered forever. Pele has always been remembered for his phenomenal goal scoring talent alongside winning THREE World Cups.

Did Pele win Ballon d?

But while he was named FIFA's player of the century, Pele never won the Ballon d'Or as a player. When he was strutting his stuff, 'The King' was never eligible for the coveted award because he did not play in Europe and he was not from the continent.

Who is better Messi or Pele or Maradona?

Just who is the greatest? Pele, who died on Thursday, and the two Argentines all won the sport's greatest prize – the World Cup – and were undoubtedly the kings of their eras. – Pele played in four World Cups, winning three times, a record not yet beaten and giving him one more than Maradona and Messi combined.

How many Ballon D'Ors could Pele and Maradona have Won in Prime [All Revised Winners 1956-2019]

Who is the goat of football history?

No.

Lionel Messi is widely acknowledged as the GOAT of football in the modern era and is also considered by many to be the greatest player of all time or the GOAT in history.

Has Maradona ever won a Ballon d Or?

Maradona won no Ballons d'or. Until 1995, it was only awarded to players of European origin. Diego Maradona of Argentina was not eligible for the award at the height of his playing career. In 2016, for the 60th anniversary of the award, it was argued that Maradona would have won in 1986 and 1990.

What did Pele not win?

Pele was a three-time World Cup winner but never played European football nor won trophies like the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or which many see as the ultimate goal.

Is Pele better than Messi?

The Argentine has scored more World Cup goals - 13 - than his two rivals, though he's played more games. Pele hit 12 goals at the World Cup and Ronaldo has notched eight times. Pele's ratio, though, sees him come out on top again; 0.86 compared to Messi on 0.5 and Ronaldo on 0.36.

Did Pele score more than 1000 goal?

Precisely how many time Pele hit the net is a matter of debate, with most statisticians agreeing the number is between 1,281 and 1,283. FIFA put his overall total at more than 1,200 - over 1,000 of which came for his first club, Santos.

What world record did Pele break?

In 2000, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record.

Who is the oldest player to win FIFA Ballon d Or?

Stanley Matthews, 1956 (41 years, 10 months)

Stanley Matthews is not just the oldest player to win the Ballon d'Or for the first time, he's also the oldest to win it, full stop – a record that's unlikely to change unless Cristiano Ronaldo has a truly blistering 2026/27 season.

Who does Pele think the goat is?

"If I had to decide, for my team, I'd start Messi," Pelé said. Along with Messi, Pelé named the players he believed were in the ranks of greats of all time including Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Zinedine Zidane, Zico, and more.

Did Pele choose Messi or Ronaldo?

Pele was once given the onerous task of choosing between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Brazilian great picked Argentina captain Messi. Messi and Ronaldo are the two most outstanding players of the modern era, and the debate about who's better is eternal.

Are Messi and Ronaldo better than Pele and Maradona?

' As a millennial whose knowledge of Pele and Maradona stretches to YouTube videos and books, there can only be two candidates for football's greatest player and it is Messi who takes that crown over Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi is the top scorer in LaLiga history, and for both Barcelona and Argentina.

Who has more goals than Pele?

When considering goals in unofficial matches, Pelé is not the only player to have scored more than 1,000 times. Bican, who played for both Austria and the Czech Republic, tops some of the lists with more than 1,400 goals, followed by Brazilian striker Arthur Friedenreich.

Is Pele really the best of all time?

Pelé was not just a Brazilian legend or one of football's greats. He was, as hailed by his countrymen, “O Rei,” the king (in Portuguese). And yes, the king of football. It's trailblazer, icon and the greatest ever to play the game.

Is Maradona still better than Messi?

Messi has 13 World Cup goals compared to Maradona's eight. In terms of overall goals, Maradona has 34 goals for his country, while Messi has scored 97 goals. Following is a complete breakdown of the stats.

Who is the only player to win 7 Ballon d Or?

Lionel Messi has won the award a record seven times, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, and Marco van Basten. With seven awards each, Dutch, German, Argentine, Portuguese and French players have won the most Ballons d'Or.

Who is more successful Messi or Maradona?

In terms of trophies at club level, Messi has amassed 39 compared to just 11 for Maradona. He also guided Argentina to a Copa America triumph last summer - an accolade that Maradona never managed to win. Famously, Messi is the only man in history to win seven Ballon d'Or awards.

Who is king of football now?

Sunil Chhetri is regarded as the God of football in India. As of 24 March 2023, he has scored 85 goals in 133 international appearances.

Who is the world No 1 goat in football?

Lionel Messi is often considered the GOAT of football, following his exploits with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina.

Who is the greatest all time goat?

Who is the GOAT of all GOATs in different sports? New England Patriots hero Tom Brady is the 'GOAT of all GOATs'. He took this spot from Michael Jordan after his seventh Super Bowl in 2022 triumph, which has made him clear of the pack among sports legends. He is the sports' GOAT of all time.