Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo: Who's better? Pele had his pick

Iconic football player Pele has named his choice about who'd make his team, reigning Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo or his nemesis-in-chief Lionel Messi.

“If I have to decide for my team I will choose Messi over Ronaldo,” the three-time FIFA World Cup winner told former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2018 in New Delhi.

However, Pele pointed out that the two five-time Ballon d'Or winners had different styles of play.

“Difficult to compare Messi and Ronaldo. Messi has a completely different style than Ronaldo. A lot of people compared me with George Best but we had different styles of play. Ronaldo is more of a centre-forward while Messi is more organised," Pele said.

Messi and Ronaldo have held duopoly over individual awards in football over the past decade, with the two boasting five Ballon d'Or awards each, apart from numerous other titles and accolades.

Not unnaturally, a debate has raged over who is better of the two, with many current and former players voicing their preferences. 

Speaking about his beginning in football and the inspiration behind it, Pele said "My father was a good centre-forward. He taught me how to play. He asked me to score three times more goals than him. My father was the person who encouraged me to play football. He was my inspiration".

The Brazil great, who was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, also shared the story about how he got the name 'Pele'.

“My father gave me the name after the famous inventor Thomas Edison. When I went to play football, they started calling me ‘Pes’ - the Portuguese word for feet. In Portuguese when you kick the ball it means “Pes” so they started calling me Pele on the football field and that is how I got my name.”

Pele opined that in order to improve the sport in India, young players should spend three months in Brazil to work on their basics.

"Send young children to Brazil for three months every year. You have to learn the basics there," he said.

He also answered how Brazil has produced the best footballers and the best teams over the years.

"Sometimes I think God is coaching the Brazilian team," he added.

On his selection in the national team at 16, Pele said: "When my friend told me I was selected for the World Cup, I thought he was joking. I came home and asked my father and he confirmed that the team was looking for five young players and I was one."

Pele is hailed as the best footballer on the planet, having win the FIFA World Cup title with Brazil on three occasions: 1958, 1962, 1970, apart from his numerous other achivements at club-level.