Diego Maradona was an icon of a player, one of the greatest of all time. Audiences know Maradona for his exceptional dribbling, precise passing and his astonishing goal scoring prowess. However, the most famous goal which people often recall was the controversial “hand of god” goal against England in 1986 World Cup.
During his 21-year professional career, Diego Maradona has won numerous trophies and has been awarded with many individual honors, including one of the most famous awards which was shared by him with another football legend.
Diego Maradona, Pele won an unique FIFA one-off award
Diego Maradona and his arch-rival Pele shared the stage both on and off the pitch, each leaving their mark on the world of football. In 2000, FIFA honored their contributions by naming them joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award at the annual FIFA World gala. This prestigious accolade recognizes the greatest player of the century, cementing Maradona and Pele’s legendary status in football history.
As per the reports,
the FIFA Player of the Century award was determined through a combination of public voting via FIFA’s official website and magazine, as well as input from a grand jury. Initially, Maradona emerged as the winner of the Internet-based poll with a significant lead, capturing 53.6% of the votes, while Pele trailed in second place with 18.53%.
However, the legitimacy of the Internet poll was questioned by many, leading to controversy. Consequently, FIFA organized a second poll involving the “Football family,” which comprised journalists, officials, and coaches, to ensure a more comprehensive and credible selection process.
In the subsequent poll, Pele secured a commanding victory, receiving 72.75% of the votes. This outcome placed him firmly in the top spot, followed by Alfredo Di Stefano in second with 9.8%, and Maradona, previously a frontrunner, in third with 6.0%. In light of these results and to ensure fairness, FIFA made the decision to split the award for the Best Player of the Century, recognizing both Pele and Maradona’s immense contributions to the sport.
In 2000, Maradona was voted the Best Player of The Century via an Internet poll with 54% majority. However FIFA changed the rules so that only journalists and members of FIFA could vote which was won by Pelé.But the fans around the world always knew who the God🕊 of the game was. pic.twitter.com/yiLyI8mgft
— AJxFCB (@maverickfcb_10) December 12, 2023
This raised questions among fans of both sides. The fans of Maradona were upset with the way FIFA addressed the situation, as they believe that the votes should have been completely dependent on people’s opinion and not on a “Football family”. Some believed that the younger fans who were more active on the internet while the ones who wanted Pele to win were less likely to participate in the online poll.
Watch: Pele hears Diego Maradona’s unusual view on Lionel Messi
It’s always a thrilling moment when legends like Maradona and Pele share the screen, two of the greatest players of all time. What adds to the excitement is when they offer their opinions about players like Messi, who is arguably in the GOAT category alongside the other two.
However, sometimes players criticize others, and when a player of Maradona’s stature critiques Messi, it becomes headline news. On one such instance, Maradona was captured on footage saying, “He [Messi] is not a leader” to Pele. This perhaps stemmed from Maradona’s frustration from Argentina’s lack of success after his own era.
That, however, was before Lionel Messi spearheaded Argentina to the international treble of the Copa America, La Finalissima and the most prestigious FIFA World Cup in 2022, captaining his side from the front.
Messi, who is regarded as the greatest player of all time, has completed football after he won the World Cup and is currently the most decorated player in the history of the sport. However, he’s not the only Argentina captain to lead his team to World Cup glory. In 1990, Diego Maradona also went on to win the World Cup while captaining his side. Even though Messi and Maradona played at different era and has been the very best for their club and country, both deserve an equal recognition as two of the greatest players of all time.
After Pele and Maradona won the award as the joint winner of FIFA best player of the Century, it will be exciting to see who the next player will be to win the award, even though the event is far in the future.
Share your views with us and tell us, if the award for the best player for the past two decades were given, who would be the winner?
