Belletti believes it is impossible to compare the pair, while Santos legend Pepe affirms his ex-team-mate was a mix of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Two former Brazil stars have had their say on whether Pele or Lionel Messi holds the right to be called the greatest footballer of all time.
Pele lifted three World Cups during his glittering career between 1958 and 1970.
He also spearheaded a Santos team that is considered one of the best in history, scoring over 1,000 career goals before helping to launch professional football in the United States with the New York Cosmos.
Messi, meanwhile, is still looking for his first World Cup, but he has taken the sport to new levels over the last decade with Barcelona and was the first player to ever win the coveted Ballon d'Or on five occasions.
But who is the best? Goal asked Pele's old Santos and Brazil team-mate Pepe and ex-Chelsea and Barcelona man Belletti for their opinion.
Belletti, who played alongside Messi at Camp Nou and picked up 23 Brazil caps, had no qualms in picking the Argentina captain as his favourite of the modern era, while shying away from making a definitive comparison.
"I've spoken a lot of times. Messi is the best player of my generation," the former defender said.
"I haven't seen Pelé play... it's impossible to compare Pelé and Messi. Only the ones who saw both of them playing, or played with or against them.
"It's the journalists who like to compare, the athletes don't like to do that. There's no point. I think it's wrong to compare Pelé and Messi."
Pepe, a member of Brazil's winning 1958 and 1962 World Cup teams and nicknamed the 'Vila Cannon' for his venomous shooting, believes that Pele was a more complete player than "short" Messi.
"He did amazing stuff. Messi does as well, but Pele was taller, stronger, a better header, he had more drive. He had much more than Messi," he said.
"Messi is short, that doesn't stop him being a marvellous player, as Maradona was. These comparisions will always happen.
"For me, [Pele] was an alien, he did things that I have never seen other players do. He had the ability of a Messi, and the heading, strength, drive and speed of Cristiano Ronaldo".
habeimosuz
209
messi vs Pele: point by point messi was a better dribbler then Pele, messi was a better assist maker than Pele, messi was a better play maker than Pele, messi was a better passer than Pele but Pele was a good goal scorer than messi. football has never a player like messi, a player who has the qualities of both maradona and Pele. I had the privilege to watch both Pele and messi. messi is the greatest of all time
nihau
192
Who is the best Pele or Messi ? Yes Pele won 3 world cup titles. Messi won 5 Balon Dors. But Pele won it with a national team. While Messi won it as an individual voted by journalists around the world. Yes winning a world cup is great for a country but not for Pele especially. But winning the Balon Dor as a player is much more valuable to the person . Therefore I will and must pick Messi as the better player. IF MY PERCEPTION is Correct please vote. IYC@T&T
Duuaiklmnz
119
pele won every trophy in football. balloon d'or is a European affair this days. if by the days of pele those things were attributed to players out of Europe, pele would have won at least five times. we are talking of a player who won 3 world cup at a very young no age. pele scored more than 1000 goals in Lee than a 15 years career. nobody will ever beat his record. Messi has first of all to beat maradona's record before talking of pele.