Everyone took a side and the two heroes were not shy about expressing their feelings.
Pele found Maradona disgusting and indecent, and Maradona thought Pele was marketable.
In his kindest criticism, Maradona said, “As a player he was great…but he thinks politically.”
Pele called the drug-addicted Argentine a ‘bad example’ and much more.
Nevertheless, the two South Americans got on well when they first met in 1979, when Maradona was flying to Rio to meet Pelé.
Pelé was happy to take the budding star’s advice, and Maradona was excited to fulfill his dream of meeting the Brazilian.
But their relationship soured in 1982 when Pelé criticized Maradona after he was sent off for stamping on a Brazilian player in a World Cup tie in Spain.
Since then, they have spent decades criticizing each other and then settling for praise in the form of insults.
Pelé was euphoric upon hearing of Maradona’s death, saying: “I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend.”
Messi, who cemented his claim to sporting immortality by leading Argentina to a third World Cup win this month, paid tribute to the Brazilian star on Instagram by sharing a photo of himself with Pele, saying: “Pele rest in peace.”
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, eclipsed by Messi at the Qatar World Cup, was more detailed, describing him as Brazil’s “King Pele” and an inspiration to millions. “He will never be forgotten and his memory will live on among all of us football lovers,” he added.
