Gladilin named modern players who will replace Pele and Maradona in history

Former football player and coach of Moscow Spartak Valery Gladilin told Gazeta.Ru who in football mythology will replace the outstanding South American football players Diego Maradona and Pele.

– Who will replace Pele and Maradona in football history? Now two outstanding players are ending their careers – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

They will play until the age of 40, they are in great shape, these two outstanding football players will break various records for prizes, titles, and goals,” Gladilin said.

Pele passed away on Thursday at the age of 82 after battling colon cancer.

Pele is an outstanding personality. Every nation has unique people, and Pele, as a representative of Brazilian football, has become the personification of an athlete who has proved himself in football in such a way that the records he set will not be broken soon.

To become a three-time world champion, when the world championship takes place every four years, means to be in perfect shape for almost the entire football career and win. No wonder he was recognized as the best athlete of the twentieth century. Not just the best footballer, but the best athlete! This is a unique achievement!

Pele was an outstanding striker, scoring over a thousand goals. His passing is a tragedy for everyone. We can say that he is a man from outer space. A large-scale personality that is born into the world once every hundred years. This is a big loss for everyone,” Gladilin said.

Pele is the only three-time world football champion (1958, 1962, 1970). He played 92 matches for Brazil and scored 77 goals. At the club level, the striker played for the Brazilian Santos and New York Cosmos.