Is Argentine Lionel Messi the greatest player in history, ahead of Brazilian Pelé? As with the ongoing debate in the NBA between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, this discussion has occupied the football world during the World Cup, but his loss in the final provided a negative answer.

While it is futile to compare two different eras, reaching his third final at the age of 39, after his coronation in 2022 when he was already at the end of his exceptional career, confirms an astonishing consistency at the highest level, giving the Argentine a unique status.

Pelé remains the only player to have won the World Cup three times. In 1958, the world was stunned to discover the genius of the 17-year-old who scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against France in a match that ended 5-2, and a brace in the final against Sweden, also 5-2.

In 1962, Brazil retained the title, but almost without him, as he played only one and a half matches before getting injured.

Pelé, who was said to be in decline at 29—an age considered advanced for footballers back then—returned to the top in 1970, leading one of the most beautiful teams in history to a 4-1 victory over Italy in the final.

Messi, meanwhile, also played in three finals, losing his first in 2014 to Germany (0-1 after extra time).

While he was decisive in 2022 to defeat France, scoring a brace and then converting his penalty in the decisive shootout (3-3 after extra time, 4-2 on penalties), four years later he appeared like a ghost in the final against Spain, which denied him a second personal star.

Records

Messi became the first player to participate in six World Cups, before being joined by Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, and he also broke several individual records, though they did not last long.

By scoring eight goals in this tournament, he temporarily became the all-time World Cup top scorer with 21 goals, before ultimately being surpassed by Frenchman Kylian Mbappé (22 goals), who scored ten this year.

Messi also has 12 assists, a record no other player has achieved.

Pelé, in four editions he participated in, did not break records, but he remains to this day the youngest player to win the World Cup, at 17 years and 249 days.

Major Impact

Would Brazil have won without Pelé in 1958 and 1970? Perhaps.

They won the title in 1962 almost without him. And although the Brazilian genius was decisive in the other two campaigns, he was surrounded by artists like Garrincha, Vavá, Rivellino, and Tostão, who are inseparable from the successes of the 'Seleção'.

Would Argentina have won in 2022 and reached the final in 2026 without Messi? Most likely not.

His numerical contributions, and his role as captain and guide akin to a spiritual teacher for a group that owes him a lot, show how dependent the team was on him.

What Messi's consistency tells us is that it does not mean decline at all, as he managed to impose his destiny in a tournament that had long eluded him at a time when many no longer believed he was capable.

He waited until the age of 35 to score in the Round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup his first ever goals in a World Cup knockout match, a turning point that completely changed him and led him to glory after three matches.

His journey in 2026 was even more tied to Messi's imprint, as miracles repeated at the end of fluctuating matches thanks to his left foot. But in the final, Spain succeeded in completely neutralizing his influence.

Unforgettable Legacy

When his star rose before the world, Pelé embodied modernity in football and became the game's first true global star.

Thanks to his technical skills, creativity, and goal-scoring instinct, he almost single-handedly represented the Brazilian style that became a reference for beautiful football (Jogo Bonito) for several decades, before turning into a thing of the past.

Ronaldo, Neymar, Ronaldinho, and many others were presented in their early days as the 'new Pelé'.

Messi, on the other hand, lived in the heavy shadow of Diego Maradona, taking a long time to free himself from it in the 'Albiceleste' shirt, because he first became the best player of his era with Spanish club Barcelona.

Alongside the enormous talent that unites them, what also connects Messi, Pelé, and Maradona is their relatively short stature. Yet, 'the Flea' managed to impose his dominance in an era where physical attributes became much more important in football.

His speed of execution and clarity in the final touch made him a model for an entire generation of talents, foremost among them the Spaniard Lamine Yamal.