Pele’s celebration of Brazil’s World Cup victory in 1970 will always be featured in picture albums and montages of the greatest football moments. At his best, he scored four goals and provided six assists throughout the tournament in Mexico City before being carried aloft by throngs of supporters inside the Estadio Azteca.
From his amazing football skills to his off-field charity endeavours, Pele was one of those players who revolutionised the game. He was one of the first well-known figures in the sport and, with his kind and laid-back demeanour, personified the Brazilian style of play.
Throughout his career, the Santos FC icon was consistently praised as the world’s best player, and he demonstrated his skills against England in the 1970 World Cup. In addition to praising the younger generation and making an astounding assertion in 2005, he had earlier spoken highly of Three Lions greats Sir Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore following their 1966 victory.
Steven Gerrard was named the world’s best player by Pele.
In 2006, he gave the Liverpool icon a higher rating than Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho.
In 2006, as he was entering his prime, Steven Gerrard assumed the role as Liverpool’s talisman, a position he held for the most of his 17-year tenure in the senior squad at Anfield. He led the Reds to their historic UEFA Champions League victory that year, overcoming a three-goal deficit to defeat AC Milan 3-2 on penalties and drew 3-3 over 120 minutes.
Gerrard enjoyed high-pressure situations and was prominent for his boyhood club on multiple occasions, including the Miracle of Istanbul. Because he took the game by the scruff of the neck and hit a crucial goal to force extra time, his team’s victory over West Ham United in the FA Cup final is known as “The Gerrard Final.”
Gerrard could deliver the goods on the offensive front and handle all the grunt work at the back. Pele believed that his status was preventing him from being acknowledged as the greatest person in the world. Months after the Englishman’s valiant performance in the FA Cup final, he stated (via Sky Sports):
“The supporters just search for forwards—always forwards. Someone who scores. A player like Gerrard can occasionally be found. In my opinion, Gerrard has been the world’s top player for the past five years.
In November 2005, Gerrard competed for the Ballon d’Or but came in third. Ronaldinho of Barcelona won the coveted prize, followed by Frank Lampard of Chelsea. Four years after Lionel Messi’s ascent, he received the first of his eight Ballons d’Or.
He was also one of England’s top players on the international scene, succeeding John Terry as captain in 2012. He was a part of the Three Lions ‘golden generation’ that sadly did not win a major title, with 114 caps, 21 goals, and 23 assists. He also played in three World Cup competitions and three European Championships.
Pele contended that because of their positions, Messi and Ronaldinho were getting more credit than Gerrard:
He is an excellent midfield player. Because they are forwards, people now bring up Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Messi instead of Gerrard.
Despite never winning the Ballon d’Or, Gerrard was named the 2005 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year. Pele, a three-time World Cup winner, is the most trustworthy footballer to ask about a player’s ability. His laudatory evaluation demonstrates the Whiston-born playmaker’s extraordinary brilliance, which dominated England’s and Liverpool’s midfield in the 2000s.
“Never Regretted” Remaining at Liverpool, Steven Gerrard
Despite not winning the Premier League and Chelsea’s interest, he remained at Anfield.
Gerrard’s statement regarding his decision to stay with Liverpool until 2015, when he left for the MLS team LA Galaxy, was, “I never regretted staying at Liverpool my whole career in England.” He was the focus of a major transfer story the year before Pele referred to him as the best player in the world.
He appeared intrigued to relocate to Stamford Bridge, and Jose Mourinho was keen to lure him to Chelsea. However, he remembered what his father had said to him in a 2015 interview with The Guardian:
“My dad asked me a straightforward question: ‘Would winning two or three trophies with Liverpool mean more to you than winning twice as many with Chelsea?'” Chelsea wasn’t on my mind at the time. All I could think of was Liverpool. Dad got it. “Don’t walk away,” he said. Keep going to the club you love.
The Career of Steven Gerrard
Groups:
Liverpool
The LA Galaxy
Looks:
710.
39
Objectives:
186
5.
Helps:
155
15.
Yellow Cards:
80
2.
Red Cards:
4.
0
Principal Honours:
Champions League, FA Cup twice, UEFA Super Cup twice, UEFA Cup, and League Cup three times
N/A
After staying at Anfield past 2005, Gerrard went on to win two more significant trophies: the League Cup in 2012 and the UEFA Super Cup in 2006. He was one of Liverpool’s most cherished homegrown heroes towards the end of his career.
xz
