Former World Cup-winning coach with Argentina in 1978, César Luis Menotti, placed Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento “Pelé” as the greatest of all time, above Argentine stars Diego Armando Maradona and Lionel Messi.

"There's one that can't be compared, it's impossible. There's one who, if he played today, would win games by himself, and that's Pelé. Then we have Diego, (Johan) Cruyff, (Alfredo) Di Stefano, and now Messi, but Pelé was something else," 'el Flaco' stated in an interview with Radio Splendid.

The former player for Rosario Central, Racing, and Boca Juniors joined Brazilian club Santos in 1968 where he played alongside 'O Rei' (The King) and won the Campeonato Paulista the following season.

"I say this with certainty because I lived with him for a year playing every day as his substitute. One day Pelé jumped two meters and made a 20-meter pass with his chest that left Toninho alone, and Coutinho - Brazilian teammates of Menotti at Santos - told me: 'This is not a football player,'" Menotti commented.

At that time, the "mineiro" forward was already a national and international star, having won the World Cups in Sweden 1958 and Chile 1962 with the Brazilian national team. He would later achieve a historic treble by lifting the golden trophy in 1970 in Mexico.

Pelé also had a remarkable club career, winning six league titles, two cups, two Copa Libertadores, and two Intercontinental Cups against Portuguese side Benfica and Italian giants Milan. Menotti reiterated that the footballer, who passed away two years ago, was "the greatest" he ever saw in his life.

After retiring, the Rosario native had a highly successful coaching career, reaching its peak by placing the first star on the Albiceleste jersey, followed by Maradona's in 1986 and Messi's in 2022. Interestingly, he also led Argentina to victory in the 1979 U-20 World Cup, where Maradona stood out as the standout player.

World Champion Cesar Luis Menotti Passes Away

Ultimately, the former coach of FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Sampdoria, and Puebla expressed his preference for Benfica's Ángel Di María from the current World Cup-winning squad, a player who, like him, came from Rosario Central.

"He's a guy of great generosity... He has been disrespectfully treated without any recognition when for me, he was the figure of the Argentine national team. He played better than everyone, including the greats, with his character and his calm demeanor. It's a huge joy that they recognize him because he's one of the best players in Argentine football history in terms of his participation in the football world," Menotti stated.