Pele : Messi and Rooney need World Cup wins
Brazilian legend Pele says both Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney need to perform on the highest international stages before they can be called world class.
The 71-year-old has been extremely opinionated this season towards Argentine forward Lionel Messi with most of his statements questioning the ability of the Barcelona star.
Speaking to The Sun, the former Brazilian World Cup winner has now said both Messi and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney need to perform on the biggest stage.
“I think a ‘great’ player is defined by their performances at the World Cup,”
“For example, watch Lionel Messi play for Barcelona. He is very good. Exceptional. But for Argentina, he’s completely different.”
“Compare him to Zinedine Zidane. He won the World Cup and was at the top for 15 years. He was a more complete player than Messi.
When asked about Wayne Rooney, the three-time World Cup winner was far from complimentary about his behavior.
“His aggression is a big part of his game — you cannot take that away from him,” he explained. “But a player does have a responsibility to behave himself. It’s hard to change the personality of the player but maybe they can adjust.”
Pele talks too much, he never played against the best, not really. He played in Brazil his whole career and then came to the US to play for the NY Cosmos. The WC is so over rated, I know it is the most “prestigious” tournament, but it isn’t the best soccer tournament. You can win a WC with just 7 games, unlike the champions league or a european league where you have to play for an entire year.