Pele is undoubtedly one of the greatest but he’s more of a pioneer because he did everything before anyone else, but for me, Messi edges it. As for influence, Cruyff literally changed the way football is played, so I think it’s fair to call him the most influential.
We can’t compare players due to era differences, but we can compare careers - Imagine watching Messi get his third World Cup title now instead of his first. That’s why Pelé will edge it for me until someone has a career like Messi’s and Pelé’s club career coupled with total dominance at the national team level too.
Pele is undoubtedly one of the greatest but he’s more of a pioneer because he did everything before anyone else, but for me, Messi edges it. As for influence, Cruyff literally changed the way football is played, so I think it’s fair to call him the most influential.
We can’t compare players due to era differences, but we can compare careers - Imagine watching Messi get his third World Cup title now instead of his first. That’s why Pelé will edge it for me until someone has a career like Messi’s and Pelé’s club career coupled with total dominance at the national team level too.