125 best footballers pele biography

In March 2004, Pele faced the difficult task of naming the 100 greatest living footballers.

It’s hard enough comparing players from different positions, never mind different eras.

So Pele deserves some of our sympathy for the arduous challenge.

As such, the great Brazilian – who has tried his hand at a remarkable range of roles since retiring as a player – bottled it.

Despite being told to name the 100 greatest players – 50 active and 50 retired – to commemorate FIFA’s 100th anniversary, Pele decided it was impossible.

Instead, Pele decided to mark FIFA’s centenary by providing a list of 125 players, 50 of which were still playing.

He got his excuses in early, saying: “It was very difficult choosing – sometimes you have pain in your heart when you have to leave somebody out.

“Everyone has their own favour