Brazilian legendary footballer Pele has confessed his admiration for Real Madrid ahead of the much-anticipated UCL final clash against rivals Atletico Madrid on May 28 in Milan. The 75-year-old has revealed that he likes Los Blancos because of their ‘artistic’ style of play. In an interview with Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport, the three-time World Cup winner with Brazil described the Madrid giants as ‘more artistic, more open, and less defensive.’
He was speaking ahead of the official launch of a film about his childhood and football career. The film will be launched later on Thursday night.
But after heaping praise on Zinedine Zidane’s men, one last question seemed to have diverted him away from the Santiago Bernabeu outfit. The debate about the best player in the world has never been settled but according to Pele, Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi tops his world of football stars ahead of his on-pitch rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian then added that he would have played for Barca if he had the chance to return to playing football. He was quoted as saying:
"Messi is my favorite player but Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are good. They have different styles in a changed football. Today you play the more closed, It is on the defensive. It is more difficult to pull out the qualities of the individual. "
The global football icon made 694 club appearances and scored 650 goals between 1956 and 1977. He also made 91 appearances for Brazil and scored 77 goals.
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