Diego Maradona vs Pelé: Stats Compared
Forward / Playmaker, Argentina (born 1960, retired 1997) · Forward, Brazil (born 1940, retired 1977)
Ask any fan to rank Diego Maradona above or below Pelé and you will get a passionate answer. Trophies, more than goals, are how most supporters ultimately remember a career. Diego Maradona finishes with 293 career goals from 582 games — a 0.50 strike rate — against Pelé's 757 from 812 at 0.93 per match. Reliable assist tallies simply do not exist for large stretches of their careers, leaving creativity to the eye rather than the spreadsheet. Diego Maradona departs the game with 6 major pieces of silverware, including 1× FIFA World Cup (1986); Pelé with 14, including 3× FIFA World Cup (1958, 1962, 1970). One lifted trophies through explosive reliability, the other through mercurial moments that decided finals. The wider career context matters too: Diego Maradona peaked around 1986 after representing Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys, while Pelé's defining level came around 1970 across Santos, New York Cosmos. Whichever side you land on, both belong in any conversation about the finest of their generation.
170 words · comparison angle: trophies
Player profiles
Argentine legend who almost single-handedly led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup and transformed Napoli into Italian and European contenders.
“A low-centre-of-gravity left-footed genius whose dribbling and playmaking carried teams single-handedly.”
Widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, Pelé is the only player to win three FIFA World Cups. FIFA recognises 757 official senior career goals (1,281 including friendlies).
“A two-footed, athletic forward who combined explosive pace, aerial ability and extraordinary vision.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× FIFA World Cup (1986)
- 1× UEFA Cup (1989)
- 2× Serie A (1987, 1990)
- 1× Copa Italia (1987)
- 1× Argentine Primera División (1981)
- 3× FIFA World Cup (1958, 1962, 1970)
- 2× Copa Libertadores (1962, 1963)
- 2× Intercontinental Cup (1962, 1963)
- 6× Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
- 1× NASL Soccer Bowl (1977)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1976 Argentinos Juniors debut ten days before his 16th birthday
- 1981 Joined Boca Juniors and won the Argentine league
- 1982 World-record transfer to Barcelona
- 1984 Signed for Napoli for another world-record fee
- 1987 Led Napoli to their first ever Serie A title
- 1990 Captained Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final
- 1997 Played his final professional matches at Boca Juniors
- 1956 Professional debut for Santos aged 15
- 1958 Became youngest World Cup goalscorer at 17
- 1959 Top scorer in the Campeonato Brasileiro
- 1962 Won second World Cup despite injury in the final
- 1969 Scored his 1,000th career goal
- 1975 Came out of semi-retirement to join New York Cosmos
- 1977 Honoured at Pelé Day halftime show at Giants Stadium
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Pelé wins out by a decisive margin on the weight of a sharper goalscoring record.
Pelé edges it (a decisive margin)
