Pelé vs Gary Lineker: Stats Compared
Forward, Brazil (born 1940, retired 1977) · Striker, England (born 1960, retired 1994)
Ask any fan to rank Pelé above or below Gary Lineker and you will get a passionate answer. Separated by their years at the top, each defined the football of their own generation. Career output puts Pelé at 757 goals in 812 games, with Gary Lineker at 330 in 567. Reliable assist tallies simply do not exist for large stretches of their careers, leaving creativity to the eye rather than the spreadsheet. The honours ledger favours Pelé with 14 major trophies (3× FIFA World Cup (1958, 1962, 1970)) against Gary Lineker's 9 (1× Copa del Rey (1988)). Pelé belonged to the 1970s, dominating with a mercurial quality; Gary Lineker rose in the 1980s with a clinical edge. Their routes to the top were distinct: Pelé built his reputation across Santos, New York Cosmos, peaking around 1970, while Gary Lineker reached his defining level around 1986 after spells with Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham. Picking between them says as much about the picker as the players.
165 words · comparison angle: era
Player profiles
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.”
Gary Winston Lineker (born 30 November 1960) is an English sports broadcaster, businessman, and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of England's greatest players, Lineker is the only player to have been the top goalscorer in England with three clubs: Leicester City, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur. He also played for Barcelona in Spain, and won 80 caps for England.
“A model penalty-box striker whose timing and finishing were almost never wasted.”
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
- 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)
- 1× Copa del Rey (1988)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 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
- 1978 Established himself at Leicester City
- 1982 Reached his defining peak
- 1986 Delivered a landmark season
- 1994 Retired from professional football
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)
