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Diego Maradona Claims Pele's FIFA Award 'Isn't Worth S***'
October 18, 2013
Argentine footballing icon Diego Maradona has revisited an old feud, claiming Pele's "FIFA Football Family" award is meaningless.
Maradona was voted the Player of the 20th Century in 2000 after a large public vote, while Pele was handed a separate award by FIFA:
Per ESPNFC, he is still not ready to put his feud with Pele to bed:
In 2000 I won the Player of the Century award thanks to the people. Pele was second. He also came second behind [Ayrton] Senna as Brazil's greatest sportsman.
The award that FIFA gave Pele isn't worth s---.
The latest quotes are just a continuation of the classless battle the pair have waged through the media for some time, with the arguments claiming column inches across the world's media.
Back in February, per Goal.com, Maradona accused his Brazilian rival of "saying stupid stuff when he takes the wrong pills."
Pele, meanwhile, claimed in 2009 that Maradona couldn't be the best player ever as "he couldn't kick well with his right foot and he didn't score headed goals," per Rob Draper of the Daily Mail.
While harmless, Maradona has also accused Pele of being homosexual, per Goal.com. He also accused him of allowing former teammate Garrincha to die in misery, per BBC Sport in 2000.
In recent years, the pair have frequently used Neymar and Lionel Messi as tools to continue their own personal argument.
The controversy over the FIFA award stems back to 2000. In the midst of the pair's souring of relations, FIFA decided to hand out two awards, despite Maradona winning an Internet poll.
Ever since, the Argentine has declared Pele's prize to be meaningless.
The duo do not portray football in a good light with their behaviour, which has descended into childish squabbles that would be frowned upon at a primary school.
The constant one-upmanship has sadly tarnished the image of both players, with neither particularly respected for their conduct. Indeed, both have become somewhat of a laughing stock:
It is a sad way for two of football's very best players to be regarded, but their behaviour in this clash of egos has been nothing short of immature on both sides over the course of many years.
Maradona's latest outburst is simply the continuation of a trend. We can surely expect a response from his Brazilian nemesis at some point in the near future.