United States President Donald Trump has said that the greatest football player he witnessed was Brazil’s Pelé, when asked who, between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he considers the greatest of all time.
Both Messi and Ronaldo remain in the hunt for the ultimate prize in football as they chase the 2026 FIFA World Cup title. The former is bidding to lead Argentina to consecutive World Cup wins, while Ronaldo is still pursuing the one major trophy that has eluded his glittering career with Portugal.
Despite both men chasing history, Trump believes another footballer stands above Messi and Ronaldo in the debate over the greatest footballer of all time. Trump is expected to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup final as well, where he is all set to present
the trophy to the eventual champions.
While the debate over the greatest footballer of all time is often framed around Messi and Ronaldo, Trump had a different answer: Pelé. Trump said that watching the latter play in person convinced him that Pelé remains the greatest footballer of all time.
“Many years ago, when I was young, they brought a player named Pelé to play, and he played for a team called the Cosmos. And Steve Ross, a friend of mine, [former CEO of] Warner Communications, he was the inspiration behind [it],” Trump said while speaking to DAZN.
“This place (MetLife Stadium) was packed. It was an earlier version of this stadium, but right here in the Meadowlands and it was Pele. I don’t want to date myself, but that was a long time ago,” Trump added.
“I was a young guy and I came to watch Pele and he was fantastic. And I would, I would say, probably I will go old-fashioned. That is like saying Babe Ruth, but I would say Pele was so great,” Trump said.
