Max Prebit of NY is an avid soccer player, trainer, and fan. In the following article, Max Prebit takes a look at just a few of the most popular players of all time, their impact on the sport, and the world.
Soccer is rising in popularity and the number of eyes the sport gains as players increase in skill. However, it would be a mistake to forget the incredible players who have defined what it means to achieve greatness in the sport.
Legendary soccer players who have and may continue to have impact on the sport of soccer, according to accomplishments remembered by outlets like NBC News, include Pele, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Each have won several titles, and each has inspired the next generation of soccer players.
Max Prebit of NY takes a look at what makes each of the individuals mentioned about soccer legends and how they have the power to redefine the sport itself, as well as draw attention to everything that makes soccer great.
Max Prebit of NY Pinpoints the GOATS
What makes a person a legend? Often, we measure legendary status by someone who leaves behind an unforgettable impression on others. This may be in skill, in accomplishments for one’s home culture, or in sheer strength of character. For soccer players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Pelè, all of the above exist.
The sport may have begun in the early 1860s, but it owes its current celebrated popularity, and even it’s very definition, to athletes like the ones mentioned below.
Pelè
Max Prebit of NY says that it would be remiss to start with any other soccer player in the world than Pelè, otherwise called the King of Soccer. Born by the name of Edson Arantes no Nascimento, Pelè is credited with bringing not just soccer, but professional athleticism at large into the public’s attention.
Pelè started playing for the Santos Futebol Clube when he was only 15 years of age, and quickly moved on to playing for the national team of Brazil the very next year of his life.
“Pelè” was the young Brazilian’s first nickname, but it was not the only one. After weaning not one, but three FIFA world cups, he was better known as “O Rei,” which means, of course, “The King.”
Max Prebit of NY says that he is remembered to this day not just for these accomplishments, but for the spirit in which he played the game. Pele was known to talk about and play the sport as if it were a transcendent, beautiful thing. Actually, this is why referring to soccer as “The Beautiful Game” is so widely popular today.
Pelè was well beloved all over the world. In his home country, he was a star for bringing the eyes of the world favorably to Brazil, and then championing the poor through his support of certain policies. It is no wonder that the president of FIFA declared Pelè the greatest player in history, and his love for the game has spread it’s echoes to this day.
Lionel Messi
No list of legendary soccer players could possibly be worth it’s salt without Lionel Messi. Lionel Andres Messi is from Argentine, and has played, like Pelè before him, as a forward. There is no circle in which the game of soccer is discussed without mentioning Lionel Messi as one of the brightest stars in the game.
Max Prebit of NY explains that Messi has the most goals scores by a single club player, and has the most international goals ever scored by a male from South America. He is certainly the all-time top scorer for Barcelona, and has played the most games at the World Cup in history.
Lionel Messi is most widely remarked on not just as being a great player on his own, but a great contributor to any team he joins. Assistant coach Henk ten Cate claimed that in his first-team debut, Lionel Messi conducted himself on the field as if he’d always been playing with his team.
In fact, even Pelè himself congratulated Lionel Messi on his commitment to the club he scored the most goals for, showing a legend’s recognition of another legend in terms of emphasizing a love for the group aspect of the sport.
Max Prebit of NY remarks that the versatility, loyalty, and unstoppably creative style of play that Messi has brought to the game of soccer will not soon be forgotten.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo must be mentioned in tandem with the above two greats. This player, whose full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, is also a forward who has at many times been compared to his rival, Lionel Messi.
Max Prebit of NY notes that he is a record holder for the most goals and assists in the Champions league. He is the highest goalscorer of all time, and from his debut on the field at age 19, he was impressing everyone with his massive talent. He has been most prominently hailed for his versatility in attacking, and his skill at adapting to others’ variations in attacking systems.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s impact on the sport has raised questions about the impact of a “star player” on a soccer team: his statistically-marked ability to make goals at crucial turning points of each game is a reason for these teams’ reliance on him. When the star player leaves these teams, there is consistently a marked drop as the team figures out how to function anew.
Regardless, there is no denying that Cristiano Ronaldo has already, and will only continue, to break records and set new trends for the sport at large.
In Conclusion
Max Prebit of NY notes that celebrating legendary soccer players and their impact on the sport would not be possible without mentioning players like Pelè, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo. From their impact on their own home cultures to the game itself, these players are already set to go down in history.
