Argentine soccer national team's coach Diego Maradona ironically requested on Wednesday former Brazilian soccer player Pele "to stop being the second one" at the poll on the best soccer player of all the times or the most important Brazilian player in the history.
Maradona said "I played 10 years in Europe, Pele played in South America. He won world Cups and all that ... but to play in Europe is another thing. However, I am not better than him just because of that."
"I lived a soccer era in Spain and Italy when the scores were dog's prize. I had to stand them till die!" Maradona said in an interview published on Wednesday in FIFA's website.
"Pele had Coutinhoand Rivelin, who for me are over. And later he had Jairzinho, Clodoaldo, Gerson, Tostao ... wow! He had monsters. But, the important thing is that people voted and he was placed second," Maradona added.
"Nobody is going to take me that. And there was another poll in Brazil where he was behind Aytron Senna. So, he has to stop being second!" Maradona said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2009)